The Trouble with Valentine’s (9 page)

‘No!’ Louder this time. This was not happening. Regardless of her sweetness, her savvy and her thorough understanding of football, Hallie Bennett was definitely
not
The One.

He wouldn’t let her be.

Hallie was lying on her stomach on the freshly made bed, leafing through the travel guide to Hong Kong he’d given her, when Nick finally emerged from the bathroom. Her trouser-clad legs were bent at the knees, her dainty little feet- clad in strappy little sandals- were crossed at the ankles. Her arms were bent at the elbows, her collared shirt showed a modest amount of cleavage. She looked casual, comfortable and perfectly at ease. Perfectly approachable, which was good because he was about to re-establish the boundaries of their relationship.

Just as soon as he put some clothes on.

She looked up at him and smiled as he crossed to the wardrobe and there was lazy satisfaction in that smile, a woman’s awareness. His doing, his alone, for there’d been no one else before him and damned if he didn’t relish the notion.

No way. No. This was
not
happening.

He turned his back on her and dressed fast, deliberately avoiding her gaze as he headed for the sideboard and his business papers.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ he said gruffly.

‘It shows.’

He shot her a glance, darkly amused. ‘I’ve been thinking we should stick to the plan from now on.’

‘Fine.’

‘I mean, the whole point of bringing you along was so that this kind of complication
wouldn’t
crop up.’

‘I know.’

‘We got a bit carried away, that was all.’

She smiled at that and he had the uncomfortable feeling that she’d anticipated each and every one of his defences.

‘I promise it won’t happen again,’ she said, and it was all he could do to keep his jaw from hitting the ground. ‘That’s what you want to hear, isn’t it?’

Well, yes. It was just that he wasn’t expecting to hear it quite so readily. Where was the dismay?
The protest at having to give up such incredible lovemaking? The businessman in him was relieved. The lover was insulted. The lover, he thought darkly, was the one who’d got him into this mess in the first place. ‘I think we need a new rule,’ he said firmly. ‘No more sex.’ And then as she sat upright, slid on over to the edge of the bed and winced in doing so, ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Tender,’ she confessed, blushing to the roots of her hair. ‘I don’t think I’m going to have any problem complying with your new rule.’

Great. Just great. Now he had guilt. This, he remembered grimly, was one of the reasons he’d never taken a virgin to his bed. He didn’t know what to do. How to help. ‘Maybe you should take it easy today, postpone your sightseeing trip. I’m sure Jasmine wouldn’t mind.’

‘I’d mind,’ said Hallie. ‘I want to see the galleries.’

So much for trying to get her to rest. What was it with women and shopping? Which reminded him. He sifted through his computer case for his spare cash; found it at the very bottom of the case, beneath the computer. ‘Here,’ he said, holding it out towards her. ‘Take it. You might see something you want to buy at the shops today.’

Hallie stared at the thick wad of money, stared
at him. ‘I thought we agreed you’d pay me at the end of the week.’

Nick nodded. ‘And I will. This is just shopping money.’

‘Shopping money.’ She said it slowly, looking at the money as if it were poison. Looking at him like he was a snake. ‘Keep it,’ she said, with a bite in her voice that was new to him.

‘Look, you’re going to the galleries,’ he said, thoroughly baffled by her reaction. ‘I’m assuming that whatever they sell there won’t come cheap and, if I know Jasmine, she’ll consider your outing a failure unless you find something you can’t resist. I certainly don’t expect you to use your own money for that kind of thing. Put it in your handbag just in case.’

‘No!’ She sounded fierce, looked fragile. ‘I know you’re paying me to pretend to be your wife, and I know I let you buy me clothes for the trip, but you can keep your
shopping
money. I won’t take it.’

‘Why not?’ The way he saw it, it was all part of the same deal.

She looked away. ‘Because it’d make me feel like even more of a whore,’ she said finally.

Nick blinked. Then he scowled. ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Okay, so his timing could have been
better. He shouldn’t have offered her money so soon after sex. But she’d seemed just fine about the sex, he thought morosely. Not to mention the ceasing of it. They’d finished that discussion, hadn’t they? And moved on. ‘This money’s got nothing to do with the sex!’ he snapped. ‘Don’t you dare think I’m trying to pay you for sex!’

She looked slightly mollified. A little uncertain. But her chin was high. ‘I’m still not taking it.’

Then they were at an impasse. Because Nick was equally determined that she would. ‘What if I commissioned you to buy me a gallery piece while you were out shopping today?’ he said. ‘What if I secured your professional services as an antiques expert, so to speak? Would that be acceptable?’

‘I’m listening,’ she said warily.

‘Buy me something.’ He tossed the money down on the bed beside her.

‘With this much money I could probably buy you Hong Kong Harbour,’ she said in a small voice, staring down at the notes scattered across the bedspread. ‘What do you want?’

‘You’re the expert. You choose.’

‘Yes, but a buyer usually has
some
idea what their client is after.’

Buyer and client now, were they? He should have been pleased that she was going to take the
money. He should have been happy she’d finally come to her senses and recognised it as a necessary part of the charade rather than some kind of post-coital payoff, but he didn’t feel pleased. He felt … hollow. ‘Buy me a vase,’ he said. It was the first thing that came to mind.

‘Fine. A vase it is.’

He watched her shove the notes into a zippered section of her handbag, smile a bright false smile, and head for the door. Something was bothering him. Something big.

‘You didn’t really think I’d treat you like a whore, did you?’ he asked quietly.

She didn’t answer.

T
HERE WAS SOMETHING
TO be said for being chauffeur driven around Hong Kong in a Mercedes, decided Hallie some two hours later as Kai expertly negotiated the traffic with the ease of long familiarity. Jasmine sat beside her in the back seat, cheerfully pointing out places of interest; from museums to major corporations, the Bird Garden to the Goldfish Market. Any other day and Hallie would be embracing the opportunity to shop for antiques with a knowledgeable guide and a chauffeur to boot, but not today. Today her mind was on Nick and his lovemaking. More specifically, on what had happened afterwards.

Good Lord, what a mess.

She’d been expecting Nick to pull back after their lovemaking. She’d started preparing for it the minute she’d stepped from the shower, and
she’d been doing all right as they’d re-established the rules of their relationship. She’d been doing pretty well considering that this had been her first morning-after ever. Very well considering her feelings for Nick weren’t nearly as casual as she’d made them out to be.

And then he’d acted all concerned for her well–being and she’d let her guard down and allowed herself to believe, just for a moment, that she meant something to him. That he’d found their lovemaking as incredible as she had. And then he’d offered her the shopping money, and boy, hadn’t she taken
that
the wrong way. Hallie leaned her head against the windowpane, closed her eyes, and tried to wish it all away. The lovemaking, the misunderstanding, the money …

The sooner she got rid of the money weighing down her soul and her handbag the better.

‘Hallie, are you well?’

Hallie straightened up, opened her eyes, and smiled at the younger girl, who was looking across at her in concern. ‘I’m fine. Just a little tired.’

‘Did you not sleep well? Was the bed uncomfortable?’

‘No, no. The bed was very comfortable.’ Sharing it was the problem. ‘It’s probably jetlag kicking in. I’ll be okay. Really.’ With a determined breath
she focused on the younger girl and their outing. ‘So tell me … Where’s your favourite place in the whole city?’ she asked.

‘The Lucky Plaza food hall,’ said Jasmine promptly. ‘They have the finest selection of food in the city. You can try a little of everything! I usually do.’

‘We could go there for lunch,’ said Hallie.

Jasmine looked uncertain.

‘Your father would not approve of your choice of eating venue,’ said Kai in his quiet, implacable way.

‘I’ll ask him,’ said Jasmine lifting her chin in a defiant gesture that was vaguely familiar. A quick conversation on her mobile and it was done. ‘He said yes,’ she told Kai sweetly.

Hallie watched with interest as Kai’s gaze clashed with Jasmine’s in the rear-view mirror, his stony, hers limpid. It was like water meeting rock; the rock endured but the water was fluid and tricky, not to mention flawlessly beautiful and surprisingly strong-willed. Jasmine held Kai’s gaze in silence until finally he turned his attention to the road. The smile Jasmine slid Hallie was impish. Hallie returned it in full.

‘So when would you like to eat?’ asked the younger girl. ‘One o clock?’

Lucky Plaza was a well-maintained seventies shopping complex. Inside was clean and nondescript with a worn look that spoke of many feet. The shops were jammed full of goods for sale – with barely any space for browsing. ‘You ask for what you want,’ explained Jasmine. ‘And they find it.’ Orderly chaos, thought Hallie and thought about the shoe shop she’d left behind. At least the retailers here were busy.

The shop signage was fascinating – not that Hallie could read it. And then they reached the food hall and Hallie discovered that here was where the people of Asia came together to celebrate food.

‘See? I knew you would like it,’ said Jasmine, accurately judging her fascination. And to Kai, ‘And she hasn’t even tried the food yet.’

He steered them towards an empty table in a corner and sat them down unceremoniously, his gaze not on Jasmine but on two dark-suited Asian gentlemen standing by a nondescript staircase some twenty metres away. ‘Stay here,’ he told Jasmine.

‘Go.’ Jasmine waved him away. ‘We shall make our food selections while we wait for you.’

Hallie watched as Kai strode towards the staircase,
according the staircase sentries the barest of nods before taking the stairs. ‘So what’s with the sentries?’ she asked. ‘Where’s Kai going?’

‘To pay our respects,’ said Jasmine. ‘One does not enter another’s territory without observing the formalities.’

‘What territory? You mean Triad territory?’

‘Oh no,’ said Jasmine hastily. ‘Kai would never allow us to go
there
. Lucky Plaza is owned by another of Hong Kong’s criminal organisations. They are … less than the Triads but still worthy of respect. You can see why I had to ask my father if it was appropriate to bring you here.’

Yes, well, she did
now
. So much for thinking Kai’s objection to the lunch venue was a simple power play. Jasmine guided them towards an empty table. The table top was clean but small. Space really was at a premium here but the scents wafting from the various kitchens were divine. ‘How long has Kai been your bodyguard?’ she asked.

‘Eight years.’ Jasmine looked pensive. ‘My mother … she died when I was eleven and she didn’t die well. Kai joined us shortly after that.’ Jasmine took a deep breath. ‘My father is a very rich man. My mother was kidnapped and held to ransom. It happens.’

‘What happened?’ Too blunt a question for a revelation like this one, not corporate wife tactful at all, but Hallie couldn’t help it.

‘The ransom was paid,’ said Jasmine quietly. ‘They killed her anyway.’

‘Oh, Jasmine. I’m so, so sorry.’

‘Me too,’ said Jasmine with a resigned shrug. ‘My father has never forgiven himself for not taking better care of my mother; for not offering better protection. That’s why Kai goes where I go. That’s why I’ve never gone to school – why teachers and tutors and friends all come to me. That’s just the way it is.’

‘Did you ever find out who was behind the kidnapping?’

‘Of course.’

‘And?’

‘Justice was served. Lessons were learned. It would take a very foolish kidnapper to come after me.’

‘Yet Kai still goes where you go?’

‘Apparently the world is full of fools.’ Jasmine smiled slightly. ‘Would you like me to order for you?’

‘Please,’ agreed Hallie. ‘I want to taste all your favourites.’ But she couldn’t stop thinking about Jasmine Tey’s mother and the impact her death had
had on Jasmine’s life. How lonely she must have been. How well and truly trapped.

‘My mother wasn’t kidnapped,’ Hallie offered tentatively. ‘She died of cancer when I was a child. It was a slow and ugly death. She fought so hard, I can remember that much.’

Jasmine’s eyes showed an understanding way beyond her years.

‘She left behind my father, four older brothers and me. My father was shattered. He retreated into his work. My brothers took on the task of raising me. It was … interesting. Funny as all go get sometimes. And sometimes not. I’m twenty-four years old and they’re
still
protective.’

‘But surely now that you’re married, your brothers have pulled back to allow your husband to assume the role of protector?’ said Jasmine.

Oh yeah. That.

Truth was, Hallie had absolutely no idea if her brothers would change their ways if she really were married. It would depend on the husband. On their liking and respect for said husband. And, yes, Nick could match them for size, but they wouldn’t be testing him for size, they’d be testing his resolve, and Hallie knew from experience just how that was likely to end. No potential suitor upon meeting all four of her brothers
en masse had ever been brave enough to stick around.

‘He looks to be a wonderful husband,’ said Jasmine with a wistful sigh.

‘He is,’ Hallie said. Or he would be, once he finally got it in his head to settle down. ‘He gives me the freedom to make my own mistakes.’ Like making sure that it had been
her
decision to make love to him that morning. ‘He has this easygoing way about him, a certain reckless charm.’ Oh, he definitely had that going for him. ‘But when you get down to it, he’s a lot like my brothers. He likes his own way.’ The ‘shopping’ money in her handbag was a perfect example. ‘Thing is, I like Nick’s way too. It doesn’t feel like a cage. It just feels … right.’

‘I feel trapped,’ said Jasmine pensively. ‘Sometimes all I can think about is finding a way out. When Nick first came to visit I saw him as an opportunity for escape. Of course he’s handsome and kind as well; a woman could do worse than to be married to such a man … And you must understand, I didn’t know about you.’ Jasmine looked away, her face reddening. ‘I tried to seduce him,’ she said in a small voice. ‘You should have seen your husband’s face. The dismay …’

‘Oh, Jasmine …’ Maybe Nick had called it
correctly when he’d gone in search of a pretend wife for a week. ‘Surely you don’t have to marry in order to gain a little freedom? There has to be another way. You just have to find it.’

‘I’m trying.’

‘You could study abroad,’ offered Hallie. ‘Travel. Take Kai with you if you have to.’

‘Kai’s part of the problem,’ said Jasmine. ‘He’d drive me crazy. I’d drive him crazy. He doesn’t even like being around me any more. It’s like … he just doesn’t want to be there.’

‘Maybe he needs to move on.’

‘I don’t know why he hasn’t,’ Jasmine confided in a small voice. ‘He’s not happy doing what he’s doing, no matter how often my father tries to involve him in business.’

‘Maybe he needs a woman,’ said Hallie. ‘Maybe he
has
one and things aren’t working out.’

‘No,’ said Jasmine with a firm shake of her head. ‘I would know if there was a woman. Kai hasn’t had a woman in his life for years.’

No women at all? ‘He’s not …?’

‘No!’ said Jasmine indignantly. ‘Definitely not! He’s just … discerning.’

‘I guess he can afford to be,’ said Hallie, watching the younger girl closely. ‘He’s very handsome,
don’t you think? Almost as handsome as Nick.’

Jasmine’s lips tightened. ‘I guess,’ she said, offhand.

‘And he does the strong, silent thing very well.’

‘If you like that kind of thing.’

‘Many women do,’ she assured the younger girl and smiled outright when Jasmine’s eyes narrowed. Jasmine seemed to be harbouring a few protective instincts of her own when it came to Kai.

‘How old is he?’ Hallie asked next.

‘Twenty-six.’

And how old was he when he came to you?’

‘Eighteen.’

Hallie blinked. ‘That’s young, for bodyguard work. Although I do concede that he has all the moves.’

‘He always has,’ said Jasmine.

‘I also noticed that your father treats him like a son.’

‘Yes. He always has.’

Now there was a wayward thought. ‘But he’s
not
your father’s son, right? By blood, I mean.’

‘Of course not!’ Jasmine looked offended by the very thought. ‘If Kai were blood my father would claim him. Family is
everything
to my father, and
as for Kai—’ Jasmine shook her head vehemently. ‘It’s not that. Whatever lies between Kai and my father, it’s not
that
.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Hallie gently. ‘It was a foolish idea and disrespectful as well. Please accept my apology.’

‘Accepted,’ said Jasmine, but her disquiet stayed in place. ‘I think perhaps that you’re simply very frank. But we are both being frank, it seems. And I don’t want that to stop.’ The younger woman smiled awkwardly. ‘I don’t have very many female friends I can talk to.’

It sounded to Hallie as if Jasmine didn’t have anyone much to talk to at all, apart from Kai and her elderly father.

‘So what
kind
of things drive Kai crazy?’ she asked. ‘Maybe we can fix him.’

‘He used to let me cook with him all the time. Now it’s as if he can’t wait for me to get out of the kitchen,’ offered Jasmine glumly. ‘We used to practise Wing Chun together – Kai was my first teacher, my
only
teacher until I was sixteen. That’s when Kai persuaded my father to let me join a proper Wing Chun school. You have no idea how much I wanted that. Kai was my hero for getting my father to agree.’ Jasmine’s eyes dimmed.

‘And then Kai stopped teaching me, he stopped
training me, he stopped sparring with me. I know he still trains. He trains before dawn every day. Just not with me. We used to be able to talk together. Laugh together – he has the sweetest smile, you haven’t seen it yet. He doesn’t use it any more. Not around me.’

Maybe Hallie was on the wrong track again, like with the half-brother thing. But she’d mentioned that as a possibility so she may as well mention this and Jasmine could make up her own mind. Sometimes an outside eye was clearer than an inner one.

‘So for years you and Kai were close.’

Jasmine nodded.

‘And then as you grew older he started pulling away. And now he’s edgy around you.’

Jasmine nodded again.

‘Now I’m really inclined to think he’s having woman problems,’ Hallie said lightly. ‘Maybe he’s pining for an
unavailable
woman.’

‘There
is
no
woman
!’ said Jasmine hotly.

‘There’s you,’ said Hallie. ‘Maybe Kai has feelings for you and doesn’t know what to do with them. It’s possible.’

Jasmine blinked. Then she went white.

‘Or not!’ said Hallie hurriedly, cursing her wayward mouth. ‘That might not be it at all. It was just
a thought. I’ve only been here two days. What do I know?’

‘I never—’ said Jasmine with a tiny shake of her head. ‘It
can’t
be that. I’d know. I mean, Meng Kai cares for me, yes. But not like
that
.’

‘Let’s finish this conversation some other time,’ said Hallie swiftly, her gaze meeting Kai’s as he reappeared at the bottom of the stairs and started towards them with that silent, ground-eating stride. ‘Because here he comes.’

Jasmine nodded and deliberately didn’t look at him as he drew closer.

He was a warrior, this one, a warrior steeped in the old ways; Hallie knew the breed. Honour-bound to protect his charge; he would be equally determined to resist any feelings for Jasmine that he deemed inappropriate.