Web of Deception - By Nina Blake Page 0,6

irises ringed in dark grey, her eyes lined with thick, lush lashes. She wasn’t lying, not intentionally.

Something wasn’t right. He just couldn’t quite put his finger on what.

“You don’t act like any engaged woman I’ve ever met,” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve got four sisters, all married. I’ve experienced all four weddings at close range, much closer than I ever wanted, and there’s one thing I know for sure. Women love weddings.”

“And?”

“A woman who is engaged to be married, all she can think about is bridesmaids and flowers and everything else that goes along with it. And that goes for pretty much any female I can think of.”

She shrugged. “That might be right.”

“And you, Kate, do not act that way at all.”

“I’m not any woman.”

“Oh, I can see that. I don’t need any convincing on that account.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

If there was one thing Daniel knew, it was women. He’d been surrounded by them all his life. After his father left, he’d been a companion to his mother, spent time with her, listened to her. Daniel had grown up with his mother and had learned a lot from the experience. And though his sisters were all much older and had their own lives, they’d always been around too.

Still, in some ways he was a lot like his father. Perhaps too much like him. Roger Webb had always wanted a family but not the ‘wife’ that came along with it and Daniel was the same.

He’d grown up with a strong sense of family and wanted children of his own one day but simply couldn’t see himself hitched to one woman for the rest of his life. Or even for a number of years.

“I can tell you’re different from other women,” he said. “I’ve certainly never been in a situation like this with any woman.”

Kate shook her head. “There is no ‘situation’. So what if I’m alone in a room with you? It doesn’t mean anything. It’s not like I need a chaperone. Or would you like to go back to the 1950s?”

“I wasn’t suggesting there was anything wrong with us being alone in a room together. In fact, I quite like it.”

She was still standing by the desk, holding her ground. She wasn’t going to give an inch.

Daniel took it all in. God, she looked so damn cute, staring defiantly, her expression so serious and composed. Right from the start, she’d given as good as she got, refusing to let herself get pushed around.

None of the women he knew were like this. They were always too ready to agree with everything he said yet, at the same time, they tried to manipulate him in some way. All of them wanted something, whether it was gifts or money or prestige or even sex.

Kate wasn’t playing the game the way other women did. She wasn’t flirting with him or flaunting herself. There was no cleavage thrust in his face, no suggestive smiles, no little compliments, none of those little signs.

That only made him want her more.

And he always got what he wanted.

“I don’t know why you should find it so hard to believe I’m engaged,” Kate said.

“Very simple really.” He reached down for her hand, enveloping it between his. Her hand was so petite, the flesh so warm and as he held her gaze, her lips parted in surprise.

“No ring,” he said.

He’d guessed there was no engagement ring and he was right.

Still holding her hand, he lifted it higher and turned it over to kiss the soft flesh of her palm. She closed her eyes for a moment, clearly enjoying the sensation, only to open them again as though she’d suddenly realised what was happening. When she pulled back her hand, he let it go.

“You’re impossible.” Her exclamation made him smile. So, he’d riled her, touched a sore spot, perhaps.

“I’m going out onto the balcony for some air.” She opened the sliding door, then glanced back. “Then I’m leaving.”

Daniel followed her outside to find her looking out onto the harbour. The main balcony had the superior view but this one looked towards the Sydney Heads and it was a good view on a clear evening like this one.

Kate’s arms were stretched across the railing, her back to him. Though it was unseasonally warm for winter, she wasn’t dressed for the cool outdoors.

Seeing goose bumps on her fine skin, he didn’t ask. He simply took off his jacket and dropped it across her shoulders. He waited a moment to see if she’d