The Tycoon's Mistress: His Cinderella Mistress - Кэрол Мортимер - Читать онлайн любовный роман

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CHAPTER EIGHT

‘YOU’VE done what?’ January stared at her eldest sister incredulously.

‘I said you need to lay four places at the table for dinner because I’ve invited Max to eat with us this evening,’ May repeated calmly as she continued to stir the gravy. ‘In fact, he should be here any minute.’

That was what January had thought she’d said! ‘Have you gone completely mad, May?’ she gasped.

May grimaced. ‘Not as far as I’m aware, no. Look,’ her sister continued firmly as she could see January was about to disagree with her, ‘isn’t it better to—to, well, get to know Max a little, let him get to know us in return? It’s much harder to walk all over someone if you actually know them personally,’ she reasoned impatiently as January continued to look furious.

January gave a disgusted snort. ‘Max doesn’t seem to be having too much trouble with that so far!’

She really couldn’t believe May had invited Max to dinner. Or that Max had accepted the invitation…!

He had to know, couldn’t fail to appreciate, that he was as welcome here as a rampaging bull! That he actually proposed to be more destructive than that bull!

As for May…!

‘I think you’re wrong about that, January,’ her sister said consideringly. ‘In fact, I sense a distinct wavering in his resolve to get us out of here,’ she added happily.

January shook her head. ‘Then you can see more than I can! March is going to think you’ve gone completely off your trolley, too,’ she assured her with satisfaction.

Her eldest sister shrugged. ‘Let’s just wait and see, shall we?’ she murmured enigmatically.

‘You can, if you like,’ January snapped, pointedly laying three places at the table. ‘I would rather eat out!’

‘January—’

‘Whew, what a lousy evening!’ March complained as she swept into the kitchen, bringing a blast of cold air and falling snow in with her. ‘And talking of lousy evenings—look who I met outside!’ She stepped aside to reveal Max standing in the doorway behind her.

January stared at him, still unable to believe May seriously expected her to calmly sit down and eat dinner with him. Or that he should dare to sit down to dinner with them!

Was he so insensitive? Could he not see how unwelcome he was here? Could he not see how much she didn’t want him here?

‘Shut the door, for goodness’ sake,’ May advised briskly. ‘It looks as if it’s getting worse out there,’ she added frowningly after glancing out of the kitchen window.

‘It is,’ March confirmed ruefully. ‘I wouldn’t send a dog out there again tonight,’ she added dryly, raising mocking brows in Max’s direction. ‘Do you intend staying long, Mr Golding?’ she prompted pointedly.

Trust March to get straight to the heart of the matter, January acknowledged admiringly, at the same time shooting May a triumphant look.

‘Max is my guest, March,’ May reproved softly.

‘Really?’ March looked impressed.

Impressed wasn’t exactly the way January felt about this situation! Although March’s comment about the worsening weather pretty well put paid to her own idea of going out for the evening!

‘In that case, I had better go up and change before dinner,’ March taunted.

‘Don’t bother on my account.’ Max spoke for the first time since his arrival. ‘May assured me it would be an informal evening,’ he added with a glance down at his own casual trousers and what looked like a blue cashmere sweater beneath his thick outer jacket.

The humour increased in March’s hazel grey-green eyes. ‘I’m going to dress down, Mr Golding, not up,’ she told him laughingly before leaving the room.

‘Keep an eye on the gravy for me, will you, January?’ May asked distractedly as she followed March up the stairs.

Leaving January completely alone in the kitchen with Max. Great! Just what she had wanted!

‘Did May tell you I would be here this evening?’ he prompted, his sharp gaze passing briefly over the three places set at the table.

January glared at him. ‘We were just—discussing it, when you arrived,’ she bit out tautly.

His mouth twisted self-derisively. ‘What you really mean is that you were making it clear you aren’t exactly thrilled at my coming here,’ he accepted mockingly.

‘You knew I wouldn’t be,’ she snapped impatiently, moving to noisily lay the missing fourth place at the table. ‘How could you?’ She turned to glare at him. ‘What do you think you’re hoping to achieve? Because May—bless her!—may have been won over by you, for some inexplicable reason, but I can assure you that March and I aren’t fooled for a moment!’

He gave an admiring glance upstairs. ‘She’s something else, isn’t she?’ he murmured smilingly.

‘May or March?’ she challenged disgustedly.

‘Both of them, actually.’ He smiled. ‘For different reasons, of course.’

‘Oh, of course,’ January agreed sarcastically—not having the least idea what he meant! She hardly knew May at the moment, so illogical was her behaviour, although March—thank goodness—was her usual sharp-tongued self.

‘I bought a peace-offering.’ Max held up the bottle of wine he had been holding the whole time he’d stood beside the closed kitchen door. ‘May mentioned we were having chicken, so…’ He moved to place the bottle of white wine on the table. ‘It’s already chilled enough,’ he added dryly.

January looked at him frustratedly. ‘Why are you here, Max?’

He shrugged. ‘May invited me.’

She gave a dazed shake of her head. ‘You know, when we were younger, I was always the one who brought home the wounded birds and animals, May was always the one who warned me they wouldn’t survive away from their own environment. Their own kind,’ she added pointedly.

His gaze was narrowed now, that nerve once again pulsing in his tightly clenched jaw. ‘I hope you’re not implying that I’m wounded in some way?’ he finally bit out harshly.

Her eyes flashed impatiently. ‘I was implying that you should stay with your own kind!’ Obviously her sarcasm was completely lost on this man! But then, she hadn’t had as much practice at it as March had. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn…

Max’s brow cleared, his smile rueful now. ‘And exactly what is my own kind, January?’

‘Predatory!’ she answered with satisfaction.

He gave a disarming grin. ‘I have a feeling that any man would find himself completely outgunned—as well as outnumbered—by the three Calendar sisters!’

January did her best to maintain her furious expression—and failed miserably as her lips twitched and she began to smile, too. What was it about this man? How could she start off being angry or distant with him—usually angry!—and then end up grinning at him like an idiot? It didn’t make any sense!

‘January,’ he murmured softly, crossing the room to stand in front of her, his hands moving up to gently cradle each side of her face as he looked down at her searchingly. ‘I really thought it might have been you who was attacked last night,’ he groaned huskily.

Her breath caught in her throat. ‘And that would have bothered you?’

A frown darkened his brow. ‘Of course it would have bothered me!’ he rasped. ‘You must have known that…?’ He looked down at her frustratedly, fingers lightly caressing her brows.

She gave a shake of her head. ‘I’m not sure what I know any more, Max. One minute you’re—you’re making love to me, and the next—! Well, we both know what happened next,’ she remembered hardly, deliberately moving away, his hands falling back to his sides.

Just in time, as it happened, her two sisters coming back into the kitchen at that moment, May’s sharp gaze instantly taking in the fact that the two of them stood well apart, the tension between them tangible.

‘March was just telling me that there’s been another attack,’ May said briskly as she moved to check the food cooking on top of the Aga.

‘I meant to tell you earlier,’ January groaned. ‘But I—it slipped my mind.’ She deliberately avoided looking at Max—because they both knew he was the reason she had forgotten to mention this latest attack to her sister.

‘I meant to tell you all when I came in,’ March muttered self-disgustedly. ‘But for some reason it slipped my mind, too.’ She gave Max a pointed grimace, having changed into black denims and a bright orange jumper, the latter eye-catching, to say the least.

‘There seems to be a lot of it about,’ Max murmured appreciatively.

‘Yes,’ March drawled wryly.

‘Tell them the worst part about it, March,’ May encouraged impatiently.

‘What—? Oh, yes.’ March nodded. ‘It was Josh,’ she announced slightly incredulously.

‘What was?’ January prompted dazedly, still confused from having Max touch her in that way. Would she ever understand him?

‘Josh…?’ Max repeated slowly. ‘The same Josh who is marrying your cousin—Sara, isn’t it?—on Saturday?’ He looked accusingly at January, the sharpness of that gaze reminding her that it was the same Josh who had kissed her on Saturday evening!

‘That’s the one,’ March confirmed. ‘Although I’m not sure if the wedding will still be going ahead, in the circumstances?’ She looked across at May.

‘I’ll telephone Aunt Lyn in a moment.’ May nodded. ‘How awful for them all.’ She shook her head distractedly.

‘Hang on a minute,’ January protested, having been listening to this conversation with increasing incredulity.

She had known Josh most of her life, had, as she’d told Max on Saturday, been at school with him, and while there was no doubting Josh could be a little boisterous at times, liked to have fun, he also didn’t have a vicious bone in his body.

‘They have to have the wrong man.’ She shook her head dismissively. ‘Josh isn’t capable of attacking anyone, let alone seven women.’

‘Oh, no, you misunderstood me,’ March apologized with a grimace. ‘Josh was the one who was attacked,’ she explained disgustedly. ‘Beaten up pretty badly, from what I gather.’

What the hell—?

Now Max was as confused as January looked. Although, he had to admit, a few seconds ago he had been angry with her at her defence of the other man…!

‘But he’s a man!’ January burst out incredulously.

As well she might. As far as Max had been able to gather—although, having been out of the country for several months, he was obviously a latecomer to these random attacks—all the other victims had been women.

‘Are they sure it was the Night Striker?’ He frowned his own puzzlement.

‘Positive,’ March confirmed, seeming to have forgotten her antagonism towards him—for the moment. ‘Same M. O., or whatever they call it.’ She grimaced.

‘Modus operandi,’ Max murmured frowningly. ‘Latin,’ he explained as he glanced up to find all three sisters looking at him.

March nodded, her gaze mocking. ‘Being a lawyer, you would know that.’

His mouth twisted. ‘I wouldn’t be a very good one if I didn’t.’

‘And we’re all sure that you’re very good,’ March taunted.

‘Thank you,’ he accepted dryly, easily guessing it wasn’t meant as a compliment; March was more sharp-tongued than he was himself. ‘I accept that the method may be the same,’ he acknowledged slowly. ‘But the fact that the victim was a man this time makes it totally different.’

In fact, it didn’t make much sense to him. Okay, so the last six victims, all women, had been badly beaten rather than raped, but that still didn’t explain why it had been a man who was attacked this time… The good-natured Josh, of all people. No wonder the police were being a little cagey about the information they gave out!

‘Sara must be so upset,’ January said worriedly.

As Max might have known she would; of the three sisters, January was definitely the most empathetic.

‘If none of you mind waiting for dinner, I’ll telephone Aunt Lyn now and see how Josh is. And Sara, of course,’ May murmured distractedly before leaving the room.

‘And I’ll open the wine,’ Max suggested briskly, seeing that a certain amount of shock was starting to set in with all the sisters now; hearing of the attacks the last six months couldn’t have been very pleasant, having it arrive on their own doorstep, so to speak, must be even more shocking. ‘Could you get me a corkscrew, January?’ he said briskly as neither sister moved.

‘Oh. Of course.’ She moved frowningly to one of the drawers, taking out the corkscrew to hand it to him distractedly.

‘And some glasses, March?’ he prompted lightly as he deftly removed the cork.

March blinked, her smile derisive as she seemed to guess what he was doing. ‘Certainly, sir,’ she drawled, reaching up to take four wineglasses from one of the cabinets.

‘Thank you,’ Max accepted dryly, starting to pour the wine.

‘You’re welcome,’ March derided. ‘Mmm,’ she murmured appreciatively after her first sip of the wine. ‘Just what we need to cheer us all up.’

‘Maybe I should have brought two bottles,’ Max teased.

‘Maybe you should.’ March nodded, grey-green eyes dancing with humour.

‘January?’ Max prompted as she made no effort to pick up one of the glasses.

In fact, she seemed totally distracted, he acknowledged with a searching frown, her face unnaturally pale, her eyes so deep a grey they looked almost black.

It was awful that their cousin’s future husband had been the Night Striker’s latest victim, but unless Max was mistaken, January seemed more stunned by it than her sisters…?

‘I still can’t believe it.’ She shook her head before picking up her glass of wine and taking a sip.

For all the notice she took of its delicate taste and fragrance he might as well have brought a bottle of cheap plonk!

‘There must have been some sort of mistake,’ January said. ‘I can’t believe anyone could have deliberately set out to hurt Josh. He’s just so nice, so unassuming; as far as I’m aware, he doesn’t have an enemy in the world—’ She broke off, a stricken look on her face now as she slowly turned to look at Max.

It was a look Max didn’t like one little bit!

Surely January couldn’t think—didn’t believe—

‘January?’ he prompted harshly.

‘Yes?’ She swallowed hard, looking more bewildered than ever now.

‘March, would you leave us for a few minutes?’ Max requested, his gaze still fixed icily on January.

‘January?’ March prompted softly.

‘I—yes. Fine.’ January nodded dazedly, her gaze studiously avoiding Max’s now.

‘In that case, I think I’ll go and see how May is getting on,’ March drawled before leaving.

Max moved to stand in front of January, his hand under her chin as he tilted her face up to his, forcing her to look at him. And he didn’t like what he saw in her eyes!

‘You don’t seriously think I had anything to do with this attack on Josh?’ he rasped disbelievingly.

Because he could clearly see that th e possibility had definitely crossed her mind—if only briefly!

Although it was starting to fade now, that bewilderment fading from her eyes, too. To be replaced by self-derision. ‘No, of course I don’t.’ She gave a firm shake of her head. ‘Of course not,’ she added more strongly.

His hands moved to her shoulders as he shook her slightly. ‘I bought the man a drink, for goodness’ sake,’ he ground out. ‘He bought me one, too!’ He tightened his hands painfully on her shoulders, furious that the thought could have crossed her mind, even for a minute.

But he knew that it had, no matter what January might claim to the contrary.

And could he really blame her? He had been blowing hot and cold with her from the moment they’d met, his actions appearing completely illogical. One evening he had been prepared to knock Josh to the ground for daring to kiss January, and the next evening, following his discovery of exactly who she was, of how dangerous she was to his own personal equilibrium, he had mocked her for responding to him. Not exactly consistent, was he?

Nevertheless, he found her suspicion of him, even for that brief moment, very unsettling… And hurtful…?

January was smiling now, albeit ruefully. ‘No doubt that alone was enough to make the two of you bosom buddies!’

His mouth tightened. ‘Not necessarily,’ he allowed, realizing how ridiculous his claim must have sounded; the fact that the two had bought each other a drink did not change the fact that seconds earlier Max had been about to hit the other man! His hands dropped away from her shoulders as he stepped back. ‘No matter what you may think to the contrary, I am not a violent man. Perhaps I had better leave—’

‘Please don’t leave on my account,’ January cut in awkwardly. ‘I—I’m sorry.’ She pushed the darkness of her hair back from her face. ‘I’m just a little—upset.’ She grimaced.

He could see that, and he was sorry for it. But, at the moment, he had to admit to being just a little upset himself! With himself, mainly, for having behaved in such a way as to have given January even the briefest of doubts where he was concerned.

He shook his head. ‘I still think it might be better if I left—’

‘Who’s leaving?’ March prompted lightly as she came back into the room.

‘I am,’ Max told her forcefully. ‘I believe I’ve already outstayed my welcome!’ he added hardly.

March grimaced as she gave a shake of her head. ‘That may or may not be the case, but I somehow don’t think you’ll be leaving us just yet,’ she informed him ruefully. ‘I just listened to the news on television; the snowstorm has turned into a blizzard,’ she explained at his questioning look. ‘They are advising all drivers in the area to stay at home, if at all possible.’

Home.

It was a long time since he had had one of those. If, indeed, he ever really had. But the Calendar farm was certainly far from being that to him!

‘I’m afraid March is right, Max,’ May assured him as she came back into the room. ‘I asked Aunt Lyn if it was possible for us to visit Josh later this evening. She assured me that it was, but that there had been a warning given out for people not to travel. March turned on the news and—I’m afraid you won’t be going anywhere tonight, Max,’ she informed him lightly.

His narrowed gaze moved questioningly to January—just in time for him to see the look of dismay on her face she wasn’t quick enough to hide!

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