The Endgame Read Free Page A

frankly looking her up and down. ‘Grayson will be pleased,’ she said to Mark, and he gave her a knowing smirk that Lisa found very disconcerting. ‘He’s very excited to meet you,’ she said to Lisa with a friendly smile.
    Lisa presumed she was just being polite. She couldn’t imagine why Grayson Fielding would be remotely excited about meeting her . As if summoned by his name, a tall man appeared at the other end of the hall. Lisa’s breath caught in her throat as she watched him walk towards them. He was quite simply the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Tall and lean, he had a strong, square jaw, wide intensely blue eyes framed by impossibly long lashes, a thick mop of messy, copper-coloured hair and a full sensuous mouth that immediately made Lisa think of kissing. He was wearing a pair of black suit trousers and a crisp white shirt open at the collar, the sleeves rolled back to reveal strong, tanned forearms. As he joined them, his lips curved in a smile.
    Isabel made the introductions, and Grayson and Mark shook hands. Lisa felt overwhelmed when Grayson turned his attention to her.
    ‘It’s lovely to meet you, Lisa,’ he said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. He smelled gorgeous, of sandalwood and spice, and she felt off balance at the touch of his soft, warm lips and the rasp of his stubble against her skin, shocked by the strength of her reaction to someone she had just met. She closed her eyes, fighting the ridiculous urge to rub against him like a cat.
    ‘Let me take your coat,’ he said as he pulled back, his eyes intent on her face.
    ‘Thanks.’ She unbuttoned her coat self-consciously, aware of his gaze on her the whole time. He turned her around to help her out of it, peeling it off slowly as if he were unwrapping a gift. She stifled a shiver as his hands slid down her bare arms. When he had hung the coat on a stand in the hall, he turned to her again, his eyes openly assessing as they swept over her body, checking her out as blatantly as Isabel had done.
    ‘You’re very beautiful,’ he said, his voice thick and husky.
    Lisa blushed under his heated gaze. ‘Thank you.’ Her voice came out as barely a whisper, so unnerved was she by this beautiful man and his strange manner.
    ‘I’m very much looking forward to ... getting to know you better,’ he said with a crooked smile.
    ‘Glad you decided to do this now, aren’t you?’ Isabel said to him with a teasing look.
    ‘Very,’ Grayson told her, his gaze flicking to her briefly.
    ‘I think we’re going to have a lot of fun tonight,’ Isabel said, her eyes glittering excitedly as she looked at each of them in turn. ‘Let’s go through and get the party started.’ She linked Mark’s arm and led the way down the hall.
    Grayson followed behind with Lisa, his warm hand on the bare skin of her back, right at the base of her spine, feeling incongruously intimate. Once more Lisa wished she was wearing something less revealing. They were ushered into a spacious dining room in the same Spanish colonial style as the entrance, with wooden ceiling beams and a terracotta-tiled floor, the arched windows decorated with ornate ironwork that was echoed in the dramatic wrought iron chandelier that hung over the table. It was a beautiful room – unmistakeably masculine, but still with a warm, homely feel that immediately made Lisa feel comfortable, in contrast to the starkly modern minimalism of Mark’s house, where she still never felt truly at home. A long dining table was set for four, a row of flickering candles in the centre casting a warm, golden glow over the polished wood and glinting off the silverware and crystal.
    ‘What a beautiful room,’ she exclaimed. ‘You have a lovely home.’
    ‘Thank you,’ Grayson smiled as he pulled out a chair for her.
    Isabel served the food, while Grayson poured wine. Then he sat beside her, with Mark and Isabel opposite. The starter was a crab and asparagus salad, wonderfully light and delicate,