The Gold Collection: A Bride For The Taking. Maggie Cox

black coffee at breakfast. In fact his appetite and his sleep had been poor all week, due to his belief that Sophia was seeing another man.

      ‘Let’s eat, shall we?’ he suggested lightly, giving her a broad smile as their attentive waiters left them alone again. ‘I don’t know about you, but I could eat the proverbial horse!’

      ‘So, not only don’t you have someone to clean for you, you obviously haven’t succumbed to hiring a cook either?’ Picking up her fork, Sophia expertly twirled some strands of spaghetti round it, guiding it into place with her spoon.

      For a moment Jarrett was too transfixed by the sight to even think about satisfying his own appetite. She somehow managed to make the most commonplace actions look sexy, he mused, as a pleasant buzz of heat infiltrated his insides, ‘Are you putting yourself forward for the job? Because if you are then I’ll happily forego the interview and appoint you straight away.’

      She moved her head to indicate no. ‘I won’t consider it right now, because I need to put my energies into my photography, but ask me again in a month or two when the coffers aren’t exactly spilling over with coin and I might accept.’ She popped a forkful of pasta with its accompanying fragrant sauce into her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut in a demonstration of unrestrained pleasure. ‘Mmm …’ she groaned. ‘This is really, really good’

      Jarrett almost let his fork clatter back onto the table. The look on her face was straight out of a candid scene from an erotic movie. Helplessly shifting in his seat as an arrow of flame zeroed straight into his loins, he suddenly found it wasn’t food that he was hungry for.

      ‘Aren’t you going to eat?’ Sophia asked innocently. ‘I thought you were starving?’

      He cleared his throat. ‘I am. I’m afraid I just got a little distracted.’

      ‘Oh.’ She brushed off the comment with a careless shrug, but nonetheless he saw the swathe of hot pink that swept into her cheeks.

      Feeling undeniably pleased, Jarrett watched her tuck into her meal for a few seconds longer before hungrily attacking his own.

      By the time coffee arrived Sophia was feeling much more relaxed and at ease. Tonight, in this lovely restaurant, she was like any other diner enjoying the company of her date, and nobody either knew or cared about her painful past. That gave her a sense of freedom and autonomy that she’d long craved.

      Adding some cream to her coffee, she stirred it in, and when she looked up again Jarrett was studying her, an enigmatic smile lifting the corners of his mouth. A frisson of intense pleasure rippled through her as she recalled his urgent passionate kisses just a few short hours ago. There was no doubt in her mind that the man could win a trophy for his ability to kiss a woman and render her weak with instantaneous desire. In fact, there was so much about him that was wonderful that it was hard to fathom why he hadn’t already met and married someone, Sophia mused.

      ‘My turn to ask what you’re thinking,’ he remarked, just as her mind was in the middle of listing the qualities of his that she found the most appealing and attractive.

      She smiled with a guilty blush. ‘I was remembering that I once asked you why you were still single and you didn’t really give me an answer. Have you ever had a long-term relationship?’

      ‘No.’ He shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat, settled again, then paused to take a sip of his strong black coffee.

      Sophia was intrigued by his apparent reticence. ‘Why not?’ she asked bluntly.

      ‘I guess up until recently I’ve never felt the desire to commit to anyone. No doubt there are many people who would think that’s extremely selfish. My sister has despaired of me from time to time,’ he said candidly, shrugging his shoulders. ‘Don’t get me wrong,’ he added quickly, seeing her frown, ‘I don’t play the field … nothing like that. It’s just that I’ve never met anyone that I wanted to be with for more than a few dates. And I’ve devoted most of my time to building my business.’

      With a little flare of satisfied heat warming her insides at the realisation that he’d been referring to her when he’d stated that ‘up until recently’ he’d never felt the desire to commit to anyone, Sophia leaned forward a little, unconsciously inviting more candid revelations about his feelings and his life. ‘And what is your business, Jarrett?’

      ‘In simple terms, I buy and sell land.’

      ‘Locally, you mean?’

      His arresting smile was modestly wry. ‘All over the world,’ he confessed.

      ‘Goodness … no wonder you haven’t had time for romantic relationships. Such a global undertaking must surely demand a huge amount of time and energy? How will you manage things if you ever do settle down with someone?’

      She almost held her breath as she waited for his answer, wishing that it didn’t suddenly matter quite so much as it did.

      His returning glance was completely frank. ‘It’s fortunate that I have several very competent and skilled people working for me, so it wouldn’t be a problem to delegate a little more in order to free up more time. Especially if I’m ever lucky enough to have a family.’

      The unexpectedly revealing comment had the effect of silencing the next question that hovered on Sophia’s lips and it made her heart gallop. Reminding herself to get a grip, and not to let her hopes run away with her, she unconsciously added another lump of brown sugar to her coffee and took a deep sip. It was far too sweet and she couldn’t help grimacing.

      Jarrett laughed, and Sophia blushed to the roots of her hair when she realised he had seen her sour-faced expression.

      ‘I was wondering if you usually made a habit of putting five lumps of sugar in your coffee. I surmised that you clearly just had a very sweet tooth,’ he teased.

      ‘I’m afraid I lost count of how many I put in,’ she murmured, colouring hotly.

      ‘I’ll order you a fresh cup.’ About to beckon a waiter, Jarrett hesitated when Sophia reached out and touched his hand.

      ‘Please don’t,’ she said earnestly. ‘It would probably keep me up all night anyway, and I need my sleep.’

      ‘In that case I’ll pay our bill and we’ll go.’

      Brushing back her hair from the side of her face, she nervously let her eyes meet his as she wondered what the protocol was these days on dating a man if he’d bought a woman a meal. Was he going to expect much more than a goodnight kiss?

      A short while later, as they were sitting in the car in the impressive shadow of High Ridge, Sophia turned to her handsome companion and sighed. ‘So there really hasn’t been anyone you’ve been serious about in the whole of your romantic history?’

      ‘That’s right,’ Jarrett answered. A thread of anxiety rippled through him that she might not believe him—that she might think he was just making it up to pique her interest.

      ‘And you’ve never been lonely? Being on your own, I mean?’

      The question made Jarrett smile. He knew perfectly well what she was asking him. ‘If by lonely you mean have I ever felt the need for some female company to share my bed, then, yes. I have.’

      ‘And presumably there’s been no shortage of takers?’

      Even in the dimly lit interior of the car, her blush was endearingly delightful. From the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes, Jarrett’s whole body tightened. ‘Can we talk about something else?’ he suggested lightly. ‘For instance, are you going to invite me in for a coffee? I know you implied that too much caffeine keeps you awake, but I wouldn’t say no to another cup if you’re offering.’ He knew his smile was boyishly hopeful.

      Sweeping her hair behind her ear, Sophia was suddenly wary. ‘Can we do that another time, maybe? I really am feeling rather tired tonight.’

      ‘Why didn’t