Maxine Sullivan - Australian Millionaires

Sympathy flashed in her eyes. “I’m sorry. Any brothers or sisters?”

His jaw tightened. “A brother. And before you ask, he’s younger than me by a couple of years.” He looked at his watch and stood up. “Come on. Let’s go. It’s getting late.”

For a moment, surprise mixed with hurt appeared in her eyes, then cynicism took over. “Got a date, no doubt.”

“No doubt.” He didn’t tell her he was getting together with his two best mates for dinner, though Flynn and Damien would no doubt find it amusing that they were to be his “date” this evening.

Not that he’d tell them. The three of them had grown up together on the same street in this town—had shared everything from stories of their first kiss to their first million—but Kia Benton was one thing he wasn’t about to share with his rich and successful friends.

“Phillip Reid, how could you!” Kia exclaimed the next day as she swept into his study. She’d been phoning him on and off since returning from the art exhibition yesterday. He hadn’t answered, but she suspected he’d been at home. He’d been feeling low so she’d given him a reprieve, but now she had a few words to say to him whether he still felt bad or not.

He looked up and winced. “What can I say, Kia? I’m sorry.”

She stopped right in front of his desk. “I don’t like being used,” she said through gritted teeth.

His dark brows drew together. “I wasn’t … I didn’t mean …”

“Yes, you did.” She slapped the box containing the diamond necklace down in front of him. “Don’t try and fool me, Phillip. You gave me this because you knew Lynette was going to be at the party. And then you had Brant dance with me so she’d see who you’d brought as your partner. And to top things off, you tell everyone we’re engaged and leave me high and dry to field all sorts of questions.”

He looked thoroughly shamefaced and embarrassed. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go so far.”

She was nowhere near ready to forgive him. Not after what she’d been through. “And yesterday? What happened to coming to the art exhibition with me?”

He swallowed hard as he leaned back in his wheelchair. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t up to going out.” Then he looked confused. “Didn’t Brant take you? He said he would.”

“Yes, but I’d rather have gone by myself,” she said sourly, preferring not to think about how much she’d enjoyed herself. She had to remember Brant could charm any woman into having a good time.

A speculative look came into Phillip’s eyes. “Are you upset because I didn’t go? Or because Brant did?”

Kia tensed, then forced herself to relax. “It’s awkward spending time with one’s boss,” she said, avoiding a direct answer.

“You don’t mind spending time with me.”

She shrugged. “You’re different.”

“Look, if there’s something between you two—”

Somehow she managed to hide her panic. “Don’t be an idiot, Phillip. And, by the way, what’s the deal about my security alarm? I don’t remember giving either of you permission to put one in my place.”

Phillip frowned, falling for the diversion. “It was the only thing to do, seeing you’re my … er … fiancée. Brant would have been suspicious otherwise.”

Her teeth set on edge. “Engaged or not, I am not some feeble female who can’t take care of myself,” she said with more bravado than she’d felt the other night after the robbery. “And if Brant thinks he—”

“So this is about Brant?” Phillip said, pushing his wheelchair back from the desk, looking very much the all-knowing male now that the heat had been taken off him.

She realized she’d given too much away. “Phillip, will you stop this. I don’t know what’s come over you today.”

He wheeled his chair around the desk and toward her. “He gets to you, doesn’t he?”

She gave a hollow laugh. “Of course not.”

“And I’ve gone and spoiled it for you by telling everyone you’re my fiancée.” He stopped a few feet in front of her and thumped his hands on the armrests in helpless anger. “Hell. This is all such a bloody mess.”

“That’s an understatement.” She just wished he’d stopped to think things through before making drastic announcements like they were engaged. “The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

He looked up at her, his expression thoroughly wretched. “I’m not sure.”

“This can’t go on, Phillip.”

“I know. God, we were just supposed to be a couple for one date.”

Sympathy started to soften her. “Phillip, you didn’t know Lynette’s father was going to be at that dinner.”

“Yeah, but I knew he shared the same business circles. Dammit, I shouldn’t have asked you to continue with the charade after that. It wasn’t fair of me.” He looked down at his leg and his lips twisted. “Pity the accident got in the way and ruined everything. But this …” He gestured at the plaster from toe to thigh. “I know Lynette. She would’ve convinced herself that I needed her. And then she would have convinced me . I couldn’t let that happen.” He took a shuddering breath. “She deserves better than a cripple for the rest of her life.”

“Oh, Phillip.” She crouched down in front of his wheelchair. “Don’t say that. A limp does not make you a cripple.”

He took a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m just full of self-pity today.”

“Look,” she said, thinking hard. “Let’s wait until after Christmas, then we’ll make an announcement that things didn’t work out after all.”

His eyes lit up, then drooped just as quick. “But your name will end up being mud. No one will care about the details, especially not the press. They’ll just know you broke off the engagement during a bad time for me.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry, Kia. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

She squeezed his hand, trying not to think about all this being made public to the people of Darwin. “Let’s ride it out, Phillip. In the meantime, we’ll carry on for another week until Christmas. I heard you tell Mary that you were going home to Queensland for the holidays anyway. That’ll give us some breathing space.”

Intense relief surged across his face. “Good idea.”

All at once Kia couldn’t help but think that Brant would never let anyone else sort out his problems for him the way Phillip was doing here. Brant would have taken charge and done what he had to do. Actually, on second thought, he would never have gotten himself in this situation in the first place. Brant relied on no one except himself. He needed no one.

Just like her.

“Don’t let him get to you, Kia.”

She feigned ignorance. “Who?”

“Brant.”

She pretended to be unconcerned. “I wish you’d stop implying that there’s something going on between me and Brant. There isn’t. End of story.”

Is it? Phillip’s eyes asked, but she promptly looked away. She wasn’t about to tell him she suspected he was right.

The next week leading up to Christmas proved difficult for Kia. Not only was she extremely busy tidying things up at work so that she could enjoy their two-week closure over the holidays, but Brant seemed to sense something amiss between her and Phillip. She had the funny feeling he was homing in for the kill.

Then, just as she thought she might be able to relax, the airline phoned at the exact moment Brant walked into her office. They were checking to see if there was anything else they could do to assist Phillip on his trip to Queensland tomorrow.

Kia tried to sound as if she were talking to a client. She didn’t want Brant to know she wasn’t joining Phillip at this stage. “Thank you, but I believe everything’s under control.”