Carole Mortimer - Mistletoe Magic

‘I’m sure we will,’ she confirmed flatly. ‘I’ll just go and get my coat and meet you at the car.’ She turned to leave without waiting for any response to this remark, just needing to get away for a few minutes on her own.

To regroup.

Also to make sure she removed all sharp instruments from her handbag—just in case she was goaded into sticking any of them into Gideon as he drove. After all, it was him she felt like doing harm to, not herself.

The green Jaguar saloon was comfortable, she would give him that, Molly allowed grudgingly a few minutes later when she sat beside Gideon as he drove the car down the long driveway out onto the public road. Warm and comfortable. But that was only the car. The owner was anything but those things.

Perhaps it was too warm and comfortable, she decided a few minutes later as her eyes began to close and her head to nod tiredly.

‘You really are tired, aren’t you?’ Gideon said slowly as Molly made a concerted effort to stay awake.

‘Why would I say I was if I wasn’t?’ she snapped back testily.

There was complete silence in the car for several long seconds, and then Gideon gave a sigh. ‘Perhaps I was a little hard on you last night,’ he said grudgingly.

Molly turned to give him a sharply suspicious look. Surely he couldn’t be apologising for the things he had accused her of yesterday evening?

He glanced at her, dark blond brows rising as she warily returned his brief gaze before it returned to the road ahead. ‘I was referring to my omission to dispose of the spider,’ he drawled derisively.

No, she had been right the first time; he wasn’t apologising for the accusations he had made.

‘Did you spend all night keeping a wary eye on it?’ he added with some amusement—completely nullifying the previous apology.

‘Don’t give it another thought,’ Molly dismissed hardly, determined not to give him the satisfaction of knowing she had done just that.

‘I wouldn’t have done—’ he shrugged ‘—if it weren’t for the fact that you look so exhausted this morning.’

‘By “exhausted” I presume you mean awful?’ she bit out resentfully; so much for the washed hair and make-up.

He gave another shrug of those broad shoulders. ‘Well…’

Molly felt the angry colour warm her cheeks as she glared at him. ‘Do you ever say anything nice?’ she snapped caustically.

‘Frequently.’ He nodded, completely unabashed. ‘For instance, in contrast to what you were wearing on Sunday, the blouse you’re wearing this morning suits your colouring perfectly.’

The compliment was so unexpected that it left Molly speechless. And slightly tearful, she realised with dismay.

Overtired.

Overwrought.

Just over-everything…

Gideon gave her another glance, frowning slightly. ‘Wasn’t that a nice thing to say?’

Molly gave a deep sigh, aware even as she did so of just how tensely she had been sitting as she relaxed back against the seat. The problem was, even ‘nice’ sounded suspect coming from this man.

‘Thank you,’ she accepted huskily.

‘You’re welcome.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll go and hunt down the spider when we get back, if you like,’ he added huskily.

She shook her head wearily. ‘There’s no need for that.’

His eyes widened. ‘You managed to deal with it yourself?’

‘No,’ she acknowledged ruefully. ‘I meant that to my certain knowledge it hasn’t moved an inch from its balancing act above the bed—so there will be no need to hunt it down.’

A frown appeared between those dark blue eyes. ‘I’m not usually a deliberately vindictive man,’ he rasped.

Molly grimaced. ‘You’re just happy to make me the exception, hmm?’

The frown deepened. ‘Not happy, exactly…’

‘Oh, just go for it, Gideon.’ Molly gave a tiredly rueful laugh.

The frown remained. ‘You really spent all night watching that spider?’

‘I really did.’ She nodded self-derisively. ‘After all, I could hardly go along and ask Sam for help after you had assured him so emphatically that you had already dealt with it.’

Gideon’s mouth thinned. ‘I feel really bad now,’ he rasped self-disgustedly.

Molly eyed him questioningly. ‘How bad?’

‘Bad,’ he accepted slowly.

‘Bad enough to listen to my side of what happened three years ago?’ Molly came back, more decisively than she would have believed herself capable of this particular morning.

He stiffened. ‘No,’ he rasped harshly. ‘I feel guilty for leaving that spider in your room when you obviously are an arachnophobic. That doesn’t mean I’m about to let you try to convince me that I didn’t see that morning what I definitely did see.’

Hard. Unyielding. Judgemental, Molly decided frustratedly. How could she reason with a man like that?

She couldn’t, came the unpleasant answer. Although that wasn’t going to stop her from trying.

‘However,’ Gideon continued hardly before she could formulate a reply, ‘what I am willing to do is call a truce on the subject over the Christmas period.’

‘Big of you!’ she snapped impatiently.

His mouth tightened ominously. ‘It’s the best offer you’re going to get,’ he bit out harshly. ‘In fact,’ he continued grimly, ‘as far as I’m concerned it’s the only offer you’re going to get.’

In other words, take it or leave it! And in the circumstances—not wanting to spoil Christmas for the others, if any of them should pick up on the barbed warfare between herself and Gideon—Molly knew she would have to take it.’

Her mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘I take it this “truce” will cease being in effect the moment midnight strikes on Boxing Night?’

His own smile was just as humourless. ‘Actually, I’m staying until the morning of the twenty-eighth—think you can manage to be polite for that long?’ He quirked dark blond brows at her.

‘I’m not the one being impolite!’ she returned waspishly.

Gideon gave a shrug of broad shoulders. ‘I’m willing to give the alternative a try.’

Molly bit back the angry retort she would have liked to make, on the basis that it wasn’t a very good way to begin a truce—but that didn’t mean she didn’t still have murderous tendencies towards this arrogant man.

‘Fine,’ she bit out between gritted teeth.

He turned to give her a mocking glance. ‘So, what are you going to buy me for Christmas?’ he taunted.

Molly’s eyes widened at his astuteness in guessing what her ‘last-minute shopping’ actually was, and then she gave a rueful shake of her head. ‘I did have a bottle of arsenic in mind—but then I decided that might be a little too obvious!’

To her surprise. Gideon gave an appreciative chuckle. And once again it transformed his whole face, giving him a boyish look, turning his blue gaze warm rather than arctic.

Which, considering Molly’s total awareness of him probably wasn’t a good idea…

‘Maybe a little,’ he finally conceded, still smiling.

‘What would you like me to get you?’ she prompted interestedly, having no idea what this man’s interests or preferences were.

In any subject!

He was here alone, so he obviously wasn’t involved in a relationship at the moment; he would be spending Christmas with whoever it was if that were the case. But that posed the question: what sort of woman was he attracted to? Obviously not petite redheads who happened to be frightened of spiders.

Now why on earth had she had that thought? Molly wondered crossly. It was bad enough that she should have allowed herself to be attracted to him, without wishing he might find some redeeming attraction in her.

Besides, she already had an idea that Gideon’s attraction lay towards fragile silver-blonds with haunting grey eyes. Crys…