The Billionaire's Defiant Wife

Now that had her eyes flying to his, her lips parting on a tiny gasp of surprise. The bold challenge, right in front of his family, knocked her off balance, as did the sardonic amusement glittering in those blue orbs that dared her to respond. However, Aimi was not given to running away. Taking a breath, she moistened her lips, and her senses rocked when she saw his eyes follow the movement. Then his gaze lifted, and for a vital second the irony was gone and she could see heat there. Scorching. Elemental. Of course, as soon as he saw she had seen, his lips twitched, and she knew she had been played by a master. Which gave her all the more reason to reply.

‘Are you fishing for compliments, Jonas?’ she taunted with gentle mockery, and laughter erupted around her.

‘Sounds like it to me,’ James Carmichael interjected. ‘That has to be a first!’

Everyone started teasing him, which he took with remarkable fortitude, an attitude which she did find attractive—amongst other things. She had always liked a man with a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at himself. Yet that changed nothing. She was not interested in whatever games he had in mind. Sitting back in her seat, she withdrew from the fray and concentrated on drinking her coffee.

The gentle ribbing continued for some time, until Jonas changed the subject. ‘How many are coming to the barbecue this time?’ she heard him ask his mother, but the answer was lost, as she took the opportunity to regroup her thoughts.

Aimi recognised that she was dangerously close to getting caught up in the miasma of the senses that was sexual desire, and she found that unsettling. From the moment she had vowed to change her life, no man had registered on her radar. In the beginning she had been too haunted by what had happened to feel anything but, as the healing process had gone on, she had turned the radar off deliberately. She hadn’t wanted to be attracted to anyone, to find happiness in a loving relationship, for it deepened her sense of guilt to feel so alive. So well had she done the job that she had thought her defences were impermeable, but a few moments in Jonas’s presence had destroyed that belief. Even now it went on. Unseen, Jonas called to her and the whole of her being responded. It was so strong, even the hairs on her skin stood to attention. The sheer intensity of it was staggering.

She didn’t want to feel it, didn’t want to be so aware of him, but her body wasn’t obeying the rules. All she could do was try to block it out as best she could. Once the weekend was over, that would be the end of it.

She tuned back in to the conversation in time to hear Paula announce that she and her husband were going for a walk around the lake if anyone was interested in joining them.

‘I could do with a walk,’ she said, jumping at the chance, and looked at Nick. ‘Will you join us?’

‘Paula will only nag me if I don’t,’ he pretended to grumble as he stood up, and his sister poked her tongue out at him.

Aimi braced herself to hear Jonas declare his intention to join the group, but it didn’t happen and she let out a tiny breath of relief. Though she forced herself not to look round, she could feel one pair of eyes on her back as they walked away.

It was marginally cooler down by the water and she and Nick strolled along, side by side, enjoying each other’s company, following the other couple. Eventually Paula and her husband disappeared around a bend, leaving her and Nick alone momentarily.

‘It’s much better here,’ Aimi declared, thankful for some respite from the heat—the tangible one and that given out by a pair of fathomless blue eyes.

‘Jonas and I used to play on the lake when we were kids. We built a raft and would pretend we were shipwrecked sailors. Of course, we weren’t allowed to do it until we could swim. Jonas had different interests then,’ he added somewhat pointedly, making her look at him.

‘What do you mean?’ she couldn’t help but ask, and Nick rolled his eyes.

‘That was before he discovered girls. Tall ones, short ones. Blondes and brunettes. All of them beautiful, and all of them madly infatuated with the handsome devil. He’s never had to fight for a woman in his life. They take one look at him and, wham, they topple into his arms like ninepins! It’s all too easy. He’ll never settle down. Why would he, when he can have any woman he wants?’

Aimi had known the moment she had seen Jonas that he would be a hit with the ladies. She shivered inwardly as she thought again about the instant reaction she had experienced. ‘No wonder you call him a Lothario!’

Nick laughed. ‘He doesn’t treat women badly. On the contrary, he’s generous to a fault. He just never gives anything of himself. It’s all purely physical. He’s my brother, and I wouldn’t wish him harm, but he could do with falling hard for someone, just to learn a lesson.’

‘Not everyone wants to settle down,’ she ventured, knowing that such a situation was not on the cards for her. Once she had envisioned herself with a husband and children, but that dream had vanished a long time ago.

Nick came to a halt and, when he turned to her, she could see the frustration he was experiencing. ‘Of course not. It isn’t that. Jonas has lived a charmed life. Everything has come easy to him. He needs a reality check. Basically, he needs to know he’s human like the rest of us.’

‘You mean he needs to suffer,’ she proposed, smiling just a little, and Nick grinned, an action that heightened the resemblance between the two brothers.

‘Sounds awful, doesn’t it? It’s going to take someone pretty remarkable to do it, that’s for sure.’

Aimi sighed as they began to walk on. ‘I’m not sure you should be telling me all this,’ she remarked uncomfortably, but Nick shook his head.

‘On the contrary, you’re the one who most needs to know,’ he declared, bringing her head round in complete surprise.

‘I don’t see why,’ she refuted, wondering what he could mean.

Nick tutted in a rather parental fashion. ‘Of course you do, so just you remember what I told you when the pressure gets turned up.’

She glanced round at him curiously. ‘Whatever do you mean?’

This time Nick favoured her with an old-fashioned look. ‘Aimi, you’re a beautiful green-eyed blonde, and Jonas isn’t blind. Be careful.’

Aimi was both alarmed that he should realise what his brother was doing, and warmed that he cared enough to warn her. Yet he need not have worried. ‘I’m afraid your brother will be wasting his time. I have no intention of being his entertainment for the weekend. Thank you for caring, though.’

‘I wouldn’t want to see you hurt,’ he told her, and she smiled wryly.

‘I won’t be, because I don’t plan to get involved with him,’ she added reassuringly.

‘I’m sure that’s what most of his conquests said,’ he countered with a grimace and Aimi stopped walking and looked at him.

‘Please don’t worry about me; I’m going to be fine. I’ve known men like your brother before, and I’m immune to them.’ It was almost true. Jonas, however, was a different kettle of fish, and he had taken her by surprise. He wouldn’t do so again.

Nick studied her face, and what he saw there convinced him he could relax. Maybe she was right, and she was immune. She certainly had defences like he had never seen. ‘I’ll say no more, then,’ was all he said, and they continued on their way.

CHAPTER TWO (#u7e70bbf3-1efe-5c68-9e88-9b0c0381b44c)

IN HER bedroom later that evening, Aimi pushed the windows wide to gather in what breeze there was, but the warmth already trapped inside her room made her feel hot and sticky all over again. Kicking off her shoes, she reached up and removed the pins that held her hair in place and the blonde locks tumbled in waves over her neck and cheeks. It felt good to let it loose, but tomorrow it would go back up again, reinforcing the look she had worked hard to maintain over the years.

In the mirror she could see the natural waves of her hair softening her features, making her look vibrantly young and alluring—carefree almost. It sent out a message that jarred on her nerves. She wasn’t that person any more. Would never allow herself to be her again. It was part of her self-imposed penance.

Turning away from her reflection, she walked into the bathroom to take a cooling shower. Feeling marginally better, she dried herself on a fluffy towel and slipped into a thigh-length silk nightie. Turning off the light, she stretched out on top of the bed. However, it proved impossible to sleep, and not just because of the heat. Alone in the humid darkness, time passed slowly and her thoughts inevitably travelled back to that moment when she had first seen Jonas. She could visualise the sheer power and magnetism of him. Just thinking about it set her nerves tingling.

‘Damn!’ she exclaimed in exasperation, shooting up into a sitting position. ‘Stop it, Aimi!’ Yet for once her brain refused to obey. It played over the look in his eyes when their gazes had locked, and once again heat swept over her with such stunning force that her stomach muscles clenched in reaction.

That had her scrambling off the bed and padding to the window to draw in deep gulps of warm air. Yet it didn’t help. The memories were too powerful. Too stunning. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the brush of his gaze on her lips as her tongue sought to moisten them, and she groaned helplessly.

‘For heaven’s sake, Aimi, get a grip!’ she muttered to herself. ‘You’re not going to do this! So what if the man oozes sex appeal? You cannot allow yourself to be drawn into the flames. He’s a playboy. All he wants is a body in his bed, and that isn’t going to be you!’

Aimi dragged a hand through her damp hair and sighed. Lord, it was hot! Even the water in the shower had been tepid. She longed to feel something cool against her skin and, with sudden insight, knew just where she could find it. Moments later, she had slipped on her silk robe over her nightie and was padding barefoot down the stairs, the robe flying out in her wake like the wings of an exotic bird. Her destination was the large modern kitchen, and she was relieved to find she had it to herself when she passed through the door, closing it behind her. There was no need to turn on the light, for the moonlight gave the room a silvery glow.

It took a few minutes of quietly searching through drawers and cupboards before she found what she was looking for—a napkin, which she took to the counter beside the larder-style combined refrigerator and freezer. There was a delicious blast of coldness when she opened the freezer door, seeking out the bag of ice cubes. Taking a handful, she wrapped them in the napkin, closed the freezer and sat down at the table, sighing with pleasure as she drew the ice-filled napkin over her skin.

They were moments of pure bliss and she almost purred as she wondered why she hadn’t thought of this before. Propping her feet on another chair, she hummed to herself as she lazily cooled herself down. Which was why she was miles away when the abrupt sound of someone tapping on the window made her almost jump out of her skin.

Her head shot round and, to her complete surprise, she saw Jonas standing outside the kitchen door.

‘Oh, my God!’ she gasped faintly, suddenly aware of the picture she must make, sexily draped over two chairs and wearing next to nothing. Her instinct was to rush off, but he was gesticulating to the door, clearly wanting to come in. There was nothing else she could do but put a brave face on it and comply. With a grimace of dismay, she set her napkin of ice down and padded over to the door to let him in, holding her robe together with one hand.

‘Thanks,’ he said, the moment he was inside, locking the door again. ‘I thought I was going to have to sleep on the lawn,’ he added with wry humour, which faded when he turned and looked at her standing in the moonlight, seeing her state of dishabille properly for the first time.

‘Now that’s a sight I don’t see every day!’ he breathed seductively and with obvious pleasure, whereupon Aimi hastily tied the belt of her robe and folded her arms as his blue eyes roved over her, causing her body to respond in a way he would easily recognise. She was as mortified as it was possible to be to have been caught this way. When he finally looked her in the eye again, there was a wicked gleam in the blue depths and a sensual curve to his lips. ‘Were you expecting me? I hope so—you definitely have my attention,’ he queried in a voice that vibrated along her nerves like the purr of a contented cat.

‘Naturally, you would think that!’ she shot back instantly, finding it incredibly hard to keep her composure. She felt unusually edgy and ill at ease. ‘It was hot, so I came down for some ice. I didn’t expect anyone to be about at this time of night. What were you doing out there?’

Jonas drew a hand through his hair, ruffling it rakishly, and she had to stifle a groan as the way he looked registered on her senses. She wondered if it was a calculated move or pure happenstance. Whatever, the effect was the same.