A Physical Affair

CHAPTER TWO

KEIRA felt her jaw slacken as she gazed at the man standing a couple of feet from her. Her intentions? Did he mean…? Surely not.

Her grey eyes took in the studied arrogance of his stance, the coldly cynical expression evident in his eyes, eyes as incredibly blue as the deepest reaches of the Pacific Ocean.

If she was unsure of his meaning then those chilling eyes confirmed her suspicions. He meant exactly what she’d suspected his words implied.

Keira’s back straightened instinctively and her chin rose. ‘My intentions? I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean by that,’ she said succinctly, and they both knew she was stretching the truth.

‘Oh, I think you do, Mrs Strong. What are your intentions towards my nephew? I would have thought that was fairly self-explanatory.’ He made a slightly irritated movement of one well-shaped hand. ‘However, I’ll try to be a little more explicit.’

‘Please do,’ Keira put in levelly and his eyes narrowed.

‘What would a married woman, one not in her first bloom of youth, want with a teenage boy scarcely out of the classroom, hmm?’ He folded his arms across his chest again and held her gaze.

Keira seethed inside. How dared he? How dared he stand there all holier than thou and make such vulgar insinuations? And what precisely did he expect her to say, allowing for the fact that he was, in all essence, her boss? What she’d like to say to him…

‘Apart from the obvious, that is?’ he added disparagingly, and hot colour flooded Keira’s cheeks.

‘Daniel and I,’ she got out between clenched teeth, and then made herself pause, swallow to regain her control. She had to keep her cool, not allow him the satisfaction of nettling her. ‘Daniel and I are working acquaintances. No more, no less. Daniel kindly-’

Eden Cassidy bit off a derogatory expletive and Keira vehemently wished Daniel were here at this particular moment so that she could give him the sharp edge of her tongue.

‘Daniel asked me to accompany him to his grandfather’s party as a favour, in a purely friendly capacity.’

‘So you’re just good friends?’ Eden mocked sceptically and Keira’s lips thinned.

‘We are. Daniel is a very nice, intelligent young man. This is the first time I’ve seen him outside working hours but I must admit I enjoy his company.’

‘And you expect me to believe that?’ Eden Cassidy’s hands went to his hips as he glared his so obvious doubt.

‘I’m not a liar, Mr Cassidy,’ Keira informed him directly. ‘However, you don’t need to take my word for it. Check with your nephew if you want to.’

‘Oh, I do intend to speak to Daniel, make no mistake about that.’

Keira felt a momentary pang for Daniel, having to face his uncle’s icy wrath, but then she quelled her sympathy. Daniel Cassidy was, after all, to blame for this embarrassing scene.

‘But I also felt the need to discuss the situation with you,’ Eden Cassidy continued smoothly. ‘You being older than my nephew, and supposedly more mature.’

‘For heaven’s sake,’ Keira got out. ‘I’m not that much older than Daniel.’

‘Oh, come on now, Mrs Strong. You are a number of

years older-’ Eden Cassidy put in, but Keira held up her hand negatingly.

‘You make it sound as though I’m old enough to be his mother, which is a physical impossibility, apart from the ludicrousness of the idea.’ Her eyes flashed contemptuously over him. ‘And I resent your implications.’

‘Implications?’ Eden Cassidy’s dark brows rose. ‘I thought I was being reasonably specific, Mrs Strong. Let’s call it a table card, shall we? So what is it exactly that you resent?’ A cold smile touched his lips and Keira knew an uncharacteristic and almost overwhelming desire to slap his handsome face.

‘I have no designs on your nephew’s inheritance or his family associations,’ she bit out through clenched teeth. ‘And whether or not you choose to believe that is irrelevant to me. As for your other ridiculous insinuation, well, it would be laughable if I didn’t find it so insulting.’

‘I’ve offended you. My humble apologies.’ He gave a slight bow, his mocking tone contradicting his placating words. ‘But surely even you, Mrs Strong, must see how your liaison looks.’

Keira marvelled silently that she remained in the same room as this insufferable man. If this was typical of Eden Cassidy she was beginning to understand Daniel’s less than favourable view of his uncle. ‘Daniel and I do not have a liaison, Mr Cassidy. As I told you before, we are simply friends.’

‘Friends?’ he repeated with that same heavy disbelief.

‘Yes, friends, Mr Cassidy,’ she reiterated. ‘And although it’s hardly any of your business, but allowing for the sordid state of your mind, I don’t make a habit of sleeping around with men younger than I am.’ Keira realised he would most probably misinterpret her words and added, ‘Or older than I am, for that matter. You have a nerve to surmise such a thing when you’d never even met me.’

‘Such a passionate speech, Mrs Strong. But we’re talking about the real world here. The next thing you’ll be telling me is that you’re just an old-fashioned girl who is happily faithful to her husband.’ He raised one dark eyebrow with exaggerated scepticism. ‘A husband who, by the way, happens to be conveniently conspicuous by his absence.’

Keira drew herself together. So her company personnel records weren’t complete. The great Eden Cassidy didn’t know everything. And he thought she had left her husband at home while she enjoyed a weekend of illicit sex with a teenager. Charming!

‘There appears to be a hitch in the Cassidy-Ford Publishing archives. Or perhaps your minions have misreported. It must be so difficult to get good snoops these days.’ Keira unconsciously tapped her leg with her tennis racket

‘Meaning?’ He watched her through narrowed eyes.

‘Meaning I’m sorry to have to ruin your little fantasy, Mr Cassidy, but I’m not a bored old bag having a fling. However, you are right about one thing. I did, and still do, believe in the sanctity of marriage, so I suppose in the let-it-all-hang-out circles you move in that does make me prosaically old-fashioned.

‘Now, I’m more than a little tired of this pointless and humiliating conversation. When Daniel returns I’d appreciate it if you’d inform him that I’ve gone on to the tennis court.’

Keira took two steps towards the door and stopped, turning slightly to look back at Daniel’s uncle. ‘And just a word of advice which you can take or leave. If I were you I wouldn’t try to warn Daniel away from me. He’s more than a little-’ she paused ‘-disenchanted, shall we say, with some of your ultimatums already. This may be the one to tip the scales completely against you. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to do any more damage to your already shaky relationship with your nephew.’

‘My relationship with my nephew is scarcely any of your business,’ Eden Cassidy bit out acidly, and Keira knew she’d struck a raw nerve.

‘Ordinarily I’d have agreed with you,” she told him evenly. ‘But when the results of this-‘ she paused ‘-this preposterous misconception of yours may rebound on me I feel I should protect myself. So I’d appreciate it if you chose your words carefully if you do decide to discuss this with Daniel, because I have no desire whatsoever to have my life complicated by having your nephew thrust into my arms.’

Keira took some pleasure in the silent stillness of Eden Cassidy as her flashing eyes held his cold ones for several eloquent seconds. Then, confident that she had had the last word, Keira walked assuredly out of the library and into the hallway that she surmised led to the back of the house and the tennis courts.

Burton materialised almost immediately and at her query gave her the directions she needed. And as she strode along the path the butler had indicated Keira’s small surge of success gave way to returning anger.

What right had that man to put her through such a demeaning interrogation? No wonder Daniel always seemed to be at loggerheads with his uncle.

Pacing up and down, she decided she needed to expend some energy on the court to dispel her pent-up anger and she hoped Daniel wouldn’t keep her waiting too long.

The arrogance of that man! How dared he jump to such tacky conclusions? Even to suggest she might be interested in Daniel in a physical way… Apart from the slight on her character, the man obviously didn’t know his own nephew very well.

In the few short weeks he had been working on the magazine Keira was sure Daniel had revealed more about himself, about his aspirations, than Eden Cassidy knew after living with his nephew for nine years. Although Daniel had a great deal of charm, hence Keira’s presence here this weekend, he was definitely not a womaniser. He did flirt a little but it was always good-natured and not in the least offensive. Any conscientious guardian would know that, wouldn’t he?

Keira fumed anew, absently bouncing her tennis racket on the open palm of her hand. Intentions, indeed! It would serve Eden Cassidy right if she played up to Daniel and gave his arrogant uncle something to think about.

She should… Keira sighed and pulled a face. She knew what she should do. Pack her bag and leave, leave this palatial mansion, and leave Daniel to his uncle and his family gathering.

But that would be precisely what the omnipotent Eden Cassidy wanted her to do. And, Eden Cassidy aside, it would surely have a young man in Daniel’s frame of mind running heroically after her.

No. She’d just have to stay and brazen out the weekend. Who knew? Perhaps she could show Eden Cassidy how badly he had misjudged her character. And his nephew’s.

‘Hi! Sorry I took so long,’ Daniel said, his eyes not quite meeting hers as he joined her. “Old school friend. You know how it is?’

Keira shrugged. ‘Which end do you want?’ she asked him, trying to keep her ill humour out of her voice. She had to put Eden Cassidy’s impertinence out of her mind and not brood about it, and now was as good a time as any to begin.

‘This end will do. Oh-‘ Daniel paused and turned back to Keira ‘-what did you think of my uncle?’ he asked with studied casualness, his fingers playing with the strings on his racket.

Keira glanced at him sharply but he was regarding her blandly. ‘What do you want me to say to that, Daniel?’ She was equally off-hand and he shrugged.

‘Nothing. I just thought-I mean, you said you’d never met him before, didn’t you? And I just wondered-well, what you thought of him.’

What had she thought of him? Initially, that up close he definitely was as attractive as he’d looked on television, as the magazine and newspaper photos depicted. This reflection suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, caused a warm flush to heat her face, and Keira chastised herself. The good looks had certainly been only skindeep.

‘We only spoke for a few minutes. I can’t really say I formed an opinion.’ Keira could scarcely believe she had lied so glibly. But what else could she have said to the man’s nephew? she asked herself as she tried to justify her prevarication.

‘Did you and Eden…? What did you talk about after I left?’ Daniel finished in a rush.

‘As I said, we only spoke for a few minutes.’

‘I just thought you might have, you know, talked about something.’

‘Let me guess.’ Keira had to smile. ‘You thought we might have talked about you.’ If you but knew, Daniel, Keira thought to herself.

Daniel moved his shoulders. ‘I just had a feeling he might have attempted to get you on his side, sort of twisted your arm to try to convince me I should go to uni instead of deferring for this year.’

‘Rest easy, Daniel. We didn’t even mention university.’ Keira could almost wish they had.

‘That’s strange.’ Daniel eyed her speculatively. “That he’d miss such an opportunity. He doesn’t with me.’

‘Why would he discuss it with me? And more to the point, why would he imagine I’d have any influence over you?’ Keira’s eyes narrowed on Eden Cassidy’s nephew. ‘Unless you’ve misled him in some way.’

‘About what?’ he asked innocently.

‘About us. You and me. Have you, Daniel?’ Perhaps that would account for his uncle’s absurd misunderstanding of the circumstances.

‘No. I swear, Keira. Scouts’ honour. All I said was you were partnering me to Sam’s birthday bash.’ Daniel frowned, clearly about to question her further, so she turned and moved towards her end of the court.

‘OK, how about we play this game of tennis?’ she suggested nonchalantly.

‘I’m ready when you are.’ Daniel laughed and spun his racket. ‘But I think I should be fair and warn you I’m not going to give you any quarter.’ He paused before adding, ‘Just because you’re an old broad.’

‘Old…!’ Keira gazed at his teasing grin in amazement before bursting out laughing.

‘A spectacularly attractive old broad,’ he added, his grin broadening, ‘but an old broad for all that.’

‘I’ll give you old broad, Daniel Cassidy. Just let me give you notification that I won’t expect any more consideration than I’ll be giving someone who’s still wet behind the ears.’

Two hours later Daniel knocked on the door of Keira’s room.

‘Your escort for lunch, my dear.’ He held out his arm very formally, his laughing eyes running over her recently showered figure now dressed in tailored denims and a pale chambray shirt, its cuffs folded neatly back from her wrists. ‘All refreshed?’

‘I think so.’ She walked beside him to the lift. ‘But, much as I hate to admit it, my old broad’s bones may ache tomorrow.’

They laughed together as they stepped into the elevator.

‘Burton has lunch set out on the back patio.’ Daniel glanced at his wristwatch. ‘And luckily we’re not late. He gets his knickers in a knot when I am.’

The lift doors slid open and Daniel led the way along the hallway to the right.

‘Where did you learn to play tennis like that anyway?’ he asked and Keira grinned.

‘I had my first lesson when I was eight and I played competitively until I was, oh, about your age.’ Her smile faltered. Until she had married Dennis and he’d decided the game wasn’t something he could better her at so it was phased out. “I used to do pretty well,’ she added flatly.

‘Pretty well?’ Daniel rolled his eyes. ‘I’m no slouch and you sent me to the cleaners. We’ll have to have a rematch.’

They had reached the double doors that opened out on to a covered patio which overlooked a beautifully landscaped pool a couple of steps below the level of the house. Green fernery hung from the beams of the transparent fibreglass patio roof and the scent of newly mown lawns drifted on the clear air.

A pristine white cloth covered a table that would comfortably seat half a dozen people, and just outside the open double doors was a side table which held bowls of salads, cold meats and fruit.

Daniel handed Keira a plate and helped her to servings of tender carved chicken breast and thinly sliced ham. She relaxed slightly, knowing she had been dreading having to face Eden Cassidy over the meal, and she was more than a little relieved to find Daniel’s uncle conspicuous by his absence. So far.

‘Will we be dining on our own?’ she asked casually as she added crisp lettuce and celery to her plate.

‘Probably. You’ll have me all to yourself.’ He shrugged easily when Keira gave him a warning look. ‘My grandfather’s having a light snack in his room. He’s decided to rest before the party, which is pretty sensible of him. And Eden never sits down to lunch, he eats on the run.’

Daniel spooned potato salad on to his already overflowing plate.

‘Eden can’t leave his trusty fax machine,’ he continued. ‘In fact I wouldn’t be at all surprised if my uncle and his fax were joined at the hip. It would probably take major surgery to separate them.’

‘Your suspicions are unfounded, Daniel. There’s nary a scar,’ said a deep voice from the doorway, causing Daniel and Keira to start guiltily. ‘I trust you have no objections if I join you both for lunch.’

Keira glanced sideways at Daniel to see his eyes widen as they took in his uncle’s relaxed figure as he leaned casually against the door-jamb, strong arms folded.

Eden Cassidy had changed from his formal suit into a pair of grey tailored trousers and a short-sleeved white knit shirt that fitted his muscular body to perfection.

‘I know.’ The younger man recovered quickly from his surprise. ‘Megan’s manning the phones and faxes,’ he suggested easily, and his uncle’s lips quirked as he stepped out on to the patio.

‘Not the way you mean, Daniel. Megan has a couple of personal calls to make. She’ll join us in a while.’ Eden crossed to the side table and began helping himself to some food.

Before Daniel roused himself to seat her Keira moved on slightly unsteady legs to sit down at the table.

In a formal suit Eden Cassidy’s attraction had had a rather remote quality about it. But dressed as he was now, his tanned skin accentuated by the white of his shirt, well, Keira had to acknowledge she wasn’t unmoved by his compelling magnetism. He was as charismatic as he was reported to be.

A tiny frisson of sensation spiralled in the pit of her stomach and she swallowed to clear her suddenly dry throat. It had been years since a man, any man, had provoked just such a physical response in her, and she knew a shiver of startled trepidation. That it had to be this particular man who was responsible for her unexpected libidinous awareness had her heartbeats fluctuating as much with fear as that more undesirable emotion.

Daniel rushed to take the seat beside her and his uncle calmly slid on to the chair directly opposite her. Keira fancied she could feel the heat emanating from his body where their knees almost touched, and she rather doubted she’d be able to swallow any of the delicious food on her plate.

Her heartbeats continued to behave in a very erratic fashion and she couldn’t bring herself to meet what she knew would be coldly cynical blue eyes.

Resolutely she lifted a forkful of food to her mouth and it might have been ashes for all she tasted it. Her wayward senses seemed otherwise engaged. On Eden Cassidy.

Of their own accord her eyes slid from her plate to the white shirt moulding his midriff, moved to his muscular upper arms where the band of his shirt met smooth tanned skin.

Well-developed muscles and a tan. So he didn’t spend all his time running his empire, as his nephew had insisted he did.

Keira’s eyes rose to the dark V exposed by the open collar of his shirt and her nerve endings began tingling anew. How would it feel to move her lips over that smooth, inviting skin that stretched tautly across his throat, his chest?

Her fork paused on its way to her mouth and she hastily returned the untouched food to her plate. It would have been a mistake to put the food into her mouth. There was no way she could have swallowed anything just at that moment. Her throat had closed on the thunder of her heartbeats in her chest as they rose to all but choke her.

What could she be thinking about? Just a short time ago he had accused her of having an affair with his nephew and yet here she was, sizing up his attractions. And finding them almost irresistibly appealing.

Was she mad? She was completely shocked at her behaviour, behaviour that was so out of character for her. Men had held no interest for her and hadn’t since Dennis’s perfidiousness had opened her eyes to the fact that knights on white chargers weren’t necessarily as princely as they seemed.

This wasn’t the time to forget she’d made her choices years ago. All her energies were going into her career. And if, as she had been suspecting of late, she lacked the final drive to push her to the very top, then her achievements to date weren’t to be sneezed at. If life went on as it was now she’d be content.

And the very last thing she needed at the moment was a man to complicate things.

She shot another quick glance from beneath her lashes at Eden Cassidy. Especially a man as dangerous as he so obviously was. He had that blatant masculine magnetism that drew a woman’s attention, made her wonder impetuously what it would be like to tame such an animal, yet at the same time had her quivering with a heady apprehension at the peril involved in such an adventure.

Keira barely suppressed a self-derogatory laugh. She was getting fanciful in her old age. And foolish. Any woman who deluded herself into thinking she could bring this man to heel was simply asking for trouble of the capital letters variety.

‘Did you enjoy your game of tennis?’ Eden Cassidy’s deep voice broke in on Keira’s masochistic reflections and she blinked as she slowly brought her attention back to his words rather than the sound of his so seductive voice.

‘Tennis?’ she queried absently, and felt Daniel look at her sharply.

‘She should have,’ he put in quickly, and grimaced. ‘I would have enjoyed it more if I’d won.’

His uncle raised one dark brow in Keira’s direction. ‘So you outplayed my nephew, Mrs Strong?’ he remarked blandly enough, but the expression in his eyes embroidered his innocent observation.

‘Outplayed me? More like slaughtered me.’ Daniel grinned good-naturedly. ‘And the worst part about it is, I think she took it easy with me.’

‘I assure you, Daniel, I didn’t,’ Keira told him sincerely. ‘You were a very worthy opponent.’

‘Perhaps we could have a game some time,’ Eden put in, and Keira forced a smile.

‘Perhaps,’ she said just as casually. Not likely, Mr Top Gun Cassidy, she declared under her breath, her eyes meeting his. And she suspected he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Eden glanced at his wristwatch, the flash of gold gleaming in the filtered sunlight, once again drawing Keira’s attention to his strong, tanned hand. ‘Megan must have been held up. Daniel, could you go in and check with her? She may prefer Burton to take her something on a tray to have in the office.’

Daniel frowned slightly and glanced quickly from Eden to Keira before he stood up and did as he had been bidden. For once Keira wished Daniel had defied his uncle because now she was left alone with Eden Cassidy. Again.

‘Taking rather a chance, weren’t you?’ His deep voice made her start.

‘A chance?’ she repeated uncomprehendingly.

‘Of wounding Daniel’s fragile adolescent male ego by beating him on the court,’ he elaborated without intonation.

What a colossal chauvinist the man was. And how disparaging towards his nephew. Keira made herself take a mouthful of succulent ham before she replied with equal indifference.

‘I think once again you’ve underestimated your nephew, Mr Cassidy. Surprisingly, Daniel doesn’t have a problem with his self-image, which is quite amazing, considering…’ Although Keira didn’t complete the sentence the words hung as provocatively in the air as if she’d voiced them. Considering the fact he has a fatherfigure like you.

Eden set down his cutlery and sat back in his chair. ‘Considering?’ he prompted through narrowed eyelids.

So he was calling her bluff.

Keira shrugged. ‘Considering the pressures put on young people today,’ she finished levelly, and had to suppress a surge of exhilarating excitement.

If she were honest she’d have to admit part of her was enjoying this verbal sparring.

One corner of his mouth twisted in a faint wry smile, his eyes acknowledging the point was hers. ‘Oh, yes. Peer pressure,’ he conceded.

‘Peer pressure. Familial pressure. The pressure to succeed,’ Keira expanded. ‘It must be a great weight to bear sometimes.’

‘No doubt,’ he agreed. ‘But I think other generations have had just as much pressure. The pressures might have been slightly different but they were just as demanding. Didn’t you suffer from as much social stress when you were Daniel’s age?’

Keira glanced at him, trying to decide whether his reference to her age was a further slight on her relationship with his nephew. But she could glean nothing from his level expression.

‘I guess I did. And I suppose the pressures were different,’ she confessed. ‘The desire to conform seems to be universal.’

‘I can’t somehow see you as a conformist, Mrs Strong.’ He watched her like a jungle cat toying with his prey and Keira smiled wryly.

This prey would ensure she was more than a match for this particular predator. ‘You’re mistaken again, Mr Cassidy. By no stretch of the imagination could I be called a rebel.’

He raised one dark brow sceptically and Keira took a sip of cool water.

“I was boringly average and commonplace.’

Eden also swallowed a mouthful of water and his lips quirked. ‘Every parent’s dream child, hmm?’

She shrugged lightly. ‘I suppose so, depending on what you feel my parents would have expected of me.’

‘To find a young man, marry him and raise a family?’ His gaze met hers in a silent challenge.

‘Actually, they did,’ she said evenly, knowing it wasn’t far from the truth. Her parents were in their early forties when she had surprised them by being born. They were both conservative in their outlook on the roles of men and women in society.

‘And you went along with that?’

‘In part.’ Keira dabbed her lips with her napkin. ‘I was married when I was twenty.’ And it was the biggest mistake of my life, she could have added. She had been so unworldly in some respects, torn between her yearning for a career and her parents’ acceptance that she should marry Dennis. If she hadn’t been so naïve-

‘And talking again of marriage,’ Eden broke in on her tortured thoughts, ‘you still haven’t filled me in on what the obviously trusting Mr Strong thinks about your weekend away with a male friend, a so much younger male friend?’

Keira blinked him back into focus. When Cassidy-Ford Publishing had bought out Natural Life magazine she had still been technically married to Dennis Strong. She’d seen no need to make any comments to anyone about their separation. Or Dennis’s sudden death two years later.

‘Dennis? He-’ She stopped.

‘Let me guess. He’s a modern man. He understands,’ Eden Cassidy finished caustically for her, his lips twisting disparagingly. ‘Quite cosmopolitan and progressive. Or does he have his own distractions to keep him occupied?’

Their eyes met across the table and Keira held his gaze.

‘My husband’s dead, Mr Cassidy,’ she said evenly. ‘I’ve been a widow for three years. So,’ she continued when he made no immediate comment, ‘I suppose that makes my association with Daniel even more suspect. I mean, on past accusations I’d say you’d be the first to imply a frustrated widow on her own would have to be on the loose. Let’s all lock up our sons.’

What he would have said in his defence, if he’d elected to defend himself, that was, Keira would never know for Daniel chose that moment to rejoin them.

‘Burton’s taken Megan a tray. She’s waiting for a return call. Have you finished your lunch, Keira?’ he asked, and she nodded unsmilingly.

Daniel’s gaze went from Keira to his uncle and back to Keira. He had to feel the tension that Keira knew arced between them, the incendiary vibrations that filled the air.

‘OK. What say we walk off all this food?’

‘Fine by me,’ Keira agreed. Anything to get away from Eden Cassidy.

‘Great. Let me just make the rest of this into a sandwich and we can be off.’

‘Mrs Strong may prefer to ride,’ his uncle suggested easily, and Daniel turned to Keira.

‘Would you? I can have a couple of horses saddled in no time.’

‘No, thanks, Daniel.’ Keira stood up. She hadn’t been on a horse since she was a child and didn’t fancy putting her rusty skills to the test today. She could just see herself falling off. With her luck it would probably be at Eden Cassidy’s feet. ‘I’d prefer a walk.’

‘Fine. Let’s go, then.’ Daniel took her arm and headed her down the steps past the glistening turquoise water of the swimming-pool.

And until they disappeared from sight she felt the piercing burn of Eden Cassidy’s blue eyes running shivers down her spine.

Glancing ruefully at the deep marble spa bath and the vials of bath salts, Keira slipped out of her robe and under the shower. What she wouldn’t give for a leisurely soak in the tub, but she knew she wouldn’t have time for that luxury.

Letting the water play over her body, she wished this evening well and truly over. If she could only snap her fingers and find herself safely in her office immersed in her work on mid-Monday morning, with this deplorable situation behind her.

To think that Daniel’s uncle could even imagine she could be involved with his nephew. It was ludicrous. But, she had to acknowledge, had she been the male and Daniel a young niece then the worst would have been conceded.

Sugar mummy? Keira bit off a giggle and then quickly sobered. The circumstances weren’t funny at all. Now there was the party to get through, in the presence of the arrogant and insufferable Eden Cassidy.

During their long walk this afternoon Daniel had admitted his grandfather’s party was going to be a rather large but very exclusive affair. Some four hundred guests were expected.

Keira stepped from the shower and wrapped the soft, warm bath-sheet around her. Well, in such a crowd, surely she could make herself invisible to Eden Cassidy. He’d be far too involved in circulating between his and Sir Samuel’s family and friends to have time to seek her out to accuse her of further misdemeanours.

With some satisfaction she recalled the expression on his face when she’d informed him she was a widow. For one fleeting second she could have sworn he had been genuinely disconcerted. She arched her eyebrows at the mirror. Even if her statement had been only technically true.

She was a widow. But Dennis had been killed in a road accident just a week before their divorce became final.

Keira sighed and hung the bath-sheet on the heated gold towel rail. While she had the chance she should be enjoying such opulence where even the bath-towels made you feel pampered.

The carpet was soft beneath her feet as she walked through to the bedroom and slipped into her underwear. She glanced at the dress she’d chosen and grimaced slightly. Her one extravagance and it had stood her in good stead on the few occasions she’d had the opportunity to wear it.

The soft silky material slid over her shoulders and settled like a second skin. Keira nervously adjusted the bodice, checking the neckline. It was by no means plunging but it was lower than she usually wore, just hinting at the swell of firm, full breasts beneath.

She turned slightly to check the back of the dress that displayed even more smooth skin. There was no doubt that it suited her, she acknowledged. The steely grey colour lent her skin a creamy glow, accentuated the smoky grey of her eyes.

As usual she used little make-up, a touch of blue-grey eye-shadow, mascara on her lashes, lip gloss on her mouth. A fine gold locket which had belonged to her aunt clipped around her neck and nestled just above the beginning of the valley between her breasts. Then she brushed out her hair, tonight letting it fall to her shoulders in its natural waves instead of confining it in its usual chignon.

Slipping on her high-heeled shoes, she gave herself one final appraising look in the full-length mirror before telling herself she was as ready as she would ever be. And pray that she could elude the accusing and suspicious Eden Cassidy.

The ballroom of the palatial Cassidy mansion easily accommodated the four hundred guests Daniel had told Keira would be here to celebrate Sir Samuel Ford’s eightieth birthday.

The old man himself was holding court at the other end of the room when Keira entered the wide doorway on Daniel’s arm. Interested eyes turned as they paused on the top of the short flight of stairs leading down into the magnificent ballroom.

And Keira could imagine just what they might be thinking. That she was romantically involved with Sir Samuel’s grandson and heir. His uncle wouldn’t be the only one harbouring misconceptions. Her face flushed and she lowered her eyes nervously. Damn Daniel for talking her into this.

When she looked up her eyes went of their own accord to meet the cold gaze of Daniel’s uncle. And the rest of the gathered guests simply faded into the shadowy background. Something fluttered into life in the pit of her stomach and her knees went decidedly weak. She was suddenly hot, and when Daniel spoke beside her she found her spinning mind couldn’t compute his words.

The message that came through loudly and clearly was all purely physical. And it involved only Eden Cassidy.

Oh, no! Keira bit back a moan. This was absurd. She couldn’t be attracted to such a man.

‘Keira!’ Daniel squeezed her arm and she broke the hold those implacable eyes had on her and turned her unfocused gaze on the younger man. ‘Keira?’ Daniel frowned slightly, leaning closer to her, seemingly oblivious of the speculative glances cast their way. ‘Are you all right?’

‘I’m fine,’ Keira hastened to assure him as she put more space between them.

He gave her one questioning glance before repeating his words. ‘Come and I’ll introduce you to Sam.’

Meeting Daniel’s grandfather would be bad enough, but out of the corner of her eye she saw that Eden Cassidy had moved to join Sir Samuel Ford. If she went with Daniel now there’d be no escaping him.

Why had she…? She straightened her backbone. She only had herself to blame for getting herself into this situation so she might as well make the most of it. And that included Eden Cassidy. Her nerve-endings began to beat a wild tattoo and with no little effort she pulled herself together.

‘Ready?’ Daniel queried.

‘Why not?’ she said softly, and something in her tone brought a smile to Daniel’s face.

Then he was moving them purposefully through the crowd towards the guest of honour.

‘You know, just at this moment I could almost wish I were ten years older,’ Daniel said out of the corner of his mouth as he noticed a contemporary of his grandfather’s running his eyes over Keira as they passed.

‘Cool it, Daniel. Otherwise I doubt you’ll see twenty, much less twenty-nine,’ Keira retaliated with barely a movement of her lips, and Daniel’s grin broadened.

‘I kid you not, Keira. You’re the only woman I’ve met who really is as fantastic as she looks.’

‘High praise, Mrs Strong?’ A cool voice stopped Daniel and Keira in their tracks.