In Separate Bedrooms (8 page)

‘For—for this.’ The wave of her arms encompassed her hotel room as well as the magnificent view outside.

It was a beautifully large bedroom, its floral décor warmly welcoming. Mattie had kicked off her shoes once she was alone, her bare feet sinking into the thickness of the deep-rose-coloured carpet. There was a huge double bed dominating the room, and the
en suite
bathroom was the last thing in luxury, with its Jacuzzi bath and gold fittings. In fact, it was more luxurious than her own bedroom at home!

‘You haven’t seen all of it yet.’ Jack grinned, taking her hand and leading her through the communicating door into the next room.

Mattie had assumed the room next to hers was Jack’s bedroom—in fact, she had been slightly concerned by that open communicating door between the two rooms!—but that didn’t prove to be the case.

If she had thought her bedroom luxurious, then the sitting-room she stood in was even more so: deep, luxurious armchairs, gleaming glass coffee-tables, bowls of fruit and flowers adorning their tops, a drinks cabinet discreetly in one corner of the room, a television in the other.

Although how anyone could possibly want to watch television when they could look out at the Eiffel Tower and its surrounding beauty, Mattie had no idea.

But if this was a sitting-room …?

‘My bedroom is through here.’ Jack seemed to read her confusion, moving forward to open the door beside the drinks cabinet, showing a bedroom identical in décor to Mattie’s.

Although this one, she noticed, had twin beds rather than a king-size bed as in her own room …

Well, Jack had assured her they had separate bedrooms.
He had just forgotten to mention that those bedrooms were joined by a communal sitting-room!

‘Come on, get some shoes on—one of the six pairs you mentioned earlier,’ Jack urged dryly. ‘And let’s go out and explore!’

Mattie couldn’t help but appreciate his enthusiasm, especially as she was sure that he must have been to Paris dozens of times before. But if he was willing to play the tourist for her sake, then she wasn’t about to complain.

‘Seeing all this through your eyes makes it all new to me too.’ Once again Jack seemed able to read her thoughts, his arm moving lightly about her shoulders as he gave her a brief hug. ‘Unless you would rather have something to eat first?’ He frowned. ‘Airplane food isn’t very good, is it?’ He grimaced.

Considering they had travelled first class, had been given drinks and nibbles in the lounge at the airport before the flight and served a meal on board that could rival most restaurants, Mattie wasn’t in the least hungry. And she told him so.

‘I was hoping you would say that.’ He grinned. ‘Let’s go out, hmm?’

His enthusiasm was infectious. Mattie was happy to put her shoes back on, deciding to leave her jacket in her room; the Paris weather—she was pleased to see!—was much like a warm, English summer day.

She hesitated once they were downstairs in the busy reception area of the hotel. ‘Shouldn’t you at least let your family know you’ve arrived?’

‘I already have,’ Jack responded. ‘I called your mother too, by the way,’ he added.

Her eyes widened at this. She had wanted to call her
mother earlier from her hotel room, just to let her know they had arrived safely, but, not speaking French, and having no idea how to dial out direct from her bedroom, she had deferred the call with the intention of asking for Jack’s help later.

‘That was very kind of you,’ she said slowly.

‘I needed to check on Harry, anyway.’

Of course he had. How silly of her to imagine it was anything else. ‘How is he?’ she asked politely.

‘Fine,’ he confirmed a little sheepishly. ‘My family are all looking forward to meeting you tomorrow, by the way.’

Mattie swallowed hard, unable to reciprocate in the sentiment. It had all seemed much simpler when she’d been in England. Go to Paris with Jack, play the part expected of her, and then, at the end of the four days, return to her normal life.

Reality was something else entirely!

For one thing, travelling with Jack, and being accepted as his companion, had been an experience in itself. The hotel they were staying at was out of this world—well, out of Mattie’s world. Also, the more time she spent in Jack’s company, the more she liked being with him—perhaps too much?

In fact, her life in England, sharing a home with her mother, going off to work each day, fulfilling her office contracts in the evenings, was already starting to seem very far away. How was she going to feel after four days of this?

It was so easy to get caught up in the festive atmosphere around the Eiffel Tower, where there were street vendors, hundreds of other tourists strolling around or actually going up in the lifts to the top of the tower and
lots more people just sitting down on the grassed area across the road relaxing in the sunshine.

‘Time for a drink, I think,’ Jack decided as he took in her slightly dazed expression, taking hold of her hand as they crossed the road and walked down the steps to one of the riverside cafés.

Still with Mattie’s hand firmly held in his!

To anyone else, Mattie was sure, they just looked like another pair of lovers strolling in the sunshine, but the rapid beat of her heart, and the warmth in her cheeks, told her that she wasn’t taking all of this in her stride.

The problem was, she realised as she watched Jack as he confidently ordered coffee for two in French, it would be all too easy to forget the real reason she was here. To just give herself up to the moment. To allow herself to be seduced by the romantic atmosphere. By Jack …!

But where would that leave her on Monday evening when they returned to England?

Heartbroken, came the instant response.

Jack was so much more than this charmingly indulgent companion. He was Jonathan Beauchamp, owner of JB Industries. He was the son of obviously wealthy parents—they had to be, if their daughter’s engagement dinner was being held in Paris, of all places. Jack was also the man who, until four days ago, had not one, but four girlfriends.

And even if she managed to get past all those previous obstacles to there ever being a relationship between herself and Jack, Mattie had better not forget that last fact!

‘Would you mind if we went back to the hotel?’ she said abruptly. ‘I’m feeling a little—travel-worn,’ she added at his obviously disappointed expression. ‘I would
like to take a refreshing bath, maybe wash my hair, before we go out this evening.’

No doubt a bath would be refreshing, but what Mattie really wanted—desperately needed!—was time to herself so that she could build back her defences against falling for this man!

‘Of course,’ Jack accepted, drinking down his coffee. ‘I should have thought of that earlier.’ He threw some money down on the table to pay for their drinks. ‘We don’t have to do everything in one day, have a whole four days for you to fall in love with Paris,’ he added with satisfaction.

She was already in love with Paris.

Just as she was very much afraid she was already in love with Jack Beauchamp!

D
INNER
on a river boat, cruising up the Seine, wasn’t designed to bring Mattie to her senses when it came to her feelings for Jack!

When he’d told her earlier that he had booked a table for the two of them for dinner this evening, Mattie had assumed he’d meant at the hotel. But to her surprise, instead of going to the dining-room, Jack had walked them straight out of the foyer and into a taxi.

Ten minutes later they had arrived at the riverside, had been served a glass of champagne, before being shown to their table on board a luxurious river cruiser—and served another glass of champagne!

Mattie shook her head slightly dazedly. ‘Jack, I don’t think—’

‘Paris is not the place for thinking, Mattie,’ he laughed as he sat beside her, devastatingly attractive in a black dinner suit, snowy white shirt and black bow-tie, dark hair curling damply against his collar from the shower he had taken before coming out. ‘It’s the place to allow all your other senses full rein; to feel, taste, smell. But never allow yourself to get bogged down by thinking when in Paris, Mattie; it ruins the enjoyment of everything else!’

That was what was worrying her!

She had put on one of two new evening dresses this evening, a deep blue silk that exactly matched the colour of her eyes, its mandarin-style extremely flattering, the
lower expanse of her tanned legs visible beneath its knee length, the three-inch heels of her new blue sandals giving her added height and elegance.

But, despite what Jack had said about not seeing any of his family until tomorrow evening, she had worn this dress with the assumption that they might perhaps see some of that family in the hotel dining-room this evening, having no idea that it would just be the two of them disappearing off somewhere on their own for dinner.

She wasn’t sure it was a good idea for her to be quite this dressed up when she was having dinner alone with Jack.

Or for him to look so devastatingly attractive, either.

One of them seemed to have lost the plot here—and she was pretty sure it wasn’t her!

‘Maybe it does,’ she conceded abruptly. ‘But have you forgotten the reason I’m here?’ She frowned.

‘Hmm?’ Jack turned from looking out the window beside them, lights from the boat playing along the riverside, illuminating all the wonders of Paris as they cruised slowly along.

‘Jack!’ she snapped frustratedly. ‘The reason I’m here!’ she reminded him.

‘What about it?’

Mattie sighed her impatience with what she was sure was his deliberate obtuseness. ‘How on earth is the two of us having dinner alone together on a river boat supposed to politely show this woman Sharon that you aren’t interested in her?’ she reasoned.

‘I would have thought that was obvious,’ Jack returned. ‘The fact that we are having dinner alone together, on a river boat or anywhere else, must surely
prove that I would rather be with you than with my family.’

Mattie couldn’t deny that he had a point there. Although she was still far from convinced. Mainly, she knew, because she would rather have been somewhere else than alone with Jack, on a river boat or anywhere else!

‘You didn’t have to go to all this expense to do that; we could have just ordered room service or something,’ she muttered awkwardly as their first course was delivered, a delicious
pâté de foie gras
.

Besides, if they had stayed at the hotel, Mattie knew she could have retreated to her bedroom, and Jack to his! Sitting in close proximity with him like this, his arm resting along the back of her chair, was doing absolutely nothing for her already disturbed senses!

‘Don’t be silly, Mattie,’ Jack dismissed easily, straightening in his chair so that they could begin their meal. ‘I didn’t bring you to Paris to keep us both shut up in a hotel room.’

Mattie was beginning to wonder exactly what he had brought her to Paris for …

‘Not unless it was in your bedroom, of course,’ he turned to murmur huskily in her ear, his breath warm against her already sensitized flesh. ‘After all, you do have the king-size bed,’ he added throatily as Mattie turned wide eyes on him.

She turned sharply away, staring down at her plate of pâté, sure she would never be able to eat any of it; something seemed to have become lodged in her throat. Her heart, probably!

‘Tell me, Mattie,’ Jack continued conversationally beside her, calmly smoothing pâté onto a piece of warm
toast. ‘Just when did you decide there was a possibility I might try to have my wicked way with you while we’re in Paris?’

She gasped, her eyes once again wide as she turned to look at him, incredulous. ‘I—’ She hesitated, chewing briefly on her bottom lip. ‘I didn’t—’

‘Yes. You did.’ Jack turned to smile at her. ‘How about I make you a promise, Mattie?’

She swallowed hard before speaking. ‘What sort of promise?’

He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘I promise not to try to seduce you if you promise not to try to seduce me.’

Mattie was momentarily lost for words. ‘I—I—I have no intention of trying to seduce you!’ she finally managed indignantly.

‘That’s okay, then,’ he responded, turning his attention back to his pâté.

While Mattie continued to stare at him. Really, the man was incredible, incorrigible! As if she would ever—as if she would ever what? Try to seduce him? Not intentionally, she acknowledged slowly. How did you seduce someone accidentally, Mattie? she instantly chided herself. Okay, she didn’t intend seducing Jack Beauchamp in any way whatsoever!

Unless …

Unless what?

Unless she couldn’t help herself!

She freely admitted that all of this was getting to her. The luxury of the hotel. The beauty of Paris. This romantic setting. Jack! Mainly Jack, she admitted with a sigh. He was just so—so—

‘But if you do feel the urge, don’t feel you have to hold it back, hmm?’ he advised her.

Infuriating! Mattie concluded, shooting him an impatient glance, only to find him looking back at her with laughing brown eyes.

She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, she decided irritably. Even if she ached for him to kiss her, she would fight against the feeling. Even if—? She already ached for him to kiss her. And she
was
fighting against the feeling.

For all the good it was doing her!

Oh, how she wished she had never agreed to come here with Jack, that she were safely back at home in England, with her mother for company, and her work to keep her busy. She didn’t—

She looked sharply at Jack as she realized he was chuckling softly. ‘What’s so funny?’ she prompted suspiciously.

He sobered slightly. ‘You are,’ he answered. ‘Despite what you obviously think, my love, I really don’t have designs upon your gorgeous body.’

Mattie might have felt more convinced of that if he hadn’t said, ‘my love’. Not that she thought she was his love, it was just an endearment she could have done without.

Gorgeous body … She suddenly realized what else he had said. Did Jack really think she had a gorgeous body? Oh, help!

And she certainly needed all the help she could get as the meal, and the river cruise, progressed. All around them were other couples visibly deeply in love, completely wrapped up in each other as the romance of the evening cast its spell.