The Billionaire's Defiant Wife. Amanda Browning

to toe. Propping himself against the edge of the table, he crossed his feet and grinned provocatively. ‘You know, that bit of nothing you’re wearing leaves just enough to the imagination.’

      Aimi drew in a ragged breath, knowing she ought to be able to handle the situation, yet finding it hard to remain aloof. This was the heat Nick had been talking about. It was pretty potent, and the sanest thing would be to get out of the kitchen. ‘This is pointless,’ she said shortly. ‘I think we should just go to bed.’

      Something wicked flashed in his eyes. ‘Now that’s really cutting to the chase!’ he drawled sardonically, and she kicked herself for choosing her words badly.

      ‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ she corrected hardily.

      ‘However tempting the prospect might be, hmm?’ he murmured softly and in the quiet of the night the words echoed like thunder, sending shockwaves through her system.

      ‘You have some nerve!’ she gasped faintly, and Jonas laughed seductively.

      ‘I think you should go to bed, Aimi, before the need to know undermines your resolve,’ he advised.

      To say she was unsettled would be an understatement, and it made her respond in a way she never would have otherwise. ‘What resolve?’ she queried rashly, and Jonas shook his head and sighed.

      ‘You know already. I’m talking of your resolve to have nothing to do with me,’ he answered softly. ‘That was the conclusion you came to during your walk, wasn’t it?’

      ‘God, you’re arrogant! My resolve to have nothing to do with men like you was made years ago, not this evening,’ she declared scornfully, and he looked amused.

      ‘Men like me?’

      Her eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down, doing her best to make it obvious she found him wanting in every department. ‘Men who think they can have everything and everyone they want, just by asking. I have nothing but contempt for you.’ It wasn’t strictly true, but she was fighting a rearguard action here.

      ‘If that is the case, why do you respond to me?’ he asked softly, pulling the rug from under her feet.

      Aimi held on by the skin of her teeth. ‘I do not respond to you.’

      That produced a soft laugh. ‘I could prove you wrong, but it’s late and we’re both tired. I suggest you go upstairs now. We’ll continue this fascinating conversation tomorrow.’

      ‘We’ll do nothing of the sort!’ Aimi shot back tautly.

      ‘By the way, I love your hair like that. You should wear it loose more often. It’s very feminine, very sensual,’ Jonas declared in the next instant, and her hand immediately rose to touch it.

      Aimi realised she had forgotten all about it; having him see her with her hair down was like an invasion of privacy. Feeling more vulnerable than she had for many years, Aimi decided she had had enough and that a dignified retreat was in order. However, as she went to walk past him on her way to the door, her foot hit a wet patch on the tiles and slid out from under her. With a gasp of shock, she flailed around for something to hold on to and suddenly found herself caught by a pair of strong hands and hauled in to Jonas’s powerful chest.

      ‘Easy. I’ve got you,’ he declared into her hair, but she scarcely registered him for her senses, now that she was safe, were being bombarded by the heady male scent of him, combined with the solidity of his powerful chest. It was a sensory overload that had her tipping her head and looking up at him through stunned eyes.

      Jonas met that look and, though his eyes gleamed hotly, his mouth curved with wry humour. ‘I think what you’re thinking right now is highly inappropriate for a family employee,’ he declared ironically, pushing her upright but not letting her go.

      Dismay washed over her as she realised just how totally she had betrayed herself in that one gesture. What she wanted to do was run away from those knowing eyes, but what she did was tilt her chin at a belligerent angle. ‘Keep your hands to yourself,’ she commanded bitingly, shrugging him off, and walked away. It was hard not to hurry to the door, but she managed it and went out without a backward glance.

      Out in the hall, breathing raggedly, she stared at the closed door. She had just made a complete fool of herself. To find herself experiencing an unwanted attraction to the man was one thing. To let him see it, quite another. Something about him just kept getting through her defences, and she didn’t like it. Not one little bit.

      Aimi berated herself all the way up to her bedroom, where she spent a restless hour trying to sleep. Before sleep finally claimed her, however, she had promised herself that she would keep well away from Jonas for the remainder of the weekend. It shouldn’t be hard to do, as she was here to do research. She doubted very much if he was the type to spend much time in a library. A harem, maybe, but not a place full of musty books!

      One thing was certain—no matter what he thought, she was absolutely not going to be the next notch on his bedpost! She had worked too hard for too long to achieve this level of peace with herself to surrender it now.

      The new day dawned as hot and humid as the last. Though she had managed to get some sleep, Aimi didn’t feel the least bit rested, for Jonas had invaded her dreams, haunting them with tantalising possibilities. It seemed as if, waking or sleeping, she was being pulled by her senses into dangerous waters, and the current was incredibly strong. The man was too attractive for his own good, and it didn’t help to remember how he had broken through her defences with incredible ease.

      As she took yet another lukewarm shower, she considered the situation a little more logically. What had really happened, after all? She had discovered she was powerfully attracted to a man and that he was attracted to her. That didn’t mean she was going to fall into his arms! Jonas might be an extremely attractive man, but she had known a lot of attractive men before and been able to resist them! But since that awful day she hadn’t looked at a man with interest and, with a strength of purpose she hadn’t been aware she’d possessed, she had simply shut down those feelings and emotions. So Jonas was going to be out of luck. She had come here to work, and that was all.

      Taking comfort from that thought, she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. Choosing what to wear wasn’t a problem; she had packed only the bare essentials. Two skirts and a few blouses. Nick had told her to include a swimsuit, which she had done, but she did not expect to wear it. Today she chose her cream pencil skirt and a pale blue short-sleeved silk blouse. She slipped her feet into comfortable shoes and swept her hair back into its pleat with the ease of long practice. Smoothing the material of her skirt over her hips, she examined the view in the mirror. She looked cool, efficient and out of reach—just the way she liked it.

      She was twitching her skirt into place when there was a knock on the door.

      It was Nick, and he smiled as he stood in the doorway of her room. ‘Good morning, Aimi. You’re looking amazingly cool,’ he greeted her, and her eyes crinkled as she laughed wryly.

      ‘I don’t feel it, I assure you,’ she observed lightly, reaching up to sort out the collar of his polo shirt, which had gone awry.

      ‘Well, just looking at you makes me feel cooler,’ he returned charmingly, and she sighed, shaking her head.

      ‘Nick, Nick, you’re almost as bad as your brother! You must have gone to the same charm school,’ she declared, grinning at him, totally unaware of anyone approaching.

      ‘Morning, Nick,’ Jonas greeted his brother and, when Aimi gave a start of surprise and glanced round, he nodded to her, lips curving into a provocative smile as he ran his gaze over her like a caress. ‘I like the skirt, Aimi, but, all things considered, I prefer what you were wearing last night,’ he said with a soft laugh before walking on.

      She stepped back from Nick, feeling her cheeks grow warm. His remark, innocent-sounding as it was to anyone else, immediately brought back memories of what had occurred in the kitchen last night.

      Nick frowned at his brother’s retreating