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chemistry and I won’t be losing sight of that, so don’t imagine it gives you any power over me.’
    He nodded a few times, then shot her a wry smile. ‘Well, you’ve certainly slapped me down.’
    Not for the kiss. For the possible motive hidden behind it because the kiss had got to her, more powerfully than she cared to admit. She tore her gaze away from his tantalising little smile and stared at the waterfall, wishing it could soothe the deep disturbance this man had caused.
    â€˜Not so much a slap, Jake,’ she said more calmly. ‘Just letting you know how I feel about it. My father is obviously pushing me at you. Maybe he wants you as his son-in-law. No way will I be used as a step up your career ladder.’
    No comment from him.
    His silence went on for so long it began to shred her nerves. ‘Sorry if I’ve dashed your hopes,’ she said bitingly.
    â€˜Not at all.’ He sat up, hooking his arms on the backrest of the bench in a totally relaxed manner, smiling at her as though he was perfectly at peace with her decision. ‘I’m not looking for a wife at this point in my life and you’re not looking to fill that position. With that understood, do you want any part of me, Laura?’
    Which put her right back on the spot.
    His eyes glittered with the knowledge that she did, but wanting and taking were two different things. As Eddie said, she’d be better off not going there. Jake could be lying, secretly thinking he could seduce her into becoming his wife. Not that he’d be able to, but if she entered into any kind of relationship with him, he could report to her father that everything was sweet between them, and she’d hate that.
    Yet looking at him, remembering how it had felt with him, the thought of not experiencing more of him actually hurt. Which was probably another danger signal. He did have power over her.
    â€˜I want you,’ he said quietly, seeing her strugglewith his question. ‘Not because you’re your father’s daughter. I think the chemistry between us makes that totally irrelevant. I want you because I can’t remember wanting any other woman quite as much.’
    It echoed her response to him. Jake Freedman was definitely the ultimate ten out of ten. But he could be saying those words because they were what any woman would like to hear. He was such a sexy man, he might affect every woman this way and she was no exception at all to him. Clever, playing all sides, Eddie had said.
    She eyed him sceptically. ‘Is that the honest truth, Jake?’
    â€˜Much to my own dismay, yes,’ he said with a rueful grimace.
    It was an odd thing to say and she looked at him in puzzlement. ‘Why to your dismay?’
    The riveting brown eyes bored into hers with heart-stopping intensity. ‘Because I don’t want to want you, Laura. Any more than you want to want me. And with that said, why don’t we both take time to think about it?’
    He rose from the garden bench, apparently preparing to leave her. Laura was so startled by the action, she simply stared up at him.
    â€˜Do you have a mobile phone?’ he asked.
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜Give me your number. I’ll call you at the end of the week if I’m still thinking of you and you can then say yes or no.’
    It was so abrupt, hard, cut and dried, and the turbulent feelings it set off inside her made it difficult to think. Time…yes…time to decide if she couldn’t bear not to know more of him…or time to have his impact recede to something less significant.
    He took a slim mobile phone out of his shirt pocket and she rattled out her number for him to enter it in his private file.
    â€˜Thank you,’ he said, pocketing the phone again and flashing an ironic smile at her. ‘I’ve seen enough of the garden. You might like to join Eddie and your mother playing Scrabble. I’ll say goodbye to them and then to