âTake me inside,â he murmured against her throat.
For a hectic moment, Lisa didnât know whether he meant her home or her body. Or both. And, crazily, did not care. She almost agreed to let him in and go wherever it took herâ¦.
But then she opened her eyes. Behind his head she saw the elegant sweep of the terrace, the chauffeur-driven car. A cold thought struck: this is a rich man playing a game. A clever game but a game nonetheless. She had been there before and it hurt.
Nikolai felt her turn to a block of wood in his arms. He raised his head and let her go.
âYou change your mind fast,â Nikolai said.
âNo, I donât. Iâve always said I didnât want to have anything to do with you.â To her own astonishment she sounded quite cool about it.
âAre you denying you wanted me just now?â
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THE overheated ballroom was heady with the scent of hot house lilies. The party had got to the stage of slow dancing. In clouds of figured satin the bride was circling in the arms of the most glamorous man in the room.
A photographer, indistinguishable in his dinner jacket from the elegant guests, pointed his camera at the couple.
âBride and Count Nikolai Ivanov,â he murmured to his assistant.
âExposure ninety-eight: Ivanov,â she wrote down obediently.
She peered over the top of her notebook.
Count Nikolai Ivanov was well over six feet, with midnight-dark hair, broad shoulders and an unambiguous self-confidence that hit you between the eyes. Add to that the haughty profile of an Aztec prince, and eyes at once intense and alert with sophisticated amusement, and it was no wonder that the bride was gazing up at him, mesmerised. When he swung her into the air with an easy strength, the assistant sighed.
âWow,â she said, appreciative and envious. âNow why havenât I seen him before?â
âWouldnât have done you any good if you had.â The photographer continued to rake the room with his lens. âMost eligible bachelor in Europe and he spends half his time in the jungle. Terrible waste. Not your style at all.â
âOh, I could stretch a point in this case,â said the assistant with feeling. âHeâs gorgeous.â
Her boss looked at her cynically. âHeâs also a heartbreaker. And the last of his line since his brother died.â
âI wasnât thinking of trying to marry the man,â protested the girl, laughing.
âJust as well. The Ivanovs can trace their line further than the Romanovs, Iâm told. Count Nikolai wonât be marrying anyone unless she has at least three coats of arms and a title in the family.â He raised his camera again. âAh, thereâs the mother of the bride with our hostess. Exposure ninety-nine: Madame Repiquet and Countess Ivanova.â
âGrandmère is looking tired,â Nikolai murmured in his grandfatherâs ear. âShall I take her away?â
âYou can try,â said his grandfather humorously.
Véronique Repiquet was lucky to be allowed to hold her wedding reception in this exquisite French château. The revels, as everyone knew, would go on all night. So it had been arranged that the old Count and Countess would spend the night at Nikolaiâs small villa on the estate.
His grandson chuckled. âI shall take a firm line,â he said confidently. âWomen always respond to that.â
His grandfather cast his eyes to the magnificent gilded ceiling.
âYou think you know so much about women, donât you?â
âIâm an animal behaviourist,â said Nikolai with a twinkle. âIâve been trained to know about women.â
His grandfather smiled. But he looked perturbed as well.
âDo you never have any doubts, Nicki?â
Nikolai looked startled. âAll the time. Every expedition, every paper I write, every lecture I give. If I didnât have any doubts there wouldnât be anything interesting left to research.â
âI didnât mean about your work,â snapped his grandfather, suddenly annoyed. âI meant about women.â
Nikolai looked at him in concern. The loss of temper was out of character for his gentle grandfather. He slipped his arm round the older manâs shoulders.
âWhat is it, Pauli? Regretting lending the château for this junket?â