on impulse.”
“Sometimes your feelings and intuition are more reliable than your mind.”
He was wrong. He had to be.
There was no sharper instrument than the human mind, especially not when emotions could be so fallible. They could lead you astray, let you fall for the wrong man. She’d done that before and promised herself it wouldn’t happen again.
She held his gaze. “Daniel, you’re a very rich, very successful man.” He shrugged in response as though it was nothing to him. “Don’t tell me you got where you are today by using your feelings over your mind. Surely in running a huge business, you must balance up the facts and figures and make your decisions based on that.”
“Often, yes.” He nodded. “But you might be surprised how many decisions are based on my gut reaction.”
“That’s not how you run your business.”
“I’ll tell you one thing. It’s been a rocky road to where I am now and not every decision I’ve made has brought in big dividends.”
“So your instincts are wrong sometimes?”
He shook his head. “I’ve learned a lot along the way. And my gut is never wrong. Never.”
He might be a slave to his instincts and feelings, but she wasn’t going to be a victim to hers.
So what if the bare skin on her arms was tingling with anticipation and the little hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end? That didn’t mean she had to give in to it. Her mind ruled her body, not the other way round.
Hearing the door unlatch, Kate turned her head. As soon as the door opened, the sounds from the party rushed inside. She felt momentarily confused seeing a familiar figure in the doorway. It must have been the noise. It disturbed her.
Her mouth fell open. “Mark?”
It was a question not a greeting.
“Oh, I was after Daniel,” he replied. A look of surprise washed across his face, then he said to Daniel, “There was little proposal I wanted to run by you, but obviously this isn’t a good time.”
“Another time, mate,” Daniel replied.
“I might get another drink. This is a party, after all.” Mark nodded at them in turn. “Catch you later. Daniel. Kate.”
He closed the door behind him, blocking out the noise of the party.
Kate couldn’t believe it. Mark had done nothing. No jealousy, no reaction, just a hint of surprise.
What kind of boyfriend was he? What kind of man?
He trusted her. Mark knew she wouldn’t do anything to be ashamed of. Kate wasn’t going to take this little interlude with Daniel any further. In fact, she was just about to call a halt to it.
Still, she could’ve done with a little support. She and Mark had been on shaky ground lately and this was one of the things they’d talked about. So often he seemed to ignore her.
Besides, surely finding her alone in a room with a man should’ve been all the more reason for him to hang around. Clearly, he didn’t care enough even to pretend to be outraged.
Perhaps now the room was quiet again, she’d be able to concentrate. It had thrown her, seeing him like that.
Daniel gazed at her and Kate felt something stirring deep inside. Just a wisp of sensation but unmistakably sexual.
She had to stop this. It shouldn’t be happening.
He traced the back of his hand up the bare skin of her arm with a touch that was barely there. It was deliberately slow, purposely delicious. He knew exactly what he was doing, knew how to make her senses tingle.
Sliding his fingertips along the curve of her neck, his hand came to rest at her jaw as he cupped her face in one hand. And though she knew what was going to follow, still she couldn’t move.
Tilting his head towards hers, Daniel leaned in closer and she could smell the hint of after-shave, just a tiny tempting whiff, mixed with his natural manly smell. It made her want to breathe deeper, lean closer, take in more of that intoxicating scent.
She couldn’t let herself.
Still facing him, she stepped away from the desk. Away from him.
“You can’t,” she protested.
“Why not?”
“Someone else got in first. I’m engaged.”
Chapter Two
Engaged to be married? Kate?
Daniel stayed where he was, leaning against the desk, and shook his head. There was no way he was going to believe she was engaged. Not for a moment. He didn’t even need to think about it.
“Kate,” he said calmly. “You are not engaged.”
She held his gaze. “Yes, I am.”
Daniel looked into her thoughtful pale eyes, the