Australian Millionaires: The Millionaire's Seductive Revenge

He wheeled his chair around the desk and toward her. “He gets to you, doesn’t he?”

She gave a hollow laugh. “Of course not.”

“And I’ve gone and spoiled it for you by telling everyone you’re my fiancée.” He stopped a few feet in front of her and thumped his hands on the armrests in helpless anger. “Hell. This is all such a bloody mess.”

“That’s an understatement.” She just wished he’d stopped to think things through before making drastic announcements like they were engaged. “The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

He looked up at her, his expression thoroughly wretched. “I’m not sure.”

“This can’t go on, Phillip.”

“I know. God, we were just supposed to be a couple for one date.”

Sympathy started to soften her. “Phillip, you didn’t know Lynette’s father was going to be at that dinner.”

“Yeah, but I knew he shared the same business circles. Dammit, I shouldn’t have asked you to continue with the charade after that. It wasn’t fair of me.” He looked down at his leg and his lips twisted. “Pity the accident got in the way and ruined everything. But this …” He gestured at the plaster from toe to thigh. “I know Lynette. She would’ve convinced herself that I needed her. And then she would have convinced me. I couldn’t let that happen.” He took a shuddering breath. “She deserves better than a cripple for the rest of her life.”

“Oh, Phillip.” She crouched down in front of his wheelchair. “Don’t say that. A limp does not make you a cripple.”

He took a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m just full of self-pity today.”

“Look,” she said, thinking hard. “Let’s wait until after Christmas, then we’ll make an announcement that things didn’t work out after all.”

His eyes lit up, then drooped just as quick. “But your name will end up being mud. No one will care about the details, especially not the press. They’ll just know you broke off the engagement during a bad time for me.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry, Kia. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

She squeezed his hand, trying not to think about all this being made public to the people of Darwin. “Let’s ride it out, Phillip. In the meantime, we’ll carry on for another week until Christmas. I heard you tell Mary that you were going home to Queensland for the holidays anyway. That’ll give us some breathing space.”

Intense relief surged across his face. “Good idea.”

All at once Kia couldn’t help but think that Brant would never let anyone else sort out his problems for him the way Phillip was doing here. Brant would have taken charge and done what he had to do. Actually, on second thought, he would never have gotten himself in this situation in the first place. Brant relied on no one except himself. He needed no one.

Just like her.

“Don’t let him get to you, Kia.”

She feigned ignorance. “Who?”

“Brant.”

She pretended to be unconcerned. “I wish you’d stop implying that there’s something going on between me and Brant. There isn’t. End of story.”

Is it? Phillip’s eyes asked, but she promptly looked away. She wasn’t about to tell him she suspected he was right.

The next week leading up to Christmas proved difficult for Kia. Not only was she extremely busy tidying things up at work so that she could enjoy their two-week closure over the holidays, but Brant seemed to sense something amiss between her and Phillip. She had the funny feeling he was homing in for the kill.

Then, just as she thought she might be able to relax, the airline phoned at the exact moment Brant walked into her office. They were checking to see if there was anything else they could do to assist Phillip on his trip to Queensland tomorrow.

Kia tried to sound as if she were talking to a client. She didn’t want Brant to know she wasn’t joining Phillip at this stage. “Thank you, but I believe everything’s under control.”

“What about on arrival in Brisbane?” the woman persisted on the other end of the line. “Can we arrange transport from the airport?”

“That’s kind of you, but there will be someone to meet him,” she said, then could have kicked herself when the look in Brant’s eyes sharpened.

“That’s fine then. But please let us know if there’s anything we can do.”

“Thank you, I will.” Kia hung up, swallowed, then planted a polite smile on her face. “Can I help you, Mr. Matthews?”

His mouth thinned. “You can’t keep calling me ‘mister’ for the next twenty years.”

She kept a reign on her temper. “Who knows where any of us will be by then?”

“You’ll be married to Phillip, of course.”

She’d forgotten that was what he’d think. “Yes, of course.”

“Who was on the telephone just now?”

Her heart thumped as she quickly began to tidy up some papers. “Oh, no one you should worry about.”

A pair of hands flattened on the desk in front of her, stilling her. “That was someone from the airline, wasn’t it?”

She drew a shaky breath and looked up into blue eyes that were riveted on her face. The caress of his warm breath on her cheeks stirred her senses. “Yes.”

“So you’re not on the same flight as Phillip?” he demanded, shooting each word at her with the precision of gunfire.

“No.”

“Are you catching another flight?”

“Yes.” To Adelaide.

“To Queensland?”

She lifted her chin in the air and decided she’d had enough of this. “I’m not going to Queensland. I’m spending Christmas with my family in Adelaide.”

He leaned in that little bit closer. “So you’re not spending Christmas with your new fiancé?”

She resisted shrinking back in her chair. “Not this year, no.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

Anger flared in his eyes as he pushed himself back from the desk and straightened. “It’s usual for an engaged couple to spend Christmas together.”

“We’re not a usual couple.” She realized what she said too late. “I’d already made other arrangements,” she pointed out as she slowly began to breathe again.

An odd glint appeared in his eyes. “I’d have thought you wouldn’t want to let him out of your sight.”