She stopped fiddling with the switches and stared up at him. ‘Did you really just ask if I’m shagging my boss?’
‘No.’ Feeling acutely uncomfortable, he shifted on his feet. ‘At least not in so many words.’
‘Unbelievable.’ Muttering under her breath, she marched into the living area, throwing her handbag onto the coffee table again, just as she had the other night. Given the table’s appearance, it clearly had a function beyond that of a resting place for hot drinks. ‘So you think I got this job because I agreed to sleep with him?’
‘Good God, no.’ Annoyed with himself, Zac dropped his holdall on the floor. ‘You appear to get on well. That’s all I meant.’
‘We do.’ She busied herself flicking through the mail she’d picked up when she’d come in, then checking her phone.
Zac stood like a lemon watching her, wondering how to ease the tension he’d just created. ‘Sorry, it was a crass comment.’ He paused, raking a hand through his hair. ‘I made it because I was jealous.’
‘Jealous?’ Incredulity spread across her face. ‘We’re not … I mean, you and I aren’t … Holy Moses, Mark and I aren’t, either.’ He’d never seen her so lost for words. ‘You have to be with someone to be jealous,’ she said finally.
‘Clearly not.’ His eyes tracked hers as she walked into the kitchen and went to open the fridge.
She paused, staring into it, clearly trying to gather herself – maybe to rein in her temper – before turning back to him. ‘Don’t do this.’
‘Do what? Check out my competition?’ He was out of order, he knew it, but he was tired, scared, and angry that his life had come to him having to spend the night in another place that wasn’t his home. Worse. In a place where he wasn’t wanted, but was staying because he was the owner’s responsibility.
She huffed, pulling various things out of the fridge and thumping them down on the worktop. ‘There is no flaming competition, because you and I aren’t doing this.’
He dragged in a breath, forcing himself to calm. None of this was Kat’s fault. Not the fact the stalker had found him again, nor the searing jealousy he’d felt when he’d seen her speak to Mark on the phone. The fond way she’d called him boss.
‘Okay, message received.’ Zac’s gaze skimmed over the ingredients she was wrestling with: pasta, bacon, cheese and green beans. ‘Look, you don’t need to cook for me. Let’s get a takeaway. My shout. The least I can do for inconveniencing you like this.’
Slowly she closed the fridge door. ‘You’re not an inconvenience.’
‘Sure, I’m not. Babysitting your client in your own home is exactly how you want to spend your evening.’
Finally, her face lost its anger and she gave him a wry smile. ‘I guess I deserved that.’ With a sigh, she began to chuck the ingredients haphazardly back into the fridge. He itched to point out the cheese should go on the top shelf, and vegetables on the bottom, but he needed to mend fences, not build them, so he shut up.
‘Okay.’ Pushing the door closed, she folded her arms and leant up against it. ‘First, thank you, we’ll go for the takeaway option. Debs will be delighted, but I’m paying.’ When he baulked, she put up her hand. ‘I’ll claim it back on expenses.’
He nodded, happy to concede that one. ‘Second?’
‘Second, Mark and I have never been, nor ever will be, in a relationship.’ She looked him square in the face. ‘He was my CO in the army and helped me through some tough personal stuff while I was in Afghanistan. When I left to join life as a civilian, I couldn’t settle.’ She shrugged. ‘Funny fact, I’m not cut out to spend my days monitoring bloody CCTV. Mark heard how unhappy I was, and when he offered me this gig I snapped his hand off. So, if we sound close, it’s because we are. Fighting alongside someone does that.’
Once again, he felt the sharp bite of jealousy. Not close in the way he’d thought then, but they clearly shared experiences, shared a bond, he had no hope of emulating. She’d needed Mark, and he’d been there for her. Zac couldn’t imagine Kat ever needing him.
It was time to change the subject. ‘When will Debs get home?’
‘She’s doing her homework at a friend’s house. At least that’s what she told me.’ Kat glanced at her watch. ‘I expected her back half an hour ago.’ Waving towards the sofa, she told him, ‘Sit yourself down. I know, I know, you’ll have to remove a ton of crap first, but just dump it on the floor. I’ll go and get Mandy’s room ready for you.’
He hadn’t thought it possible to feel even more of a burden, but apparently, he’d been wrong. Kat was stuck with sorting him out when what she’d really wanted to do was check on her niece. ‘I’m not sure what getting the room ready entails, but I don’t care about any clutter.’
‘Says the man who didn’t even mess up his hotel suite.’ Suddenly she smiled, and the warmth from it seeped into his heart, causing it to lift. As if, for that suspended moment in time, there was nothing dragging it down. ‘Don’t stress, Mr Neat and Tidy, I’m not about to do a major overhaul. I’ll just remove any obvious signs of underwear.’
‘Ah, okay.’ It was the most eloquent response he could come up with, considering she was smiling at him, and talking about underwear.
She’d only been gone a few minutes when the front door opened and Debs walked in, doing a double-take when she saw him. ‘Oh, hi.’
‘Hello. Again.’
She smiled tentatively. ‘Is my aunt here or—’
‘Yes, I’m here.’ Kat marched back into the living room, hands on her hips. ‘What time do you call this, Debs?’
As Zac silently squirmed on the sofa, Debs squared up to her aunt. ‘A bit later than you said.’
‘Thirty-five minutes later.’
‘So? I was doing homework.’ Debs dumped her rucksack onto the floor. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’
‘Were you really doing homework?’
‘Sure.’
She might be keen on drama, but Debs would have to improve her acting skills, Zac thought as he watched the interaction. She was obviously lying.
‘Pick up your rucksack and let’s go to your room,’ Kat told her. ‘You and I are going to have a talk.’
Zac immediately jumped to his feet. ‘Don’t.’ When they both turned to look at him, he gave them a weak smile. Heavens above, how had it come to this? The uninvited, unwanted, inconvenient guest. It was excruciating. ‘You talk down here. I’ll go out for a bit.’ When Kat glared at him, he exhaled roughly. ‘Okay, I’ll go to my room. Mandy’s room.’ Embarrassment vied with frustration and he snatched up his case. ‘Please, use your sitting room, in your house. I’ll get out of your way.’
Utterly and completely fed up with the situation, he trudged upstairs and opened the door to the pretty pastel-pink room that was his for the night. Taking off his shoes, he lay down on the double bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering how many more beds he was going to have to sleep in until he could finally lie in his own.
Wondering too, if he had any chance of sleeping in the one down the corridor. The one that belonged to Kat.
Chapter 14
Kat ignored the tug on her heart as Zac, head bowed, walked out of the room. He would have to wait. First, she had a rebellious teenager to deal with.
She went to sit next to Debs on the sofa and looked into her niece’s annoyed brown eyes, choosing her words carefully. ‘I don’t want to fight with you. Just remember, I was fourteen once. I know what the temptations are.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yes. I went around with boys older than me, too. They were your mum’s friends and I thought I was cool, hanging out with them. Some of them were older than Mandy, too.’
‘So?’
‘So, I missed out on a good part of my childhood. Instead of fun things like shopping and going to the cinema, I spent my time in dodgy houses, drinking vodka disguised in Coke because I couldn’t stand the taste. I was forced to grow up too soon and looking back on it now, I regret it.’
�
�Fine.’ Debs avoided her eyes. ‘Consider me warned.’ She jumped up and went to pick up her rucksack. Kat guessed she could at least claim that victory. ‘So, anyway, Zac Edwards.’ Debs slung the bag over her shoulder. ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘He’s staying with us tonight.’
Her niece’s eyes rounded in shock. ‘OMG. Are you two like, you know—’
‘Absolutely not,’ Kat cut in, feeling a flash of heat she hoped to God wasn’t showing on her face. ‘He’s my client, Debs. But someone broke into his hotel room, so he can’t stay there tonight. I figured you wouldn’t mind if he crashed in your mum’s room.’
Debs snorted with laughter. ‘Wicked. Wait till she finds out she had Zac Edwards in her bed. She’ll go nuts.’
‘You have to promise not to say a word of this to anyone, Debs, not even your mum. Not until the person following him has been caught.’ She mimed zipping her mouth shut. ‘Okay, now to the good stuff – we’re ordering take-out. What do you prefer? Chinese, Indian? Pizza?’
‘Pizza.’ A slow smile spread across her niece’s face. ‘I’m going to be sharing pizza with Zac f …’ she caught Kat’s stern look. ‘Zac frigging Edwards. Holy shit.’
Maybe she hadn’t got through to her about the older boys, but at least they were still talking. And as she’d provided Zac frigging Edwards, Kat was confident she’d earned some major cool points.
As for Zac frigging Edwards himself … Kat’s stomach knotted as she walked towards Mandy’s bedroom. She’d been a crap host, no question. He might have hacked her off with his comment about her relationship with Mark, but she’d more than paid him back, making him feel like a … how had he worded it? An inconvenience. Considering the shock he’d just had, that had been pretty damn rude. Especially since he’d admitted his snide remark had come from jealousy.
Her heart twisted. The police needed to find this damn stalker soon because it was becoming harder and harder to keep a lid on the bubbling attraction between them. Every time he said one of his long words, every smile, every glimpse of vulnerability beneath the shiny surface … each one nudged her deeper into feelings she was terrified of. She didn’t want to get hurt, but equally she didn’t want him getting hurt either, emotionally or physically. And right now it was the physical hurt she needed to focus on.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
‘Come in.’
The sight of him lying on a white duvet with pink flowers, his head resting on the fancy iron bedstead, all set against pastel-pink walls, made her smile. ‘Well, isn’t that a pretty sight.’
‘An unusual compliment, but I’ll take it.’ He shifted so he was sitting upright, knees bent. ‘Have you and Debs finished … speaking?’
‘Yep. She’s looking forward to having pizza with Zac frigging Edwards.’
He gave her a small, wary smile. ‘That’s good. I think.’
Kat took a further step in and leant against the wall. ‘I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Apparently, I’m a crap host.’
He shook his head, forearms resting loosely on his knees, which belied the twitching muscle in his jaw. ‘I’m in the way. I should just check myself into another hotel.’
‘Sure, because the stalker can’t get to you in a hotel.’
He glanced away, eyes on the wall. ‘I was unlucky.’
‘You were lucky,’ she corrected. ‘Lucky you weren’t in the room when they left the note.’ The thought of what could have happened sent a cold shiver through her. ‘Look, you’re absolutely not in the way. Debs and I have had our spat, and now we’re looking forward to pizza. If I have to tell her Zac frigging Edwards won’t be sharing it with us after all, we’ll be heading for another row.’
‘I suppose we can’t have that.’ With a grace of movement she’d come to expect from him, he swung his legs off the bed and stood, looking somehow even taller, even more male, surrounded by the feminine décor. ‘I presume it’s safe to head back to your living room?’
She waved him forward. ‘Not only is it safe, I’ve created a space for you on the sofa.’
‘I’m touched.’
They shared a smile and because she wanted to keep looking at him, and smiling at him, a little too much, she forced herself to turn away and walk towards the door.
‘Kat.’ When she halted, he was right next to her, those vivid green eyes gazing into hers. ‘Thank you.’
‘For?’
‘Putting me up.’ He exhaled heavily. ‘The realisation that this person has gone to the effort of breaking into my room … it’s knocked me back a little. I’m glad I’m not stewing by myself in another hotel room tonight.’
‘So am I.’ She meant it. A note on his pillow was a major escalation. Proof that the stalker was no longer content to keep their distance. It wasn’t surprising it had shaken Zac in a way none of the other notes had. It had scared the crap out of her, too. Yet even as he’d absorbed this gross invasion of his privacy, had no doubt finally begun to realise the danger he was in, his first reaction hadn’t been anger. It had been to reassure her it wasn’t her fault. A generosity of spirit, an unselfishness, that once again tugged at those feelings she was trying to fight.
‘Kat.’
Her breath caught as he touched his fingers to her cheek. ‘Please.’ God, she didn’t even know what she was asking for … him to stop, or him to carry on. For him to kiss her, because that’s what her body was aching for.
‘I know.’ He sighed and bent to touch her forehead with his, those warm hands cupping her face. ‘I know,’ he said again, whether to remind himself, or reassure her, she didn’t know.
The air around them fizzed, a palpable sign of the chemistry between them. When he straightened, his eyes found hers, the green mixed with flashes of gold and orange, like leaves caught up in the autumn wind. The longer he stared, the more the colours darkened. And the more her heart thumped.
Just when she thought he was going to kiss her, he cleared his throat and took a step back. ‘No mushrooms.’
The rapid change of pace, of topic, left her reeling. ‘Sorry?’
‘On my pizza.’
‘Oh, right.’ She struggled to pull herself together. Later she’d be grateful he’d not pushed on what he had to know had been an open door, but now all she could feel was a crushing disappointment. ‘What have mushrooms done to offend you?’
He mock shuddered. ‘They’re slippery buggers.’
This was what was needed, she told herself. Dial down the emotion, dial up the friendly banter. ‘Well you’ll have to pick them off, because Debs and I like our pizzas fully loaded.’
His lips twitched. ‘Of course you do.’
‘Why of course?’
‘Because you’re the antithesis of me.’
She shook her head. ‘I swear to God you make up half these words just to confuse me.’
He smiled, but there was something else going on behind his eyes. They looked … sad? ‘I’m merely pointing out the obvious,’ he told her as they made their way back into the open-plan living room. ‘That you’re my opposite in almost every way.’
Her mind stuck on his hesitation over the word almost, but now wasn’t the time to ask. Not with Debs in the adjoining kitchen, rummaging in the cupboards for some glasses. She swirled round when she heard them, a glass in each hand. ‘What would you like to drink Zac … er, Mr Edwards.’
‘Please, call me Zac.’ The film-star smile was back in place, all signs of his earlier wobble, vanished. ‘And I’ll have whatever Kat is drinking. Though I may regret saying that.’
Debs stared back at him, the glazed look on her face causing Kat to bite into her cheek to stop herself laughing. How bloody lovely to see her niece as a star-struck teenager instead of the usual older-than-her-years act she put on.
But then he turned his smile on her, and the desire to laugh died, because apparently he had the ability to turn her into a star-struck teenager too. ‘Zac’s safe,’ she finall
y managed. ‘I’ve run out of Sambuca. There’s some lager in the fridge.’
***
Last night had turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable, once Debs had overcome her surprising shyness, and Kat had reassured Zac he wasn’t entirely unwelcome. Oh, and once he’d pummelled his libido into submission for long enough to convince himself he didn’t want to storm down the corridor, march into her bedroom and make love to her. Yes, considering all that, it had been a surprisingly good evening.
This morning, though, that was another matter entirely. Awkward wasn’t a strong enough word for how he felt now, sitting on the bed in Kat’s sister’s room, pretending to practise his lines when really, he was listening to Mark and Kat argue in the downstairs living room about where he should stay tonight.
Of course, he could have shut his door, but he justified keeping it slightly ajar on the grounds that he was the subject matter under discussion.
‘Another hotel is far too obvious,’ he heard Kat argue. ‘The stalker will just find him again.’
‘They won’t have long enough.’ Mark’s gruff voice this time. ‘The hotel CCTV was no damn use, other than to confirm it was a woman with long hair who knew exactly how to avoid the cameras seeing her face. At least we have a photofit now, though. We know who we’re looking for.’
‘Not true. We have a photofit of a suspect, with no concrete proof she’s actually the stalker.’ Kat again. If Zac closed his eyes, he could picture her face lit up with the vibrant energy that was so much a part of her, whether she was angry, or happy, or anything in between. ‘And so far, the stalker has been pretty flaming elusive.’
‘You really think the answer is having him sleep here, in your house?’
Zac jerked upright. Was Kat seriously suggesting he stay here? With her?
‘I do. It’s easy for me to protect him as I’m with him 24/7, plus this place is like Fort Knox. You know that, you put all the security in place for me. Cameras, alarms, motion sensors. Unlike a hotel, nobody’s coming in unless we invite them. He’ll be safe here until a flat becomes free, or we find another safe house.’
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