Emma Darcy: The Blind-Date Bride

Zack paused to consider. His eyes beamed a speculative challenge as he answered, “Whatever two strangers want to make of it.”

“Without a tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow I’m gone.”

Well, that was laying it on the line! “Then I’ll just take this one-night experience with the man behind the name,” she countered, pride insisting that his schedule did not affect her expectations from this blind date, which had been zero before she met him anyway.

Sexual invitation simmered back at her. “I wonder if you will.”

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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

A BLIND Date…

Zack Freeman rolled his eyes at the idea of putting himself out for a woman he hadn’t seen, knew nothing about, and would never meet again, given the work schedule he had lined up.

‘She’s a stunner,’ his old friend, Pete Raynor, assured him.

‘Stunners are two a penny in my world. All of them relentlessly ambitious.’

‘That might be so in L.A., but this is home time in Australia, remember? Livvy’s sister is something else.’

‘Like what?’

His derisive tone earned a chiding shake of the head. ‘You’re jaded, mate. Which is why you’re here spending a week with me. A night out with a gorgeous down-to-earth Aussie woman will do you good. Trust me on this.’

Zack winced at the argument, turning his gaze to the soothing view of the sea rolling its waves onto Forresters Beach. They were sitting on the balcony of a house Pete had recently acquired—his getaway from the pressure of being a dealer for an international bank. It was only an hour and a half away from Sydney, the perfect place to relax, he’d told Zack, persuading him into this week together, catching up on old times.

They’d been friends since school days and had always kept in touch, despite their different career paths. Pete was geared to competitive risk-taking while Zack had sought the creative fields opened up by computer technology. He’d built up a company that was now in hot demand for producing special effects for movies.

But he didn’t want to think about work yet. Tomorrow he was booked on a Qantas flight to Los Angeles and he’d be getting his mind prepared for a series of important meetings, but today was still about recapturing the carefree days of their youth; eating hamburgers and French fries for lunch after a morning of riding the waves on surfboards and baking their bodies in the sun.

It had been a great week; not having to impress anyone or win anyone over. He and Pete had done all the things they used to do—playing chess, challenging each other to listen to their choice of music, drinking beer, swapping stories…just having fun.

He felt wonderfully lazy and didn’t want to give up the feeling. Not until he absolutely had to. Here it was, Saturday afternoon Down Under, midsummer, and the living was easy. He didn’t need a blind date. Didn’t want one, either. His broad chest rose and fell in a contented sigh. This was more than good enough for him.

‘Pete, I don’t mind that you’ve got a date with your girlfriend. Go out and enjoy yourself. You don’t have to look after me. I’ll be perfectly happy with my own company.’

‘It’s our last night.’

Pete’s unhappy frown pricked Zack’s conscience.

‘I can’t get out of it. It’s Livvy’s birthday,’ he went on, making it clear that Zack’s refusal to go along with the plan put him into conflict.

The week had been special.

Was he being a spoilsport, ducking out on sharing this last night?

Livvy Trent, according to Pete, was very special. He’d met her walking her dog on this very beach. She even had a head for finance, holding quite a responsible position in the Treasury Department and living here on the central coast because she worked two days in Sydney and three in Newcastle. This could develop into a serious relationship, which was fine for Pete who was getting close to burn-out and looking for more from life than a tight focus on the world’s money markets.

Zack was currently riding a high wave of success with a string of big movies featuring the special effects created by his company. No way was he ready to ease down from that creamy crest. He didn’t have the time or the inclination to link up with a woman who wanted any kind of commitment from him. Too demanding. Too distracting. Besides, he was only thirty-three. He wanted what he had achieved. He wanted more of it. Finding a special woman could wait.

‘I tell you, Zack, if I hadn’t got to know Livvy first, I’d probably be chasing after her sister,’ Pete ran on, intent on persuasion. ‘Catherine is a knock-out.’

‘So how come she’s available on a Saturday night?’ Zack dryly commented.

‘Oh, same as you. Taking time out. Spending the weekend with her sister.’

‘And I guess Livvy doesn’t want to leave her alone, either.’

‘No, she doesn’t.’ Realising he’d been tripped into the truth, Pete screwed his face into a hangdog appeal. ‘So help me out here, will you, Zack? Please?’

He really cared for this woman. Zack hoped the feeling was returned and Pete wasn’t being seen in terms of a good catch. Which he certainly was, financially. And he wasn’t bad in the looks department, either. He was shorter than Zack but his physique was good, no flab on him.

His dark hair was receding at the temples and he’d had one of those ultra-short buzz cuts, defying the signs of encroaching baldness. Definitely a testosterone thing, Zack thought, but it had the advantage of never looking untidy, not like the wild mess of his black curls, although he figured they gave him an artistic image which was probably helpful in his business.

Pete had always had a very expressive face, not exactly handsome, but likeable. He had an infectious grin and his green eyes could quickly radiate a mischief that invited fun. Zack knew his own humour was more quirky, challenging to a lot of people, though Pete had always understood it.

Dark, he called it, often adding that Zack had to have a dark and twisted soul to think up some of the special effects he created for movies. His olive skin tanned darkly, his eyes were dark, his teeth were very white—definitely a vampire in a previous life, Pete joked.

Whatever…on a surface basis, women were more drawn to him than they were to Pete. It was a fact of life outside of his control. He just hoped Livvy Trent would treat his friend right tonight—no roving eye.

‘Okay. I’m in,’ he conceded. ‘As long as you accept that if I find this Catherine a total bore, I’ll make an excuse to come home early.’