Falling for Alexander (Corkscrew Bay #2) (3 page)

As she might have done…
if she thought he had any intention of actually taking her to Penryn to see her fake aunt. He wouldn’t be going to all this effort unless he had fired Mrs. Pinnings and didn’t want Kate stirring his name up all over the front pages of the Corkscrew Weekly again.

Clever. If he even showed up on Saturday, he
’d be expecting her to come up with some excuse before they set off. Her cover story would be blown the second she set foot in Penryn, and he knew it. But then, so would his.

Kate yanked open the door of the Jeep
and slid behind the wheel with a grunt of bemusement. Gerardo thought she’d back down before he was forced to. And when a month rolled on by and still no Mrs. Pinnings, he could make up something else, like she’d decided to take early retirement or something and what could Kate say then? He’d simply tell her to call her aunt for confirmation. And if she confessed to the lie? Well, that would just ruin her credibility as a reporter. He wouldn’t hesitate to stack that in his arsenal for a counter-attack.

He
thought he had her.

Did he honestly think it was going to be that easy?

Clearly, the man had yet to meet a woman who didn’t crumple at the first hurdle.

Chapter Four

Alex kept the engine running after he
’d pulled up alongside the curb in front of the Corkscrew Weekly. The clock on the dashboard read
08:29
. He wasn’t surprised to find she wasn’t waiting outside the main door, but he was disappointed.

He cut off the engine and settled back in the leather seat, deliberating his next move. He should lea
ve it. As he should have done when she’d showed up on his doorstep.

Kate Hadley.

The second he’d heard that name across the intercom system, a bug had crept inside his veins. He’d never had any tolerance for journalists and Ms. Hadley’s slender curves and long blond waves had done nothing to change his mind.

Sure, she was easy on the eye, and,
Dio
, the woman had a pair of balls. That figure and attitude on any other woman might have brought him here this morning. In Ms. Hadley’s case, it was purely her chosen profession and the lesson someone should have taught her long ago.

He sighed, casting his gaze down the street to the miniature clock tower that marked the beginning of the town
’s pedestrian zone. This time of the year, there was a mixture of regular townsfolk going about their business and visitors down for the spring break. His gaze lifted to the shredding skies, a thin layer of cloud being chased by the morning sun. They were in for another pleasant, mildly warm day. By local standards, a
scorcher
, but incomparable to the humid heat of Verona or the sweltering summers of California’s Central Valley.

The click of a door opening snapped his gaze left, to the denim-clad leg sliding into the passenger seat. His eyes slid up that long, long thigh, grazed a
slender hip adorned by a woven leather belt and onto a body-hugging pale blue T-shirt that flirted with a pair of perky breasts. Heat tugged at his groin, shooting his gaze straight over the temptation to brilliant blue eyes mocking him with a raised brow.

“
Nice car,” she greeted, then slammed the door with the strength of ten amazons.

He winced, but clamped his jaw on a retort of the proper care and handling of a custom-built Aston Martin. Instead, he clipped out, “
Thank you.”

She flicked a lock of hair of
f her shoulder and gave him a smile.

That
’s when he saw her lack of luggage. Her legs were crossed, her hands folded over one knee. She hadn’t even brought a purse. “Travelling light?”

Her smile widened. “
You don’t mind stopping by my place, do you? I didn’t want to leave my Jeep parked on the street and my bag’s too heavy to lug around.”

“
No problem.” He turned forward, reaching to turn the engine while she buckled her seatbelt in.

“
Straight ahead, then first right—”

“
I know the address,” he cut her off as he pulled out from the curb.

Silence.

No, not quite.
Was that a hiss?

He grinned. She was a fast learner. Good. He had a couple of ethics he was dying to teach her.

“Number 22?” he asked when he hung a right into her street, then pulled up in front of the neatly clipped hedge without waiting for—or getting—a reply. He shifted slightly to face her. “Should I come in?”

“
That won’t be necessary,” she said as she stepped out.

He unclipped his belt and leant over, just in time to buffer the slam with his palm a
gainst the door. The window glided down at the press of a button. “You sure you don’t need help lugging that heavy bag all the way out here?”

She spun about and came down to his level, staring into his eyes. Her mouth opened, then closed in a grim line. Wi
th a shake of her head, she turned again and marched up the path to the front door.

Alex chuckled under his breath. His eyes, however, remained glued to that shapely bottom and long thighs and his humour faded as his blood heated. The familiar weight of de
sire dragged at his pulse and fed into his groin until he had to lift his backside off the seat and adjust his jeans. Watching, all the while, until her front door closed behind her—with a soft click, he couldn’t help noticing.

What was it about this woman
? He’d had beautiful, sexy, powerful, kittenish, helpless… He’d never lost control before, though, never lusted over that which wasn’t already his for the taking.

And this particular woman, Kate Hadley, fell into none of those categories.

She was pretty enough; silky blond hair falling past her shoulders and striking eyes, high cheekbones and a full, wide mouth. The type of pretty that few men would turn down, but not the type of beautiful that turned heads.

That form-fitting top proved she could do sexy if
she put some effort into it, but
Dio
. Denims and flat shoes, not a scrap of make-up… The look was cute, but nothing to pant over compared to what some women had brought out for him.

Powerful? Maybe she had some clout in this pint-sized town, but that wasn
’t saying much.

Helpless? Kittenish? That would be a definite no.

As for
taking
Ms. Hadley, even if she were available and willing, that wasn’t going to happen. On a good day, reporters like her were his worst enemy. On a bad day, they were a blight on the whole of society. When he was in a reasonable mood, he tried to remember not every journalist deserved to be tarred with a generic brush, but this particular one had her name engraved on the damn handle.

And what was taking her so long, anyway?

He glanced at the time on the dashboard, then over to the closed door.

Packing, he realised. She
’d had a last minute change of mind about taking this game one step further.

Alex shook his head. He
’d know if his housekeeper had a niece in the area. Ms. Hadley couldn’t afford to arrive unannounced in Penryn. So what was her plan?

Just then she emerged from the house, a small backpack looped around her shoulder.

He climbed out and rounded the car to hold the passenger door open for her.

“
And here I thought chivalry was dead,” she said, pulling out a smile for him as she slid into the seat.

His vantage point gave him a view of delicious cleavage he
’d be a fool not to admire for a second or two before meeting her eyes. “I take care of mine.”

She lost the smile, giving him
a puzzled look.

“
Let’s just say a woman with a tendency to slam doors brings out the best in me,” he explained, pushing the door gently shut.

By the time he
’d settled in behind the wheel, her frown had smoothed. There was no apology. She flung her bag into the back and clipped in her seatbelt. “I really appreciate the ride.”

“
No problem.”

“
I am surprised,” she said thoughtfully. “Do your lawyers approve?”

“
That depends on what you are today,” he murmured as he started the engine and swerved into the left lane. “A reporter or Mrs. Pinnings’ niece?”

“
And if I said both?”

He could feel her gaze on him as he merged into the high street traffic. “
What are
you saying when you cut out the hypothetical bullshit?”

“
You don’t like me. You don’t trust me.”

He glanced a
t her.

She twisted her lower lip into a grimace. “
I feel like the scorpion invited into the bosom of the anthill and it doesn’t make any sense.”

His laugh was a dry shout. “
A scorpion can’t inflict much damage with its tail cut off and you’d do well to not mistake me for a harmless ant.”

“
My tail is not cut off.”

He quirked a brow at her. “
You don’t paint a flattering picture of yourself, Ms. Hadley.”

“
I’m not trying to impress.”

“
And let’s just call me a Good Samaritan and leave it at that.”

“
Good Samaritan?” she huffed. “You’re certainly not afraid to toot your own horn, are you?”

They
’d reached the main road out of town and he put his foot down, coaxing a deep-throttled purr from the Aston Martin. “Perhaps you should give your aunt a call,” he suggested without a trace of the irritation she stirred in him. “Let her know we’ll be there after lunch.”

She looked him in the eye. “
I spoke to her first thing this morning.”

Alex almost believed her. His gaze snagged on the stubborn tilt of her chin, then drifted
to those full, enticing lips. He had a deep appreciation for passionate commitment, even a fevered obsession. Any other cause, and he might have applauded her.

How far would she go before calling the trip off?

Meanwhile, why would she bother unless she was hoping to drain him dry for her paper?

How far would he go to teach her a lesson? To make her squirm while he attempted to instil a quota of human decency in the woman so she
’d leave him alone?

They were two sharks circling each other, hungry for blood.

Her lips pursed. “Eyes on the road, Mr. Gerardo.”

“
Alexander.” He set his eyes on the road, a narrow strip of asphalt that speared long and straight through at least another mile of shrubby fields.

“
Kate.”

“
Barely fifteen minutes in, and we’re already on first name terms.” He rested one arm on the door, keeping the wheel steady with his other hand. “I can’t wait to see what the next fifteen brings.”

“
No reason to wait,” she said. “I’m ready to take this intimacy to the next level if you are.”

He believed he
had a fairly decent measure of Ms. Hadley—Kate—and he knew she wasn’t offering sex on the side of the road. Still, his voice came out a notch husky as he said, “What did you have in mind?”

“
Why don’t you play and find out?” She shifted, uncrossing her legs in a slow slide that drew his gaze.

A vision of her backside propped on the Aston
’s low bonnet, those shapely legs wrapped around him as he sank into her, had him hard in zero-to-three seconds. Unfortunately, there was traffic ahead, requiring half his attention.

He slowed down behind a tractor pulling a trailer stacked with hay bales.

“Yes or no, Alexander.” His name rolled over her tongue with promises she’d never keep.

She
’s not offering sex.
But damn if his body hadn’t decided to pay attention anyway.

He slanted a hidden glance her way from behind his shades. She was rolling her lower lip between her teeth. A pale flush tipped her cheeks. Her lids rested heavy, halfway closing her eyes with thick, long lashes.

He looked forward again, swallowing a curse. Whatever it was with her, she’d hooked him. She sent a rush of want and need to his blood. He wanted to scrape his fingers through her silky hair, tilting that stubborn chin just so. He needed to crash his mouth against those plump lips and feel her skin flush with his.

He shook it off with a firm resolve, the equivalent of an ice-cold shower.

“Why not?” he murmured. He wasn’t a complete fool, smitten blind to Kate’s seductive tricks. Why not let her play a bit? He could turn her game on its head anytime he chose and make his own rules. If he’d disliked her even a little less, he might have done exactly that.

“
Wonderful,” she said. “Let’s start with the Easter egg hunt. Why are you so opposed to opening the gardens of Darrock Castle for a few hours?”

A bri
ttle smile sank into his grimace. “This is your idea of establishing intimacy between us? An interview?”

“
There’s no better way to get to know someone.”

“
Oh, I could think of a couple more interesting methods.”

“
I’ll just bet.”

“
Normally, I wouldn’t be able to resist the challenge.” He pushed his shades up to give her a disdainful once-over. “In this case…”

Her mouth turned down at the corners just before she snapped her head from him to look out her window. “
Are you going to answer the question?”

He settle
d his shades in place again and concentrated on overtaking the tractor. He’d suspected this was where they’d be going, even if he hadn’t expected the seduction act that had gotten them here. He still didn’t have to answer anything. The only thing that had changed in the last minute was, if possible, he disliked her more.

“
I’ve already answered this one,” he replied. “Castle Darrock is my home, not a show place.”