Passionate Playboys: The Demetrios Bridal Bargain / The Magnate's Indecent Proposal / Hot Nights with a Playboy. Элли Блейк
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the direction of Jamie’s stare. Rose, presumably at the suggestion of Smith, was getting out of the Land Rover. His brow furrowed as she nodded at the other man and began to walk towards them. ‘She’s changed a lot … since Monaco.’
Mathieu wasn’t even aware he had verbalised his thoughts until Jamie spoke.
‘You know her! My God, what are the odds on that?’ Jamie, his eyes widening in appreciation, gave a low whistle under his breath as Rose got closer. ‘Any chance of an intro, Matt?’
Mathieu flashed Jamie an irritated look. ‘I hardly know her.we met—’ he began, then stopped as Rose came within hearing distance. She stood there looking, despite her outlandish outfit and gloriously tousled hair, dignified and beautiful enough to offer some excuse for Jamie’s childish outburst.
‘Hello.’ Rose nodded towards Jamie, her smile dimming perceptively as her eyes reached Mathieu. ‘Mr Smith is giving me a lift back. I just wanted to thank you … again … for, well, saving my life,’ she said awkwardly. ‘And I’m sorry for putting you to so much trouble.’
‘Saving your life?’ Jamie interrupted, stepping forward, hand outstretched, to introduce himself. ‘Played that part down, Matt.’ He flashed his friend an amused sideways glance. ‘But then that’s our Matt all over, the modest hero.’
The modest hero in question looked uncomfortable and irritated and his grin broadened. ‘We’ve not met, though in a place this size it was only a matter of time. I’m Jamie.’
‘I know—the laird.’
‘For the present, but I’m hoping Matt here will do something brilliant and keep the bailiffs from the door.’
Rose found it hard to tell from his tone if he was joking or not, but what did come across was his confidence in Mathieu’s ability to pull off the odd miracle in his spare time. She found herself hoping that on this occasion Mathieu did so because it was hard not to warm to the young laird.
‘I’m Rose. If you’ll excuse me—’ she glanced expressively down at her clothes before extricating her hand and wrapping her arms around herself ‘—I’ll just go wait in the car. It’s warmer.’ Rose smiled once more before turning away.
‘I think she likes me,’ Jamie said under his breath as she walked back to the parked vehicle. ‘No so sure about you, though.’
‘So what books are you selling?’
It seemed for a moment that his change of subject might work, but, mid-description of a book, Jamie stopped and angled a sharp look at his friend. ‘Monaco …’
Mathieu shrugged and pretended ignorance.
‘You said you knew her in Monaco.’
‘It might have been.’
‘My God, it’s her, isn’t it? The blonde that got into your room the night of the embassy party.’
Mathieu, his expression schooled to neutrality, held his tongue, though he suspected rather too late in the day.
‘I take it that silence means yes.’ Jamie let out a long silent whistle followed by a cackle of laughter. ‘Someone who works for Smith doesn’t seem the type … she didn’t seem the type. Though, to be honest,’ he admitted rather regretfully, ‘I’ve not had a whole lot of experience of the sort of women who try and seduce men they’ve never met. Was she totally naked?’
Mathieu flashed him a flat look.
Jamie held up a pacifying hand. ‘All right, no need to implode.
You sure nothing happened? I mean, was there a frisson out there on the ice?’ Grinning, he raised a speculative brow.
Mathieu did not smile back. ‘You have an overactive imagination, Jamie,’ he said coolly.
This time Jamie did read the warning in the other man’s manner. ‘If you say so …’ he said in his easygoing way. ‘But I suppose you do know, Mathieu, that you’re one of the few men in the universe who would get mad about finding a naked beautiful blonde in his bed.’
‘I don’t like surprises, I suppose.’ His dark brows drew into a straight line above his hawkish nose. ‘I don’t know why I ever told you about it,’ he added, the exasperation in his voice aimed mostly at himself.
‘You didn’t have much choice after I heard you lambasting the hotel staff on their security,’ Jamie reminded him. ‘Weren’t you even slightly tempted to take what was on offer? I mean, the delicious Rose is pretty hot …’ His wistful sigh was accompanied by a lecherous grin.
It was a grin that Mathieu had a problem with.
His long fingers tightened until his knuckles turned white. His dark lashes came down in a veil as he took a deep breath that did little to reduce the angry pounding in his temples.
‘Do people here have nothing better to do than gossip?’ he asked coldly.
‘Not really,’ Jamie admitted. Then, oblivious to the fact his friend was fighting violent urges, he continued to speculate about the blonde.
‘I wonder if she’d like to come and catalogue my book collection after she finishes with Smith?’ His comic suggestive leer faded dramatically in the face of the flash of livid fury on his friend’s face.
It was at that moment that Robert Smith announced his presence by clearing his throat.
Both men turned in unison.
‘I’m afraid, James, that the books … well, they’re not quite what I’m looking for.’
Jamie took the news with a philosophical shrug. ‘Oh, well, not to worry.’
‘I have a friend who might be interested and I’ll mention them to him if you like? I’m afraid, though, they’re really not that valuable.’
‘I’ll buy them,’ Mathieu heard himself say.
Jamie looked as surprised by the offer as Mathieu felt. ‘You don’t know what they are,’ he pointed out.
‘I have a bookshelf to fill.’
‘Right, then, I’ll be off.’
Mathieu’s lip curled into a contemptuous smile. ‘The schedule?’ he suggested.
The other man struggled to smile back. ‘Just so … and thank you once more for helping Miss Hall.’
Mathieu watched, his eyes narrowed, as Smith got into the car beside Rose. ‘I don’t like that man.’
Jamie fought a grin. ‘And you hid it so well, Matt,’ he said, clapping a congratulatory hand on his friend’s arm. ‘As you’re on a roll with the saving-people thing … about my finances—is it hopeless?’
Seeing the real concern behind his friend’s levity, Mathieu dragged his thoughts from the unlikely librarian and back to his friend’s financial situation.
CHAPTER SIX
ALL the way over in the taxi Rose kept going over the morning’s scene in her head.
‘I’m afraid, Miss Hall, that I must let you go.’
Jaw clenched, Rose turned her head and stared out of the window not seeing the stunning Highland scenery, dusted that morning by a sprinkling of snow. She squeezed her eyes tight and shook her head. She hadn’t had an inkling of what was to come even after that opening, but then she hadn’t woken up expecting to receive her marching orders.
‘Let me go?’
‘I no longer think we can work together.’
‘You’re giving me the sack?’ She was too astonished to be angry … that presumably would come later—and it had. ‘But I don’t understand. The job is only half done. Have you some complaint about my work? Is