‘Hey, aren’t you supposed to be working for me or something? So what’s with the attitude?’

He was right; McKenzie was supposed to be Hannah’s client so what was she thinking, practically goading him like this? Cursing herself for being so unprofessional, she bit down hard on her lip, trying to bring her emotions back under control. Barely a half-hour in his company and this guy was already getting under her skin.

This wasn’t like her. At all.

‘It’s not an attitude. Part of my job is taking charge of how you present yourself to the world, and surely you yourself would admit your current media persona leaves a lot to be desired … ’

He chuckled mirthlessly. ‘I know that you might find this hard to believe, you being in the PR game and all, but I really couldn’t give a damn what anyone thinks of me. I refuse to bend over, for the media or anyone else. That’s who I am.’

Now Hannah tried to bite back a smile at this rather vivid illustration of her job description. This guy was unbelievable. But belligerence aside, she also couldn’t deny how that mesmerising gaze turned upon her was making her feel …

Get a grip, Hannah.

‘OK then. Forget … bending over for the moment,’ she added, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. ‘Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me more about who you think you are, and we can go from there. Who is Ward McKenzie?’

He leaned back, arms folded and glared at her as if taken aback by her change in stance. This time she looked into his eyes without flinching and after a few moments, he spoke again.

‘OK, you want to know who I think he is? We can go there.’ He leaned forward, squarely meeting her gaze in return, and even in the dim light she could still see those golden flecks in his eyes – if anything they seemed more pronounced. ‘He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t put up with any media bullshit and the last thing in the world he’s gonna do is roll over and play dead for anyone – on or off the ice.’ He shrugged then, dropping his gaze to the table. ‘Does he drink a little too much? Yeah – now and then. If he’s out with the guys and he’s having a good time, he might get a little rowdy. Guess what? There’s nothing wrong with that. We all need to blow off steam now and then. Granted, that might not be something that you’re familiar with, Public Relations Emma, but out there in the real world, people do that all the time. Anything else you want to know?’

Those goddamn eyes again. But Hannah refused to blink or, worse, show any emotion. ‘You also have a reputation for being something of a womaniser … ’ she challenged.