Читать книгу His Permanent Mistress: Mistress Under Contract - Kate Hardy - Страница 14

You enjoy an active and fast-paced environment

THAT night Lucy worked even later than usual, spending the whole time trying to ignore the memories of the previous Friday. She was trying to stop wishing it would all happen again. Regretting the way she’d nailed the lid on it so soon despite knowing it had well been for the best. He annoyed the pants off her—literally. But the last thing she needed was to get involved with a guy—hot as he was—who could offer as much emotional support as a stuffed frog. If she was going to open up to someone, he needed to be nice, and capable of showing some kind of understanding—not clashing with her at every opportunity and being Mr Bossy.

She got home at just after six in the morning—when the first joggers were already out pounding along by the waterfront. She’d attempted a grin at one woman speeding by but it was more of a grimace. She stood under the shower for a few heavenly moments before slipping straight into bed, pulling just the cotton sheet over her naked, warm, slightly wet body.

What felt like five minutes later there was a knock on her door. Groggily she opened one eye. ‘What?’

‘Lucy.’

‘Go away.’

He didn’t. Rather he opened the door. Tee shirt and long shorts. Tanned muscles on show. She shut her eyes tight. The last thing she needed was to see Daniel looking gorgeous in casual-wear. Self-control, self-control—she had some, didn’t she? Even a teeny bit?

He yanked open her curtains. She screwed her eyes shut tighter against the glare.

‘Lucy, you’re coming out with me.’

‘No. I’m sleeping.’ With him. In her dreams. All the time.

‘Open your eyes.’

She ignored him.

‘When did you last see the sun?’ She could feel him close by the bed. ‘You’re turning into some vampire. The bar is going great, but you’re working all hours. You look awful. I’m ordering you to take the night off.’

She opened her eyes at that. ‘Are you forbidding me to go there?’

He nodded. ‘If you set foot in that bar in the next twenty-four hours I’m sacking you.’

‘You can’t do that.’

‘I’m the boss.’

She closed her eyes again. ‘Fine. I won’t go. Now leave me alone.’

‘No. I’ll stand here and annoy you until you get out of bed and spend the day in fresh air like normal people.’

‘Daniel.’

‘Would you rather I got in there with you?’

She sat up immediately, clutching the sheet to her chest.

He grinned. ‘Thought that idea might get you moving.’ He strolled to her door. ‘I’ll give you five minutes. If you’re not dressed and in the lounge by then I’ll be back in here and dressing you myself.’

She lay down again after he left and debated whether or not to stay there.

No. She pushed back the covers and looked out from the curtains, amazed to see the sun high in the sky. She quickly slipped on a top. Then she heard his voice. ‘Put your swimsuit on.’

That would be the bikini—the only swimsuit she had. She really must go shopping for an all-covering granny special soon. She pulled the top off and put the bikini on underneath. Her heart’s tempo picked up. She shouldn’t. Shouldn’t, shouldn’t.

Lucy had always struggled with shouldn’t. It was the red rag and she was the bull.

They walked along the bay and found a warm spot on the crowded beach. He had a blanket.

‘Your tan is fading.’ He ran light fingers down her arm. She shut her eyes with the agony of it and hoped he couldn’t see her reaction flare behind her Jackie O sunglasses.

‘Why are we here, Daniel?’

‘My case starts next week. This is my last chance to relax for a while. And you need a break.’

‘What’s your case about?’

He stared into the sea. ‘The last thing I want to think about right now is that case.’

‘What do you want to think about?’

‘Nothing. No thoughts. No analysis.’

No regrets. He blinked and turned to look at her.

‘Let’s go for that swim.’She raised her brow, wanting to shatter the sudden stillness. ‘Race you to the pontoon.’ She’d ripped off her glasses and dress and was running to the water before she’d finished the sentence. She heard his growl of laughter, and knew her head start would only be a split-second advantage.

The water was freezing but she struck out and pulled her arms through the water furiously. Ten seconds into it and she was fighting a stitch-like pain in her side. How could she have lost fitness in just a few days? Breathless, she finally got there and tried really hard not to be completely peeved as she saw his face already bobbing by the wood.

‘Your technique’s not bad really,’ he said. ‘You could do with a bit of practice.’

‘You think?’ She puffed out the words.

A party of keen teenagers splashed out, swamping the pontoon with wet bodies. Lucy sank a little in the crowd. Daniel frowned as he saw her face. He reached out an arm and pulled her to him. He gripped the pontoon and supported her with his other arm. ‘You OK?’

‘Sure.’ Her breath wouldn’t return. If anything she felt more puffed. And cold. She wanted his other arm around her. His legs brushed against hers as he trod the water.

‘Your lips are blue. You’re freezing.’

All she could think about was how he could warm her up.

‘I’ll swim you back in.’

This was embarrassing. It was only a few metres but her body was acting as if she’d tried to swim the English channel in winter with only a banana for breakfast. Come to think of it, she hadn’t had breakfast. Or lunch.

‘OK.’

‘Put your arms and legs around me.’

‘Sorry?’

‘Come on, koala hold.’

‘You can’t swim with me like that.’

‘I can swim. Trust me.’ He took her hands and pulled her towards him. She had no option, had to cling to him like a little barnacle on a big rock. Oh, yeah, she just had to.

His body was warm even in the chilly water. The feeling of security in his strong arms was soporific, the pleasure in being carried by a fit male extreme.

I am pathetic. I am a pathetic excuse for a modern woman. I should be swimming myself. She relaxed against him completely and let her arms hold him close. The sensation was too nice not to indulge. Her eyes shut tight. Her body wasn’t cold any more.

‘Lucy, you can let go now.’

She opened her eyes to his dry amusement, suddenly aware she was barely under the water. A boy who looked about eight years old was standing in the water not far away. She really was pathetic. Reluctantly she looked up into his face. He stared at her, his mouth sort of smiling, but his eyes were like arrows piercing deep, searching. Talk about one-way traffic—hunting out her thoughts while refusing to reveal any of his own. She dropped her gaze, landing on his shoulders instead. Stupid, because they were very broad and she was very nearly clinging. She went to lower her legs but his hands tightened on her a fraction. She risked another look at his eyes. Gleaming gold flecks grew—bringing warmth to his usually reserved demeanour—and bringing heat to her belly.

The young boy hollered out to a friend. The moment shattered. She slipped from his arms and stumbled up the beach. Back on shore she shivered. Need made her bones ache. He handed her a towel and she sat with it cloaked tepee-style around her. She caught his frown.

‘I’m OK, just tired.’

‘You haven’t eaten.’ He rummaged in his bag and pulled out a banana. She giggled.

‘What’s so funny?’ He peeled the banana. ‘OK, it’s not much. Down that and we’ll go to the deli.’

They sat and waited for their order. He picked up a paper from the counter. He took the news section, offered her the glossy magazine.

‘Actually I’d prefer the world section.’

He looked curious.

‘Weirdest-stories-in-the-world section,’ she explained. ‘You know—SHARK EATS ELEPHANT, EIGHTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD WOMAN GIVES BIRTH.’

‘That’s not the world section, that’s tabloid.’ He handed it to her anyway. ‘I’ll have it back when you’re done.’

The silence was almost companionable. He sat in his long board shorts, sandals and nothing else. She wore a tee and her sarong tied round her middle. If she closed her eyes she could pretend they were on a beach on some remote Pacific island. Only they wouldn’t have a table separating them. She wouldn’t be avoiding eye contact. There wouldn’t be other people sitting too close and talking too loudly about what movie they should go to that night. He wouldn’t be so engrossed in the business section.

The pancakes with banana, bacon and maple syrup looked fantastic, but only a few bites into it she abandoned it—grumpily recognising her appetite was nothing like normal.

They wandered the few yards back to his flat. She’d pretended the silence was comfortable, but now it intensified to uneasy awareness. They said nothing as they climbed the stairs. Once in the apartment she headed straight to her room, showered and re-dressed. She headed to the lounge and out to the balcony. She sat and took in the view and pretended she couldn’t care less where he was right now or what he was doing.

He wasn’t interested. Nor was she.

She was a big fat liar.

She turned to see what he was doing. He stood at the table—currently scattered with paperwork from one end to the other. He must have showered because his hair was freshly damp. She tried not to think about his body naked under the jets but the sight of him in those jeans didn’t take the edge off. To her dismay he started loading the papers into a box.

‘You’re not staying in tonight?’ Why had she thought he would? Just because he’d made her take the night off—he hadn’t suggested a date or anything like it.

‘I have to work.’ He shuffled more paper. ‘I worked all morning and now I’ve had a break I need to get back into it. The case starts soon.’

‘You can’t work here?’ He’d worked here this morning, hadn’t he?

His hands stilled. ‘No. I can’t.’ His lips twisted. ‘I need to meet with my junior and go for as long as it takes.’ He clipped the lid on the box. ‘You stay home and watch a movie or something. I spoke to Sinead and she’s promised to have everything under control.’

‘I should go there tonight.’

‘You’ve been working too many long hours. I’m not risking your taking me to the Employment Tribunal for unreasonable working conditions. You need a day off.’ He walked out, shut the door and took her good mood with him.

She sat for a while, thought about food and decided against it. She headed indoors, switched on the TV and flicked through the channels—once through all of them, then again before switching it off. She checked out the bookcases again. Other than legal mumbo jumbo there was only a selection of modern classics, a few wine almanacs and a collection of crime novels. Typical. The last thing she liked to read. Where was the light relief?

She couldn’t stand it any more. She was so out of place here, with nothing in common for them. It screamed of Daniel. And all she wanted was Daniel. Being in his space like this was driving her insane.

She grabbed her light jacket, set of keys and headed for the door.

She stopped at the Malaysian restaurant near the pool and got a curry to take away. The spicy aroma tempted her listless appetite and she headed to the club with a spring in her step.

Sinead rolled her eyes as Lucy approached her on the door. ‘You’re supposed to be having a night off.’

‘I am. I’m going to sneak this into the back, then I’m going to have a game of pool and relax.’

‘Yeah, right, you’ll be back behind that bar before you can help yourself.’

Sinead was right. But, Lucy mentally argued, it was a particularly busy night. A film crew had wrapped and the club was the post-party destination point. The place heaved with beautiful people all wanting drinks right this instant. Corey and the other tenders pounced on Lucy as soon as they saw her. Lucy loved it. It felt great to be wanted. Fantastic to be needed.

She slugged back her food and, after a freshen-up, headed out to face the punters.

It was after eleven when she spotted Daniel. Her heart stopped, then accelerated alarmingly. He’d just entered with a couple of guys at his side. Lawyers-doing-casual. But it wasn’t them who caught her attention. It was the striking-looking brunette on the other side of him. She was tall—almost as tall as Sinead. Slim with perfectly formed corkscrew curls ringletting around her face. It made Lucy loathe her own unruly waves. The brunette wore a black top—close-fitting, showing off her small waist and gentle rounded curves. She’d teamed it with a royal-blue skirt—slim line with a pencil-pleated trim around the bottom. Underneath her long shapely legs tapered to slender ankles and stylish shoes. Definitely a lawyer. Definitely interested in Daniel. It was obvious in one second—the way she looked at him, the way she stood close to him.

Question—was Daniel interested in her?

Lucy looked to his face—although usually it was inscrutable. Only when she was up close and able to see the changing molten gold in his eyes did she have some idea of what he was thinking—and feeling.

But right now he wasn’t wearing his usual poker expression. He was looking straight at her, and he was looking mad. She glanced again at the woman by his side, the one standing too close. He’d told Lucy not to come here tonight. Was this why? He didn’t want his one-night stand getting anywhere near his girlfriend? Is that who she was—his girlfriend?

Damn lying lawyer.

Lucy squared her shoulders and turned to the next customer waiting. Hiding her rising fury with über-efficiency.

Within minutes Daniel was standing at his usual spot on the end of her bar, alone. ‘Lucy.’

She finished serving the customer she was dealing with and turned to the next.

‘Lucy.’ Her hair stood on end. That wasn’t a tone she’d heard from him before.

She smiled an apology to the customer after that and turned towards Daniel. He glared at her grimly, grabbed her arm and pulled her close so he could talk right into her face. ‘What are you doing here?’

She glared right back. ‘What does it look like?’

‘I told you not to come in here tonight.’

She tried not to be dazzled by the molten gold. ‘I’m a free agent.’

‘I told you I’d sack you.’

‘Go right ahead. You can serve all these people yourself.’Any sense of camaraderie they’d shared that afternoon was smashed.

He glanced along the bar—people queuing four or five deep the length of it. He glowered. ‘You can work out your notice period—tonight.’

Hell. He really was mad.

‘Fine.’

She turned her back on him and stomped back a few paces to serve another customer. Lying, cheating jerk. How on earth could she still want this guy? How was it possible she wanted him more than ever right this very instant? She wanted to pounce on him, knock him back on the table and show him exactly who was boss. Wanted to fight it out in the most passionate way.

And he’d win, of course. Then he’d be able to walk away and she’d be left wanting more.

That knowledge made her even madder. She glanced back to him and met his angry stare full on. For the next ten minutes he stood at the end of the bar and they traded optical daggers.

When she looked up at the next customer she stiffened to see it was the brunette blessed with legs that went for ever. Her big brown eyes weren’t exactly warm and friendly.

‘You know Daniel?’ Straight to the point.

Lucy smiled—saccharine. ‘Sure.’

‘I’m Sarah. I work with him. And you are?’

‘Lucy.’ So Sarah wasn’t a girlfriend—yet. But if the proprietary air was anything to go by, it wouldn’t be long.

‘You’re a friend?’

This woman was definitely a lawyer—the way she shot out questions. Irritated, Lucy decided to toss in a spanner. ‘Actually we live together.’

She saw the other woman’s eyes widen. If it didn’t matter so much she’d have laughed at the look on her face. ‘Really? I didn’t know Daniel was seriously involved with anyone. Rumour is he’s a two-dates-and-it’s-over player.’

Lucy poured the drinks and tried to hide the shake in her hand. ‘He likes to keep his personal life personal. Sorry.’

Her adversary went to pay.

‘On the house.’ It wasn’t a needle of guilt Lucy felt, more like a chainsaw. What was she doing interfering in Daniel’s life? This woman might turn out to be the love of his life—she certainly fitted the ‘polished’ bill. But if that was the case, what was he doing having sex with Lucy in the middle of the night? Especially mind-blowing, best-in-all-your-life sex. Unless it hadn’t been for him. Maybe that was just normal. Oh, God. She had to stop this agonising. She felt the itch in the soles of her feet; she should cut and run. But then she looked about the bar, saw the happy crowds and wanted to stay. And she saw the tall, dark, unfairly handsome suit striding back to his lawyer mates and really, really didn’t want to leave.

Daniel was seriously annoyed. The woman was tired. She’d been working far too hard all week—not a day off, crazy long hours, and she was growing paler by the minute. And he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He had a complex case starting and here he was worrying about some woman he’d known less than a fortnight. She was contrary. She was ornery. She was everything he didn’t need.

And she was so beautiful.

He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She distracted him. He’d had to get out of the flat after this afternoon. He’d worked well enough in the morning but the knowledge she was sleeping in the next room had called to him. Until he’d been able to stand it no longer and he’d got her up. Wanting to spend time with her. Wanting to know if she wanted more. He suspected, but he wanted certainty.

He’d been playing it cool all week but he was dangerously close to flaring. He’d worked in the office tonight with the team because he’d needed to escape her presence in his apartment. Perversely he’d come to the club after to relax, because he felt oddly at home on his barstool. But he didn’t want her to be here. He just wanted to be in her space without having her there stretching his nerves to break point. He was fast losing the fight against the out-of-control desire to have her again.

Sarah appeared in front of him and handed him a whiskey. His thoughts were halted with her direct comment.

‘You’re a dark horse.’

She smiled but he could see sharpness in her eyes. Something had set his junior on edge.

‘Why’s that?’

‘I didn’t know you were living with someone.’

He looked to where she looked.

Lucy.

The gulp of whiskey burned. ‘She told you?’

As they watched her pulling a pint Lucy looked over to them. Her quickly hidden startle pleased him. She turned away as soon as she saw his gaze on her. Out of the corner of his eye he kept watching her and within an instant she was looking their way again. And away. And back. Much as she wanted to she couldn’t help herself. He knew the feeling.

He savoured the whiskey this time and the fire inside had nothing to do with the swallow. His smile was big and wide. ‘Yeah. She’s something, isn’t she?’

‘She’s…not what I’d have expected.’

‘No.’ He grinned again.

‘It’s serious between you?’

Daniel stared at the content of his glass and made an ambiguous ‘mmm’ response. Of course it wasn’t. But he had to quell the crazy urge to punch a fist in the air. His drifter bar manager was jealous. You could only be jealous when you cared.

So there was his certainty. Proof positive. Meaning her reluctance was surmountable. He wanted the next few hours to fast forward. He wanted to be back in his apartment—just him and her. It was definitely time to sort a few things out. Such as who was on top.

He took another sip of whiskey. She didn’t know it but Lucy had done him another favour. Now as far as Sarah was concerned he was well off the market. Excellent. Sarah had ‘interested’ and ‘power couple’ written all over her. Hell would freeze over first. While Sarah would know of his love-and-leave reputation, Daniel also knew she was as tenacious as a dog with a bone. He’d been careful not to give her even the slightest encouragement and now this should seal it completely.

Feeling happier than he had all week, he hid his smile from Lucy as she scowled at him. He was going to enjoy turning her into that sighing, sexy creature again. Meantime he could afford to turn the screws on her a little. She had a jealous wound? Time for a little salt. He sent Sarah and the boys out ahead of him. Then he approached her.

It took every ounce of self-control not to reach out and haul her to him. He badly wanted to kiss her into submission. He wanted to see her body arch up to him, see her eyelids flutter, hear her moan of delight.

Soon.

‘Keep up the good work.’ He said it as patronisingly as he could—loving the fact that he’d be on the floor like a dead ant if her look had its way. ‘I’m taking Sarah home.’ He turned and winked. ‘Don’t wait up.’