Web of Deception - By Nina Blake Page 0,8
know how wrong I am.”
“I’m an architect.”
He smiled. “You work in an industry that’s practical and creative at the same time. Let me guess. You’ve been working your way up the ladder and until now you’ve had two or maybe three jobs and you’ll move to a new firm if it gets you what you want. What’s the term? A bright young thing.”
He’d summed up her career in a nutshell and she didn’t like it.
“So you’ve found a convenient category to slot me into? Do you always put people in a box?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “I knew you couldn’t be an accountant. You’ve got too much flair, too much personality.”
“You can’t make fun of accountants like that. You couldn’t run Webb Corporation without them.”
“Come on, surely you can see what I mean. Accountancy isn’t exactly the most exciting of professions. No one’s going to set the world on fire being an accountant. It’s so dull.”
“It’s lucky for you there are people out there doing the hard work, the methodical jobs. Not everyone wants to live life on the edge.”
“Mark’s a nice fellow. Don’t get me wrong. I just didn’t think he was the kind of man to suit you.”
She placed one hand on her hip, and turned to face him. “On the contrary, he’s exactly the right man for me. He’s solid and reliable. He’s not the sort to flit from woman to woman or from job to job for that matter. But just because he’s not a risk-taker doesn’t mean he’s dull.”
Daniel raised one eyebrow. “Doesn’t it?”
“Don’t forget, this relationship isn’t something that just popped into my mind and has taken my fancy. I’ve thought about it for a long time. Mark is exactly the kind of man I’ve been looking for. I’ve done my research and weighed up the facts.”
Daniel laughed. “You’ve weighed up the facts?”
That was exactly what she’d done. In the past, she’d let herself fall in love with the wrong man, and more than once at that. She didn’t trust her heart any more. She’d tried that and it didn’t work for her so she’d decided to use her mind instead. It was much more reliable.
“I don’t see what’s so funny about being interested in someone who’s dependable and has a good job,” she said. “He’s not going to risk his life savings by getting involved in some dodgy scheme, and he wouldn’t put anyone else at risk like that either.” She wondered if Daniel would pick up on her barbed comment, for it was aimed at him. “Mark has a good job and he’s planning for his future. For our future together.”
Daniel looked her in the eye. “This takes me back to my original point. Where’s the passion, the spark, the vitality? You sound more like you’re talking about superannuation or a pension plan, not the love of your life.”
“You might be after a hot, steamy affair which finishes quickly so you can get on to the next woman but that doesn’t mean it’s what the women want. It’s certainly not what I want.”
He smiled suggestively at her. “You don’t want hot sex? I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that before.”
She glared at him. “That’s not what I said. I want the same thing that many women want. A long-term commitment. Someone who loves me and wants to spend the rest of their life with me. Is that so surprising?”
“Actually, it is coming from you. I thought you’d be a bit more adventurous.”
Kate wanted what her parents had. Her father loved her mother in sickness and in health, exactly as he’d vowed to do over thirty years ago. It might not have been in their marriage vows but he’d also loved her through financial stress, unconditionally, unreservedly.
Some people might think it boring but she’d choose that over some quick sex any day.
“There are different types of love, Daniel. Perhaps you haven’t experienced something meaningful, something much deeper than just sex.”
“Does Mark love you as much you love him?” he asked.
“Of course he does.”
Mark loved her. In his own way. She was sure of it. He just wasn’t good at showing it. So what if they’d been having a few problems lately?
Daniel added, “Because until a few moments ago, I had no idea Mark had a girlfriend, let alone a fiancée. And I’m very surprised.”
The comment cut into her, all the more because she knew it was true.
She looked away, out at the harbour. “You see him at work. He doesn’t like to