Millionaire's Woman

He shrugged. ‘Then she’ll think it perfectly natural if you keep on seeing me.’

‘So she can get used to having you around?’

‘I want a whole lot more than that!’ He touched a hand to her cheek. ‘These past few weeks I’ve tried to prove to myself that I can live without you, Kate, but only proved that I can’t. On the way home from London today, hours before I knew the truth about Joanna, I decided to play it your way, as your friend or anything you want. But you know damn well thatI want to be husband—and your friend.The two are not mutually exclusive. For God’s sake, Kate, I love you. And, in spite of my past sins, I know you still love me.’ He pulled her up out of her chair and held her by the shoulders. ‘Are you going to tell me I’m wrong?’

She stared up into the compelling eyes for a long moment, then shook her head wearily. ‘No. You’re not wrong, Jack.’ She leaned into him, her cheek against the soft wool of his sweater. ‘But Joanna comes first.’

‘Then I’ll do my best to make her like me.’

‘She likes your father.’ Kate looked up at him with a wry little smile. ‘And she fell madly in love with Bran.’

‘Ah!’ Jack’s eyes gleamed. ‘Does she know he’s mine?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good. I’ll use him as my trump card. When do I meet her?’

‘I’m fetching her from Worcester on Tuesday, so come to supper on Wednesday, if you like. It would help pass the time for her until Saturday.’

‘What’s happening on Saturday?’

Kate told him about the disco and, to her amusement, Jack scowled in disapproval.

‘You’re letting her loose among teenage boys?’

‘She’s thirteen, Jack. And Ben will be on hand to help Jim Carey fend off gatecrashers, so she won’t come to any harm.’

‘I’ll ring Jim and offer my help—’

‘No, you will not, Jack! Get to know Joanna first before you start acting the heavy parent.’

He smiled reluctantly. ‘All right. You win—this time.’ He picked her up and sat down on the chaise with her on his lap. ‘You do realise what this means?’ he said, his eyes inches from hers.

‘What does what mean?’ she said unevenly.

‘If you refuse to tell Joanna I’m her father I’ll just have to marry her aunt and become her uncle.’

‘No way. Living a lie isn’t easy, Jack—I speak from experience.’

‘I thought you’d say that,’ he said with satisfaction. ‘Then we revert to Plan A and get Joanna so used to having me around she’ll probably start asking my intentions.’

‘You haven’t been around at all lately,’ she reminded him tartly.

His eyes smouldered. ‘Do you blame me? You turned me down for the second time, Kate.’

‘Don’t tell me you were heartbroken, Jack Logan,’ she retorted. ‘I happen to know you went back to your haunts in London!’

‘Yes. For all the good it did me.’ He held her closer, smiling ruefully as he told her about the unsuccessful evening with Hester Morris. ‘You can laugh if you like.’

She shook her head, secretly so delighted she wanted to hug him until his ribs cracked. ‘I didn’twant to turn you down, Jack. You can see, now, why I did. Besides, I didn’t turn you down flat the first time either. I just wanted to work in London for a while before getting married.’ Kate sighed. ‘I took it for granted I’d see you every weekend once you realised you couldn’t live without me.’

‘Which is exactly what happened,’ he said grimly. ‘Only fate—in the shape of Dawn—intervened.’

‘And what a shape it was,’ Kate retorted. ‘No wonder you couldn’t resist.’

Jack kissed her suddenly, holding her still when she tried to protest, and after a moment or two Kate gave up protesting and kissed him back. He raised his head, his eyes gleaming as he smoothed a lock of hair back from her face. ‘It was nothing to do with her shape,’ he said huskily. ‘I was like a kid wanting comfort, and Dawn provided it as bait to hook a husband. Not that I’m blaming her—it was mym is take.’

‘You paid through the nose for it, Jack!’