‘Not even for tall, handsome, slightly older blondes?’ She grins.
I narrow my eyes on her. ‘Not even then.’ I confirm.
‘Oh, don’t be such a bore.’
‘Excuse me?’ This time, my hurt expression isn’t feigned. Boring? I’m not boring. Kate’s Wild! I look at her in disbelief, genuinely hurt by her harsh remark. I wait for her to back track, but she doesn’t. Instead, she’s looking over my shoulder with the biggest smirk on her face.
Impatient and quite pissed off with her, I swing around to find out what’s caught her amused attention.
Oh no!
‘He’s like a bad penny, isn’t he?’ she remarks coolly.
Chapter 8
Oh, she has no idea.
I’ve not even filled her in on any of the developments since she met him at lunch. And here he is again, stood chatting with the acting estate agent, wearing a navy suit and pale blue shirt, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a file. He looks, as always, like a fucking God. And as if he can sense me staring, he looks up and our eyes meet.
‘Shit!’ I curse, turning back to Kate. She drags her gaze from Ward and onto me, her eyes dancing with delight.
‘You know, I was going to go home and cry into my Haagen-Dazs, Bridgette Jones style, but I think I’ll just hang around for a bit. You mind?’ She sips her drink through her grin, while I snarl at her. ‘This is not the behavior of someone, supposedly, unmoved by a certain someone, Ava.’ she teases.
‘I went to The Manor on Tuesday and nearly slept with him.’ I blurt.
‘What!’ Kate splutters, grabbing a napkin to mop up the trail of champagne that’s dripping down her chin.
‘He apologised for the text he sent. I went back to The Manor and he had the big guy lock me in a room. He was waiting for me half naked!’
‘Get out! Oh my God. Who’s the big guy?’
‘Well, he’s not a butler. I’ve no idea what role he plays. Trapping women for Ward, maybe.’
‘Why haven’t you told me this?’
‘It was a disaster. I ran out when I heard his girlfriend calling him. Ward screwed and turned up at the house last night making demands.’ The urgency to bring Kate up to speed has me spitting out the basic facts in a rush.
‘Fuck! What sort of demands?’ She’s shocked. She should be. It’s shocking.
‘I don’t know. The man’s an arrogant arse. He asked me how loud I’d scream when he fucks me.’
She spits more champagne. ‘He what? Fuck, Ava, he’s coming over, he’s coming over!’ She shifts on the spot, her eyes still skipping with amusement.
Why is he here? I start planning my escape, but before my brain can even instruct my legs to move, I can feel him stood behind me; I can smell him.
‘Nice to see you again, Kate.’ he drawls. ‘Ava?’
I remain with my back to him, knowing all too well that if I turn to acknowledge him, I’ll be hauled into the hazardous place that is Jesse Ward’s realm – a place where I struggle to maintain any rational thinking. I drained my reserve tank of strength last night, and I’ve not had a chance to replenish it yet. This is not good news. He said I wouldn’t have to see him again. If I told him what he didn’t want to hear, then I would never have to see him again. I met the terms of his demand, so why is he not keeping to his end of the bargain?
Kate’s eyes are darting between us, waiting for one of us to say something. I certainly won’t be.
‘Jesse.’ She nods at him. ‘Excuse me. I need to powder my nose.’ She places her empty on the worktop and beats feet. I mentally curse her arse to Hell.
He circles around me so he’s stood before me. ‘You look stunning.’ he murmurs.
‘You said I wouldn’t have to see you again.’ I challenge him, ignoring his compliment.
‘I didn’t know you would be here.’
I look at him tiredly. ‘You sent me flowers.’
‘Oh, so I did.’ A smile tickles the edge of his lips.