"Was insensitive, then," he altered, the chiseled line of his jaw clenching. "But it does not change the fact that your so-called date has either stood you up or is only too happy to leave you to stand around here like a fool!" "And that is your sensitive side talking?" So close to tears now, she had to push a hand up between them so she could cover her trembling mouth.A soft curse rattled from him. "I will take you to dinner," he offered, sounding so driven to say it that Vivian almost snapped the hand up higher to slap his face!But she didn’t because it would be annoying and juvenile of her to do it! "I can provide my own dinner," she told him stiffly."And you already have a date." "I did have a date until—" Scott stopped, compressing his lips, then dealt her a glinting glimmer of a look "—until I was stood up too," he finished dryly."You—?" It was like discovering he had a chink in his impenetrable Armour. Vivian was so intrigued by the phenomenon she stopped fighting his grip

Staring at him, feeling a sinking sense of confusion assail her, it all suddenly changed to a sense-crawling horror when she realized what they'd done. She spun away in a shaken, horrified need to escape but he stopped her. "Just get back in the car so I can take you home, Vivian" he said. His voice was calmer now, no longer angry, and maybe it was that tone that made her turn and began to move back towards his car. He walked beside her, not saying anything till they got to his car. He opened the door for her and when she got in, he went around and climbed into the driver's seat. The ride was quiet. They turned into the street on which her apartment block was situated, and Scott slowed down. "Was that just about the wine or did I do something wrong?" he asked. He just couldn’t leave it alone! "Why the sudden interest in my sleazy feelings, Scott?" "It’s not sleazy, Vivian," he pointed out. "Believe it or not, but I…. I… I care about you, damn it." Only slightly mollified by that

He pulled open her door for her with more angry strength than the beautifully designed piece of equipment required. As she carefully maneuvered her high-heeled shoes over the sill of the car, his grim impatience with her transferred to the long fingers he clamped around her arm to help straighten her up. Arriving in front of him with more impulse than was necessary, she ended up almost flattened against him, which shocked her enough into glancing up.Their eyes clashed—his slightly narrowed and glinting golden warning shots for her to take care what she did or said next, hers sparking with bright defiance which dared him to make one of his cold, cutting comments gauged to knock her back down to size.But he went for a different kind of attack. He relaxed the corners of his hard, clipped mouth, slid a hand around her exposed nape, then lowered his head and captured her mouth with a hard, hot, plundering kiss!Astonishment thrilled through Vivian. It was so shockingly unexpected and so

So tranquil, she thought, when there was nothing tranquil about the man who must have had the pool and the goddess positioned there."So, what do you think?" He came to take the seat beside her, lazed back and stretched out his long legs."About the house? You must already know that it’s very beautiful." Vivian said. "I purchased it last year from a business acquaintance, who needed some heavy cash fast," he imparted casually. "The idea was to sell it on but the current housing market made me decide to hang on to it for a while." "That explains it, then," Vivian murmured.He turned his head to look at her. "Explains what?" he asked. "Did Anthony come with the house?" she responded with a question of her own."Yes," he confirmed, and she nodded her head."The decor and the furnishings?" His eyes started to narrow, and Vivian felt that needling spark of electricity filter into the air. She had to moisten her lips with the tip of her tongue before she could go on. "Your—stamp is not v

"I am not making the scene—you are! Now—let—me—go!" With an angry tug she managed to yank her wrist free. As he went to grab hold of her again, she pushed at his body with her two clenched fists and enough angry strength to make him stagger back a small step, giving her just enough space to slither around him and get away.Shaking inside with anger and reaction, she hurried out onto the pool terrace. Scared that he might be following her but determined not to look back and check, she made for the first group of people she saw standing by the swimming pool, and with a deep breath to calm her unsteady breathing, she ventured close enough for them to notice her, and smiled gratefully when they widened the circle to invite her to join in.What the hell just happened? She had no idea who the man was? And all that talk about his sister and Scott, what was all that about? Her eyes glazed and her wrist was hurting, she noticed, carefully rubbing the place where he had dug into her bones. Some