The Wedding Contract. Nicola Marsh

in the candlelight, framing her tanned face. A slight frown marred her forehead as she studied his palm, her mouth pursed in concentration, and he had a sudden urge to smooth away the frown and kiss those pouting lips.

      She was a beauty all right. A pity he had to rush back to Sydney, otherwise he might have enjoyed getting to know her a whole lot better.

      ‘You still haven’t told me anything,’ he said, wishing she would look at him so he could glimpse those startling eyes once again.

      As if reading his thoughts, she looked up and fixed him with a piercing stare. ‘You’re impatient, self-assured and used to getting your own way. A real go-getter, who won’t let anyone stop you from reaching your goal, with a liberal dose of arrogance thrown in for good measure.’

      His eyebrows shot up. ‘Oh, you’re good. Anything else?’

      ‘You’re nothing but trouble.’ She pronounced it calmly, though he noted her hand shook before she quickly dropped his.

      ‘Only when someone stands in my way.’ Despite the fact that she piqued his interest, he glanced at his watch and decided he’d wasted enough time. He stood up, suddenly annoyed that he’d dallied this long. He needed to find Colin Lawrence and get down to business.

      ‘Tell me something I don’t know. So what do you want with Colin?’ She sat back and folded her arms, as if she had all the time in the world.

      He didn’t. ‘I’m here on business. Now, where can I find him?’

      She nodded, like the all-seeing sage she pretended to be. ‘I knew it. You’re one of the vultures. Accountant? Lawyer?’ She spat out the last word, as if the profession was poison.

      He quirked an eyebrow, admiring her feistiness. ‘You really do have amazing powers. My name’s Steve Rockwell and I’m a lawyer, here on behalf of Water World.’

      She clenched her fists, fear flashing in her eyes before she tilted her chin up.

      ‘Go away. We’ve got nothing to say to you.’

      ‘We?’ Since when did a pint-sized woman posing as a fortune-teller speak for the business he’d come to close down?

      She jumped to her feet. ‘You heard me. My father and I aren’t interested in your business. So go back to where you came from.’

      God, she was magnificent when riled, bristling like some fierce tawny cat, her eyes glowing with golden fire. He wouldn’t mind taking a shot at taming her, though she’d just thrown a major spanner in the works. This creature was Colin Lawrence’s daughter and he never mixed business with pleasure.

      He shook his head. ‘That’s not possible. Unless the owner of this establishment speaks to me and brokers a deal, this place is finished.’

      She walked around the table and stood in front of him. ‘No deal. That monstrosity next door has been trying to buy us out for years and it just won’t happen. Got it?’

      ‘Water World is one of the largest theme parks around here. Do you really think you stand a chance?’ He towered over her, feeling like a nasty ogre come to wipe out the Lilliputians.

      To his amazement, she jabbed her finger into his chest, several times. ‘Now, you listen to me, mister. This place is my father’s life and no one is going to take it away from him, least of all the likes of you. What do I have to do to get it through that thick skull of yours?’

      He’d never been impulsive. His whole life had been planned, from the exact minute of his C-section birth, just as his mother wanted it. In fact, every action in his well-ordered life had been planned to the nth degree.

      Except what he did next.

      Pulling her against him, he claimed her mouth with almost brutal force. She’d stirred him with her spirited retorts and quick wit and he needed to prove a point. Though he forgot what it was the moment his lips touched hers.

      She didn’t stand a chance as he kissed her like a man starved, coaxing her lips to open beneath him. She made a soft, whimpering sound before giving in, her mouth allowing his tongue to plunge between her lips, seeking, plundering. He plied her mouth with prolonged skill, nipping her bottom lip, nibbling and suckling till she leaned into him.

      His fingers tangled in her hair as he angled her head for better access to the sweetness of her mouth. Like a forbidden delicacy, he tasted and sampled, accepting he would regret it later. Surprisingly, she met him halfway, grasping his shirt and hanging on for dear life as he deepened the kiss to the point of devouring. At her touch, he drew in a breath, knowing he shouldn’t be doing this yet powerless to stop. He’d lost all reason the minute the temptress responded to him.

      Suddenly, she pushed away from him, a dawning horror growing in her passion-hazed eyes. ‘What was that all about?’

      ‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured, drawing back farther. He took in her flushed cheeks, her slightly swollen lips, her ragged breathing, not sorry in the least.

      In fact, he wished he could kiss her again, repeatedly, till she lay writhing beneath him, begging for more.

      She turned away from him and ran a hand through her tousled hair. ‘I think you should leave.’

      He could have sworn her voice shook, and remorse flooded him. What was he doing, going around manhandling the daughter of the man he needed to do business with? He’d never given in to primal urges before. He usually planned his seductions—not that he had any intention of following through with this particular scenario. Ladies sporting toe-rings weren’t his style at all.

      He reached towards her, then let his hand drop. Touching her wouldn’t be a good idea at this point of the proceedings. ‘What’s your name?’

      She whirled around and he glimpsed the fire return to her eyes. ‘It’s a bit late to exchange pleasantries, don’t you think?’

      He deserved that for acting like a first-class jerk. Though he wasn’t big on apologies, he’d better make amends before she ran crying to Daddy and Colin Lawrence came after him with a shotgun. Or, even worse, a lawsuit.

      He lowered his head just a fraction, aiming for humble in the hope she would buy it. He’d never acted subservient in his life and it didn’t sit well with him now. ‘I don’t know what came over me. Please accept my apology. You just got me so wound up, I—’

      ‘Do you kiss everyone who talks back to you?’ she interrupted, crossing her arms.

      Once again, his mind drifted into the gutter as he wondered if her breasts would feel as heavy and full as they looked through the gauzy material.

      He shrugged, bringing his attention back to her face with difficulty. ‘I’m not used to it. I don’t get disagreed with all that often.’

      Sensing the direction of his gaze, she folded her arms tighter and glared. ‘Well, there’s a first time for everything. It’s about time someone took you down a peg or two and I’m just the person to do it.’

      He took in her defensive stance, a flicker of appreciation shooting through him. This woman would fight to the death for what she believed in, to protect what was rightfully hers. He admired loyalty, a rare attribute in most of the women he’d had the misfortune to date.

      ‘Be careful. I just might take you up on that challenge.’ He paused, looking her up and down. ‘And we both know where that might lead.’

      She blushed, a faint pink staining her cheeks, highlighting the bewitching colour of her eyes. ‘My father won’t be back till later. I’ll tell him you calle in. And now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.’ She held her head high and strode past him, holding open the tent flap for him to exit with her.

      ‘You win this time. But I’ll be back.’ He stepped out of the tent, the sunshine momentarily blinding him and he wondered if she’d cast some weird spell on him while he’d been cocooned with her.

      She looked up and he could have sworn she winked.