‘That comes of being your daughter and Jordan’s wife,’ she said cheekily.
Her father laughed at her unrelenting attitude. ‘I guess it does at that. Okay, afternoon. Do you order Jordan about like this too?’
Kelly quirked an eyebrow. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think no.’
She grinned. ‘Right.’
They listened to records after dinner, although after an hour or so Kelly could see her father’s eyes beginning to droop tiredly. She tactfully suggested they both have an early night, knowing he would refuse point blank if the suggestion was made only to him. Not that she had any intention of going to sleep herself, it was only ten o’clock, but she could always have a read in bed.
She heard the car in the driveway just before eleven o’clock. Even for Jordan this was exceptionally late, and her mouth set angrily, although she quickly dampened this down as she heard Jordan’s firm tread on the stairs. He seemed to hesitate for a second or two before opening the bedroom door, his sharp gaze instantly swinging in Kelly’s direction as she lay in the bed making a show of reading a magazine.
Kelly studied him beneath lowered lashes, noting how well the dark grey suit fitted across his wide shoulders, how the cut of his trousers emphasised the powerful length of his thighs. His tie was loosened at his throat, the top two buttons of his shirt undone. He looked lean and attractive, ruggedly so.
He eyed Kelly warily as he closed the door behind him. ‘Did you have a nice day?’
‘Yes, thank you. Daddy and I went to the coast.’ She put her magazine to one side, giving him her full attention.
Jordan nodded. ‘So Mrs McLeod informed me. Brighton, wasn’t it?’
‘Mm.’ Jordan was uncertain of her mood, she could see that. Well, he was in for a shock if he thought she was going to cause any sort of scene, about last night or this evening. Play it cool, she had decided, and she was going to keep to that. She gave him a bright smile. ‘We ate fish and chips out of newspaper and then covered ourselves in candyfloss,’ she told him.
‘I bet your father loved that,’ he said dryly.
‘Strangely enough he did. He was quite relaxed by the time we got home. Although he’s decided he wants to see Miles.’ Kelly went on to tell him of her suggestion, seeing his puzzlement about her calm behaviour increasing by the minute. ‘I couldn’t think what else to do,’ she added.
‘It’s a good idea, I wish I’d thought of it.’ He ran his hand through the dark thickness of his hair, an air of weariness to his movements.
‘Did you have a bad day?’ she asked softly.
Jordan’s gaze sharpened, although he met only polite query on her face. ‘Well, it wasn’t good,’ he said heavily.
‘Why don’t you go and have a shower, and then I’ll massage your neck like I used to,’ Kelly offered. ‘You always said that relaxed you,’ she added with feigned innocence. Her caressing movements on his neck and back had relaxed him—before he made love to her! She could see Jordan’s puzzlement growing.
He frowned darkly. ‘Kelly, yesterday I asked you to come back to me. Are you now offering to do just that?’ His eyes were narrowed.
‘I’m offering to massage your neck,’ she shrugged. ‘But if you don’t want me to…’ She snuggled down under the covers as if going to sleep, yawning tiredly for good measure.
‘Oh, I want you to,’ Jordan told her hurriedly. ‘I’ll be two minutes, don’t go to sleep.’
‘I’ll try not to,’ she yawned again.
He must have broken all records showering. He was back within the two minutes, a towel wrapped about his waist, his hair slighly damp. Kelly had to hide a smile at the eagerness with which he lay face down on the bed. Her cool, calm attitude seemed to be working—even if she was a burning mass of jealousy inside. But none of that showed in her serene expression, and that was the way it was going to stay.
‘Mm,’ he groaned as her fingertips ran lightly down his spine. ‘You always did have the most sensuous hands I’ve ever known.’
Kelly loved touching him like this, had always enjoyed these nightly rituals as much as he had. His skin was smooth and brown, firmly muscled, and she could feel the tension leaving him with each stroke of her fingertips. He lay with his eyes closed, his head resting on his arms, a look of utter contentment on his face.
‘You like?’ Kelly asked huskily, feeling the excitement coursing through her, a tingling sensation going up through her hands and down her body. And Jordan wasn’t unaffected, she could tell that by the high flush to his cheeks, his ragged breathing.
‘I more than like,’ he confirmed. ‘I’m sorry about this evening, Kelly. Normanson flew in from New York and I had to meet with him. You remember Normanson?’
She did, vaguely. They had had him to dinner a couple of times. He was a business friend of Jordan’s. ‘Yes, I remember him.’ She massaged his nape, registering his moans of pleasure.
‘I would have got out of it if I co
uld,’ Jordan murmured.