The Reluctant Duke. Carole Mortimer

of paying attention to the final discussion of the contract that had been drawn up for their signatures.

      The fact that Gideon had seemed equally interested in her certainly hadn’t improved the situation.

      Lucan’s mouth tightened. ‘You all but got into bed with the man, damn it!’

      Lexie’s eyes widened indignantly. ‘Believe me, Mr St Claire, when I get into bed with a man I don’t do it in front of an audience!’

      Lucan drew in a sharp breath at the graphic vision that remark instantly induced.

      Her complexion was pure ivory, and Lucan had no doubt that the slenderness of her body would be just as palely translucent. Her skin would be soft and smooth to the touch. Her uptilted breasts would be tipped by rose or red-coloured nipples. The silky triangle of hair between her legs would be the same dark—

      Good God!

      Had he totally lost his mind? Christmas in Scotland, followed by the wedding at Mulberry Hall and now this call from Barton in Gloucestershire—all that had been unsettling, certainly, but surely not enough to addle Lucan’s brain so much he was having these erotic thoughts about her?

      Addled his brain?

      It was another part of his anatomy entirely that responded to Lexie’s exotic beauty.

      ‘I have no interest in learning what you do or do not require when you go to bed with a man,’ he bit out grimly—and not altogether truthfully. ‘I am merely endeavouring to point out that your overtly friendly behaviour towards Andrew Proctor made a complete fiasco of what was supposed to be a business meeting.’

      Lexie was uncomfortably aware that Lucan’s criticism was partly merited. She had obviously been expected to just fade quietly into the background of the meeting, rather than allow Andrew Proctor to draw her into conversation. And she knew she would have done exactly that if not for the fact that she had seen exactly how annoyed Lucan had looked every time Andrew Proctor spoke to her.

      She gave a self-conscious grimace now. ‘I apologise if you found anything about my behaviour this morning less than professional.’

      Lucan looked taken aback. ‘What did you just say…?’

      Lexie shot him a frowning glance from beneath dark lashes. ‘I believe I apologised,’ she repeated impatiently.

      Exactly what Lucan had thought she had done! Totally unexpectedly. So much so that he wasn’t quite sure what to do or say next, damn it.

      Indecision wasn’t something he could normally be accused of, either.

      What was wrong with him this morning?

      From a professional angle Lucan knew he should call this woman’s agency and demand that she be replaced immediately, or he would have no choice but to contact another agency.

      What he personally wanted to do was another matter entirely.

      He relaxed slightly. ‘It’s almost one o’clock. I suggest the two of us go and get some lunch—’

      ‘Together? ‘ Lexie stared at him uncomprehendingly.

      ‘Yes—together,’ Lucan drawled mockingly. ‘Perhaps we can come to some sort of truce while we eat?’

      To say Lexie was stunned by the suggestion would be an understatement. Unless Lucan meant it as an ultimatum rather than a suggestion? An implication that the two of them either come to that truce or he would immediately go ahead with his threat to have her replaced, and in doing so damage the reputation of Premier Personnel?

      Personally, Lexie would be more than happy to go. She had already done what she’d come here to do, and that was to meet Lucan St Claire and have all her preconceived ideas of him confirmed. As well as some unpreconceived ones—namely, he was dangerously attractive.

      Unfortunately, the repercussions for Premier Personnel if that were to happen were less acceptable.

      Something Lexie should definitely have thought about before acting so impulsively in coming anywhere near a single member of the St Claire family!

      Although, Lexie acknowledged grudgingly, she hadn’t found the blond and handsome Gideon St Claire quite so disagreeable as Lucan.

      Gideon was supposed to share the same reputation for coldness and arrogance as his haughty older brother, and as such Lexie had fully expected him to ignore her altogether during this morning’s meeting. Instead, Gideon had been effortlessly charming to her, and the warm interest in his gaze unmistakable…

      ‘Does it usually take you this long to respond to an invitation to lunch? ‘ Lucan rasped impatiently.

      ‘No, of course not,’ Lexie snapped resentfully, her cheeks heating at the taunting mockery she could see in those coal-black eyes. ‘But it was hardly an invitation, was it?’ she dismissed scathingly. ‘’More like, it’s lunchtime, so let’s eat!’

      Lucan frowned his irritation; did this woman have to argue about everything? ‘I see nothing wrong with that statement,’ he bit out impatiently. ‘It is lunchtime, and we both have to eat.’

      ‘But not necessarily together,’ she came back decisively.

      Lucan’s eyes narrowed to dark and dangerous slits. ‘Tell me—is this dislike personal, or do you treat all your employers with the same contempt?’

      Lexie stiffened warily. It was one thing for her to treat Lucan St Claire with the disdain she felt he deserved—quite another for him to become overly curious as to why she treated him that way. For him to ever suspect, realise, exactly who she was…

      Lexie shook her head. ‘It isn’t personal, Mr St Claire—’

      ‘Lucan.’

      She blinked up at him. ‘I beg your pardon…?’

      ‘I invited you to call me Lucan, Lexie,’ he drawled ruefully. ‘Don’t tell me you have a problem with that, too?’ He frowned again as she continued to stare up at him.

      Of course Lexie had a problem with that! The last thing she wanted—positively the last thing—was to be on a firstname basis with any of the arrogant St Claire family! ‘I would prefer to keep our relationship on a completely business footing,’ she said stiffly.

      ‘And calling each other by our first names isn’t doing that?’ he prompted.

      ‘You know it isn’t.’ She frowned. ‘Any more than my having lunch with you is,’ she added coolly.

      Lucan scowled his impatience. ‘I fail to see why not.’

      Lexie eyed him frustratedly. ‘That could be because you’re being deliberately obtuse—’ She broke off abruptly as he gave a wry chuckle.

      A phenomenon that completely changed the austerity of those grimly handsome features, giving warmth to those dark, dark eyes, a softening to the hard rigidity of his cheek and jawline, and revealing an endearing cleft in his left cheek.

      All things that Lexie did not want to be aware of where this particular man was concerned.

      She gave him a reproving look. ‘I fail to see what’s so funny.’

      He gave a rueful shake of his head. ‘It seems that even when you try to be polite you can’t help but be rude.’

      She bristled. ‘And you find that amusing?’

      ‘Not really.’ He gave a slow shake of his head. ‘I’ve just never met anyone quite like you before,’ he said.

      Lexie wasn’t sure she was altogether comfortable with the softening of his tone. Or the speculation she could see in the warmth of those dark eyes as he looked at her. It was too male an assessment. The assessment of a handsome man looking at a woman he found attractive…

      No way!

      Absolutely no way!

      Lucan