Kitabı oku: «The Billionaire's Defiant Wife»

CHAPTER ONE

SOMETIMES the world could change in an instant. One moment everything was exactly the way you planned it to be, and the next it had become a place you barely recognised. This was how it was for Aimi Carteret that sultry summer evening, and it was the second time it had happened in her sometimes turbulent life.

Just moments before the second cataclysmic event that was to cause such havoc occurred, she was sitting at the large dining table of Michael and Simone Berkeley, enjoying the friendly banter. Beside her sat their son Nick, a man of genuine warmth and kindness. He was a renowned surgeon, like his father, and his father before him. Opposite were Nick’s sister Paula and her husband, James Carmichael.

Six months ago Aimi had been employed by Nick to organize his hectic life. Besides operating, he had lecture tours, guest appearances on all forms of media, and had even begun to compile a family history. She worked from the study in his home, but did not live in. That was something she never did. Her work and her private life never overlapped.

Not that she had much of a private life, but that was by choice. Her life had changed dramatically nine years ago, and the mad social whirl she had enjoyed to the fullest had been left behind and never regretted. Guilt had sobered the outrageous teenager, and she had vowed to turn herself into someone she could be proud of.

She had thrown herself headlong into studying history at university, but making a career out of it had been hard. So she had learned all the skills she needed to become a personal assistant, and had been temping for a high class agency ever since. Coming to work for Nick had allowed her to use her grounding in history, and help him with his research. She had, after much hard work, found a niche for herself where she was able to feel a degree of peace.

If her old friends could see her now, they would barely recognise her, Aimi thought to herself. She didn’t wear make-up, when once she had used it to enhance her large green eyes, always kept her shoulder-length blonde hair smoothed into a pleat at her nape, and preferred smart suits and casuals to modern fashions.

When she had been at university, she had even worn glasses. Plain glass, of course. They had been a ploy used to keep people at a distance. She had been at university to work, not play. Her playing days had ended with a tragedy she would never forget. All she had wanted to do was blend into the background and be left alone.

It seemed strange now to remember how outrageously she had once flirted with the opposite sex. Having inherited her looks from her actress mother, Marsha Delmont, Aimi had had no trouble attracting men, and had enjoyed their company, but she had never taken them seriously and never had any deep relationships with any of them. Her life had been about having fun, but after Austria and the terrible events that had happened there, that had all ended. She had spent the years since proving she could be a person of value.

Her life was the way she wanted it. She was here in her official capacity as Nick’s assistant, but his parents had welcomed her into their home in the country as a friend. The plan was for her to look through the books and papers in the study for relevant material for Nick’s book, but all Nick’s family would be coming to a barbecue tomorrow, for their annual bank holiday weekend get-together, and he had insisted that she join in the festivities.

Sitting at the table, listening to the conversation, sometimes taking part, she was glad she had agreed to come. This was how normal people behaved with each other, and it was a poignant reminder for Aimi, who had once thought endless shopping, wild, glamorous parties where drink flowed like water and everything was loud laughter and music was the only way to live. That Aimi would have considered this deadly dull, but the Aimi of today bitterly regretted that she hadn’t wised up sooner. Such was the benefit of hindsight. It showed you what might have been, and damned you with the knowledge that you could never go back.

In those final few minutes before her world would be knocked off its axis and sent spinning into space for a second time, everyone was laughing at something Paula had just said. Aimi found it so funny, her eyes were watering and her stomach ached. It was as she was using her napkin to wipe her eyes that the distant chime of the front doorbell permeated the room.

Simone Berkeley looked at her husband in mild query. ‘I wonder who that could be,’ she said to the room at large.

‘Were you expecting anyone, Mum?’ Paula asked, only for her mother to shake her head.

Moments later, they all heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the room and everyone looked expectantly towards the door. It opened seconds later and a tall, dark-haired man stepped into the room, grinning at the sea of faces.

‘I hope you left something for me, you pack of gannets!’ he exclaimed cheerfully, and his remark was met by cries of delight.

‘Jonas!’

The family immediately leapt to their feet as one, leaving a bemused Aimi to swivel round in her seat and examine this late arrival. She had heard of Jonas Berkeley, of course, the oldest son, who owned a high-powered company and lived a jet-set lifestyle which took him off to all corners of the globe. His name was often in the newspapers, sometimes for his work, but more often for the latest woman in his life. Naturally he had an open invitation to the family gathering, but nobody had expected him to be able to make it. Hence their surprise and delight.

Her own surprise was her response to him, which was totally unexpected. The instant she laid eyes on him, something stirred in the depths of her. All her senses appeared to leap to attention, as if her whole being recognised and responded to something in him. His laughter as he greeted everyone sent shivers down her spine and the rakish sparkle in his startlingly blue eyes dried her mouth.

For all her wild youth, Aimi had never actually experienced such a blatantly physical response to anyone in her twenty-seven years. She was suddenly made very much aware of the blood pulsing through her veins and the rapid beating of her heart. All at once her smile faded away and it was then, as Jonas Berkeley glanced from one member of his family to another, that their gazes locked.

She could actually see the moment when he was stopped in his tracks, and her heart lurched anxiously. Something elemental forked through the air between them, only to be broken when his sister claimed his attention, yet there had been time enough to see the predatory gleam which had entered his eyes. Shocked and disbelieving, Aimi turned away, pressing a hand to her stomach.

Oh, my God, she thought dazedly. What had just happened? Silly question, Aimi, you know darned well! She had just experienced the pull of an immensely strong sexual attraction, and her whole body was quivering as a result. It was the very last thing she had expected, for she had worked hard to keep the attractive, outgoing side of her nature under control—to be the complete antithesis of her former self in every way. Which was why she had eschewed all forms of romantic entanglement. No man had ever made her control slip.

Until just now, that was. Without a word he had broken through her defences, making her feel things she did not want. She didn’t know why it had happened now, only that she had to make rapid repairs so the damage did not show. Telling herself to be calm, she breathed slowly until she felt in control again. Now she should be able to give the appearance of calmness, although in reality she was still trembling inside.

A hand touched her arm and she jumped, looking up to find Nick beside her.

‘Come and say hello to my brother. I’m eager for him to meet you,’ Nick invited, and Aimi’s heart fluttered anxiously at the thought of looking into those amazing eyes again so soon. However, there was one little part of her that needed to check out if it had really happened or if she had imagined it, so she smiled, as if the ground hadn’t just rocked, and stood up.

As she took the half a dozen steps to where Jonas Berkeley stood within the circle of his family, Aimi had the weirdest sensation that she was walking down a predestined path. A momentary sense of caution whispered, Go back, yet a stronger force kept her moving. She couldn’t stop her eyes from rising to meet his and, the instant that happened, once again the air seemed to become positively charged, making it difficult to breathe properly.

‘OK,’ Nick declared, noticing nothing amiss, and made the introductions. ‘Aimi, this strapping fellow is my brother, Jonas. Tall, handsome and disgustingly wealthy, he’s also a bit of a Casanova, so you have been warned. And this young woman is my indispensable assistant, Aimi.’

Jonas’s teeth flashed white as he smiled directly into her eyes and held out his hand. ‘Hello, Nick’s indispensable Aimi. I’m very pleased to meet you,’ he greeted her in a voice whose low timbre was an unexpected delight to her ear.

Aimi gasped silently, more than a little unnerved to know she was still feeling the full force of the man’s charisma, despite her hasty repairs to her defences. He oozed supreme male confidence and sexual allure, and it was stunning. Knowing she was not as cool as she would like to be, she hesitated fractionally before taking his hand, and knew she had been right to do so when his fingers closed around hers. The contact sent a wave of tingles up her arm and throughout her system, causing the tiny hairs to rise. Her faint start was absorbed by his hand, which tightened on hers momentarily.

‘I’m pleased to meet you, too,’ she returned politely, glad to hear that she at least sounded normal. Easing her hand free, she coiled her fingers into her tingling palm. ‘Nick talks of you often.’ It was true, though he had never said what a charismatic man his brother was. Probably because he never saw him that way. Women would see a whole different side to him. A side she would have preferred to remain in blissful ignorance of! Whilst she might admire a man’s looks aesthetically, she tried to never allow herself to be moved by them. Today, though, something was going badly wrong and she didn’t like it.

‘Ah, that would be the reason my ears have been burning lately,’ Jonas joked lightly, his mouth tweaking into a boyish grin. ‘So, how long have you been working for Nick?’ he asked and, as he did so, his eyes took in the grey pencil skirt and white blouse she was wearing, despite the stifling summer heat. There was a quizzical glint in his eye when he met hers again.

‘Six months, give or take,’ Nick informed him, smiling at Aimi. ‘I tell you, everyone could do with an assistant like her!’

His brother looked from one to the other. ‘Is that so? Do I detect more than just a working relationship here?’ he enquired, and Aimi got the distinct impression that it was not an idle question. He wanted to know just how involved his brother was.

Nick laughed and shook his head. ‘Good Lord, no! Nothing like that! She’s brought order to the chaos of my life. Isn’t that right, Aimi?’

‘I do my best,’ Aimi agreed uncomfortably, wondering if Nick realised he had just as good as told his brother she was not off limits. From the wry amusement in Jonas’s eye, he knew it, and knew that she did, too.

‘What made you decide to visit this weekend? Did you find yourself between women?’ Nick asked with a surgeon’s precision, and Aimi had to stifle a sudden urge to grin.

Jonas raised a lazy eyebrow at her, ignoring his brother, and smiled. ‘Delicately put, Nick, as always. I did happen to find myself with an unexpectedly free weekend. But I don’t think it’s going to be as disappointing as I first thought!’

Fully aware of what he was implying, Aimi’s eyebrows rose. She might not play the field any more, but she hadn’t forgotten how the game was played. ‘Oh, I’m sure it will be,’ she insisted, smiling back coolly.

His head tipped. ‘You think so? Funny, I usually find something to keep me amused.’

Nick snorted. ‘Typical Jonas! Don’t you think it’s time you grew up? You’re thirty-four. You should be looking to settle down and start a family.’

‘I’ll leave that to you. I’m happy with my life the way it is.’

‘At least I’m looking! You just keep dating those beautiful airheads! What on earth do you see in them? You can’t even have an intelligent conversation with any of them!’ Nick insisted doggedly.

‘Shame on you, Nick!’ his sister broke in on what appeared to be an old argument. ‘Jonas can date whatever sort of woman he likes. Just because he’s bound on cutting a swathe through the female population doesn’t mean he won’t settle down eventually. He’ll do that when he’s good and ready.’

Jonas sighed in the face of such heavy-handed criticism from his nearest and dearest. ‘Thanks for making me sound like a heartless Lothario, Paula.’

Paula quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek. ‘Of course you’re not heartless, but you are a Lothario. I love you, Jonas, but I have to admit you have a cavalier attitude towards women that stinks. What you need is to fall in love with a woman who doesn’t want you for a change!’

‘That’s my girl,’ Jonas exclaimed dryly. ‘I wouldn’t expect anything less of the sister who waded into a brawl to rescue her little brother!’

‘Oh, yes, she saved me all right!’ Nick responded aggrievedly. ‘Then launched into me for getting into a fight in the first place!’

Everyone laughed at that, and Aimi was relieved the focus of attention had passed on to someone else.

‘Come along, everyone. Let’s sit down again before our dinners get cold,’ Simone Berkeley chivvied them back to the table. ‘Jonas, you sit next to Paula. I want to hear all about what you’ve been doing lately.’

Moments later a place had been laid and a full plate set before him. Back in her own seat, Aimi discovered, much to her chagrin, that Jonas was now sitting directly opposite her. It meant it was impossible not to see him whenever she raised her head. Even looking down, she was vitally aware of him. His presence in the room was an energy her errant senses registered in minute detail. Ignoring him was simply out of the question and her eyes had a will of their own, watching him from under her lashes whilst she ate. Thankfully, he chatted away with his mother so she was able to study him with a certain amount of freedom.

The first thing she noted was how black his hair was, then the strong set of his jaw. Yet his lips spoke of sensuality. She wondered how they would feel, and immediately wished she hadn’t as a delicious shiver swept over her. Aimi closed her eyes and took some more steadying breaths. She had to get a grip, and as quickly as possible. She prided herself on her cool demeanour and needed it to be working perfectly. It would never do to let Jonas see he could affect her in any way.

From what she had just heard and seen, she knew the man didn’t need any extra encouragement when it came to attracting moths to his flame. However, he was going to find this particular moth had an impermeable heat shield. He might have a reputation for going through women like a hot knife through butter, but not this one. She was simply not available.

Opening her eyes, Aimi felt her confidence strengthening. She was not a weak woman, at the mercy of her senses—she was stronger than that. Bolstered, she was about to eat more of the delicious food on her plate when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. Her nerves skittered and, unable to ignore it, she glanced up to find Jonas watching her, the look in his eyes highly provocative.

Their gazes locked for a fleeting moment before Jonas smiled knowingly and looked away. It was long enough, however, to set her heart pounding. She chose to believe it was from annoyance, ignoring the small voice that wanted to say differently. Nor did she have to ask herself why he had looked at her like that, for she knew the answer. The man was no fool, and had sensed her initial response to him. But that moment was gone. She would not let anything slip again.

With her mind settled on that point, she raised her head again and began taking an interest in the general conversation, just as she had before Jonas had arrived. Once or twice she caught his eye, seeing mocking amusement there, but she was alerted now and didn’t react to it. Finally, after the strangest hour Aimi could ever recall spending at a dinner table, the meal was over.

‘Let’s have coffee on the terrace,’ Simone suggested, dabbing her napkin against her throat. ‘Maybe there will be a breath of air out there. It’s so hot, it’s positively stifling!’

The country had been in the grip of a heatwave for some days now, and it didn’t look like ending any time soon. Naturally, the whole family were only too happy to go outside, where looking down the garden towards the ornamental lake made them feel cooler immediately.

‘You must be glad to get out of the city this weekend, Aimi,’ Michael Berkeley remarked as he handed round the coffee his wife was dispensing.

Aimi took her cup with a wry smile. ‘Oh, yes! Though my apartment is air-conditioned, on nights like these it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Working in your study will be much better than in some musty old archives.’

‘I thought you were my brother’s assistant. Are you moonlighting as an archivist?’

The question came from Jonas, and Aimi steadied herself before turning to him. It was just as well she did, for she discovered he had made changes to his appearance since eating dinner. He had removed his jacket and tie, loosened the top buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves, which gave him a totally different look. In his suit he had been suave and very much the international businessman; like this he looked ruggedly male and quite stunningly sexy.

It all registered on her senses and, after what had happened just a short time ago, it didn’t really surprise her that her mouth went dry. Fortunately she had the foresight to take a sip of her coffee to moisten her lips before answering him. ‘I’m not moonlighting. I’m helping with the research for Nick’s book.’

‘Nick? That doesn’t sound very professional to me,’ Jonas goaded, and Aimi smiled faintly.

‘You might be the type of employer who insists on formality, Mr Berkeley, but your brother prefers a friendlier atmosphere,’ she replied coolly, and he grinned appreciatively.

‘Call me Jonas. I never insist on formality here,’ he declared, and Aimi realised she had not helped herself. Now she would have to call him by name, or look a fool. ‘So you’re a researcher as well.’

‘She’s good at it, too,’ Nick immediately piped up in her praise. ‘Not surprising when she’s got an honours degree in history.’

Jonas inclined his head towards Aimi in a gesture that showed he was duly impressed. ‘A multi-talented woman. No wonder Nick snapped you up. If history is your first love, why aren’t you working at one of the museums or institutes?’

‘Unfortunately, those kinds of jobs don’t come along often and, as I’ve become used to eating three meals a day, I had to do something else,’ she informed him smoothly.

‘So, history’s loss is my brother’s good fortune,’ Jonas returned, equally smoothly. ‘And ours, too, of course. Otherwise we would not have had the pleasure of your company this weekend.’

‘You’ll see very little of me, I’m afraid. I’m here to work,’ Aimi pointed out, mighty glad to be able to do so.

Jonas looked surprised. ‘Surely Nick doesn’t intend to keep your nose to the grindstone whilst the rest of us party?’ he challenged, giving his brother a disapproving stare.

‘Of course not. Aimi knows perfectly well I expect her to relax, too,’ Nick came back promptly, and she smothered a sigh of exasperation.

Jonas smiled, and his eyes were dancing. ‘I shall make it my business to see that she does, then.’

Aimi could feel her spine tense at the suggestion, and it took all her effort to keep her expression calm. ‘Don’t bother,’ she refused politely, to which his smile broadened.

‘Oh, it’s no bother. It will be a pleasure.’

The only sign of her annoyance was a brief flaring of her nostrils. She knew she could not make any further protest, but would make sure to avoid him wherever possible. Meanwhile, she caught sight of the amusement in his eyes and felt compelled to respond.

‘What line of work are you in, Jonas?’ she enquired, finding it curiously hard to make his name emerge naturally. ‘Or have you made so much money you don’t need to work?’ she added, referring to what Nick had said when introducing them earlier.

He seemed to find that amusing. ‘I buy up ailing companies and try to improve their health,’ he answered simply, and she frowned at the caveat.

‘What if you can’t?’

Jonas smiled and, because it was totally natural and free of mockery, it lit up his face, causing Aimi to catch her breath yet again at the twinkle in his eye. ‘Then I break them up into saleable parts.’

‘Making a tidy profit on the way,’ Nick added. ‘Remember me telling you he was disgustingly rich?’

It sounded good, but Aimi could see a flaw. ‘Making money is one thing, but what about the people? The workers? What happens to them if your cure fails?’

Jonas didn’t appear in the least annoyed by being asked to justify his actions. ‘They stay with the company wherever possible. This is about turning a company around, changing bad management into good. If everything goes well, everyone wins. When I have to break one up, we do our best to find alternative employment within our group. Does that meet with your approval, Aimi?’ he queried sardonically, and Aimi nodded, smiling wryly.

‘Of course. If I sounded disapproving, it’s because not everyone in your line of work has a conscience,’ she returned calmly. ‘I apologise if I was rude.’

His lips twitched and now the gleam was well and truly back in his eyes. ‘There’s no need. You were only saying what many others think. However, it’s good to know there’s something about me you find attractive.’

Now that had her eyes flying to his, her lips parting on a tiny gasp of surprise. The bold challenge, right in front of his family, knocked her off balance, as did the sardonic amusement glittering in those blue orbs that dared her to respond. However, Aimi was not given to running away. Taking a breath, she moistened her lips, and her senses rocked when she saw his eyes follow the movement. Then his gaze lifted, and for a vital second the irony was gone and she could see heat there. Scorching. Elemental. Of course, as soon as he saw she had seen, his lips twitched, and she knew she had been played by a master. Which gave her all the more reason to reply.

‘Are you fishing for compliments, Jonas?’ she taunted with gentle mockery, and laughter erupted around her.

‘Sounds like it to me,’ James Carmichael interjected. ‘That has to be a first!’

Everyone started teasing him, which he took with remarkable fortitude, an attitude which she did find attractive—amongst other things. She had always liked a man with a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at himself. Yet that changed nothing. She was not interested in whatever games he had in mind. Sitting back in her seat, she withdrew from the fray and concentrated on drinking her coffee.

The gentle ribbing continued for some time, until Jonas changed the subject. ‘How many are coming to the barbecue this time?’ she heard him ask his mother, but the answer was lost, as she took the opportunity to regroup her thoughts.

Aimi recognised that she was dangerously close to getting caught up in the miasma of the senses that was sexual desire, and she found that unsettling. From the moment she had vowed to change her life, no man had registered on her radar. In the beginning she had been too haunted by what had happened to feel anything but, as the healing process had gone on, she had turned the radar off deliberately. She hadn’t wanted to be attracted to anyone, to find happiness in a loving relationship, for it deepened her sense of guilt to feel so alive. So well had she done the job that she had thought her defences were impermeable, but a few moments in Jonas’s presence had destroyed that belief. Even now it went on. Unseen, Jonas called to her and the whole of her being responded. It was so strong, even the hairs on her skin stood to attention. The sheer intensity of it was staggering.

She didn’t want to feel it, didn’t want to be so aware of him, but her body wasn’t obeying the rules. All she could do was try to block it out as best she could. Once the weekend was over, that would be the end of it.

She tuned back in to the conversation in time to hear Paula announce that she and her husband were going for a walk around the lake if anyone was interested in joining them.

‘I could do with a walk,’ she said, jumping at the chance, and looked at Nick. ‘Will you join us?’

‘Paula will only nag me if I don’t,’ he pretended to grumble as he stood up, and his sister poked her tongue out at him.

Aimi braced herself to hear Jonas declare his intention to join the group, but it didn’t happen and she let out a tiny breath of relief. Though she forced herself not to look round, she could feel one pair of eyes on her back as they walked away.

It was marginally cooler down by the water and she and Nick strolled along, side by side, enjoying each other’s company, following the other couple. Eventually Paula and her husband disappeared around a bend, leaving her and Nick alone momentarily.

‘It’s much better here,’ Aimi declared, thankful for some respite from the heat—the tangible one and that given out by a pair of fathomless blue eyes.

‘Jonas and I used to play on the lake when we were kids. We built a raft and would pretend we were shipwrecked sailors. Of course, we weren’t allowed to do it until we could swim. Jonas had different interests then,’ he added somewhat pointedly, making her look at him.

‘What do you mean?’ she couldn’t help but ask, and Nick rolled his eyes.

‘That was before he discovered girls. Tall ones, short ones. Blondes and brunettes. All of them beautiful, and all of them madly infatuated with the handsome devil. He’s never had to fight for a woman in his life. They take one look at him and, wham, they topple into his arms like ninepins! It’s all too easy. He’ll never settle down. Why would he, when he can have any woman he wants?’

Aimi had known the moment she had seen Jonas that he would be a hit with the ladies. She shivered inwardly as she thought again about the instant reaction she had experienced. ‘No wonder you call him a Lothario!’

Nick laughed. ‘He doesn’t treat women badly. On the contrary, he’s generous to a fault. He just never gives anything of himself. It’s all purely physical. He’s my brother, and I wouldn’t wish him harm, but he could do with falling hard for someone, just to learn a lesson.’

‘Not everyone wants to settle down,’ she ventured, knowing that such a situation was not on the cards for her. Once she had envisioned herself with a husband and children, but that dream had vanished a long time ago.

Nick came to a halt and, when he turned to her, she could see the frustration he was experiencing. ‘Of course not. It isn’t that. Jonas has lived a charmed life. Everything has come easy to him. He needs a reality check. Basically, he needs to know he’s human like the rest of us.’