As the door closed behind Drew, Clay settled further in the chair, much to Robyn’s silent irritation, and drawled softly, ‘So, the help’s gone; we’re alone and now you can couch your refusal in the manner you prefer.’
He was watching her intently in spite of the apparent easy nonchalance, perhaps waiting for a visible reaction to the provocative statement, but Robyn was determined not to give him the satisfaction of showing any emotion. She walked across to her desk which was at the far end of the room next to the large window which looked out onto the small paved garden surrounded by flowering shrubs—she’d decided on a garden which embodied no maintenance at all—and perched on the edge of it before she said, calmly and with little expression, ‘It is very kind of you, of course, but Cass had no right to mention the matter to you. I am not looking for a partner, Mr Lincoln.’
‘Yes, you are, but not this particular one.’
It was said in such an easy conversational tone that for a moment the portent of his words didn’t register. And then, as the confrontational nature of his statement dawned on Robyn her cheeks burnt with the quick resentment only Clay seemed able to ignite and her small jaw clenched in anger. Okay, if he wanted to do this the hard way that was fine by her, she thought hotly. ‘If that’s what you think, why bother to come in the first place?’ she asked coldly.
‘Good question.’ He rose as he spoke, stretching like a long, lean cat and strolling down the room to lean against the wall opposite her desk, the strange silver-blue eyes never leaving her flushed face for a moment. She waited, but he didn’t speak.
‘Well?’ She was determined not to be intimidated. She hadn’t asked him to come here; she didn’t owe him a thing.
The carved lips twitched a little and she could have sworn he found the situation amusing. That, more than anything else, put iron in her backbone. She would not be laughed at.
‘Perhaps I wanted to?’ he suggested with a softness that carried an edge of steel now.
‘Or perhaps you felt you had to?’ she returned bitterly. ‘I know my sister when she gets the bit between her teeth, Mr Lincoln: she doesn’t give up. At the moment Cass’s mission in life is to see me successful and happy, and she thinks the only way that can be achieved is for this business
to take off with a bang. She’s wrong.’
‘She’s a good person; you two are very fortunate to have such a warm relationship.’
Robyn was taken aback. There had been something in his voice she couldn’t place but it had wiped away the hidden amusement she’d sensed a few moments ago. ‘Yes, she is a good person,’ she said after a pause. ‘She’s my best friend as well as my sister. I can’t remember a time when Cass wasn’t there for me.’
He nodded slowly, his eyes like polished crystal which threw the ebony blackness of his hair into more startlingly sharp relief. Those eyes had been with her in her dreams for years, she realised suddenly. She’d never seen anyone else with such amazingly beautiful cold eyes. ‘Like I said, you’re very fortunate,’ he reiterated softly. ‘Both of you.’
She stared at him as steadily as she could and hoped it disguised the fact that she was feeling totally out of her depth. Something had shifted in the last few seconds and she couldn’t put her finger on it, but whatever it was, it was very real.
‘Have you had dinner?’ he asked with a marked lack of expression.
‘What?’ And then she collected herself and managed to say quickly, ‘No, I’ve been at a launch all day and left as soon as I could to relieve Drew. I’ll have something later. I’m…I’m very tired,’ she added pointedly.
‘All the more reason to let me buy you dinner,’ he returned smartly. ‘I’m sure you don’t feel like fixing something yourself.’
Dinner? Was he quite insane? They hadn’t said a civil word to each other since they’d met again after all these years and he wanted to buy her dinner? This was taking loyalty and friendship to Cassie and Guy too far!
‘And, before you say anything, it is because I want to, not because I feel obliged because of your sister or anything else,’ Clay said smoothly, reading her mind with an ease that alarmed her. ‘I leave for the States first thing in the morning and I’ll be away some time so it’s a one-off, don’t panic.’
It was the mockery that did it. He was acting as though he thought she was frightened to have dinner with him, and nothing could have fired Robyn’s quick temper more effectively. She stiffened, her chin rising unconsciously and her beautiful brown eyes turning dark as she said, her voice clipped and short, ‘Thank you, Mr Lincoln, dinner would be very nice.’
‘Just one thing…’ he was smiling again, a sort of cat-with-the-cream smile that made her think she might just have played straight into his hands. ‘…cut the “Mr Lincoln” would you? It’s beginning to make me feel like a nineteenth-century headmaster, and Clay isn’t too difficult to get the tongue round.’ He raised dark eyebrows mockingly.
She’d just agreed to have dinner with him! Robyn’s mind was racing. And she’d thought him the insane one! Whatever had made her rise to his particular brand of provocation like that? And why was he bothering with her anyway? He’d done his duty to Cass and Guy: he’d offered his help and she had refused him and that should have been that. She’d have thought he would have been breathing a silent sigh of relief at having got off so lightly. Oh, hell, none of this made sense. She didn’t make sense. She should never have agreed to go out with him tonight.
‘I’ll have to change first.’ She gestured at her clothes which had become somewhat crumpled throughout the day and were very definitely smartly functional rather than evening wear. ‘Would you like to wait upstairs?’ she added after a reluctant pause, hoping against hope he would refuse the invitation.
She couldn’t have explained why but she didn’t want him to impinge into her living quarters. The office was different: this was practical space and as utilitarian as any other office, but her home was her. There were a lot of dreams woven into the next two floors and every cushion, every ornament or picture, had been chosen by her because she loved it. She had waited months sometimes before she could afford something or other—like the red voile drapes at the window. She had spotted them in a wickedly expensive shop, the borders being hand-sewn with exquisite tiny lacy leaves, but she had known nothing else would do and had tacked a couple of sheets at the window until she could afford the drapes. And it had been worth it. But now Clay Lincoln’s cynical, razor-sharp gaze was going to be able to dissect her inner self—or that’s what it felt like.
But she was being silly. Robyn spoke sternly to herself as she walked across the office towards the stairs, Clay following behind her. For some reason this man still affected her in a way none other did, but she could get a handle on this. She had to get a handle on this!
‘The bathroom and kitchen are on this floor.’ Robyn gestured towards the rooms as they passed but didn’t stop climbing the stairs until they reached the large through-room at the top of the house, and then she stood aside for Clay to precede her.
She was glad a mild golden sunlight was slanting through the windows at the end of the room and showing the colour scheme to its best advantage, along with highlighting the pretty tubs of flowers she had bought for the tiny balcony a couple of weekends before.
The vibrant splashes of colour outside the windows drew the eyes and made the space in between appear even larger, encouraging the onlooker to look out into the wide expanse of blue sky beyond.
‘What a lovely room.’ Clay’s voice was genuinely appreciative, but Robyn couldn’t see his face as his back was towards her as he walked towards the balcony. ‘In fact this whole house is lovely, unusual. Did you have an interior designer or was it like this when you bought it?’
‘No and no.’ He turned as she spoke, and she had to remind herself to show no outward reaction as every defence mechanism in her body came alive in response to his overwhelming maleness. ‘The office was a small sitting room and separate kitchen, the bathroom was where it is but with a bedroom next door, and this floor consisted of two bedrooms. I had builders in for what seemed like the whole of my life but eventually they left and I could get on with decorating.’