Читать книгу Modern Romance May 2016 Books 5-8 - Дженнифер Хейворд - Страница 21
ОглавлениеFLYNN COULDN’T WAIT for the party to be over. It was a slow, miserable torture watching the Ravensdale siblings with their partners. It was a painful reminder of what he had lost. No one was looking at him with love shining in their eyes. He had no one he could slip his arm around and draw close. No one to exchange a look with that spoke of love, hope, the future.
He was alone.
Miranda approached with a plate of nibbles. ‘Shame about Kat not coming.’
‘Yeah, well, can’t say I didn’t try.’
‘Maybe she just needs more time.’
‘How much time?’ Flynn couldn’t keep the frustration out of his tone. ‘When you know, you just know, right?’
Miranda’s eyes rounded. ‘You asked her to marry you?’
He swiped a hand down his face as if to swipe away the memory of his failure. How could he have got it so wrong? ‘Maybe I need proposal lessons or something.’
‘It’s probably not your proposal that’s the issue,’ Miranda said. ‘It’s your timing.’
Flynn looked down at her heart-shaped face with those big Bambi eyes brimming with concern. Had he mistimed it? Would he get a different answer if he asked again? ‘Maybe. Maybe not.’ Maybe I’m destined to be alone.
‘Dad’s party was always going to be an issue for her,’ Miranda said. ‘She saw it as your mission. She probably couldn’t separate it from her feelings for you.’
Hope flicked a match inside his chest, the warmth spreading as it took hold. ‘You reckon she has feelings for me?’
Miranda gave him a ‘get real’ look. ‘You men can be so blind at times. Of course she loves you. All the signs are there.’
‘She hasn’t said anything... I mean, she never actually said the words.’
‘In the best relationships you don’t need to.’
As if to confirm it, Leandro looked at Miranda from across the room where he was standing next to Richard. His look said it all: ‘I love you and I can’t wait for this evening to be over so we can be alone’.
Miranda’s cheeks blushed a dusky rose. ‘I’d better rescue him. That’s the third soliloquy he’s suffered tonight about Dad’s brilliance.’
Flynn’s chest cramped when he saw Leandro’s arm slip around Miranda’s waist and draw her close. Flynn shifted his gaze and saw Julius and Holly, and his heart squeezed again. Harder. Like a vice squashing an over-ripe peach. One of the waiters passed with a tray of drinks and Holly shook her head, one of her hands going protectively over her abdomen. The look Julius gave her was so proud, so full of love, it made Flynn feel all the more achingly alone.
Jaz appeared by his side with her usual impishness. ‘Why the long face?’
He sent her a look that told her to back off. ‘Where’s Jake? Chatting up one of the waitresses?’
She laughed a tinkling-bell laugh. ‘No, he’s still recovering from meeting me in the cloakroom. Here he comes now.’
Jake strutted into the room, straightening his tie, his eyes meeting Jaz’s with a satisfied gleam. He pulled Jaz to his side. ‘Find your own girl. This one’s mine.’
Flynn gave him a rictus smile. A been-dead-for-a-month rictus smile. ‘I’m working on it.’
Jake swept his gaze around the room. ‘No Kat?’
‘Nope.’
‘Pity.’
‘Yeah.’
The silence stretched.
‘You’re really serious about her.’ Jake didn’t say it as a question, more of a statement. An observation of truth.
‘Yes. I am.’
‘You going to ask the big question?’
‘I already have.’
Jake’s dark brows shot up. ‘You did?’
‘Yep. She said no.’
Jake’s chin went back against his neck in disgust. ‘You asked her before the party? Are you out of your freaking mind?’
He was out of his mind. Out of his mind with love. Out of his mind with impatience for this wretched party to be over so he could go to Kat and sort this out. ‘I know, I know, I know. Bad timing.’
‘You could skip the speeches and head back to London,’ Jack said.
‘I made a promise to your father.’
‘Yeah, well, does it look like he’s disappointed his love child didn’t show?’ Jake’s tone was cynicism on steroids. ‘At least Mum’s here.’
Flynn looked across to where Elisabetta was working the floor like the superstar she was. She was never happier than when she was centre-stage. Even though she’d threatened not to turn up, she couldn’t help herself. Any chance to take the spotlight off Richard and shine it on her instead was too tempting.
A thought took hold. What if Kat couldn’t stop herself from attending? What if she had changed her mind? What if her desire to meet her half-brothers had overridden her desire to distance herself from her father?
Flynn swept his gaze over the crowded room. There was no sign of her. But for the last few minutes the back of his neck had prickled, like radar picking up a faint signal.
But then he heard something... Cricket was barking outside on the terrace with the smokers, where he had ordered him to stay. Barking madly. Joyfully.
Flynn smiled. He knew what that bark was.
It was a bark of recognition.
* * *
Kat had decided to gatecrash the party but not as herself. She wanted to see her family without them seeing her. She wanted to see Flynn too. To see if he had moved on in the two days since she had rejected his proposal. Would he be flirting with one of the beautiful people at the party? Or would he be feeling like she did? Miserable and empty, as if someone had scraped out her heart and her belly?
But she hadn’t factored in Cricket.
Her disguise had fooled the paparazzi hanging around the entrance to Ravensdene. It had fooled the catering staff manager when she’d signed on for duty in the kitchen. She hadn’t tested it on Flynn because she had been assigned the back half of the house for the first half of her shift. But she was no match for Cricket. As soon as she came outside with a tray of drinks for the smokers on the terrace, he recognised her. He danced around her ankles, spinning and leaping and panting in excitement. She put the tray she was carrying on a table and bent down to him. ‘Hush. Don’t blow my cover. I’m not meant to be here.’
Then why are you?
Because I might have been a bit hasty in my judgment.
You’ve blown it. He said he was only going to ask you once.
I know, but I need to see him. Just the once. Just in case I’ve got it wrong.
Kat straightened once Cricket had settled down. Well, marginally, that was. He kept following her like a devoted slave, his tongue hanging out, his little beady eyes dancing as if he knew he was in on her secret.
Kat was about to go back inside when Flynn came out on the terrace. ‘Cricket, leave the waitress alone.’
The waitress?
Of course he won’t recognise me. I’m blonde tonight, with glasses. And heaps of make-up.
If he were truly in love with you, he’d recognise you anywhere in any disguise.
Flynn leaned against the balustrade on the terrace, resting his crutches beside him. ‘Could you bring me a drink?’
Kat approached him warily. ‘Orange juice is all I have left.’ She was quite proud of her English accent. Maybe she wouldn’t need a voice coach after all.
He took the glass and, without looking at her, knocked half of it back. ‘Thanks.’
Kat knew she should have moved on but it annoyed her that he hadn’t recognised her. Really annoyed her, which was ridiculously inconsistent of her. But still. ‘Will that be all?’
‘Yep.’ He knocked back the rest of his drink and handed her the glass, again without looking at her.
She waited a beat. ‘Would you like me to bring you some food? A plate of nibbles?’
‘No thanks.’
‘Another drink?’
‘Not in the mood for celebrating.’
‘Oh?’
He let out a long-drawn-out breath. ‘It’s a long story. I won’t bore you with it when you’ve got work to do.’
‘I’m not busy.’ Kat mentally kicked herself. ‘I mean... I’ve got a minute or two...’
He gave her a brief glance, the sort of glance you gave catering staff that you expect never to see again. ‘Ever been in love?’
Kat looked down at Cricket who was looking up at her with that black-button gaze. ‘I have, actually.’
‘It sucks.’
She glanced back at Flynn. He was studying his bandaged foot with a frown so deep it had joined his eyebrows. ‘Why do you think it sucks?’ she said.
‘If the person you love doesn’t love you back, then it sucks. Big-time.’
‘How do you know she doesn’t love you back?’
‘She never said the words.’
‘But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you,’ Kat said. ‘It just means she was a little uncertain of the circumstances under which you proposed.’
He looked at her then in puzzlement. ‘How do you know I proposed?’
Kat gave a short, uncertain laugh. ‘Flynn...it’s me. It’s Kat. Don’t you recognise me?’
A smile began in his eyes well before it appeared on his mouth. ‘Of course I recognise you, you little goose. You love me? Really?’
Happiness burst inside Kat’s chest like a flower exploding. ‘I do.’
‘That’s twice you’ve said “I do” to me. Do you reckon you could say it one more time in front of a minister of religion so I can get a ring on your finger?’
Kat was torn between wanting to punch his arm for messing with her head and throwing her arms around him and kissing him. Kissing him won. She threw her arms around him, almost knocking him backwards off the terrace. ‘You want to get married in church?’
‘Anywhere that makes it official.’
She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. ‘I’m sorry for rejecting you the first time. I just had to make sure you really loved me.’
He brushed a strand of blonde wig back behind her ear. ‘I didn’t think it was possible to love someone as much as I love you. Life loses all its colour without you in it.’
Kat stroked his face. ‘These last couple of days have been torture. I’ve been so lonely and miserable. I couldn’t bear another minute without seeing you.’
‘How did you land the waitress job without alerting Richard’s security team?’
She gave him a sheepish look. ‘Well, I had to tell someone, otherwise I would never have got in. He said he would keep it a secret but I didn’t factor in Cricket.’
‘Yeah, well, I still haven’t figured out boarding arrangements for him,’ Flynn said. ‘I knew as soon as I heard him barking that you were here.’
‘Do you think you would’ve recognised me anyway?’
He touched her nose with his fingertip. ‘Sure of it. My body picks you up like radar.’
Kat grinned. ‘Mine too.’
Flynn took her hand and held it against his chest. ‘Time to meet the family...or would you like to stay incognito?’
Kat pulled at her lip with her teeth. ‘Do you think it would annoy Elisabetta? I don’t want to upset her. I have to get through a season with her, remember.’
‘You could stay disguised, but I’m going to have a heck of time explaining to your brothers why I’ve been kissing the blonde waitress.’ Flynn gave a rueful grimace. ‘Too late. Here they come now.’
Kat turned to see her twin half-brothers come out of the French doors. It was a surreal moment to meet them in the flesh. They were exactly alike, especially when they both smiled once they realised what was going on.
‘Welcome to the family,’ Julius said. ‘I hope you know what you’re letting yourself in for.’
‘I think I’ll cope,’ Kat said.
Jake gave her a brotherly hug. ‘Welcome to Mayhem Manor.’
Miranda and Jaz came out with Holly close behind. There were lots of hugs and words of welcome. The warmth of her family made Kat’s heart swell so much, she had difficulty drawing breath.
Her family.
But then another person walked out to the terrace.
Her father.
Kat took a deep breath as he came towards her. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to feel. She didn’t love him. She didn’t even like him. But for the sake of appearances and the rest of the family she held out her hand to him. ‘Hello.’
Richard ignored her hand and hugged her, just long enough for the cameras to document it. ‘Welcome to the family, my dear.’
Elisabetta sauntered out with a glass of champagne in one hand, her expression one of acute boredom, although Kat was sure she could detect a hint of secretive delight in that dark-brown gaze. ‘So, you’ve sorted it all out, Flynn?’
‘Not quite.’
Kat glanced at Flynn who had hopped on his crutches to where she was standing surrounded by her family. ‘What else needs to be sorted?’ she said.
‘You haven’t said you love me. I’m not going back inside the house until you do.’
Kat gave him a teasing smile. ‘Is that an ultimatum?’
His answering smile made the backs of her knees tingle. ‘Something I should warn you about before we marry—I always win.’
Kat took him by the tie and pulled his head down. ‘Guess what? So do I.’
* * * * *
Read on for an extract from CLAIMING THE ROYAL INNOCENT by Jennifer Hayward.
