smelled like a decadent treat, his spicy scent bringing back memories of their torrid lovemaking. A shiver worked through her, weakening her limbs. She stumbled and he caught her against his side.
“You okay?”
She nodded without meeting his eyes.
“Rachel, this is Ash. Ash, my other stepsister, Rachel.” As she spoke she walked to the pantry and grabbed a plastic container large enough for two cupcakes. “Here they are. Which ones would you like?” She’d gone with a steampunk theme after reading Gran an excellent steampunk romance, written by an Australian author. Small fondant cogs and top hats decorated some of the cakes. Others bore fob watches while she’d frosted another with a vampire in a billowing black cloak.
“You did the decorations?” Ash asked after inspecting the cakes.
“Yes. I…yes.” There was no need to tell him the task had filled the hours she’d normally spend looking after Gran.
“They’re amazing, Charlotte. I’ll take these two,” he said pointing.
The warmth in his tone made her all too aware of the way her clothes draped her body, pushed to mind how his tongue felt licking along the folds of her sex. But the intrigued expression on Rachel’s face and the mounting anger in Jenny now that her stepsister had regained her wits dragged Charlotte back to the present. She picked up one cake decorated with a clock face and another with a hat and cogs and closed the lid on the container.
“Are you ready to go?” Ash asked.
She jerked her head, in a hurry to leave. She’d known going out with Ash would cause tension, and Jenny was showing signs of an impending explosion.
Ash guided her outside to his sedan. It wasn’t a showy vehicle, but one intended to blend with the other cars on the road. He waited for her to settle in the passenger seat before closing the door. She set the cupcakes on the floor in the back, hoping they wouldn’t move around too much.
“I’ve picked a restaurant I haven’t visited much in the hope I won’t be recognized,” he said. “I want to enjoy our dinner without pressure from outside forces.” He backed out of the drive. “I thought of having dinner at my home, but I didn’t want to scare you. Do you enjoy Mediterranean cuisine?”
“I don’t know, but I adore trying new foods.”
“Good.” His reply held approval and counteracted some of the angst unsettling her stomach. “How long have you lived in Remuera?”
“All my life. My father remarried when I was in my teens and we moved into Elizabeth’s house. He died in a car accident a few years later.”
“I have a house in Mission Bay.”
Not surprising he lived in an exclusive part of the town. “Do you overlook the water?”
“I do,” he said. “We’ll have dinner there next time, and you can tell me what you think of my vista.”
Charlotte shot him a look, her brows rising in suspicion. His soft chuckle confirmed her thoughts. If he had his way, she’d see only one room. “Do you have a sea view from your bedroom?”
“As it happens I get a great one from my bed.”
“I’m not going to bed with you.”
“Why not? We’re good together.”
Too good. He made her dream of happy ever after, but she couldn’t let him sweep her off her feet. Nothing but hard work awaited her because she refused to ape her stepsisters, only interested in snaring a rich man to keep them in comfort. No, she wanted an independent life where she was answerable to no one. The freedom to work all night on her art projects and to eat whenever and wherever she desired.
“I agreed to dinner,” she countered, shying away from the subject of sex. A change of subject would help. “Can you tell me about the projects I might be working on?”
“John will have you helping his team of designers. You’ll do a lot of grunt-type work at first while he assesses your talents and decides what you’re capable of. As junior you’ll have to make coffee and collect lunches, run
“You okay?”
She nodded without meeting his eyes.
“Rachel, this is Ash. Ash, my other stepsister, Rachel.” As she spoke she walked to the pantry and grabbed a plastic container large enough for two cupcakes. “Here they are. Which ones would you like?” She’d gone with a steampunk theme after reading Gran an excellent steampunk romance, written by an Australian author. Small fondant cogs and top hats decorated some of the cakes. Others bore fob watches while she’d frosted another with a vampire in a billowing black cloak.
“You did the decorations?” Ash asked after inspecting the cakes.
“Yes. I…yes.” There was no need to tell him the task had filled the hours she’d normally spend looking after Gran.
“They’re amazing, Charlotte. I’ll take these two,” he said pointing.
The warmth in his tone made her all too aware of the way her clothes draped her body, pushed to mind how his tongue felt licking along the folds of her sex. But the intrigued expression on Rachel’s face and the mounting anger in Jenny now that her stepsister had regained her wits dragged Charlotte back to the present. She picked up one cake decorated with a clock face and another with a hat and cogs and closed the lid on the container.
“Are you ready to go?” Ash asked.
She jerked her head, in a hurry to leave. She’d known going out with Ash would cause tension, and Jenny was showing signs of an impending explosion.
Ash guided her outside to his sedan. It wasn’t a showy vehicle, but one intended to blend with the other cars on the road. He waited for her to settle in the passenger seat before closing the door. She set the cupcakes on the floor in the back, hoping they wouldn’t move around too much.
“I’ve picked a restaurant I haven’t visited much in the hope I won’t be recognized,” he said. “I want to enjoy our dinner without pressure from outside forces.” He backed out of the drive. “I thought of having dinner at my home, but I didn’t want to scare you. Do you enjoy Mediterranean cuisine?”
“I don’t know, but I adore trying new foods.”
“Good.” His reply held approval and counteracted some of the angst unsettling her stomach. “How long have you lived in Remuera?”
“All my life. My father remarried when I was in my teens and we moved into Elizabeth’s house. He died in a car accident a few years later.”
“I have a house in Mission Bay.”
Not surprising he lived in an exclusive part of the town. “Do you overlook the water?”
“I do,” he said. “We’ll have dinner there next time, and you can tell me what you think of my vista.”
Charlotte shot him a look, her brows rising in suspicion. His soft chuckle confirmed her thoughts. If he had his way, she’d see only one room. “Do you have a sea view from your bedroom?”
“As it happens I get a great one from my bed.”
“I’m not going to bed with you.”
“Why not? We’re good together.”
Too good. He made her dream of happy ever after, but she couldn’t let him sweep her off her feet. Nothing but hard work awaited her because she refused to ape her stepsisters, only interested in snaring a rich man to keep them in comfort. No, she wanted an independent life where she was answerable to no one. The freedom to work all night on her art projects and to eat whenever and wherever she desired.
“I agreed to dinner,” she countered, shying away from the subject of sex. A change of subject would help. “Can you tell me about the projects I might be working on?”
“John will have you helping his team of designers. You’ll do a lot of grunt-type work at first while he assesses your talents and decides what you’re capable of. As junior you’ll have to make coffee and collect lunches, run
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