surrounded by long and thick dark lashes, the paleness of her cheeks highlighted with blusher, those full and sensuous lips outlined with a lip gloss the same vibrant red as that figure-hugging red silk gown and three-inch sandals.
In a word, she looked exquisite!
Whoever would have thought it? Jonas mused ruefully. From bag-lady to femme fatale with the donning of a red silk dress.
Although the challenging glitter in those smoky grey eyes as she glared up at him was certainly familiar enough. âMr Buchanan,â she greeted dryly. âJeremy, this is Jonas Buchanan. Jonas, one of the gallery owners, Jeremy Lyndhurst.â
Mac watched through narrowed lashes as the two men shook hands, finding Jonasâs appearance even more disturbing tonight than she had two evenings ago. He was one of the few men she had met who wore the elegance of a black evening suit rather than the clothes wearing him, the power of his personality such that it was definitely the man one noticed rather than the superb tailoring of the clothing he wore.
âHave you managed to lose Miss Walters already?â Mac asked sweetly as she saw that the other woman was talking animatedly to another man across the room.
Those electric-blue eyes darkened with sudden humour. âAmy pretty much does her own thing,â Jonas Buchanan replied with a singular lack of concern.
âHowâ¦understanding, of you,â Mac taunted. Really, she was nervous enough about this evening already, without having to suffer this particular manâs presence!
âNot at all,â Jonas drawled with deepening amusement.
âI do hope you will both excuse meâ¦?â Jeremy cut in apologetically. âSomeone has just arrived that I absolutely have to go and talk to.â
âOf course,â Jonas Buchanan accepted smoothly. âI assure you, Iâm only too happy to stay and keep Mac company,â he added as he took a deliberate step closer to her.
A close proximity that Mac instantly took exception to!
One or other of this manâs associates had been hounding her for months now in an effort to buy her homeâbut only so that it could be knocked down to become part of the area of ground landscaped as a garden for the new luxury apartment complex. The fact that Jonas Buchanan himself had now decided to get in on the act did not impress Mac in the slightest.
âYouâre looking very beautiful this eveningââ
âDonât let appearances deceive you, Mr Buchanan,â she interrupted sharply. âIâll be back to wearing my dungarees tomorrow.â Mac had made the mistake of dating a prestigious and arrogant art critic when she was still at university, and she wasnât about to ever let another man treat her as nothing but a beautiful trophy to exhibit on his arm. âExactly what are you doing here, Mr Buchanan?â she asked him directly.
Jonas studied her through narrowed lids. Two evenings ago he had thought this woman looked like astarving waif with absolutely no dress sense, but her exquisite appearance tonight in the red silk dressâwhich Jonas realised almost every other man in the room was also aware ofâindicated to him that she must actually dress in those other baggy and unflattering clothes because she wanted to.
He shrugged. âAmy asked me to be her escort this evening.â
Those red-glossed lips curled with distaste. âHow flattering to have a woman ask you out.â
Jonasâs gaze hardened. âIâm always happy to spend the evening with my cousin.â
Those smoky-grey eyes widened. âAmy Walters is your cousin?â
He arched a mocking brow at her obvious incredulity. âIs that so hard to believe?â
Well, no, of course it wasnât hard to believe, Mac accepted uncomfortably. But it did mean that Jonas wasnât here this evening on a date with another woman, as Mac had assumed that he wasâ¦
And why should that