Presents, Passion and Proposals: The Billionaire's Christmas Gift / One Christmas Night in Venice / Snowbound with the Millionaire

‘And having a third person around may just make it less of an ordeal for both of us,’ he finished.

Beth moistened dry lips. ‘I hadn’t realised your wife had died so recently.’

‘Ten months ago. And Janet and I had been divorced for over two years before she died,’ Nick Steele explained stiffly.

It didn’t sound as if it had been an amicable divorce, Beth recognised ruefully. Even so, it would still have been a shock to Nick, as well as to his young daughter, when Janet Steele died.

Was Beth allowing the sudden and painful death of Ben and her own parents to emotionally draw her in…?

If she was, then it wasn’t on Nick Steele’s behalf but Bekka’s, Beth told herself firmly. The arrogantly forceful Nick Steele was a man who gave every indication of being well able to take care of himself. And his emotions. If he had any…

She was being unfair now, Beth recognised irritably. Allowing her own prejudice towards the man to colour her opinions; Nick obviously loved his young daughter very much if he was willing to put up with having a stranger in his home on Christmas Day in an effort to make it as pleasant as possible for Bekka.

Beth had preferred it when she had just been able to think of Nick Steele as being impossibly arrogant!

‘I suppose I could go out for a meal with the two of you this evening—’

‘That’s settled, then.’ Nick cut briskly across her tentative acceptance. ‘I have a meeting to go to now, so we’ll sort out the details later this afternoon,’ he dismissed, before ringing off abruptly.

Leaving Beth feeling slightly dazed as she stood alone in the corridor, staring down at her mobile as if it were all the inanimate object’s fault that she now found herself in this uncomfortable position!

‘I have to stay here and make sure none of the girls forgets anything, and then help tidy away before I’ll be able to join you and Bekka,’ Beth told Nick after he had sought her out backstage once the school Nativity Play had ended.

Her shoulder-length hair, now it was dry, was a deep rich auburn, Nick noted admiringly. A deep rich auburn that was a perfect foil for her pale complexion and those blue eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes.

Eyes that somehow managed to avoid looking directly at Nick as he leant casually back against the wall, well out of the way of the crowd of excited and chattering girls as they came out of the dressing room before hurrying off in search of their parents.

No doubt about it. Tiny and slender, in a fitted pale blue sweater that outlined small firm breasts and a flat abdomen, and tailored black trousers that did the same for the rounded curve of her bottom and slender legs, Bethan Morgan was a delicately lovely young woman.

She certainly bore little resemblance today to that bedraggled waif and stray that Nick had met two days ago!

‘Mr Steele…?’

Nick’s gaze narrowed to icy indifference as he realised he had been staring at her for too long. ‘As we’re going to be spending the evening together I think it might be better if you called me Nick.’

Beth continued to keep her gaze on the level of Nick’s perfectly knotted tie, totally flustered by his presence backstage. And totally aware, after her first brief glance at him, of how elegantly attractive he looked in a dark business suit and pale blue silk shirt that emphasised the width of his shoulders and chest, and tapered waist and long muscled legs.

‘Bethan…?’ The amusement could be heard in Nick Steele’s voice.

Beth flicked an irritated glance up at that toohandsome face. And instantly wished she hadn’t as she found her attention captured by amused grey eyes set in a hard and yet sensually magnetic face. A face guaranteed to set a woman’s pulse racing.

Including her own?

Unfortunately, yes!

Strangely—because this man was the complete opposite of the blond-haired, blue-eyed and totally uncomplicated Ben…

Or the young man she’d had a noncommittal dinner with a couple of months ago—her first date since Ben had died.

During that first year after Ben and her parents had been killed Beth had been too numbed by their loss to do any more than simply function on a day-today basis. She had been an only child from a closeknit family. And she had loved Ben all of her life. He had been her best friend as well as her husband.

But once Beth had got over the shock, accepted that her parents and Ben were really gone, she’d had to get out of the place she’d grown up in and where she and Ben had made their own home after their wedding.

London—its sheer size, and the amount of people who lived here—had been hard for Beth to cope with at first. But slowly she had been drawn into the pace of life here, making several friends amongst the other teaching staff, and occasionally joining them on visits to the cinema or out for a meal. A couple of months ago she had accepted the dinner invitation from the young man who came into school twice a week to teach the girls how to play the guitar. He had proved to be a nice, pleasant man, with whom Beth felt comfortable, and although she had refused any more of his invitations the two of them remained on friendly terms.

In sharp contrast to Nick Steele, who made Beth feel decidedly uncomfortable!

She certainly didn’t want to feel this disturbing physical awareness of him!

There was an air of challenge about Nick Steele, a dangerous edge that told Beth she should steer well clear of him. That comfortable wasn’t a word used in connection with this man’s company!

She straightened. ‘I think, for Bekka’s sake, it might be better if we stick to Mr Steele and Mrs Morgan.’

‘In case you haven’t noticed, Bethan, Bekka isn’t here.’ Nick regarded her with narrowed eyes.

‘I prefer Beth,’ she corrected distractedly. ‘And Bekka will be out in just a few minutes, so—’

‘Are you always this uptight?’ Nick frowned; the woman was as tense as a skittish horse getting ready to bolt!

Irritation glittered in her deep blue eyes as Beth looked up at him. ‘I told you—I’ve had a cold, and the end of the Christmas term is always hard work, and—Melanie, you’ve dropped your wings,’ she called out helpfully as she noticed one of the angels had dropped her tinsel wings in the middle of the hallway. ‘I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me, Mr Steele,’ she told him distractedly. ‘As it’s the last day of term I really do have to ensure that the girls remember to take everything home with them.’

‘And I’m preventing you from doing that?’ Nick drawled with interest.

‘You’re…distracting me, yes.’ A frown marred her creamy brow at the admission. ‘If you tell me the name of the restaurant you’re going to I can meet you and Bekka there later,’ she added briskly.

Nick looked at her intently. ‘Why do I have the feeling you have no intention of meeting us there later…?’

Probably because that was exactly what Beth had planned!

Seeing Nick Steele again, realising how much his ruggedly handsome presence disturbed and unsettled her, Beth had decided it might be better if she just conveniently ‘forgot’ the name of the restaurant as soon as he told it to her. Then, if Nick decided to call her mobile, to see where she had got to, she could always claim her cold as an excuse for not joining him and Bekka.

A plan Nick had seen through easily, it seemed!

‘Don’t be ridiculous, Mr Steele.’ Beth snapped her irritation. ‘As I told you, I simply have to finish up here first before I’m able to leave.’

‘Then Bekka and I will wait outside for you in the car.’

Beth’s hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. ‘I am perfectly capable of getting myself to a restaurant!’

‘It’s no trouble at all for Bekka and I to wait in the car for you.’

His silver-grey eyes openly challenged her now.

Remembering the comfort of this man’s car two days ago, Beth was sure it wasn’t any trouble. ‘Very well,’ she agreed tightly. ‘I should be able to join you in about fifteen minutes or so.’

A mocking smile curved those sculptured lips. ‘I’ll look forward to it!’

Beth stared after Nick in frustration as she watched him greet the excited Bekka with a hug. The little girl was as dark-haired and grey-eyed as her father, and the two of them chatted warmly together as they went outside.