Propositioned by the Billionaire. Lucy KingЧитать онлайн книгу.
gorgeous stranger would turn out to be the hotshot venture capitalist who’d injected a huge sum of cash so that Jo could finish and launch her collection? The billionaire who was so busy jetting round the world taking over businesses and entertaining glamorous women that he’d refused the invitation.
She hated it when she was wrong-footed. And not just wrong-footed. Hurled off balance would be a more accurate description. She’d swooned in his arms. Melted against him. Practically devoured him, for heaven’s sake. How mortifyingly inappropriate was that?
‘I should have guessed,’ she said hiding her embarrassment behind a cool façade. ‘The family resemblance is uncanny.’
She might be burning up inside, but Alex didn’t appear to be the slightest bit fazed. ‘Technically I’m her half-brother,’ he said with an impersonal little smile. ‘We shared a mother and we each take after our fathers.’ He held out a hand. Phoebe felt an arc of electricity shoot up her arm when her palm hit his and had to force herself not to snatch it back.
What was he doing here anyway? Jo had said he was quite content to be a silent partner. That he had no interest in what Jo got up to and even less in handbags.
When she’d heard about his supposed lack of fraternal support it hadn’t surprised her in the slightest. After all, when had her siblings ever supported her? At least he’d shown up at the eleventh hour, which was more than she could expect from any member of her family, all of whom thought her choice of career unbelievably frivolous.
Well, frivolous it might be, but it had given her enough experience to handle any situation with sophistication and aplomb. Even one as awkward as this.
‘I thought you were supposed to be in the States,’ she said evenly.
‘I was.’
‘Venturing your capital?’
‘Negotiating a deal.’
‘Did you win?’
‘He always wins,’ said Jo grumpily.
‘I’m sure you do,’ she said smoothly, pulling her hand out of his and surreptitiously flexing her fingers to stop the tingling. ‘Anyway, naturally we’re delighted to see you.’
‘Really?’ he said raising an eyebrow. ‘In that case, I can only imagine my invitation got lost in the post.’
Phoebe frowned. ‘You refused it.’
‘Did I?’ he said flatly, his expression turning even stonier.
‘You were obviously too busy to remember refusing it as well as being too busy to come.’
‘Obviously,’ he drawled and somehow Phoebe instantly knew that he’d been nothing of the kind.
‘So why the change of heart? A hitherto unrecog-nised fascination for women’s accessories?’
A slow smouldering smile curved his lips, and she felt herself heating up. ‘This is my little sister’s debut. How could I possibly miss it?’
‘Then why refuse in the first place?’ Something wasn’t right here, but for the life of her Phoebe couldn’t work out what. Alex had turned her brain to mush.
‘All right,’ said Jo, throwing her hands up in the air. ‘Phoebe, Alex knows perfectly well that I never sent him an invitation.’
Now she was baffled. Phoebe blinked and swung her attention back to Jo. ‘So why did you tell me you had?’
‘Oh, I really don’t remember,’ said Jo vaguely, waving a hand.
‘Forgetfulness seems to run in the family,’ Phoebe said dryly, not believing her for a second. Jo had been very unforthcoming about her brother, despite the fact that he’d contributed so much to her fledgling career, and now that she thought about it Phoebe realised that whenever she’d mentioned the financial generosity of Jo’s elusive brother, Jo had deftly changed the subject, which she’d thought odd at the time. However Phoebe had enough experience of tricky sibling relationships to steer well clear of other people’s and hadn’t probed.
With hindsight, she should have insisted on knowing more. His name at least. That would have saved her a whole lot of trouble.
‘Anyway, you two should get to know each other.’
No, they shouldn’t. Phoebe already knew far more about Alex than she was comfortable with, and his rigid expression gave her the impression that he wasn’t particularly keen on the idea either.
‘We met earlier,’ she said pleasantly. ‘The encounter was brief.’
‘But intense,’ he said, shooting her a searing look.
‘And wet, by the looks of things,’ said Jo, frowning as she glanced at the damp patches on Alex’s suit.
‘I decided to take a stroll round the gardens. It involved an unexpected detour via the pond.’ Alex rubbed his chest and Phoebe was instantly transported back to the moments before he’d kissed her. Images flashed into her head. The way he’d stared at her mouth, the hunger in his expression and the fire in his eyes. So different from the cold, controlled man standing in front of her.
Surely he couldn’t be that upset about not being sent an invitation? But if it wasn’t that, what was it?
‘If you’re falling into ponds,’ said Jo lightly, ‘you must be more jet-lagged than usual.’
‘I must be,’ murmured Alex. His eyes locked with Phoebe’s and her stomach flipped.
‘Jet lag makes him do the oddest things,’ said Jo, clearly thankful that the attention had shifted away from her. ‘The last time he had it he shredded a six-figure cheque instead of banking it and stashed his car keys in the fridge.’
Phoebe raised an eyebrow. ‘How absolutely fascinating.’
‘Don’t you just love siblings?’ he drawled.
‘Simply adore them,’ she said, and then thought of her own. ‘But I couldn’t eat a whole one.’
He didn’t even crack a smile and Phoebe felt her hackles shoot up. What was his problem? ‘I didn’t think international playboys bothered with things like fridges.’
A warning gleam entered his eyes. ‘Are you making assumptions about me, Phoebe?’
‘Simply making an observation,’ she said with an innocent smile.
‘Champagne has to be chilled somewhere, don’t you think?’
‘It certainly does. The colder the better.’
‘Especially in this heat.’
Phoebe shivered at the smouldering silvery sparks in his gaze.
‘It’s not that warm,’ said Jo. ‘Not for May. And, Phoebs, you’ve got goose-bumps.’
‘Cold?’ Alex asked softly, running his gaze over her, and to her irritation her body responded instantly. Her breasts tightened uncomfortably against the close-fitting dress and her nipples hardened while hot flames of desire licked deep inside her.
‘No.’
The seconds stretched, and the longer their gazes held, the more it felt as if nothing else existed beyond the sizzling attraction that arced between them. Her gaze dipped to his mouth and the desperate longing to have it on hers again thumped her in the stomach.
And Alex wanted it too, she realised with a jolt. She could tell by the darkening of his eyes and by the way his body seemed to go utterly still. Phoebe shuddered at the desire that suddenly ripped through her and dragged in a shaky breath. Alex frowned and ran a hand through his hair and when he jerked his attention away from her Phoebe felt as if a piece of elastic had snapped her in the face.
She had to stop this. She’d never had trouble controlling her hormones before, so why now?
Jo