A Christmas Affair. Carole Mortimer

      She eyed him warily across the room. ‘And what was your answer?’

      His mouth twisted mockingly. ‘Don't worry, I don't willingly go where I know I'm not wanted.’

      ‘Oh, but I'm sure Simon——’

      ‘I wasn't talking about your brother-in-law,’ he drawled dismissively.

      Her cheeks burned with heated colour. ‘It has nothing to do with me whom Simon chooses to invite into his home,’ she told him stiltedly.

      ‘Nevertheless,’ Dominic's mouth firmed, ‘despite your brother-in-law's kind invitation—which, incidentally, I'm sure was genuine—I have no intention of intruding upon the Christmas that means so much to you.’

      Considering Dominic never acknowledged the festive season by so much as a sprig of holly in his office, Cathy couldn't imagine that he had ever seriously considered the invitation anyway! She certainly didn't feel as if she was depriving him of anything by being the real reason he had declined!

      ‘All the more reason for you not to drive me down to Devon,’ she dismissed.

      ‘I don't have anything else to do.’ He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘And as we are both well aware——’ his mouth twisted derisively ‘—the whole world grinds to a halt at Christmas.’

      ‘That's never seemed to stop you before,’ Cathy recalled drily.

      He shrugged. ‘This year I seem to be without my capable PA. And a few hours’ notice isn't time enough for me to be able to train up another one,’ he added hardily.

      She didn't even blink at his sarcasm. ‘I have no wish to talk about work.’

      ‘Neither have I,’ he drawled, glancing out of the window of her flat. ‘Snow looks imminent, so if you want to leave …’

      ‘I'll go when I'm ready.’ She spoke with more stubbornness than good sense, because snow did look imminent.

      ‘Strange.’ Dominic looked at her consideringly, just as if he were viewing a somewhat wayward child in his presence. ‘I never considered you a foolish person until today.’

      Possibly because today was the first time he had seen her as even being halfway human, rather than just a business extension of himself!

      ‘Stubborn and foolish,’ she derided. ‘What makes you think you're any more capable of driving to Devon than I am?’ she challenged, her eyes glittering a dark smoky grey.

      ‘I don't,’ he surprised her by answering. ‘But at least with the two of us there we could take it in turns to do the driving, and in that way we could halve the strain.’

      Cathy hated it when he made good sense, especially when it was about something as important as this! How could she refuse his help now without looking absolutely stupid? Especially when she was well aware of the fact that she couldn't possibly be upsetting any of his own plans for Christmas; he had probably intended to hibernate until all the ‘childish emotion', as she had once heard him describe it, was over.

      ‘I'm still not prepared to talk about my resignation,’ she told him firmly.

      The grimness relaxed slightly about his mouth, as if he was well aware that a victory of one kind was imminent. ‘I've already said I don't want to talk about it either. But if at some time during the journey you should decide you would like to discuss it——’

      ‘I won't,’ she insisted abruptly. ‘It's a fact, irreversible, un——’

      ‘I think I get the message, Cathy,’ he drawled at her vehemence.

      ‘In that case, what's in this for you?’ She raised mocking brows.

      ‘Nasty, Cathy,’ he said. ‘Very nasty.’

      ‘Educated,’ she corrected drily.

      His mouth quirked in a facsimile of a smile. ‘I trained you to be my right-hand man—you know me better than I know myself most of the time. And, knowing me as you do, you're right: I'm not going to give up hoping you'll change your mind.’

      She knew he had invented the word ‘tenacious'; she had always believed that that elusively unexplained ‘S’ in his initials stood for stubborn—no matter what she might earlier have accused to the contrary! And yet she had also never believed him capable of needing anyone, or anything, enough to put himself to the trouble of chasing after it. But maybe he considered the five years he had spent training her to be worth his making the exception!

      She met his gaze challengingly. ‘In that case, we had better get going, hadn't we?’

      Dominic showed no surprise at her decision to accept his help after all, glancing across at her case and the wicker basket that stood ready in the hallway. ‘Is that all you're taking with you?’

      She might have realised he had known from the onset that he would have his own way! Arrogant, dictatorial, self-assured, pigheaded——! ‘Yes,’ she bit out tightly.

      ‘Just a polite query,’ he murmured tolerantly at her defensive attitude. ‘No criticism intended.’

      Cathy watched him with troubled eyes as he crossed the room to pick up her cases. Five to six hours alone in the confines of a car with him in the circumstances; she had to be insane.

      She muttered to herself as she pulled her full-length dark green coat on over her black jumper and grey fitted trousers, preparing herself to follow him out of the flat.

      God knew what this drive was going to be like, and yet in a strangely masochistic way she was actually looking forward to it!

      He drove the Audi with an assurance Cathy couldn't hope to imitate when her own turn to drive came, long, tapered hands moving confidently on the wheel. And the snow was no longer imminent; it was falling gently on the road in front of them.

      Dominic's attention was all grimly on what was on the other side of the car window, leaving Cathy free to gaze at him to her heart's content without fear of his noticing what she was doing. Just to look at him made her heart beat faster. His profile was so strong and handsome. He——

      Dear lord, they weren't even out of London yet, and already she was in the middle of a hot flush over the man! She was going to be a physical wreck by the time they reached Devon!

      Dominic had always had the power to affect her this way, but usually during the time they spent together she didn't have a moment to think, let alone allow her emotions for him to have free rein. But now there was no work to distract either of them …

      ‘I never realised Christmas was important to you,’ Dominic spoke suddenly in the strange stillness of late morning.

      Cathy gave him a startled glance, sitting up straighter in her seat. ‘You never asked.’

      ‘More criticism?’ He frowned darkly.

      ‘Certainly not,’ she answered truthfully. ‘Why should an employer be interested in an employee's personal likes and dislikes?’ And, as her pained heart knew, the two of them had certainly never crossed over that finely drawn line.

      Dominic drew in a harsh breath. ‘I thought we were at least—friends.’

      Now it was Cathy's turn to frown. Dominic didn't have what she would have classed actual friends. He had a lot of acquaintances, but no one who was really close to him. And she had always believed he preferred it that way.

      ‘Don't look so stunned, Cathy,’ he drawled self-derisively. ‘My obvious misapprehension doesn't bind you to anything.’

      Friends? Dominic and she? If they were, it wasn't the sort of friendship she was used to—nothing at all like the friendship she had shared with Jade for so many years. With Jade, it didn't matter how long it had been since the two of them had last seen each other; they would instantly fall into a warm conversation as if it had been yesterday, talking about anything and nothing, whatever the two