He’s known for getting what he wants...

...and she’s his biggest prize!

Actress Kate Holiday is used to the spotlight, yet is happy melting into the background at a society party. Until the scorching gaze of charismatic Blake Randall rests on her... No acting is required for their sizzling night together! So when he offers Kate a starring role on a billionaire’s arm—and in his bed!—dare she say yes?

Born and raised in the Australian bush, MIRANDA LEE was boarding-school-educated, and briefly pursued a career in classical music before moving to Sydney and embracing the world of computers. Happily married, with three daughters, she began writing when family commitments kept her at home. She likes to create stories that are believable, modern, fast-paced and sexy. Her interests include meaty sagas, doing word puzzles, gambling and going to the movies.

Also by Miranda Lee

A Man Without Mercy

Taken Over by the Billionaire

Rich, Ruthless and Renowned miniseries

The Italian’s Ruthless Seduction

The Billionaire’s Ruthless Affair

The Playboy’s Ruthless Pursuit

Marrying a Tycoon miniseries

The Magnate’s Tempestuous Marriage

The Tycoon’s Outrageous Proposal

The Tycoon’s Scandalous Proposition

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

The Tycoon’s Scandalous Proposition

Miranda Lee

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07214-4

THE TYCOON’S SCANDALOUS PROPOSITION

© 2018 Miranda Lee

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

BLAKE STOOD NEXT to the groom, wondering what the hell he was doing, being best man at this wedding. He knew this marriage wouldn’t last—knew it was just a matter of time.

He’d tried to reason with Lachlan. But nothing could dissuade him. Not even Blake’s argument that he himself had married at the same age—twenty-four—and the marriage hadn’t lasted six months.

At least the bride wasn’t an actress, Blake reasoned more positively. Also on the plus side, it wasn’t as though marriage—even a temporary one—harmed a movie star’s popularity these days. Gone were the days when the powerbrokers of Hollywood had dictated who a star could marry. And when.

The rise of social media had changed all that. The public couldn’t get enough of celebrity relationships. They especially enjoyed break-ups and divorces, and any whiff of scandal. Such was life in the spotlight.

Thankfully Blake’s own life wasn’t so much in the spotlight—though he’d gained a little more attention in the press since moving Fantasy Productions from Sydney to LA fifteen months ago. Still, movie-makers—even very successful, very wealthy ones like himself—didn’t grab the headlines the way actors did. Especially those like Lachlan, with his golden boy looks, buffed body and bedroom blue eyes. Add to that buckets of boyish charm and you had a prize publicity package.

Blake had first recognised Lachlan’s potential when he’d attended a performance at Australia’s much lauded National Institute of Dramatic Art a few years ago. He’d instantly signed him up. And the rest, as they said, was history. Three years and four movies later Lachlan was an established star, whilst he’d become Australia’s most successful film writer/director/producer.

Blake suspected, however, that their working relationship would not last for much longer. It was only a matter of time before something—like this marriage—would make his star move on.

‘There she is,’ Lachlan whispered suddenly, snapping Blake out of his cynical thoughts.

Blake followed the groom’s enthralled gaze past the seated guests and up the sweeping staircase down which the bride would eventually descend, and into the large living area, which had been filled with several rows of chairs divided by a strip of red carpet.

Blake spied a froth of white up on the gallery landing. White dress, white hair, white flowers. Behind the bride, attending to the long white veil, bustled the one and only bridesmaid, wearing something long and svelte in jade-green. Blake couldn’t see her properly—didn’t have a clue who she was. He hadn’t even met the bride, having been too busy with his latest movie, plus several other new projects, to fly back to Australia for Lachlan’s engagement party, and only jetting in to Sydney late last night.

The only contribution Blake had made to this wedding had been getting billionaire Byron Maddox—who was a good friend as well as a business partner—to offer his very lovely harbour-side home as a venue for the wedding and the reception afterwards.

The original venue had rather inconveniently burnt down six weeks ago, throwing Lachlan into a panic after getting a phone call on location from his hysterical bride-to-be.

Thank heaven for rich friends, Blake thought, and threw Byron and Cleo a grateful glance.

When they smiled back at him his own face cracked open into a wide smile. God, but they were a great couple. If ever a man and woman were made for each other it was those two. They almost made him believe in true love.

Finally some music started up. Not a traditional bridal march but a rather romantic piano rendition of ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’.

It was at that moment that the bridesmaid in jade-green moved round from behind the Barbie doll bride and came into full view.

Blake’s dark eyebrows lifted in surprise. She wasn’t a stunner. But she was extremely attractive. Tall, with a slender figure and pale skin which suited the off-the-shoulder style of her gown. Her hair was a golden-brown colour, drawn straight back from her high forehead and falling in a softly waved curtain down her back, held in place by a simple circlet of pink and white flowers. It was her face, however, which Blake kept returning to—a face any camera would love.

Blake had a habit of looking at faces as though through a lens, especially on a first meeting. It was a long-ingrained habit, and one which didn’t do any harm, really. No one knew what he was thinking at the time, so Blake didn’t feel any guilt as he continued to assess the bridesmaid’s looks from every camera angle.

He knew from experience that high cheekbones and a well-defined jawline photographed well in any light and from any angle. This woman’s nose wasn’t starlet-small, but it suited her, giving her face character. She didn’t have pouting bee-stung lips either, although it was all the fad these days. Her mouth was actually rather wide, but still well formed. And expressive. So were her almond-shaped eyes.

Blake frowned as he tried to fathom the reason behind the sadness he kept glimpsing within their dark brown depths as she made her way slowly—and stiffly—down the staircase. Along with the sadness lay undeniable tension, he noted. Her knuckles were white as she clasped the posy of pink and white flowers at her waist with unnecessary force.

At last she reached the bottom step. It was at this point that she sucked in a deep breath, as though trying to gather all her courage. The gesture touched him, evoking an uncharacteristic surge of compassion. Something was bothering that girl about this wedding—something much more emotional and personal than Blake’s cynical view.

‘Who’s the bridesmaid?’ Blake muttered under his breath, so that only Lachlan could hear.

‘What? Oh, that’s Kate. Maddie’s sister.’

‘Older sister?’

‘Older? Yeah. God, doesn’t Maddie look incredible?’ he exclaimed, clearly awed by the beauty of his bride, who remained standing at the top of the staircase, all eyes on her.

Not Blake’s, however. He’d had his fill of Barbie doll blondes—especially those manufactured in Hollywood by plastic surgeons and ambitious mamas. His eyes were all for the bridesmaid, with her natural-looking figure and lovely but oh, so sad eyes.

Her chin lifted as she took her first step along the makeshift aisle, her focus straight ahead during what seemed to be a very difficult journey for her. She didn’t look at him, or at Lachlan, or at any of the guests. She seemed frozen now—a robot with no feelings on show any more. But that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Smile, sweetheart, came the sudden wish from deep inside Blake. Don’t let the world see that you’re hurting. Don’t give people the chance to hurt you further.

And they would if she let them. People could be cruel—especially once they’d sensed weakness. Fortunately, no one was looking at her. All eyes were still on the beaming bride, who was now approaching the bottom of the staircase. The music changed to ‘Isn’t She Beautiful?’ Which the bride was. Even Blake had to agree that Maddie was drop-dead gorgeous. But such beauty was often only surface-deep, he’d found, the same way Lachlan’s was.

The same way Claudia’s was...

The thought didn’t hurt him the way it once had. But that didn’t mean he’d forgotten the lessons his one and only marriage had taught him.

The main one was, Don’t, for pity’s sake, believe anything that ambitious young actresses do or say to you. Sleep with them, by all means, but don’t fall for their flattery or their brilliant fakery. And never marry one. Lord, no.

In truth, marriage was not for him—even with a non-ambitious non-actress. Not yet, anyway. Aside from his scepticism over the lasting power of romantic love, he wasn’t good husband material. He was way too obsessed with making movies, working seven days a week, often twenty hours a day. What time did that leave for a wife, let alone children?

Maybe when he was forty he might consider both. But he was only just thirty-two. Plenty of years left to think about such things.

Meanwhile, his attention returned to the attractive but bleak-looking bridesmaid.

Damn. She looked as if she was going to cry now. Her bottom lip was definitely quivering, accompanied by a flash of true panic in her eyes. Clearly she didn’t want to cry. Just in time she got control of herself, her nostrils flaring as she sucked in another deep, desperate breath.

Blake wondered what on earth was going on in that girl’s mind. He knew that women often cried at weddings, but they were usually tears of happiness. He could be wrong, he supposed, but he was absolutely certain that whatever she was thinking they weren’t happy thoughts!

Maybe this Kate knew what sort of man her kid sister was marrying—knew that he was a player. Maybe she feared for Maddie’s future happiness. Well, she had a right to be scared on that particular score! Not that he could be a hundred percent positive that was the reason behind her grim face. He could only guess.

In actual fact Blake often found himself speculating on the various emotions he noted on the faces of perfect strangers. He was a people-watcher—an essential talent for a writer-cum-movie-maker. After all, motivations and emotional conflicts were the backbone of all storytelling.

His gaze returned to Kate’s stiffly held face and robotic walk. At last she reached the end of the aisle, flashing him a frowning glance before moving sideways to her left, where no one could see her face except the celebrant. And he was busy ogling the bride. Now all Blake could see was her profile. Her head and shoulders drooped for a split second, then lifted abruptly, the muscles in her throat standing out as she once again took rigid control of herself.

His heart went out to her. As did his admiration. Whatever was bothering the bride’s sister, she was a brave soul. Brave, but still rather fragile.

When the posy of flowers she was holding began to shake Blake determined not to let the evening end before he found out what was upsetting her so much. He could be charming when he wanted to be. And quite good at getting people to open up. Yes, he would worm the truth out of her. Women did love to confide. And hopefully, sooner rather than later, he would bring a smile to her face.

He imagined she would be quite lovely if she smiled. Already Blake found her attractive. And intriguing. And extremely desirable.

Much more desirable than the Barbie doll bride.

CHAPTER TWO

KATE GRITTED HER TEETH, still stunned at how much she was hating this, how sick she felt to her stomach. Yet she’d known for ages that this day was coming. She’d had plenty of time to prepare herself mentally. All to no avail, it seemed.

She clasped her bouquet even tighter and willed her mind to go blank. But her mind refused to obey. It whirled on and on, tormenting her. Torturing her.

Because today was the end of the line, wasn’t it?

The end of all her hopes and dreams where Lachlan was concerned. Today the man she loved would marry her sister. And that would be that. No more stupidly hoping that he might wake up one morning and realise Maddie wasn’t right for him and that she was a much more suitable wife. No more fantasising—as she had during their three years studying together at NIDA—that he might finally see her as a potential girlfriend and not just as his good mate and acting buddy.

There was nothing worse, she realised, than the death of hope.

Kate sighed, stiffening when she realised just how loud that sigh had been. As much as she was wretched to her core, she’d determined earlier today not to let anyone—particularly Maddie—suspect the truth. And she’d managed—’til the moment that sickening music had started up and she’d had to step into the spotlight on those stairs. At which point she’d frozen, the sheer futility of her feelings washing through her.

She knew she should have smiled but she simply hadn’t been able to. Not that it had mattered. No one had been looking at her. No one except the man standing next to Lachlan. Blake Randall, the best man.

He had kept on looking at her. And frowning at her. Wondering, probably, why she looked so forlorn.

Kate would have liked to tell him why—would have liked to scream that if it hadn’t been for him all their lives would have taken a different course and she wouldn’t be standing here today, having her heart broken.

A slight exaggeration, Kate. Your heart was broken last Christmas, when you optimistically brought Lachlan home for dinner.

They’d both just graduated from NIDA, and Lachlan’s parents had gone away on a Christmas cruise. Plus he’d been between girlfriends at the time. Which hadn’t happened too often. She’d thought it was her chance to snare his sexual interest. And it had seemed at first that she had. Lachlan had actually flirted with her in the car during their drive from his flat at Bondi to her parents’ home at Strathfield.

But all that had changed the moment he’d met her very beautiful and very vivacious blonde sister.

Something had died in Kate when she’d seen how quickly and easily Maddie had captured Lachlan’s sexual interest. By the end of Christmas dinner Maddie’s almost-fiancé had been firmly dispensed with and she’d gone off with Lachlan, moving in with him the very next day.

So, in reality, Kate had had ten months to get over her broken heart. Ten long, soul-destroying months during which her own acting career had stalled and she’d been reduced to working weekends in a local deli whilst going to endless auditions during the week.

If she hadn’t been living at home she wouldn’t have survived. The only acting job she’d managed to snare in that time had been a part in a play. It had been quite a good part, too. But the play hadn’t proved commercial or popular at the box office. Despite garnering reasonable reviews, it had closed after six weeks.

She’d tried out for various movies and television shows, but had so far been unsuccessful, usually being told that she wasn’t ‘quite right’ for that particular part; didn’t have the ‘right look’—or the right height, or the right something. Sometimes she wasn’t given a reason at all. Her agent said she needed to be more positive when meeting producers and directors, but any positivity she’d possessed seemed to have disintegrated.

In truth, Kate had always been on the shy side, with social skills not her strong point. The only time she felt truly confident was when she was in character, playing an outgoing role. Then she exuded confidence. If only she could be more like Maddie, whose social skills were second to none and whose confidence was out of this world.

A nudge at her elbow snapped her out of her thoughts, and Kate turned to see Maddie glaring at her before shoving her bouquet into her hands. The glare disappeared once she’d turned back to beam at the male celebrant. Kate felt a sudden urge to throw the bridal bouquet onto the floor and stamp on it.

She didn’t, of course. But the unexpected burst of anger did achieve something, shoving aside her self-pity and replacing it with a determination to stop letting unrequited love ruin her life. It was way past time for her to get over Lachlan and move on.

Steeling herself, Kate turned her body to the right in order to watch the ceremony, seeing immediately that Blake Randall had done the same and was looking straight at her. No, he was staring at her, as if he was trying to work out what was going on in her head.

If she told him he would probably laugh. Whilst she’d never actually met the man, she’d seen him interviewed on television several times. Despite having made a career—and loads of money—making movies about love and romance, he’d come across as a cynic about both, stating bluntly on one occasion that he was just giving the audience what they wanted.

Of course he had been a popular topic of conversation amongst the students at NIDA—especially after making Lachlan into a star. Kate knew Blake Randall had been married once to Claudia Jay, an Australian actress who’d starred in one of his early films. The marriage hadn’t lasted long, and Claudia had claimed her new husband had neglected her shamefully once the honeymoon was over. Kate suspected there was more to their divorce than met the eye, Claudia having moved to Hollywood soon after the breakup.

She didn’t feel sorry for either of them. They were both tarred with the same brush, in her opinion. Both of them ruthlessly ambitious, leaving little room to really love anyone other than themselves. Blake had gone from strength to strength after his divorce, whilst Claudia had gone on to have a successful career in Hollywood, her name linked with a succession of high-flying producers and directors.

Kate herself didn’t dream of Hollywood success. Or necessarily of being in movies. She loved acting on the stage most of all. But she wouldn’t knock back a decent role in a movie or a television series. If she was ever offered one.

Kate was about to sigh again when she remembered her agent’s advice to be more positive. And a little more proactive. It occurred to her that any other aspiring actor would take advantage of being in a wedding party opposite a brilliant movie-maker like Blake Randall. She shouldn’t be ignoring his interested glances. She certainly shouldn’t be standing around looking like a wet weekend and sighing all the time. She should be making the most of this rather amazing opportunity by smiling and flirting and projecting Little Miss Confident and Available, not Little Miss Miserable and Vulnerable.

All she had to do was pretend. No, act. She was an actor, wasn’t she?

But it was no use. She simply couldn’t summon up a smile. Maybe if he’d been more pleasant and approachable-looking she might have managed it. But his looks matched his reputation as a demanding tyrant to work for. He had gleaming black hair—worn unfashionably long. Thick black brows. Deeply set piercing blue eyes. An arrogant aquiline nose. Slightly hollow cheeks. And a rather cruel-looking mouth.

The press described him as ‘handsome’. Kate thought him scary-looking. And very intimidating.

She was in the process of abandoning any idea of even talking to him later when he smiled at her. Just a small smile, really—a slight lifting of the corners of his mouth—but it was accompanied by a wicked twinkle in his eyes. They did strange things to her, that smile and that twinkle. Made her feel more confident. And quite sexy. Which was astonishing given her libido seemed to have died ten months ago, along with her heart.

Before she could think better of it she smiled back. A small smile and possibly without any accompanying twinkle. But it was a start. His smile widened, his eyebrows lifting, taking away his scariness and making him look quite handsome. Not handsome the way Lachlan was handsome—but then, no man Kate had ever met was that handsome.

He mouthed something at her and she frowned, not sure what he was saying. He repeated it more slowly and she finally understood the words.

You...look...lovely.

Kate honestly didn’t know how to react, blinking her surprise before looking away. She wasn’t used to men of Blake Randall’s ilk coming on to her. They went for the Maddies of this world. Or for stunning actresses like Claudia Jay. Admittedly she looked the very best she could today—thanks to Maddie and her mother bullying her into hours of work at the beauty salon—but she doubted she could compete with the sort of women who usually vied for this man’s attention.

Kate was still trying to work out how to respond when there was a burst of applause behind her. Kate was taken aback to realise that the ceremony was over, and Lachlan and her sister were now legally man and wife.

She waited for a jab of devastation to overwhelm her but it didn’t come. Instead all she could think about was Blake Randall flirting with her.

How odd.

There was Maddie in Lachlan’s arms, being kissed very thoroughly, and even whilst she couldn’t bear to watch at the same time it made her wonder what it would be like to be kissed by that hard, cruel mouth which was once again smiling at her. No, grinning at her.

It was infectious, that grin, as was the wry gleam in his eyes as he nodded his head towards the couple who were still locked together in an exhibitionist kiss.

Without thinking this time, she grinned back, and suddenly lightness lifted her previously heavy soul, making her see that there was definitely life after Lachlan.

How silly she’d been to imagine that the world had stopped turning simply because the man she loved did not love her back. There was still plenty to live for. Her career, for starters. Kate adored acting—loved inhabiting another character’s skin and making her audience believe that she really was that person. It was the ultimate high when she pulled that off. The ultimate adrenaline rush.

The besotted couple finally wrenched themselves apart, and a flushed Maddie turned to Kate to retrieve her bouquet.

‘What a pity Lachlan and I can’t leave right now,’ her sister grumbled. ‘I can hardly wait I’m so turned on. Oh, God, don’t look at me like that, Katie,’ she hissed impatiently. ‘You know how much I like sex. And my Lachlan is just the best at it.’

Kate smothered a groan of despair. Or was it disgust? Whatever it was, that feeling of devastation she’d so valiantly pushed aside was back with a vengeance.

CHAPTER THREE

OH-OH.

Disappointment swamped Blake as he caught sight of Kate again, her face having been obscured by the bride turning to collect her bouquet. Gone was her lovely smile, and in its place her former bleak expression.

What the hell had happened in the last few seconds? What had the Barbie doll said to her? Something not very nice, judging by the unhappiness in Kate’s eyes.

Blake knew from first-hand experience that siblings were not always the best of friends—especially those of the same sex. Rivalry and jealousy often raised their ugly heads, making true friendship impossible. His own brother was a case in point. James had always been jealous of him, despite there being absolutely no need. James was the firstborn son, after all, and his parents’ favourite—especially since he’d followed in his mother and father’s footsteps to become a doctor, like them.

On the other hand Blake had been regarded as the black sheep of the family since he hadn’t even gone to university, since he’d done something considered very left field by embracing the entertainment world—first as a DJ, then shooting music videos for a couple of years before finally plunging full-time into making low-budget independent movies.

Both his parents and his brother had given him dire warnings about his future. And Blake found it telling that now he’d made it big they were all hurtfully silent on the subject of his success. Blake had used to let it bother him, but he no longer cared. Or so he told himself. They all had small minds, in his opinion, James the smallest of them all.

Blake rarely saw his family these days, only visiting at Christmas and on special occasions. Now that he’d moved to Los Angeles to live and work he suspected he might not even do that. Just send the occasional card. He no longer kept in contact through social media or email, nor with phone calls, having resolved not to give them any further opportunity to deliver snide remarks about his lifestyle or his movies. Which they did, if given the opportunity.

Blake had no evidence that Kate’s sister had just made some kind of nasty remark to her except for the look on her face. But that wasn’t jealousy he was seeing in her expressive blue eyes. It was hurt. And dismay.

Why her unhappiness bothered him so much he could not fathom. He’d never been a particularly empathetic soul. Perhaps it was because he found her attractive and didn’t like the idea of there being some hidden impediment which would hinder his pursuing his interest in her. Whatever the reason, Blake resolved not to rest until he’d solved the mystery of that unhappiness.

And it was a mystery. Because on the surface of things Kate had nothing to be unhappy about. She was gorgeous! Okay, she didn’t have the in-your-face blonde beauty of her sister. But she was still highly desirable.

Of course being physically attractive was no guarantee of happiness. Maybe she was unhappy because she was still unmarried, despite being the older sister. Though not much older, surely. Blake knew Lachlan’s bride was only twenty-three, which made Kate what? Twenty-five? Twenty-six, maybe? Hardly a marital use-by date in this day and age.

‘Get with the programme, Blake,’ Lachlan said, grabbing his nearest elbow. ‘We have to sign the marriage certificate.’

As the groom ushered him over to where the paperwork had been set up on a side table Blake cast a surreptitious glance back at Kate. She seemed to have gathered herself, and her expression was not wretched any longer. It was, however, utterly devoid of emotion once more—a totally blank mask. How on earth did she manage that? When he was upset everyone knew about it. He didn’t throw tantrums, exactly, but his face always reflected his feelings—as did his voice.

He watched her watching the happy couple sign the register, but her eyes betrayed nothing now. Which was telling in itself.

When it was their turn to step forward as witnesses, he waved for her to go first. After throwing him a closed look, she picked up one of the provided pens and signed quickly, with only the slightest tremor in her hand. He glanced at her signature before he signed his own name.

Kate Holiday, he read, and realised that until that moment he hadn’t known the bride’s surname. So of course he hadn’t known Kate’s. He’d never met the bride’s parents either, or anyone else in her family. Strange, really, given he was the best man.

Blake wondered all of a sudden why Lachlan had asked him to be his best man. He would have thought a young Aussie male with his looks and personality would have had at least one best mate—a pal he’d gone to school with or studied at NIDA with.

Obviously not. Either that or he preferred someone famous to stand by his side at his wedding. A celebrity. Lachlan was very much into celebrity.

It hadn’t occurred to Blake until that moment that he was being used—that this wedding was little more than a publicity stunt, with a trophy bride, a glamorous Sydney setting and a rich and famous best man. Lachlan was no better than Claudia, really.

Whilst the thought did bring a sour note to the proceedings Blake knew he would have the last laugh. Because in actual fact Lachlan wasn’t so great an actor, and his range was decidedly limited. Once he was seduced by the big boys in Hollywood and started making movies that weren’t tailored to his specific brand of looks and charm his career might very well sink like a stone. Major studios were very unforgiving once the box office results rolled in. Lachlan’s past successes in Blake’s movies would not carry him for ever.

A slight smirk curved his top lip as he put his signature to the marriage certificate. It was still there when he put the pen down and turned to face his intriguing partner.

‘So, Kate Holiday,’ he said, doing his best to hide his underlying irritation, ‘we haven’t been properly introduced. But I dare say you know who I am.’

‘Yes, of course I do,’ Kate said. ‘Lachlan has spoken of you a lot.’

‘Well, you have one up on me, then—because he’s told me nothing about you.’

She seemed quite taken aback. ‘You mean he’s never mentioned that we were students together at NIDA? We were in the same class,’ she went on, obviously peeved. ‘We graduated together last year.’

‘Sorry. He’s never mentioned it,’ he told her, doing his best to get his head around this news.

Kate was an actress! Who would have believed it? Still, it went some way to explaining her ability to hide her emotions. Though she wasn’t hiding them at the moment. She was looking decidedly upset. On his part, he was just perplexed.

Why hadn’t Lachlan told him that his future sister-in-law had been at NIDA with him? He knew Blake held an enormous respect for their graduates. On top of that, he was always on the lookout for fresh talent—especially actors with Kate’s unique and very interesting face.

He wondered if Lachlan was jealous of her acting talent. That would be just like him. He would hate anyone to steal his thunder. Narcissistic devil!

‘All I know is that you’re Maddie’s older sister,’ he admitted. ‘I don’t even know how much older.’

‘I’m twenty-five,’ she confessed, almost as if it was a crime.

Twenty-five was a good age for an actress, he thought. And for other things...

Finding out that Kate was an actress didn’t dampen his desire for her in any way. If anything, it increased it—along with his sudden resolve to help her career in any way he could. Blake suspected it might not have taken off, since he’d never heard of Kate Holiday. And he would have if she’d done anything of note. Blake had his finger on the pulse where rising stars were concerned.

Just then they were shepherded outside by the photographer—a rather officious fellow who was very full of himself.

‘So, what have you been in lately?’ he asked her as they trailed past the huge marquee which had been set up in the gorgeous grounds of Byron’s home. ‘Anything I might have seen?’

‘I doubt it,’ she said. ‘I was in a play earlier this year, but it closed rather quickly. I was brilliant, of course,’ Kate added, throwing a self-deprecating smile his way. ‘But not brilliant enough, apparently. One of the reviews said I was “very decorative”.’

Blake laughed. ‘Which you are,’ he said. ‘Very.’

She looked startled, her high cheekbones pinkening a little. Acting? he wondered. Or was she genuinely taken aback by his compliment? Blake decided he didn’t care either way. She enchanted him. And intrigued him. He was going to enjoy finding out more about her this evening, and at the same time putting a spoke in Lachlan’s ego by giving her career a boost.

He would offer her a part in one of his upcoming movies. Nothing too large. She was an unknown, after all.

Of course Blake anticipated that his offer to help her out would come with the bonus of taking her to bed in the foreseeable future. Which he very much wanted to do. More so than he had in a long while. Whilst sex was something he enjoyed, he wasn’t a sex addict. He could do without—especially when he was working long hours. Which he had been for several weeks now, finishing up Lachlan’s latest movie and getting it ready for distribution.

Possibly this longish stint of celibacy was responsible for the rather urgent wave of desire he was currently experiencing. Hopefully there wasn’t any extraneous reason why Kate shouldn’t respond to his pursuit. The only hurdle he could think of was a boyfriend in the wings. Or, worse, a fiancé.

A swift glance at her left hand detected a total absence of rings.

Good. A boyfriend he could handle, but a fiancé was another matter entirely.

‘I am so going to hate these photographs,’ Kate muttered when the photographer started giving them orders.

‘I don’t know why,’ he commented as they were forcefully arranged in a group in the well-lit gazebo, with the harbour and the bridge in the background. ‘With your bone structure I bet you’re very photogenic.’

Even if she wasn’t the best actress in the world, she would look good on screen. Blake felt confident that the camera would love her.

‘It’s very nice of you to say so.’

‘Not at all. It’s the truth. I never say things just to be nice.’

Not until tonight, that is. For some weird and wonderful reason Blake felt uncharacteristically compelled to be nice to Kate. Very nice. And it wasn’t just because he wanted to have sex with her. Right from the first moment he’d set eyes on her sad-looking self she’d brought out the gallant in him. Which was unusual. Because a white knight with women Blake was not—especially since Claudia’s betrayal.

Quite frankly he could be a bit of a bastard where the opposite sex was concerned. Especially if the girl was an ambitious young actress who made it obvious when they met that she was his for the taking—not because of a genuine attraction but because sleeping with him would further her career.

Kate was different, though. A different sort of girl. A different sort of actress.

He’d given her every opportunity to flirt with him. And flatter him. But she’d done neither. He liked that. He liked that a lot.

‘Would the bridesmaid please smile?’ the photographer snapped impatiently. ‘This is a wedding, not a funeral.’

CHAPTER FOUR

BUT IT IS a funeral, Kate wanted to wail. It was the death of her dream to marry Lachlan herself one day.

A stupid dream, really. Stupid and futile—especially once he’d met Maddie.

Of course she should never have taken him home. But she’d honestly thought it would be safe, with Maddie practically engaged. How had she been supposed to know that they would take one look at each other and fall head over heels in love?

Well, you should have known, you idiot!

Not that it would have made any difference.

Get real, you fool. Even before he met Maddie Lachlan had three years to notice you in that way. But he didn’t and he never would have! You’re not his type—which is blonde and beautiful, with buckets of self-esteem and a sense of self-entitlement to rival royalty. Somehow that description doesn’t fit you, dear heart. Not even remotely.

A very strong male arm suddenly wound around her waist, pulling her firmly against his side and propelling Kate out of her self-pitying thoughts. Glancing up at Blake, she encountered narrowed blue eyes giving her a warning look.

‘If you don’t start smiling properly,’ he whispered into her ear, ‘I’ll start thinking you can’t act your way out of a paper bag.’

Kate blinked, then swallowed and straightened her spine—after which she rewarded him with a beaming smile. Because no way did she want Blake Randall thinking she couldn’t act. Hadn’t she resolved earlier to try to use the opportunity of meeting him to her advantage? It would be utterly foolish to ignore a man of his influence and contacts. If she couldn’t have Lachlan’s love, then at least she could have a career.

‘That’s better,’ he said, smiling down at her.

Her spirits lifted again, as they had earlier when he’d smiled at her. Kate couldn’t quite understand why he was as interested in her as he seemed to be—but who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?

The photos were still a trial—especially when she and Blake mostly had to stand to one side and witness Maddie and Lachlan having endless shots taken of just the two of them in all sorts of romantic poses and clinches.

Maddie had confessed to Kate that morning that they’d already sold their wedding photos to a well-known tabloid—which wasn’t surprising. Her sister was very money-hungry. Celebrity-hungry, too. They were certainly a well-matched couple in that regard; Kate was well aware of Lachlan’s love of fame.

She winced as she watched him kiss his blushing bride for the umpteenth time.

If she’d been alone with Blake, Kate might have been able to distract herself by chatting about movies. But, no, fate wasn’t going to be that kind. Her parents were now hurrying over to them, demanding to be introduced, and gushing like mad over the bride and groom.

After what felt like for ever, but was probably only a few minutes, Blake suddenly took her arm and said, ‘You must excuse us, folks, but we really have to speak to Byron ASAP.’

He didn’t explain further, just swept a relieved Kate away.

‘Are they always like that?’ he growled as he snatched two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, pressing one into Kate’s hand.

‘Like what?’

‘Raving about your sister like she’s a bloody princess. They never said a word about how gorgeous you look. It was all about Maddie—Little Miss Perfect and oh, so clever to have snared herself a husband like Lachlan.’ He snorted at that. ‘They won’t be saying that in a couple of years’ time.’

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, a little flustered by his saying she looked gorgeous.

‘Damn it,’ he said, gulping his glass of champagne before giving her a slightly sheepish look. ‘I probably shouldn’t be saying this. Though maybe you already suspect?’

‘Suspect what?’

‘That where the opposite sex is concerned Lachlan is a rat. No, more of a cat. A tom cat. He can’t keep it in his pants for long. Trust me when I say that being married won’t stop him from sleeping around. I walked in on him having sex with a make-up girl just a few weeks ago. Long after his engagement to your sister.’

Possibly Kate shouldn’t have been shocked—Lachlan had garnered quite a reputation during his years at NIDA—but she was.

‘Poor Maddie,’ she said, and downed half of her glass of champagne.

‘I agree with you. If she truly loves Lachlan then she’s in for a bumpy road.’

What an odd thing to say, Kate thought. If she truly loves him. Of course Maddie truly loved him. Lachlan was the sort of man who inspired love. Every time Kate looked at him she felt that tightening in her stomach, that wave of longing. So nowadays she tried not to look at him. It was easier that way.

She did go and see his movies, though. Which was the worst form of masochism since they were all love stories and always had at least one sex scene. But she simply could not resist.

‘Is that why you were upset earlier?’ Byron asked her. ‘Because you’re worried about your sister’s future happiness?’

Kate stared up into his deeply set blue eyes, which held a surprisingly sympathetic expression at that moment. And there she’d been, believing he was some kind of ruthless bastard. Not so, it seemed.

‘Yes,’ she lied, for how could she tell him that it was her own future happiness that had been worrying her?

He reached out to touch her wrist lightly. ‘No point in worrying about other people’s marriages. What will be will be.’

Kate didn’t know what to think. Her thoughts were somewhat scattered. How could Lachlan do something like that? It had certainly tarnished her opinion of him. Not her love, however. That didn’t tarnish quite so easily.

Suddenly she frowned at Blake. ‘Why did you agree to be Lachlan’s best man when it’s obvious you don’t like him very much?’

He shrugged. ‘Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike Lachlan. He’s not a bad fellow. Just weak when it comes to women throwing themselves at him. Which they do. All the time. Look, he asked me to be his best man and I said yes. Call it a business move rather than a measure of close friendship. The publicity will be good for our next movie, which should be coming out in the New Year. Too late, unfortunately, to be up for any awards this year, but I couldn’t get it edited and distributed any earlier.’

‘I see. And is that also why you organised for the wedding to be held here? For the added publicity?’

‘No. I didn’t think of that at the time. When the other venue burnt down we still had a couple of weeks’ shooting to complete in Hawaii, and I couldn’t afford for my leading man to keep getting hysterical phone calls from his fiancée. So I stepped in and fixed things. Now, I think they’re waiting for us to go into the marquee for the reception. We’ll be on the same table, but I doubt we’re seated side by side—worst luck. Still, there’ll be a party and dancing afterwards. Then we can talk some more.’

He put a firm hand in the small of her back and gently pushed her towards the entrance to the marquee. It felt good, that hand. Very...reassuring. Also very intimate.

She sneaked a quick glance up into his deep blue eyes, startled when they bored back down into hers with the sort of lustful look men usually reserved for Maddie.

The realisation that Blake Randall lusted after her was flattering, but also very flustering. Her whole body tightened in response, which threw her. She couldn’t possibly lust after Blake Randall in return, could she? Surely not. She was just shocked, that was all.

And yet...

She glanced over at him again, this time focusing on his mouth and recalling how she’d wondered earlier in the proceedings what it would be like to kiss him.

Exciting, she decided, her heartbeat quickening. Exciting and risky. Very risky. Because he wouldn’t want to stop at kissing.

Kate knew in theory that love and lust didn’t have to reside together. But she’d never experienced one without the other. Which was why her very limited forays into sex had been such disasters—and why, for the last four years, she hadn’t had a proper boyfriend or been to bed with anyone. How could she after falling so deeply in love with Lachlan?

Yet as she stared at Blake Randall’s perversely sexy mouth she could not dismiss the notion that she just might enjoy going to bed with him despite not loving him. Not that she would. She wasn’t that sort of girl. She wasn’t like Maddie, who’d been jumping into men’s beds at the drop of a hat since she was sixteen.

Besides, you don’t really want to go to bed with him, Kate told herself firmly. You’re just flattered that he fancies you. That’s what this is all about. Not true lust. Just your poor pathetic ego, desperate for someone to show some interest in you. Now, stop ogling the man and get some perspective!

Just in time she wrenched her eyes away from his mouth. But it was too late. His lips were drawing back into a knowing smile. He’d already seen her staring at him.

‘First dance is mine,’ he said with a devilish twinkle in his eyes. ‘Don’t forget.’

Relief claimed Kate as the wedding planner bustled over to them, interrupting what was becoming an awkward situation.

Her name was Clare. She was about fifty, a sleekly attractive blonde with an air of self-importance somewhat like the photographer’s. They were in business together, Maddie’s mother having hired them because they were supposedly ‘the best’.

‘Do come along, Kate,’ the woman said, and glanced at her watch. ‘You too, Mr Randall. We are now running behind schedule.’

Blake rolled his eyes at Kate after Clare had departed to hurry up some of the other guests.

‘Irritating woman,’ he muttered as he steered Kate over to their table. ‘Do you know she had the hide to ask to see my speech? Claimed she needed to check if it was too long.’

‘How rude!’

‘That’s what I thought. Lord knows how people like that stay in business. Anyway, I didn’t show it to her because I haven’t written one. I just assured her it would be the shortest best man’s speech in history. Which it will be. I detest long speeches.’

Kate gnawed at her bottom lip. ‘You’re not going to say anything...revealing, are you?’

‘About Lachlan being a player, you mean?’

‘Yes.’

‘Of course not. That’s not my place. My role tonight is to be complimentary and charming and funny.’ Blake laughed at the doubtful look on her face. ‘Don’t worry. I can be all of those things when I need to be. I’m actually a very good actor myself.’

CHAPTER FIVE

BLAKE WAS AS good as his word, keeping his best man’s speech very short and very witty, heaping gushing compliments on the bride and hearty praise on the groom, refraining from any of the usual tasteless double entendres concerning the groom’s past behaviour with the opposite sex, and finishing up by toasting the happy couple with gusto.

I really am a good actor, he decided when he sat down to huge applause less than five minutes after he’d stood up. Because it had certainly gone against the grain for him to say the overly nice things he had. He hadn’t lied for Lachlan’s sake, of course, or for the bride, but for Kate, whom he could see had been upset by his revelation about Lachlan’s lack of morals.

He regretted telling her now. It had been unnecessary. He’d achieved nothing except to increase her anxiety over the future of her sister’s happiness. Clearly she was fond of her sister, despite her parents’ obvious favouritism for the younger girl.

He cringed when he recalled the father of the bride’s over-effusive speech about his perfect younger daughter. It had been sick-making. If he’d been Kate he would have walked out. Or thrown something at him. But she’d just sat there, sipping champagne and smiling, even laughing at some of her father’s gushing stories about Maddie as a little girl.

She was an incredibly generous and sweet-natured soul. Odd, given her chosen career. Aspiring actresses were rarely sweet. Unless they were faking it. And Blake felt confident she wasn’t.

He smiled when he thought of her smallish breasts and her lack of false eyelashes. No. Nothing fake about Kate Holiday.

Which was one of the reasons he found her so attractive.

She found him attractive too.

Blake was an expert in female body language, and he’d noticed her reaction to his none-too-subtle compliments. She liked them, but didn’t quite know how to react to them. Didn’t seem to know how to flirt.

Not like her sister. He might not have met the bride before, but he’d seen her in action tonight—both with the celebrant and the photographer and also himself, to a degree. Not that she’d actually said anything to him yet. There’d been no opportunity. But she’d fluttered her false eyelashes at him whenever she’d had a chance, her smile both sweetly coy and smoulderingly sexy at the same time.

She was a piece of work, all right. Lachlan just might have met his match with Maddie Holiday.

Finally the interminable meal and the speeches were over and the happy couple rose, leaving the table to go and cut their three-tiered wedding cake.

Blake immediately moved into the bride’s vacant chair so that he could talk to Kate. ‘So what did you think?’ he asked her on a teasing note. ‘Did my speech meet with your approval?’

She smiled at him, her expression wry. ‘You’re right. You’re a very good actor. You didn’t mean a single word of it, did you?’

‘I meant the bit I slipped in about the beautiful bridesmaid. I didn’t think the groom complimented you enough in his speech. Now, the dancing will start soon. I’ve been to a few weddings in my time, so I know the routine. First the bride and groom will do the bridal waltz, and then we’ll all be invited to join them on the dance floor.’

‘Yes, I know,’ she said. ‘I have been to the odd wedding or two as well. Though never as a bridesmaid.’

‘Never?’ That surprised him, given her age and her niceness. ‘But you must have loads of girlfriends. Haven’t any of them got married yet?’

‘Actually, no,’ she said.

‘No, you haven’t got loads of girlfriends? Or no, none of them have got married yet?’

‘I do have a few girlfriends from my years at NIDA, but no one so close that they would ask me to be a bridesmaid.’

‘What about from school?’

‘No. I wasn’t popular at school. I was considered a nerd. And not very cool.’

‘I find that hard to believe,’ he said, but he was lying.

He could see that she was on the reserved, rather introverted side. He’d been very popular at school—perhaps because he’d been a rebel. There was no rebel in Kate. Not a great deal of confidence, either. How on earth did she expect to succeed as an actress if she didn’t exude confidence?

Still, she had him to help her now. She just didn’t know it yet. It was probably not the right time or place to offer her a part in one of his movies tonight. Or to try to seduce her, either.

But he couldn’t let the grass grow under his feet. He was flying back to LA in a few days. And Blake had no intention of going back without having some delicious sex with this delightful creature, as well as giving her career a much-needed boost.

He would invite her out to dinner tomorrow night. Somewhere seriously good. After which he would take her back to the city penthouse he was staying in. It belonged to Byron, but he wasn’t using it much now that he’d moved into this absolutely gorgeous harbour-side mansion.

‘What about boyfriends?’ he asked, wanting to know the lie of the land before he got his hopes up too high. Not that a boyfriend would stop him now. The more time he spent with Kate the more he wanted her.

‘What?’ she said, blinking up at him.

God, she did have lovely eyes. And so expressive. Perfect for the camera.

‘You said you don’t have loads of girlfriends,’ he went on, ‘but you’ve surely had loads of boyfriends. There must be one at the moment.’

A strange cloud dulled her eyes. Strange, because he couldn’t read the emotion behind it. What was it? Not distress. Or dismay. Sadness again? Yes, that was it. Sadness. A very deep sadness. He wondered if she’d had a serious boyfriend and something dreadful had happened to him. He couldn’t imagine any man worth his salt dumping Kate, so what else could it be?

Only death, Blake decided, warranted this depth of sadness. A very recent death, possibly. That would explain everything that had puzzled him about her tonight. It might also explain why she hadn’t responded all that strongly to his none-too-subtle overtures. Perhaps by finding him attractive—and he was pretty sure she did—she felt she was betraying her loved one.

Blake pulled himself up sharply before he got carried away. Which he did sometimes. Nothing worse than being a movie-maker. He found drama in every situation. The reality was probably nothing like what he was imagining.

‘Actually, no,’ she said, a rueful little smile hovering. ‘I do not have a boyfriend at the moment. I have had boyfriends in the past, of course.’

Well of course she had. If she hadn’t she wouldn’t be normal.

‘Then there’s no one to object if I ask you out to dinner tomorrow night?’ he went on.

She didn’t look totally surprised, just a little wary.

‘No,’ she said, but there was reservation in her voice and reluctance in her eyes.

He knew then that she wasn’t going to be easily seduced. One part of him admired her for it, but that other part—the part which was aching and hard and more conscienceless than it had ever been—refused to be deterred.

So he decided to play his trump card. Too bad if it was a bit premature. A man had to do what a man had to do.

‘I want to talk to you about a part in my next movie which I think would be perfect for you,’ he added, dangling what he knew would be a powerful carrot.

There was no doubting her surprise. No, her shock. Genuine, ingenuous shock. God, she really was irresistible.

‘But why would you do that?’ she asked, jerking her head back a little as she blinked up at him. ‘Surely you would need me to audition for you first.’

Damn it all, why did she have to be so difficult? He respected her for it, but it was irritating.

‘I don’t need to see an audition from a graduate of NIDA,’ he dismissed. ‘Their programme produces the most talented actors.’

‘Yes, but...but...’

‘Kate Holiday,’ he said sternly. ‘Do you want to be a successful actress or not?’

‘Of course I do,’ she replied, looking quite offended. ‘It’s what I want most in the world.’

‘Then stop looking a gift horse in the mouth.’

She smiled then. Which pleased him no end.

‘You’ll come to dinner tomorrow night?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good. Now, let’s go and dance.’

CHAPTER SIX

HOW AMAZING, KATE thought a little breathlessly as Blake swept her onto the dance floor and into his arms. Dinner tomorrow night and a part in a Blake Randall movie.

Amazing, but also a little worrying. She’d heard casting couch stories, knew that it still happened, and wondered if Blake was of that ilk. Would he expect her to have sex with him at the end of the evening?

Kate knew he fancied her—had seen desire in his eyes. And even more worrying was the suspicion that if he made a pass at her she might just say yes to whatever he wanted. Which was not like her at all!

But this was her chance, wasn’t it? she reasoned desperately. Her chance to get her career off the ground. And she did find him attractive. Very attractive. And sexy. Very sexy. It was that mouth of his. And the hot, hungry gleam which fired up his eyes whenever he looked down at her. Which he was doing at the moment. He made her feel sexy in return. And terribly tempted.

A thought suddenly came to her, however—one she didn’t like at all.

‘This part you have in mind for me,’ she said as he whirled her round, thankfully at arm’s length. ‘It’s not in one of Lachlan’s movies, is it? I honestly don’t want to be in one of his movies.’

‘No, it’s not a rom-com. More of a family drama. A character-based script which I wrote a few years ago but hadn’t got round to making. But it’s all systems go now, and we start shooting in late November. Look, keep this under your hat, but I think Lachlan and I will be parting company in the near future.’

‘But why?’ she asked, totally taken aback.

Blake glanced over at the man in question before answering. Fortunately the dance floor was big enough for them not to be too close. Nevertheless, when he spoke he kept his voice low.

‘Mr Rodgers has an exalted opinion of his acting abilities. He doesn’t really understand why his movies with me have been so successful. He thinks it’s solely due to him. He might do one more movie with me, but he’ll go with the money in the end. He recently got himself a new agent—one who’s buddy-buddy with the big production companies. They’ve already offered him a very lucrative contract for three movies. He says he’s just thinking about it, but I can see the writing on the wall.’

‘That’s not very loyal of him,’ Kate said, feeling upset for Blake. Though he didn’t seem that upset himself.

He shrugged. ‘There’s no such thing as loyalty in Hollywood. Just box office figures. I’ll survive without him, I can assure you. I have several new projects already in the pipeline—none of which rely on Lachlan Rodgers.’

‘That’s good.’

Good, too, that she wouldn’t have to work with him. That would have been just awful. And so would her acting have been, with her new brother-in-law’s presence being both distracting and upsetting.

Still, Blake might be right about Lachlan’s acting abilities being limited. When they’d been at NIDA he certainly hadn’t come top of the class. He’d been good, but not as good as some of the others. She herself had been singled out by their teachers for more praise than he had.

‘Let’s not talk about Lachlan any more,’ Blake said. ‘I’d rather talk about you. So, tell me, if you’ve only had that one part in a play since you graduated, how have you been surviving financially?’

‘Well, I do live at home, rent-free. And I’ve been working at a local deli at the weekends. That pays for my clothes and fares, and leaves me free to go to auditions during the week.’

‘Do you have a good agent?’

Kate sighed. ‘I thought I did. But I’m beginning to have my doubts.’

‘You need to get yourself a new one, then.’

‘I think I will.’

The music changed from a waltz to a faster, more throbbing beat. More people got up to dance, at which point Blake pulled Kate very close and told her to put her arms around his neck. After a slight hesitation she did so, and felt Blake dropping his hands down to her hips. His grip was firm, pulling her lower half against him, making Kate quickly aware of something hard pressing against her stomach. It was impossible to ignore.

Blake’s eyelids grew heavy with the contact, and a tense silence enveloped them as their fused hips swayed to the music. On her part she felt mesmerised—both by the obvious evidence of his desire for her and her own shocking thoughts. She began imagining how it would feel to have his flesh buried deep inside hers, to have his mouth on hers, kissing her, only lifting to whisper hot, hungry words in her ear.

Her mouth went dry.

Not so another part of her anatomy.

Suddenly she needed to go to the bathroom. ASAP.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, flustered by the urgency of that need, not to mention what was going on in her head. ‘But I... I have to go to the Ladies. Too much champagne.’

A total lie. She’d only had one glass during dinner, worried that if she drank too much she might do something she’d regret, might somehow make a total fool of herself.

It had taken every ounce of her acting ability not to react to her father’s speech, not to let jealousy for Maddie take her over. She loved her sister. She always had. But she did so hate it that everyone else loved her so much, with no love left over for her. Lachlan’s speech had been total agony, and Kate hadn’t been able to look at him even when he’d toasted her, as was his duty.

‘Sorry,’ she repeated, and then hurried away out of the marquee, almost running back to the house and up the staircase to the bedroom and en-suite bathroom where she’d dressed earlier.

There was probably a powder room or two downstairs, but she didn’t know where they were and she simply couldn’t wait. But, perversely, when she sat on the toilet she didn’t do all that much, and yet the odd feeling of pressure remained.

She’d never felt anything quite like it. Not painful, exactly. No, not painful at all. Just weirdly tight and tense. Her belly was as hard as a rock, whilst elsewhere she was hot and embarrassingly wet. Once again her thoughts took flight, her fantasies definitely on the R-rated side.

‘Good grief, Kate,’ she groaned aloud, confused by the way she could want any man like this, when she was in love with someone else.

She certainly hadn’t done so for the last four years. Never. Not once. Blake Randall, however, seemed to have broken through her frozen libido and brought it to life in a startling way. More than startling when she considered that even when she’d first fallen in love with Lachlan he hadn’t evoked so violent a physical reaction.

Her feelings about him had always seemed more softly romantic than starkly sexual. She sighed over him. And dreamt about him. But she’d never been consumed by explicit sexual fantasies. Which she had been a minute ago.

Kate shuddered as she recalled that moment when she’d literally ached to have sex with Blake. She was still aching.

Oh, Lord, whatever was she going to do?

You’re going to get a grip, that’s what you’re going to do. Then go back downstairs and...

And what?

She honestly had no idea. She’d probably leave it up to Blake to make the next move. And he would. She felt sure of it. And the prospect was sending an excited shiver down her spine.

After she’d washed her hands she stared at herself in the vanity mirror, seeing her over-bright eyes and flushed cheeks. Glancing down, she checked to see if her nipples were on show. Thankfully they weren’t, courtesy of the corset-style underwear she had on. Maddie had chosen it for her, insisting that it would give her some shape. Which, right now, she was grateful it did.

Kate couldn’t deny that she wanted Blake to pursue her. What she didn’t want was for her own desire to be embarrassingly obvious, or for him to think any response of hers was because he had offered to give her a part in one of his movies. Because what she was feeling at the moment had nothing to do with her career and everything to do with herself as a woman.

It was quite thrilling to be the centre of attention for a change. To feel special, and attractive, and truly desired.

At the same time Kate still felt flustered by the strength of her own sexual response to Blake’s overtures. She didn’t quite know what to do next. Flirting didn’t come naturally to her. She wasn’t like Maddie. She didn’t have her sister’s sexual boldness. Or her confidence. What if she was misreading the situation?

This last thought brought a laugh to her lips. How could she possibly have misread that erection? Unless, of course—she giggled a little—Blake had a gun in his pocket.

Kate had a smile on her lips as she left the bathroom—a smile which was wiped away when she encountered Lachlan standing in the bedroom, with a dark scowl on his beautifully shaped mouth.

‘Lachlan!’ she exclaimed. ‘What are you doing here? Where’s Maddie?’

‘Dancing with your father. She won’t miss me for a minute or two. I told her I was going to the Gents. Look, I saw you duck out of the marquee and I followed you.’

Kate frowned. ‘But why?’

‘I wanted a word with you in private. I wanted to warn you.’

‘Warn me? About what?’

‘About Blake bloody Randall.’

Kate sucked in sharply. Why on earth was Lachlan speaking about his mentor and best man with such disrespect? ‘What...what about him?’

‘About his modus operandi with pretty women—especially ones who have acting in their blood.’

Kate was torn between being flattered by Lachlan calling her pretty and worrying about what this dreaded ‘modus operandi’ could be. Though she was beginning to suspect...

‘First things first: does he know you went to NIDA with me?’

‘Well, yes, he does. I told him.’

‘Damn. That’s stuffed things good and proper, then. No doubt he’s already offered you a part in one of his movies? That’s one of his moves when he fancies an actress. And you’re looking extra-fanciable tonight, Kate. Frankly, I’ve never seen you looking so good. Blake only goes for the good-looking ones. So, has he offered you a part?’

‘Well, yes,’ she admitted, feeling a little bit sick. ‘A small one.’

‘I don’t doubt it’s just a small one,’ Lachlan scoffed. ‘Mr Perfectionist wouldn’t risk spoiling one of his movies by giving an unknown a seriously good part. You’ll probably only have a few words here and there. Just enough to make sure you have to be on location with him so that he can shag you every night. But once the movie is wrapped up you can bet that will be the end of it. He has a reputation for seducing his female stars, but once the movie is over so is the affair.’

He came forward and curved his hands over her shoulders—a gesture that shocked Kate rigid because it forced her to look up into his eyes...those beautiful blue eyes which had entranced her from the first day they’d met.

Perversely, however, neither his touch nor his proximity sent her weak at the knees, as she might have expected. All she felt was a confused wariness.

‘I wouldn’t like to see that happen to you, Kate,’ he went on. ‘You’re far too nice a girl to be used by that bastard.’

Goodness. Such strong words! ‘Is that why you didn’t tell Blake I was in your class at NIDA?’ she asked, trying to make sense of Lachlan’s present attitude, not to mention his past actions. ‘You were trying to protect me?’

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