Читать книгу Mills & Boon Christmas Delights Collection - Джанис Мейнард, Rebecca Winters - Страница 33

Chapter Twenty-Four

I plugged the key into the lock and turned it, opening the door as another gust of wind practically blew us both in the door.

‘I did answer them.’

Sort of.

Michael frowned as he closed the door against the wind, putting some effort behind it. ‘Even when you were pissed off at me that first time I called, having sent Bernice back, you picked up the phone. You’ve never avoided me before, even when you hated me. But now you do?’

‘I told you I was busy. I wasn’t…specifically avoiding you.’

Nice one, Pinocchio.

‘And I never hated you.’

‘There was a rumour you wanted to hit me with a snow shovel.’

‘Yes. Well. All right. There were moments that might have crossed my mind.’

A ghost of a smile played on his lips and I wanted to catch it with my own and trap it there. I looked away.

‘And like I said, I did reply to you.’ I cast a glance back out of the glass doors. ‘That snow’s not letting up. You should get –’

‘This is the reply you’re referring to?’ He held up his phone, the email I had sent from the bookshop open on it.

I headed towards the stairs, avoiding the lift as I always did. And having just snarfed two pieces of cake, probably the best option anyway.

‘Yes. See? Not ignoring you at all.’ I turned on the stair and leant to take the bags back from him.

He inched them back out of my reach. ‘I’ll bring them. We’re not done talking yet.’

I lifted my gaze to his and he met it evenly. The green eyes softened for a moment and he lifted his free hand to my cheek, his thumb brushing my skin.

‘You’ve been crying. I thought it was just the wind blowing at you out there, making your eyes water.’

‘It was. Is.’ I turned, causing his hand to drop as I moved quickly up the flights of stairs and on towards my flat. Unlocking it, I thought about trying again to get rid of Michael. A quick glance revealed he was still studying me and I knew that look: He wasn’t going anywhere until he was done. I let out a sigh, stood back to let him in and closed the door. Best just to get it over with. I pulled off my hat, shucked my coat and hung everything up.

‘Jesus, what did you do?’ Michael’s hand caught my chin and he tilted my face to the light a little more.

‘What?’ And then I remembered. ‘Oh, that,’ I said, my fingers automatically going to the apparently noticeable bump on my forehead. I winced as I touched it. Bloody hell. I really hope it didn’t look as big as it felt. ‘I sort of head butted a pole on the Tube.’ I met his eyes. ‘Accidentally. Obviously.’

A flicker of a smile played around the corners of his luscious mouth at my clarification. ‘Get some ice on it. It’ll help take the swelling down.’

My eyes ran over him.

‘Talking of ice, you look frozen.’

‘I’m all right.’

‘Do you want a hot drink? I can – ’

‘Katie. Stop. Please. Just talk to me.’ His hand was encircling my wrist, just lightly, keeping me from turning my back again.

‘What is it you want me to say that I haven’t said?’ I’d planned that to come out as strong and neutral. But my voice betrayed me, cracking on the last words.

He shook his head, the hint of smile back on his lips, but tinged this time with a sadness I couldn’t explain. ‘Oh Katie, there’s so much I want you to say.’

‘I don’t understand.’

Michael took a couple of steps backward, lowering himself so that he was resting on the arm of my couch. As he hadn’t let go, I had no alternative but to follow. And now I was looking directly into those captivating eyes.

‘You once accused me of not knowing anything about you and making a judgement anyway. I was wrong to do that and I promised myself I’d never do that again. But now you’re doing the same thing.’

‘No…I’m…’

He reached around and undid the clip that had been securing my hair. It tumbled down my back and gently, distractedly, he took a length and wrapped it around his fingers, letting it slide between them. Part of me wanted him to stop and part of me wanted him never to.

‘I had no idea Angeline was going to be there last night.’

‘I know. That was obvious from your face.’

‘Apparently she didn’t just “happen” to be there, like she said. She wangled a ticket from someone, because she wanted to talk to me. If she’d have come to the house, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. So she wanted it to be on neutral ground, to catch me off guard. Which she did.’

I nodded, having forcibly unlocked my gaze from the tractor beam of his.

‘You’re right. She does want to get back together.’

I knew it. Of course I did. But having him confirm it, with his hand resting on my wrist, his fingers playing with my hair…

I pushed away. ‘That’s great Michael. Like I said in the email, I’m really happy for you. But I do kind of have some stuff to do so…’

When I looked up his face was tense, the chiselled features setting back into hard lines. He ran a hand over his now short hair.

‘Katie I got hurt before and I swore I’d never go through that again.’

‘I’m sure she’s realised that and – ’

‘Jesus, woman. Will you just let me say what I’m trying to say?’ Exasperation broke in his voice, as, with two strides, he closed the space between us.

I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it again. Michael’s hands cupped my face and he lowered his head, his lips brushing mine, soft at first, and then deepening into something more as he pulled me towards him, his arms wrapping around me, crushing me against him, as his lips moved from my mouth to my throat.

‘Michael?’ I forced out, using every bit of willpower I had to interrupt his touch.

He pulled away, his eyes searching mine. ‘Katie, I don’t want Angeline. For a moment last night I thought maybe there was a chance. But it literally only lasted a moment. It was like a flash of something from before. Something that’s gone and can never be brought back.’

‘Do you wish it could?’ As painful as the answer might be, I had to know.

‘No,’ he answered. There was no hesitation. He tipped my chin up. ‘No, I don’t. Angeline is the same as she ever was. And once I thought that was what I wanted. That she was what I wanted. But she’s not. She was never right for me. Everyone tried to tell me but I was young and stupid and I thought I knew better. Now I do know better. She’s bored with her banker now. He makes a tonne of money, but he can’t make her laugh. So now she’s thinking maybe the grass wasn’t so green over there after all. But it’s too late, because, to keep up with the metaphor, I’ve moved onto pastures new.’ He bent slowly and kissed my cheekbone. ‘At least I’d like to.’

I frowned.

‘What?’ he asked, pulling away and standing up straighter.

‘If I’m the new pasture, that gives a distinct whiff of me sounding like cattle.’

He rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t know what you did to me but until you came along, I had the gift of the gab with women. Then you ruined it all.’

I grinned. ‘Good.’

He shook his head at me, the half-smile teasing his face. ‘OK. Let’s put this out there clearly: I am not referring to you as anything remotely bovine.’

‘Good,’ I repeated.

‘I do, in fact, think you are the most beautiful, funny, intelligent, witty, talented and loving woman I have ever met. I’ve been in love with you since about five minutes into your first visit. A situation which frankly frightened the bloody life out of me and I had no idea what to do with that for a while. It scared me to feel what I did, what I do for you. But I couldn’t bear not to see you again. And I’m forever grateful that you didn’t just tell me to bugger off. And if you feel even a fraction for me of what I feel for you, I’d be happy until the end of my days. Katie I don’t want someone who’s just a pretty face any more. I want someone who drives me crazy in all ways, good and bad, someone who knows the meaning of family, and values it as much as I do, and someone who can flat out tell me when I’m being an arse, which with your help, will hopefully get a lot less often.’

‘Since the day we met?’ My brain was fizzing and my jaw was somewhere near the floor, ‘You…we…’

‘Why do you think I really turned Bernice away?’

‘I thought it was because you were private and just…’

He was shaking his head. ‘I just wanted to see you again. In all your sensational haughtiness.’

‘I am not haughty!’

He took his seat back on the arm of the chair and pulled me to him, my legs in-between his splayed ones, his arms wrapped around my waist.

‘Oh, but you are. And it’s sexy as hell.’ His voice roughened as he said it, causing a bolt of heat to sear through me, frazzling whatever was currently left of my thoughts. His day old scruff grazed my face tantalisingly as he kissed along my jawline before finally, finally finding my mouth again. His arms tightened around me and I pulled him closer, my hands at his neck, wanting him more than I had ever thought possible. His eyes glistened when, eventually he pulled away.

‘Katie Stone I love you. I know that you’ve had a hard time with things, that you’ve been hurt, and I know I’m a long way from perfect, but spending time with you has made me a happier man than I ever thought it possible to be again. You’ve made me a better man too and I want to continue to improve on that. But I can’t do that without you.’

I didn’t say anything. The words were there, in my head, but I couldn’t get them out.

‘Of course, if you refuse, I’m just going to have to go right home and mess up that house again. And keep messing it up until you realise that we’re meant to be together. That we were always meant to be together.’

Those damn words in my head still wouldn’t come out so I curled my fingers into his jacket, pulled him towards me and kissed him instead. He got the message.

***

Last night, on Christmas Eve, the whole family had descended on Michael’s house and turned it into chaos, a wonderful, warm, loving chaos, which I was absorbed into immediately. It seemed that the rest of the family had been kept informed on the progress of The Christmas Project through Janey. Ostensibly, this was meant to refer to the transformation of the house where the festivities were planned to take place. But as Janey relayed this, there was a little twinkle in her eye. I saw Michael give her an amused, but suspicious, look before turning that gaze on me.

‘I have a feeling we may have been set up.’ His arm curled around me, pulling me in against his hard body.

‘I have a feeling you may be right.’ As I rested my head against his broad chest, watching children and adults smack the daylights out of imaginary sports balls on the television, I realised that sometimes not being in total control of everything wasn’t such a bad thing.