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my hair up. It keeps it out of the way while I'm working.'
'Ah, I see,' Aidan murmured as he poured coffee for them both. 'But you're
not working now,' he pointed out reasonably. 'So why don't you let it down?'
'Because...' she began, only to falter at the challenging look in his eye. For
no accountable reason, her heart kicked.
A slow smile curved his lips. 'Because then you wouldn't look like the
woman you want me to believe you are?' he supplied for her.
Now she knew she was right to be worried. How he had arrived at that
deduction, she had no idea, but that he had was alarming enough. This had to
stop now. She forced a laugh from her tight throat. 'You're being ridiculous,'
she informed him, reaching for her coffee. 'A hairstyle is a hairstyle.'
'And a fraud is a fraud.'
The cup she had been raising to her lips almost fell from her nerveless
fingers, and she set it down hastily. 'Fraud?' She strove to be casual, but
somehow it came out on a quaver. She would have got up and walked out if
there had been any strength in her legs, but as it was she had to remain and
face this startling turn of events.
Aidan helped himself to ham and eggs before carrying on. 'I did some
serious thinking last night, after your nightmare,' he revealed, bringing
colour to her pale cheeks.
Kate saw a means of diverting him and jumped at it. 'Actually, I was
meaning to talk to you about that,' she interrupted swiftly.
He looked up. 'Really? You're not eating. Aren't you hungry?'
She automatically reached for a slice of toast, feeling she was being reeled in
by an expert. Abandoning the food to her plate, she took a deep breath and
tried again. 'I wanted to apologise for disturbing you. I think I made rather a
fool of myself.'
'Do you?'
It wasn't a statement she'd expected to be questioned, even as mildly as he
did, and it put her right off balance. 'Don't you?' she snapped.
Aidan shook his head. 'No.'
Feeling hounded, Kate threw up her hands. 'I don't understand you!' she
cried.
If it was possible for a broad smile to broaden, his did then. 'That's a pity,
because I think I'm beginning to understand you.'
Icy fingers of warning chased their way along her spine. 'I don't want you to
understand me,' she declared through her teeth, and then could have bitten
her tongue out at the impulsively revealing words.
'I know you don't, but I told you yesterday you couldn't stop me,' he told her
while munching on some toast. Kate, appetite vanishing, watched him,
feeling vaguely nauseous. 'Want to know what I came up with?'
'No,' she rejoined pointedly, hands clenching into fists. 'But somehow I don't
think that's going to stop you telling me.'
His laugh was appreciative. 'You see, you do understand me after all. But we
were talking about you, Kate. Not only are you a fraud, but you're an
illusionist too. The swiftness of the tongue deceives the eye.'
Expecting more along lines that already set her nerves jangling, Kate was
surprised when he stopped. 'Is that it?' she demanded in disbelief.
'There is one other thing,' he informed her ominously.
'And that is?''I think you ought to know that I don't believe the Ice Queen
exists.'
Shocked, her mouth went dry. 'You know she does. You've seen her
yourself,' she insisted, fighting a desperate rearguard battle for her
defences her only defences.
Aidan shook his head. 'Perhaps she did, but not any more. Oh, she tries to.
Every now and again when you're under threat, there she is, but you can't
maintain it. So why don't you let her go, Kate? You don't need her any more,'
he urged gently.
'I do--'
'No you don't,' he interrupted. 'She's lost her street credibility, at least with
me. You may have needed her once. 1 don't believe you need her now,
unless you think I'm a real threat, and I'm not, Kate. Hopefully, you'll soon
come to believe me.'
'And then what?' she croaked, helplessly.
'Then, my dear Kate, we can begin to help you.'
Her hands balled into fists. 'I've told you--'
'And I've heard you. Think about it. Don't make any quick decisions. Forget
the past. Start here and now.'
Kate stared at him, unsure just what was going on behind that charming face.
Overnight he had changed tack, leaving her floundering helplessly in his
wake. She was a good swimmer, but suddenly she seriously doubted that
that would be enough. Yet she had to try, for pride, if nothing else. How
bitterly she regretted that lapse last night, for she was paying for it now.
'I don't understand why you're doing this,' she observed shakily, striving for
normality by sipping at her coffee and grimacing at its cold bitterness.
Obligingly, Aidan poured her a fresh cup. 'I know, but you will in time.'
Hot coffee went a long way to restoring her equilibrium. 'On the whole, I
think I prefer you ranting and raving at me.'
'Of course you do,' he agreed easily, 'but that's because people in a temper
very rarely see further than the end of their own anger.'
'I think you're a very devious, dangerous man,' Kate declared with a sense of
being caught tighter and tighter in a trap.
Aidan merely smiled that enigmatic smile that was beginning to grate on her
nerves. 'Remind me to tell you about Abraham Lincoln some time.' Draining
the dregs from a second cup of coffee, he pushed himself to his feet. 'I'm
going to pack while you finish your breakfast. I've ordered a hire car for
ten-thirty.' He stopped behind her as he passed. 'On second thoughts, keep
your hair up, Kate. I've just discovered you've got a deliciously inviting
nape.'
Before she had any idea of what he intended to do, he had done it. Warm lips
brushed the tender cord. Kate gasped as tiny electric shocks tingled down
her spine, creating havoc with her breathing. She jerked away, and Aidan
uttered a husky laugh.
'Just checking,' he excused himself, and went on his way.
At the table, Kate sagged in her seat, feeling drained. She couldn't believe
what she had just been through. She had a panicky sense of having walked
into the wrong play, where, though everything looked familiar, she had no
idea what was going on. Which wasn't strictly true. She had created a
mystery and he wanted to solve it. This was just another try from a different
angle. Like his seduction number last night. Well, she was forewarned now,
and wasn't about to fall for it. She wasn't a source of free entertainment!
And yet... He had sounded so sincere. She groaned aloud. What on earth was
she going to do?
It had snowed quite heavily overnight, but the snow- ploughs had been out
on the highways and they had no trouble leaving the city and heading for the
capital. The car was a Mercedes and very luxurious, and Kate was content to
simply sit back in comfort and watch the world go by. Aidan was a good
driver, taking account of the conditions, and she felt perfectly safe with him.
It was a novel sensation, and her mind dwelt on it as she looked out at the
snowy landscape. It gave her other things to consider. If she felt safe with
him, could she also trust him? More importantly perhaps, would she respond
as she did to someone who was basically untrustworthy? She didn't think so.
But emotions were fickle; they didn't need only good ground in which to
grow. So how on earth was she to decide who to trust and did she really
want to? If only she knew why he was really doing this. What did he want of
her? What did she want of him? Why were there only questions and no
answers?
She tried to think of something else, but that merely replaced one anxiety
with another. The meeting with his father and stepmother was not one she
was looking forward to. There was just no way she could imagine them
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