by Lucy King
‘Depends on what I want to do with my tongue.’
‘And what do you want to do with your tongue?’
‘Why don’t you lie back and let me show you?’
* * *
Kate was in the kitchen making coffee on Sunday morning when there was a knock on the door of the villa.
How she’d made it downstairs in the first place she had no idea. Her entire body felt like jelly. Muscles she never knew she had ached. By rights, she ought to be exhausted. She’d only had a couple of hours’ sleep. But instead she felt fabulous, on top of the world, exhilarated. Every sense was heightened. Colours were bright. Smells were intense.
Last night had been incredible. And not just from a physical point of view. When she and Theo had been able to take no more, they’d talked. Well, she had at least. His questions about her life—her upbringing, her job, that second-base bet—had been endless, his interest had been genuine, and she’d basked in the attention. She hadn’t managed to get much out of him, apart from a few details about his journey to global domination, but that was okay. She had all day.
Because he was taking her to Florence. More specifically, to the Garden of Archimedes, which apparently was a museum of mathematics. He’d informed her of the plan an hour ago, when she’d suggested spending the entire day in bed, and when she’d heard it and realised that he’d remembered that numbers were her thing, her silly soft heart had melted. The plane was on standby, the finest restaurant in Florence was booked for a late leisurely lunch and she couldn’t wait.
Whoever was outside knocked on the door again and Kate jumped. Abandoning the coffee pot and the lovely hot memories of last night, she walked to the door on legs that still felt a bit shaky and opened it.
On the doorstep, to her surprise, stood Daniel Bridgeman.
‘Buongiorno,’ she said, with the wide grin that she just couldn’t seem to contain.
‘Good morning,’ he replied with an answering smile. ‘May I come in?’
‘Theo’s in the shower.’
‘No problem,’ he said. ‘It was you I wanted to speak to anyway.’
Oh? Why?
Kate felt her smile falter for a second and nerves fluttered in her stomach, but she held the door open for him and let him in because what else could she do?
‘Would you like some coffee?’ she asked, feeling a bit awkward about offering her host his own coffee as she watched him glance around the space as if for some reason checking it out.
Having apparently finished his perusal, he turned to her and shook his head. ‘No, thank you.’
‘The party last night was wonderful.’
‘I’m delighted you enjoyed it.’
‘We did.’
‘I noticed. Watching you and Theo on the dance floor was revelatory.’
There was a twinkle in his eye and Kate found herself suddenly blushing. ‘Yes, well, the music was good.’
‘My wife has eclectic tastes.’ He looked at her for a moment, his gaze suddenly shrewd, and Kate found that for some reason she was suddenly fighting the urge to squirm. ‘Do you know why I invited you and Theo here this weekend, Kate?’
‘To discuss the deal?’
‘Partly,’ he agreed with a nod. ‘I wanted to meet you. And see the two of you together.’
‘Oh?’
He shook his head and smiled. ‘I may be old, but I am far from stupid.’
Her pulse skipped a beat in alarm. ‘No, no,’ she said, thinking that now would be a really good time for Theo to put in an appearance. ‘Quite right.’
‘How much do you know about the history of this deal?’
‘Some,’ she hedged cautiously.
‘I had some doubts about Theo.’
‘He said.’
Daniel’s grey bushy eyebrows lifted. ‘Did he?’
‘Yes.’ She smiled at the memory. ‘He was very put out by it.’
‘I’ve spent fifty years building up my business. I’m not going to sell it to just anyone.’
‘No. Of course not.’
‘One thing that did concern me was your engagement.’
Oh, dear. ‘In what way?’ she said lightly.
‘A suspicious man might question the speed and timing of it.’
‘And are you suspicious?’
‘On occasion.’
Dammit, what was he trying to say? ‘I can understand that.’
‘It’s a deal that’s of huge benefit to both parties. There’s a lot at stake. Theo isn’t a man to give up easily.’
No, he wasn’t. She had first-hand experience of that, although somehow it no longer seemed to bother her. ‘He won’t let you down.’
‘So tell me why I should sell to him.’
What? ‘Me?’ Kate said, her eyebrows shooting up.
‘You.’
‘God, I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I actually know very little about the ins and outs of it.’
‘But you know him, I assume.’
Did she? She thought she did. A bit. Maybe more than a bit now. Enough to convince Daniel Bridgeman that he had no reason to doubt Theo’s integrity, at any rate. ‘You’re right, I do,’ she said, thankfully sounding more certain than she felt. ‘And I can promise you won’t regret it if you do decide to sell to him. Theo can come across as ruthless, I admit, but he is honourable. He’s also incredibly loyal, protective and thoughtful.’ Not to mention devastatingly handsome and unbelievable in bed, although she didn’t think Mr Bridgeman would appreciate that level of detail. ‘You have no idea how hard he’s had to work to get where he is,’ she said instead. ‘He didn’t have the advantage of a stellar education or buckets of money to support him. He’s grafted his entire adult life and continues to do so.’
‘I see,’ said the older man, but she hadn’t finished.
‘And he’s an excellent listener,’ she said. ‘When we met I had a few self-esteem issues but he’s given me the confidence to get over them and believe in myself, and that is something I will always be grateful for.’
‘Interesting.’
She blushed, suddenly aware that she might have gone a bit far in her defence of him, even if everything she’d said was true. ‘Yes, well, he’s a decent man.’
‘You make a good team,’ said Daniel.
‘Er...right, yes, absolutely we do.’
‘As I told him over drinks on Friday night, with a fiancée like you and a baby on the way, he’s a lucky man.’
Oh, dear God. The suggestion must have conjured up his worst nightmare. No wonder he’d been so broodingly distracted at dinner. ‘He certainly is,’ she said.
Daniel headed towards the door. ‘Thank you for sparing me some of your time, Kate, and I hope to see you again soon.’
And even though she and Theo didn’t make a good team and she wouldn’t be seeing Daniel Bridgeman again, Kate nevertheless fixed a bright smile to her face and said, ‘I hope so, too.’
* * *
Upstairs in the bathroom, Theo gripped the edge of the basin, his head swimming and his heart thundering while a cold sweat broke out all over his skin despite the icy shower he’d forced himself to take.
He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. When he’d heard Daniel and Kate talking downstairs he’d fully intended to join them, especially when Daniel had revealed his suspicions about the engagement. But then Kate had begun extolling his non-existent virtues and he’d frozen, his body filling with dread and denial and who knew what else. The passion in her voice... The sincerity... It had made his stomach churn and bile rise up his throat, and he just couldn’t swallow it down.
In no way did he and Kate make a good team. They didn’t make any kind of team. They would never match. And he’d been wrong when he’d told her there was nothing she could do he wouldn’t like. He hadn’t liked what she’d said. He didn’t want anyone
singing his praises. He didn’t need anyone on his side. Ever.
One night of spectacular sex. That was all they’d had. He’d assumed she’d been on the same page, but it hadn’t sounded as if she was. It had sounded as if she’d become...involved. And if he was being brutally honest she wasn’t the only one.
When he thought of the uncharacteristic things he’d said and done since meeting her he realised that at some point he’d lost the sense of who he was. Despite blithely assuming he had everything under control, right from the beginning he’d allowed her to get under his skin and invade his thoughts.
Take the way he’d insisted on fixing her issues, issues that theoretically had nothing to do with him, out of some misguided non-existent sense of responsibility. Look at what he’d done with the thank-you note she’d sent him. He’d had no reason to keep it and he should have shredded it. Nevertheless he’d tucked it away in the top drawer of his desk in the office. Why? Who knew?
Then there was the red convertible parked up outside. It hadn’t been the only car left. He’d had ample choice. But when he’d been presented with the options he’d recalled the wistful longing in her voice when she’d told him all those weeks ago that she’d always wanted one and he’d simply thought she’d like it. In much the same way he’d thought she might enjoy a visit to the maths museum in Florence.
And then there were the tiny snippets about himself that she’d asked for and he’d given her. She’d only wanted one. He’d given her three. Too many. Too much.
He should never have done any of it, he thought grimly as he pushed himself upright and rubbed his hands over his face. He most definitely shouldn’t have slept with her again. However great the pressure of the weekend, however powerful his desire for her, he should have had better control. He’d been careless, weak and self-indulgent and that sense of imminent implosion was expanding with every second. If he didn’t want everything he’d striven for to crash and burn, he had to put an end to whatever was or wasn’t going on with Kate. Right now.
Shutting down and filling with steely resolve, Theo headed downstairs, and, on seeing that Daniel had gone, after muttering to Kate that he had something to take care of but wouldn’t be long, left. And when he returned an hour later, the chaos churning around inside him had been dispelled. Cool, steady calm had returned and nothing, nothing, was going to threaten it again.
‘Hi,’ said Kate, greeting him with a brightness and enthusiasm that bounced straight off his armour and a kiss on the mouth that he didn’t even feel. ‘Are we off? Did you know that the museum has a section dedicated to Pythagoras? It focuses on puzzles inspired by his theorem and I can’t wait.’
Too bad. ‘Pack up your things.’
‘Oh?’ she said, staring at him in surprise. ‘Why?’
‘We’re going home.’
Her grin faded and disappointment spread across her lovely face, and it bothered him not one jot. ‘But the deal?’
‘Signed.’
‘So Florence?’
‘Cancelled.’
‘And...us?’
‘Over.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE tautly silent journey back to a grey and wet London, Kate was accompanied by a level of disappointment that she didn’t understand. The weekend might have ended abruptly and a day ahead of schedule, but she’d always known that once Theo’s deal was signed that would be that. She’d always been more than all right with it, so what was this crushing sense of anticlimax all about? Why did she feel so stunned and so, well, sad?
None of it made any sense. Yes, she’d been excited about going to the Garden of Archimedes, but she could easily go on her own another time. She didn’t need Theo to make her arrangements for her. And while another night of incredible sex would have been wonderful, it wasn’t as if she wouldn’t survive without it. In fact, she ought to be glad this ridiculous charade was over and she could get on with the rest of her life, starting with the visit to her sister that she had been prepared to miss.
Yet she wasn’t.
Maybe it was the unexpectedness of it that was troubling her. Or the sudden inexplicable change in his mood this morning, which she still couldn’t fathom. When she’d left him in the shower, he’d been thoroughly relaxed. She’d made sure of it. Yet, mere moments after the chat she and Daniel had had, he’d stormed off and returned in a very different frame of mind.
What could possibly have happened in the meantime? Had he heard what she’d had to say about him? Since she hadn’t exactly been whispering he might well have done, but even if he had, why would that make him react so negatively? She’d only had positive things to say, and she was pretty sure that the false picture she’d painted of their relationship was what had got the deal signed. So really, he ought to be thanking her, not blanking her.
She didn’t understand it, but when she asked what was wrong all she got in response were grunts and monosyllables, and that hurt because she deserved more. She wanted more. She wanted to know what he was thinking and what he was feeling. She wanted to burrow beneath his surface, find out what was going on and fix it. And not just because she found him insanely attractive. She also liked and admired him and cared about him. He was everything she’d told Daniel Bridgeman he was, and so much more. He was complicated and difficult and layered and fascinating. Challenging and annoying and brilliant.
And about to drop her home and drive off out of her life for good.
This really was it, Kate thought, her heart squeezing painfully at the realisation. The fake relationship that somehow no longer felt fake was actually over. Once she got out of the car she’d never see or hear from him again. Why did that hurt so much? Why did she feel as though she were being sliced in two? Was she actually going to be physically sick?
With fingers that were oddly trembling she lowered her window and turned her face towards it. The cool fresh breeze instantly calmed her churning stomach but it did nothing to alleviate the misery now scything through her body. Why had it had to end now? Why couldn’t she have had one more day and one more night? Why couldn’t she have had for ever?
At that, Kate instantly froze. Time seemed to skid to a halt. Her head emptied of everything but that last bewildering thought.
For ever?
What?
Why would she want that?
Why would she even think that?
Theo wasn’t for ever.
But she was.
And, oh, dear Lord, she’d fallen in love with him.
As the truth of it landed like a blow to the chest, Kate reeled, her heart pounding, her skin tight and damp. She loved everything about him. He wasn’t ruthless; he was dynamic. He wasn’t lacking in empathy; he was understandably guarded. He was everything she’d ever dreamed of, plus he was sexy as hell and the father of her child and he’d been planning to take her to a maths museum.
All those feelings that she’d tried to prevent and then deny... The thrill whenever he called... The exhilaration when she was with him... The sympathy and the fury, and the leap of her heart whenever she looked at the ring... They all suddenly made sense. But how had it happened? And when? Only a week ago she’d hated him. What had changed that? Or had she never really hated him in the first place?
The questions spun around her head, tangling with the realisation that she was crazy about him, making her heart thump with hope and bewilderment.
And despair.
Because she couldn’t possibly tell him. Love had never been part of the deal. She’d merely be setting herself up for brutal rejection and abject misery. He’d be appalled.
Or would he?
What if his feelings had changed, too? What if the chilly distance he’d put between them emanated from a similar epiphany? What if he too was battling feelings he wasn’t sure would be reciprocated?
No. She would not think like that. She mustn’t
. When it came to speculation about what Theo might or might not be thinking she was always wrong. Besides, he didn’t do uncertainty.
And, actually, with regards to one particular aspect of their relationship, neither did she. Because while she still needed time to process how she felt about him and figure out what she was going to do about it, if anything, suddenly she was damned if she was going to let him drop her off and drive away without at least having tried to persuade him to change his mind about his involvement with their child. She wasn’t going to go back to the Kate of before, afraid and in hiding. She was going to fight.
‘So, Theo?’ she said, nerves nevertheless tangling in her stomach as he turned a corner and her building hove into view, an indication that time was running out.
His brows snapped together. ‘Yes?’
‘I was wondering... What are you going to do once the deal’s gone through?’
‘What do you mean?’ he said, shooting her a stony glance that would have had her backing right off had she not strengthened her resolve.
‘Well, once you’ve achieved global domination, what’s left?’
‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘I’ll be done.’
‘Will you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you sure about that?’
‘Quite sure.’
She took a deep breath and mentally crossed her fingers. ‘Because if you do need another project, there’s one cooking away right here.’ She indicated her abdomen and watched as his gaze flickered across and down, his jaw tightening in that familiar way.
‘That won’t be necessary.’
‘Why not?’
‘You know why not.’
‘No. I don’t. Not really.’
‘Kate.’
‘History doesn’t have to repeat itself,’ she persisted, ignoring the warning note she could hear in his voice because she was in love with him and she had to make him see she was right.
‘As I told you before, it’s a risk I’m not willing to take.’