Now, his eyes were back on hers again, their focus disturbingly intense. But oh-so-flattering.

He was right. She did find him attractive. How could she not? But Adrian’s charm for her was not just physical. It was the way he made her feel, as if he found her the most fascinating female in the world.

There was no use pretending she didn’t want to go out with him tonight. But the prospect was accompanied by a measure of fear. What if he tried to seduce her? What if he succeeded?

For the last five years Sharni had lived a sexless existence, that part of her body having totally shut down. She hadn’t had a period since she’d lost her baby, various doctors suggesting her lack of hormonal activity was caused by shock and grief. To be honest, she hadn’t given sex a second thought in ages.

Now, suddenly, she was very definitely thinking about it.

Was the wine over lunch to blame, or this man’s amazing resemblance to Ray?

She’d been sexually attracted to Ray from the moment. But they’d dated for several weeks before they’d slept together. Even then, it had been left up to her to make the first move, Ray having been chronically shy in the bedroom department.

Not so this man, she thought as she glanced across the table. He would know all the right moves.

If only he didn’t look so much like Ray…

‘We could have an early dinner then go to a show afterwards,’ he said, breaking into her ongoing silence. ‘Or a show first and supper afterwards, if you’d prefer. Have you seen The Phantom of the Opera? The musical, not the movie. They say this latest revival is better than all previous productions.’

Sharni had always loved the story of the phantom. She thought it highly romantic. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music was marvellous too, echoing the uncontrollable passions that consumed the main character.

‘No, I haven’t,’ she admitted. ‘But—’

‘No buts, Sharni,’ he broke in. ‘Your sister gave you this weekend in Sydney so that you could enjoy yourself. It’s not much fun sitting in a hotel room by yourself, especially on a Saturday night. If you’re still worried about my being a stranger, then I’ll ring Jordan right now so that she can vouch for me.’ To show he meant it, Adrian pulled a silver mobile phone from his jacket pocket and flipped it open.

‘No, no, you don’t have to do that,’ she said hurriedly. ‘I can see you’re not some kind of creep.’

His handsome face showed shock. ‘I should hope not.’

‘I suppose it wouldn’t be much fun sitting in the hotel room tonight all by myself.’

‘So you’ll come?’

‘You’ve talked me into it.’

‘Fantastic,’ he said, smiling.

Her heart fluttered. So did her stomach. He really was utterly gorgeous when he smiled like that.

‘What about The Phantom?’ he asked. ‘Is that a goer, or would you prefer a different show? A play, perhaps.’

‘No, no, I love musicals.’

‘Would you like me to book dinner before or supper afterwards?’

‘I think supper afterwards.’

‘That’s great,’ he said with a satisfied glint in his bright blue eyes. ‘Now, after we finish our coffee, I’m going to take you across the street to a spot where you can have a proper look at my pride and joy. Then, after you’ve been suitably impressed with my brilliance at designing the outsides of the building, I’ll give you a quick tour of the inside.’

‘It’ll have to be very quick,’ she told him. ‘I’ll need some time before the shops close to buy a suitable outfit to wear tonight. I only bought casual clothes this morning.’

‘I could come shopping with you, if you like?’

Sharni could see he was very much a takeover type of person. ‘Don’t you have something else you should be doing this afternoon?’

‘Not really,’ he said. ‘I finished my latest plan to my satisfaction late yesterday. I always give myself a complete break between projects.’

‘For how long?’

‘At least a day,’ he said, laughing. ‘So what do you say? I have good taste in women’s clothes.’

‘I hate taking anyone clothes shopping with me,’ she said quite truthfully. ‘I prefer to trust my own taste.’

‘And an excellent taste it is, too,’ he complimented, his gaze admiring as he looked her up and down.

Sharni could not help smiling. ‘I think you are an incorrigible charmer.’

‘And I think you could do with a bit of charming. Ah, our coffee’s coming.’

‘Just as well. I need sobering up. I think I’m a little tipsy.’ It wasn’t like her to feel this light-hearted. Or this happy.

Once they’d finished their coffee, Adrian saw to the bill whilst Sharni picked up her shopping bags and stood up.

Oh, dear, she thought when her head whirled alarmingly. There was no doubt about it. She’d had way too much to drink!

‘OH, MY!’ Sharni exclaimed. ‘That is one magnificent building.’

They were standing together on the pavement across the street, Adrian holding her shopping bags whilst Sharni shielded her eyes from the sun’s rays and gazed up at Bortelli Tower.

‘I never imagined anything this big, or this beautiful!’ she said with ego-stroking awe in her voice. ‘I love the grey colour of the glass you’ve used.’

‘The manufacturer calls it smokescreen. Naturally no UV rays can get through. Or heat, or cold.’

‘It’s gorgeous. And the hexagonal shape is just so unusual.’

‘I like it.’

She smiled up at him. ‘I dare say you do, since you designed it. How many floors are there?’

‘Twenty-five. The first ten are devoted to office space. There’s a health club and heated pool on the eleventh floor. After that, it’s all privately owned apartments, with lots of balconies to take advantage of the views.’

‘I bet they’re very expensive.’

‘They are. But Gino sold every one of them off the plan.’

‘Wow! That’s incredible. So what floor do you live on?’

‘The twenty-fifth.’

‘The twenty-fifth.’ She frowned momentarily before gaping up at him. ‘You live in the penthouse?’

Adrian loved her sweet surprise. ‘It was part of the contract I made with Gino when he commissioned my services.’

‘But a penthouse right in the middle of Sydney has to be worth millions! I didn’t realise architects got paid that much.’

‘Some of us do,’ he replied, thinking of the seven-figure fee he usually commanded for this type of job. ‘But Gino asked me to oversee the construction of the building as well, so the penthouse came as a bonus.’

‘Do you do that kind of job often?’

‘Sometimes. It’s great watching my designs take shape. But projects of this scale take a special sort of commitment. That’s why I was able to negotiate such a good deal with this one. Come on, let’s go back over the road and I’ll take you up onto the rooftop. The view from up there is incomparable on a clear winter’s day.’

‘Will that take long?’ she asked. ‘It’s getting on for two-thirty.’

‘I could have you up there in five minutes,’ he said. ‘And back down here shopping in fifteen, tops. All the lifts are the latest high-speed design.’

She still hesitated.

Adrian understood why. Sharni was a nice girl. And nice girls didn’t swan up to a man’s apartment within a couple of hours of meeting him. Not even if that apartment was a penthouse worth millions.

‘I promise I won’t make a pass, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ he reassured her. ‘I just want to show you the view.’

This was only partly true. What he actually wanted, more than anything, was the opportunity to spend a little more time with her. She delighted him as no woman had ever delighted him. It was a serious shame that she wouldn’t let him go shopping with her. He would have loved helping her choose the right outfit for tonight. A sexy little black dress, perhaps. With long tight sleeves, a short, bottom-hugging skirt and a low-cut neckline. Very low. The kind of neckline that needed a decent bust to show it off. Like the one Sharni had.