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Authors: Shirley Carnegie
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her, half-naked, and completely irresistible. Inadvertently, her gaze took in the well defined pack of solid stomach muscles, the light mat of curling chest hair, and the fine line of hair running down from his navel to the top of his jeans.
Lacey gulped and hurriedly averted her eyes. ‘Well, I did keep the window wide open,’ she joked in a bid to lighten the mood. ‘And I was fully prepared to frog-march you into that shower if I had to!’
Tate grinned. ‘You’re not so pristine yourself, missy. You’ve got dust on your cheeks.’
He reached out to brush it away and Lacey felt a jolt of electricity sear through her veins when his fingers touched her skin. Instinctively, she tilted her head to meet his caress, and she heard him draw a long, deep breath.
Tate didn’t really know why he suddenly felt the urge to touch her. Maybe it was because she looked so damn beautiful standing there. All he knew was that he wanted to wrap his arms around those tantalising curves and feel her body pressed up close against his. The skin on her cheek felt soft, like satin, when he touched it, and his body hardened involuntarily. God, but he wanted this woman. Needed her.
But he knew that he couldn’t have her. Shouldn’t even want her. She was engaged to be married, for God’s sake, to some bloke down in Cape Town. So what the hell was he doing even thinking such things? He must be out of his mind to be playing around with a woman like Lacey Van der Zyl.
It was madness. Sheer madness. And it had to stop!
Abruptly, he pulled his hand back and turned away. ‘Look, I’d better grab a shower and clean up. I’ve got to drive into town later. Do you want to come?’
Lacey struggled to recover her composure. She’d caught a glimpse of that icy look in Tate’s eyes just before he’d snatched his hand away. Had he recognised the naked desire in her eyes? Felt the heat in her body? If so, what on earth must he think of her? A woman who was engaged to another man. What did she think of herself, come to that? Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by a surge of unwelcome emotions.
Regret? Guilt? Humiliation? Perhaps all three? It was impossible say. All she knew was that Tate Maddox spelled trouble. And she didn’t need any trouble in her life. Her future was neatly mapped out for her. And nothing, not even a man like Tate Maddox, could be allowed to derail those carefully laid plans.
‘I’d rather stay here. I’ve got loads of work to catch up on,’ she said, angry with herself for being so weak and stupid. ‘We’ve both got a big stake in this magazine article. I have to get it right. That’s why I’m here. Remember?’
Oh, Tate remembered all right. The magazine had to come first. That’s what it was all about, wasn’t it? Getting a good story that would sell the magazine and make everyone loads of money. And who better to achieve that than a sophisticated city girl like Lacey Van der Zyl?
So, given that he understood all that, what the hell was happening to him? Why couldn’t he get the woman out of his head? Hadn’t he learned his lesson after all this time? Was he really going to risk letting it start all over again?
The answer had to be an emphatic “No!” and, with that thought in mind, Tate resolved to call Tilly when he got back from town and accept her party invitation. Why, he might even take Lacey with him in case Tilly got the wrong idea. He knew that Tilly had feelings for him, and he didn’t want to lead her on, so taking Lacey along might confirm that he wasn’t looking for anything serious. He liked things just the way they were – friendly, casual, and with no strings attached.
It would also show Lacey that he hadn’t been flirting with her just then. He respected the fact that she was engaged to be married. And, as far as he was concerned, he was happily hooked up with his old pal, Tilly, for the time being. He wasn’t looking for love. But even if he was, he certainly wouldn’t go looking for
Lacey gulped and hurriedly averted her eyes. ‘Well, I did keep the window wide open,’ she joked in a bid to lighten the mood. ‘And I was fully prepared to frog-march you into that shower if I had to!’
Tate grinned. ‘You’re not so pristine yourself, missy. You’ve got dust on your cheeks.’
He reached out to brush it away and Lacey felt a jolt of electricity sear through her veins when his fingers touched her skin. Instinctively, she tilted her head to meet his caress, and she heard him draw a long, deep breath.
Tate didn’t really know why he suddenly felt the urge to touch her. Maybe it was because she looked so damn beautiful standing there. All he knew was that he wanted to wrap his arms around those tantalising curves and feel her body pressed up close against his. The skin on her cheek felt soft, like satin, when he touched it, and his body hardened involuntarily. God, but he wanted this woman. Needed her.
But he knew that he couldn’t have her. Shouldn’t even want her. She was engaged to be married, for God’s sake, to some bloke down in Cape Town. So what the hell was he doing even thinking such things? He must be out of his mind to be playing around with a woman like Lacey Van der Zyl.
It was madness. Sheer madness. And it had to stop!
Abruptly, he pulled his hand back and turned away. ‘Look, I’d better grab a shower and clean up. I’ve got to drive into town later. Do you want to come?’
Lacey struggled to recover her composure. She’d caught a glimpse of that icy look in Tate’s eyes just before he’d snatched his hand away. Had he recognised the naked desire in her eyes? Felt the heat in her body? If so, what on earth must he think of her? A woman who was engaged to another man. What did she think of herself, come to that? Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by a surge of unwelcome emotions.
Regret? Guilt? Humiliation? Perhaps all three? It was impossible say. All she knew was that Tate Maddox spelled trouble. And she didn’t need any trouble in her life. Her future was neatly mapped out for her. And nothing, not even a man like Tate Maddox, could be allowed to derail those carefully laid plans.
‘I’d rather stay here. I’ve got loads of work to catch up on,’ she said, angry with herself for being so weak and stupid. ‘We’ve both got a big stake in this magazine article. I have to get it right. That’s why I’m here. Remember?’
Oh, Tate remembered all right. The magazine had to come first. That’s what it was all about, wasn’t it? Getting a good story that would sell the magazine and make everyone loads of money. And who better to achieve that than a sophisticated city girl like Lacey Van der Zyl?
So, given that he understood all that, what the hell was happening to him? Why couldn’t he get the woman out of his head? Hadn’t he learned his lesson after all this time? Was he really going to risk letting it start all over again?
The answer had to be an emphatic “No!” and, with that thought in mind, Tate resolved to call Tilly when he got back from town and accept her party invitation. Why, he might even take Lacey with him in case Tilly got the wrong idea. He knew that Tilly had feelings for him, and he didn’t want to lead her on, so taking Lacey along might confirm that he wasn’t looking for anything serious. He liked things just the way they were – friendly, casual, and with no strings attached.
It would also show Lacey that he hadn’t been flirting with her just then. He respected the fact that she was engaged to be married. And, as far as he was concerned, he was happily hooked up with his old pal, Tilly, for the time being. He wasn’t looking for love. But even if he was, he certainly wouldn’t go looking for
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