Australia: In Bed with the Boss: The Marriage Decider / Their Wedding Day / His Boardroom Mistress

“Whatever you decide is okay by me, Amy,” he blithely assured her. “I wouldn’t dream of going where I wasn’t wanted.”

“I didn’t invite you here, Jake,” she swiftly pointed out.

“Telepathy,” he declared. “It’s been coming at me in waves all day. Couldn’t ignore it.”

“I haven’t thought of you once!”

“Subconscious at work. No one here to share things with. Low point coming up.”

Suspicion glared back at him. “Sounds more like psychology to me.” Get the girl when she’s down!

“Well, you could be right about that,” he grandly conceded. “I guess I was compelled by this sense of responsibility towards you.”

“What responsibility?”

“Well, I said…Jake, my boy, you more or less pushed Amy into that apartment. There she is, without her familiars, and the least you can do is turn up and make sure she’s okay.”

“I’m okay,” she insisted.

His mouth moved into its familiar quirk. His womantrap eyes glowed golden with charming appeal. “I brought dinner with me.”

No one, Amy reflected, knew the art of temptation better than Jake Carter. She could smell the distinct aroma of hot Chinese mixtures. Her stomach had unknotted enough to recognise it was empty. More to the point, sparring with Jake had banished the black beast of loneliness. If she sent him away…

“Dinner does sound good,” she admitted.

“I hate eating alone,” Jake chimed in, pressing precisely the button that had Amy wavering.

“I wouldn’t mind sharing dinner with you,” she said with arch emphasis.

“Sharing is always better.” He cocked an eyebrow in hopeful appeal. “Can I come in now? I promise I won’t even ask you to show me the bedroom.”

No, he’d just sweep her off there, Amy thought, and the awful part was, the idea had a strong attraction. But he didn’t know that…couldn’t know it…and she was making the rules here.

“Be my guest,” she said, standing back to wave him in. “You know where the kitchen is,” she urged, not wanting him to linger beside her.

He breezed past, never one to push his luck when the writing was on the wall. As Amy shut the door after him, it occurred to her she might be driving the loneliness beast out, but she’d let the wolf in, a wolf who’d huffed and puffed very effectively, blowing her door down, so to speak.

On the other hand, he wasn’t about to eat her for dinner. He’d brought Chinese takeaway. She could manage this situation. But she wouldn’t feel comfortable staying in these clothes. She was too…bare.

Jake was happily unpacking his carrier bag, setting out his offerings along the kitchen counter. His white shorts snugly outlined the taut curve of particularly wellshaped buttocks. When it came to cute butts, Jake Carter could line up against any gym buff. As for power-packed thighs…Amy took a grip on herself, wrenching her mind off the seductive promise of so much impressive male muscle.

Looks weren’t everything.

So what if Steve had been on the lean side in comparison?

“Lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork, Mongolian lamb, braised king prawns, chilli beef, fried rice.” Jake shot her a dazzling grin as he finished listing his menu. “All ready for a banquet.”

“Good choice,” she commented as blandly as she could.

He laughed. “I have acquired some knowledge of your preferred tastes, Amy.”

It surprised her. “You noticed?”

“There isn’t much I haven’t noticed about you in the two years you’ve been at my side.” His gaze skated over her skimpy clothes. “Though I haven’t seen you look quite so fetching as you do this evening. Very au naturel.”

Amy instantly folded her arms across her midriff but she was acutely aware the action didn’t hide the tightening of her nipples.

His eyes teased the flare of hard defence in hers. “Just as well I’m a man of iron control.”

The need for evasive action was acute. “I was about to take a shower and clean up.”

“Go right ahead.” He waved expansively. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get things ready for us here.”

If he thought she was going to reappear in a sexy negligee, he was in for severe disappointment.

All the same, as Amy stood under the shower, soaping off the stickiness of the long, humid day, she couldn’t help wondering how well she stacked up against Jake’s other women. Thanks to her aerobics classes and a healthy diet, she was in pretty good shape, no flab or cellulite anywhere. No sag in her breasts.

She’d always been reasonably content with her body and normally she wasn’t self-conscious about being nude. Not that she intended stripping off for Jake Carter. Besides which, he probably only fancied her because she remained a challenge to him. What physical attributes she had were really irrelevant.

With Jake it was always the challenge. Had to be. Which was why he lost interest once he’d won. At least, that was how it looked to Amy. Though she couldn’t see there was much winning in it when women fell all over him anyway.

She decided to wash her hair, as well. It would do him good to wait. Show him she was not an eager beaver for his scintillating company. Besides, she felt more in control if she was confident of her appearance; fresh, clean, tidy, and properly clothed.

By the time she finished blow-drying her hair it was full of bounce and so was she, looking forward to keeping Jake in his place. She left her face bare of make-up since she wasn’t out to impress. Jake could have that part of her au naturel.

Deciding jeans and a loose T-shirt would make a clear statement—demure and dampening—she tied the belt firmly on her little silk wraparound for the dash from bathroom to bedroom, opened the door to the hallway, and was instantly jolted from her set plan by a flow of words from Jake.

“She’s in the shower, making herself comfortable.”

He had to be talking to someone.

“Would you like a glass of champagne?” he burbled on, apparently having invited the someone into her apartment! “I’ve just poured one for Amy and myself.”

“What the hell is going on here?”

The incredulous growl thumped into Amy’s heart. It was unmistakably Steve’s voice!

“Pardon?”

“Amy can’t afford a place like this.” Angry, belligerent suspicion.

The shock of hearing her ex-partner gave way to a fierce wave of resentment. How dare he judge or criticise!

“I gave her a raise in salary,” Jake blithely replied. “She deserved it. Best P.A. in the world. Is it yes to the champers?”

“No. I only came to see that she was all right.”

Guilt trip, Amy thought, writhing over how she’d been so hopelessly devastated last week.