Читать книгу Modern Romance May 2016 Books 1-4 - Julia James, Andie Brock - Страница 12

CHAPTER THREE

HARLEY SAW THE man coming towards them and raced excitedly towards him. Clearly, Luke didn’t inspire the same reaction in him as Greg Hughes. Considering the muddy ground, Abby hoped Luke wasn’t thinking of suing her for a new suit.

Harley’s paws could be lethal.

The dog fussed about the man, wagging his tail. Oh, Harley, you Judas, Abby intoned silently as Luke bent to scratch the retriever’s head.

She’d thought he might not have heard her approach, but, as if on cue, Luke straightened to face her. ‘Your dog?’ he asked as Harley bounded back to his mistress, and Abby nodded.

‘Mine,’ she agreed, half wishing she’d chosen another route for their walk.

‘He’s a beautiful animal.’ Luke came closer as she struggled to find the clasp of the leash. ‘Hey, don’t bother fastening him up on my account. I like dogs, and fortunately they usually like me.’

Why was she not surprised? Finding the catch, she fastened the leash to Harley’s collar, anyway. He whined a little plaintively, but she refused to be deterred. ‘I didn’t think anyone else was about or I wouldn’t have let him run free.’

Luke shrugged, glancing about him. ‘I was just familiarising myself with the area. It’s a beautiful part of the country.’

‘It is.’ What else could she say? That was why she’d moved here, for heaven’s sake. ‘Do you know it well?’

Luke shrugged again. ‘My father lives in Bath these days, but I don’t know Ashford-St-James very well.’

So how on earth had he found out about the properties? wondered Abby curiously. Or had he been searching the Internet and come upon them, much as she’d done herself four years ago?

As if reading her thoughts, he said, ‘It was my father who alerted me to the sale. He used to play golf with Charles Gifford, the father of the present owner.’

‘Yes. I know who Charles Gifford is—was,’ said Abby flatly.

‘So I guess you knew that I was involved before I walked into the café a few hours ago?’

Abby nodded. ‘I got a letter, the same as everybody else.’

‘And you’ve been cursing me ever since,’ remarked Luke cynically. ‘Don’t look like that. I can tell.’

Abby sighed. ‘As a matter of fact, my first thought was that you knew I owned one of the businesses, and you’d bought them as—as a kind of revenge,’ she said honestly.

Luke snorted. ‘You’re kidding me.’

‘No.’ Abby was defensive. ‘We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms, did we?’

‘No.’ Luke conceded the point. ‘But you must have quite an opinion of yourself if you think I’m still stressing over something that happened, what? Four years ago?’

‘Five,’ said Abby shortly, wondering if he’d really forgotten. ‘Anyway, I’m glad I left no lasting scar on your life.’

* * *

If she only knew, thought Luke grimly, looking down at the retriever again so she wouldn’t see the hostility in his eyes.

She’d only been responsible for his break-up with Ray Carpenter, who hadn’t been able to stand the bitter way Luke had come to regard his life.

And she’d also been the reason he’d married Sonia, the girl he’d been seeing in the weeks before Annabel—Abby—had come on the scene. The marriage had been a mistake from the outset and a year later, it had been over.

Now he made a dismissive gesture, amazed the lie came so easily. ‘I’d forgotten all about it,’ he said carelessly. ‘Like you, I’ve moved on with my life.’

‘Well, I’m glad.’ Abby gazed up at him, rather guiltily, he thought. ‘It was all my fault that—well, what happened, happened,’ she said.

That had been Luke’s take on it certainly. Nothing could alter the fact that she’d been married when she’d agreed to meet him. He should have felt sorry for her husband, instead of threatening to sock him on the jaw.

He knew he shouldn’t be having this conversation with her. As soon as he’d walked into the café and discovered who the owner of the business was, he should have left it there. Instead, he’d spent the last few hours hanging around Ashford, trying to think of a reason to go back.

When she’d come to serve him, he’d been staggered—and angered—by his reaction. He’d had no idea she’d moved to the town and opened a café. She’d been a researcher in English at the university. An academic. As soon as he’d learned her real name from Harry, it had been easy enough to find out where she worked.

He’d also discovered that her husband—Harry Laurence—had worked in the city. He was fairly well-known in stockbroking circles, although some people considered he was a bit of a barbarian.

Luke had wondered if the bruise he’d seen on Abby’s neck that night had been put there by her husband. But then he remembered Harry’s boast that she would never leave him.

And she hadn’t.

She could have got a divorce. If she’d had any self-respect, she would have. Luke knew from his own unhappy experience, divorces were not that hard to come by.

He wondered when she had got a divorce, and whether she’d been the one to initiate it. Recalling how she’d deceived her husband, Luke thought it was reasonable to assume he’d been the one who had finally wanted out.

Even so, he hadn’t forgotten a moment of their time together. He could still taste her sweetness on his tongue. An affair that had never become an affair, he reminded himself bitterly. She’d left the wine bar with her husband, and, until today, he’d never seen her again.

It didn’t please him that she was even more attractive now than she’d been five years ago. And oh, yes, he knew exactly how long it was since that scene at the Parker House.

His presumed stumble over the years had been a deliberate attempt to disconcert her. Unfortunately, it had had the opposite effect.

Had she gained a little weight? If so, it suited her. And her hair wasn’t as ghostly pale as it had been before. It was still thick, and a rich honey blonde, with silver highlights. But she’d drawn it back into a ponytail, exposing the delicate bones of her face.

So why was he noticing these things? Did he want to risk her making a fool of him again? He still wanted to have sex with her. That much was unfortunately true. But it was just a physical thing and he had no intention of acting on it.

She seemed to hesitate, and then said, ‘You left without your coffee this morning.’ A faint smile touched her lips. ‘Were you afraid I might poison it?’

Luke’s lips tightened. ‘No, I can honestly say, that didn’t occur to me.’ Probably because he considered she was too clever to make a mistake like that, however much she might resent him.

‘Good.’ She caught her lower lip between her teeth. ‘I shouldn’t like there to be any animosity between us.’

‘Us?’ Luke scowled. ‘There is no “us”.’

Faint colour touched her cheeks. ‘Not now. I know that.’

‘Not ever,’ he interrupted her harshly.

‘Okay.’ She paused, and then said hurriedly, ‘I hope you don’t think I’m trying to use our past—association—to influence you in your decision about—about the development.’

‘Oh, please.’ He held up a hand. ‘You couldn’t.’ He paused. ‘And I’d rather not be reminded that I was almost responsible for you cheating on your husband. Or maybe that wasn’t the first time.’

Abby was furious. ‘If you remember, it wasn’t me who started it. You were on the lookout for a casual hook-up and I was there.’

‘That’s not true!’

‘Isn’t it?’ Her lips twisted. ‘I bet you thought you were onto a good thing.’

‘Well, I got that wrong, didn’t I?’ he snarled, and she shook her head disbelievingly.

‘I can’t believe you said that,’ she exclaimed. ‘How could I ever have been attracted to you?’

‘Abby...’

To his frustration, the retriever chose that moment to wind itself about his legs, throwing him off balance. Without thinking, he tried to save himself by clutching her shoulder, and Abby’s arm curled automatically about his waist.

The atmosphere was suddenly charged with tension. Luke was overwhelmingly conscious of Abby’s warm body close against his own. It was not a situation he’d engineered, but now that it had happened, he was unwillingly—and undeniably—aroused.

Stifling a groan of anguish, he grabbed the leash and set himself free. ‘I think I should go.’

‘Yes, I think you should,’ she said tightly. ‘But don’t leave on my account. I’m going back to Harley’s myself.’

For a moment, his mind was too caught up with other things. Primarily what he’d like to do to her body. Then he realised what she’d meant. ‘Oh, the café?’ he said flatly, and she nodded.

Then, almost against her better judgement, she said, ‘Please don’t penalise any of the other tenants because of me.’

‘I don’t see how I could do that.’

‘Oh, don’t underestimate yourself, Luke.’ Abby spoke bitterly. ‘This isn’t an easy situation for any of us.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Are you?’ She didn’t sound as if she believed him. ‘Well, if you’ll excuse me...’

Luke groaned. ‘What do you expect from me, Abby? Absolution?’

‘You’re joking!’ She held up her head. ‘I expect nothing from you, Luke. I never did.’

Luke’s jaw hardened. ‘That wasn’t my impression. But, perhaps, I was wrong. I was wrong about so much else about you, wasn’t I?’

‘You arrogant bastard!’

Abby grasped Harley’s leash in both hands and backed away from him. Her features were pale now and taut with outrage, and Luke knew a feeling of grim frustration. He hadn’t intended to hurt her, but he evidently had, and, unable to do anything else, he went after her.

‘Abby...’

‘Stay away from me!’

‘I don’t want to fight with you.’ He sounded as if he regretted what he’d said, and he didn’t like it.

‘Don’t you?’ he thought she muttered as she turned away from him and started back towards the road. ‘Well, don’t worry,’ she called back over her shoulder. ‘I’ll pretend this conversation never happened. Just get your solicitor to let me know when you want the café vacating, and I’ll be out of there.’

With a feeling of defeat, Luke strode after her, grasping her arm and swinging her round to face him. There were tears staining her cheeks, he saw at once, and, unable to prevent himself, he lifted a hand and used his thumb to brush them away.

‘Don’t,’ she whispered, but he wasn’t listening to her. His mind was filled with images of the hot, steamy sex they might have shared if things had been different, and it was difficult to remember exactly why he shouldn’t be touching her.

Her cheek was so soft beneath his fingers, and he allowed his hand to move lower until his thumb was stroking the parted contours of her mouth.

She didn’t try to stop him. She was still gripping the retriever’s leash like a lifeline, but Luke was intoxicated by her scent. Unable to prevent himself, he bent towards her and covered her lips with his.

Her mouth was hot and unexpectedly vulnerable, and all the emotions she’d aroused in him five years ago came flooding back.

He knew instantly why he hadn’t forgotten her, why he could remember so well her taste and her smell. And the sensual pressure of her hips against his erection made sanity desert him.

‘Luke...’

His name was barely audible. Her breath hitched, and her hand curling around his neck was so cold it burned him. Or perhaps it was his skin that was burning up with the sudden intensity of his desire.

One thing was certain: he couldn’t let this go on. He knew that this stretch of open ground, despite supporting a few trees, was hardly private. And, unfortunately, they were not hidden by any of those trees.

Apart from which, what in God’s name did he think he was doing?

And then Harley barked, bringing an abrupt end to his uncertainty.

Maybe the retriever had seen a cat or a rabbit. He’d started tugging on his leash, and Abby was forced to take an involuntary step away from Luke.

‘Harley,’ she exclaimed, and Luke expelled a hoarse breath.

Dammit, he’d never thought he’d be grateful to a dog, but he was.

‘I’ve got to go,’ he said roughly as Abby endeavoured to calm the animal down.

And without giving her time to say anything else, he strode away.