How to Win a Guy in 10 Dates

by Jane Linfoot

  Millie grimaced as she warmed to the smile, wishing she didn’t feel so susceptible. No way was she going to let him know how awful she felt. ‘Whatever. Thanks for the apology though.’

  ‘I may be digging a hole for myself here, but I’m glad the whole bet thing happened. And I’m not excusing my behavior, but I wanted to tell you, for the record, that everything I did with you for the challenge, I did because I wanted to do it. Finding you injured in the field was just the start. The way you jumped me … ’ He broke off, his face crinkling into a mischievous grin.

  ‘I didn’t jump you!’ She wasn’t letting him get away with that one. ‘You started it if you remember, trying to give the kiss of life to someone still alive.’

  ‘Have it your own way, call it what you like, but that was one hot snog you gave me. By the time we’d been to the hospital and I’d looked after you for the night, popped in on you a few times, I was a long way through the tasks Will and Cassie had set out for me. You have to remember I’ve never spent so much time with one woman. And it may have sounded bad to you, but what you need to know is, the more I was with you, the more I wanted to be with you. I asked you to come to Provence because I had to go, and I didn’t want to be there without you. When you think about it like that, I’m hoping it doesn’t sound so bad. I guess I’m hoping that you might forgive me.’ He inclined his head, resting it against the door frame, eyeing her hopefully.

  She sighed, wishing the pleading in his eyes didn’t make her tummy hurt so much. ‘Maybe … ’

  ‘I’m actually pleased it happened. I’m even pleased you balled me out, and ran off.’

  ‘Sorry?’

  Where exactly was he going with this? So like a man to make a bad thing positive.

  ‘I’m happy, because it shocked me to my senses.’ He gave a shrug. ‘There was this awful ache when you weren’t there, like I’d chopped my arm off or something. I guess that ache was what finally made me know I’m in love with you.’

  ‘What..?’ Millie screwed up her nose.. Had he just said..?

  ‘I meant to stay away longer.’ He narrowed his eyes, as if assessing her reaction. ‘To give you time to calm down, time to see how you felt. Then the parcel arrived on my desk, and I couldn’t stay away any more. The thing is, now I’m here, I don’t even need to ask, because I can read it in your eyes. You want to be with me too, don’t you? All this crazy heat between us, it’s because we’re in love.’ He shot her a grin that walloped her square in the gut.

  As the ‘L’ word crashed to the ground, her already clattering heart started to race …

  ‘I need to be with you Millie. I don’t care where, I don’t care how. Here, London, South America, in a castle, in a tent, I don’t give a damn, so long as we can be together.’

  Open mouthed, she gulped back her panic, barely hearing what he said now, as an axe of pain cleaved through her chest. This beautiful guy, who she was aching to be with, was telling her he loved her, and wanted to be with her. And here she was, the last woman on earth who could ever have a right to be with him. She pulled in a ragged breath.

  He reached out, rubbed a thumb across her cheek. ‘Millie, you’re crying.’

  Tugging her towards him, his strong arms enveloped her, and as her head hit his chest she was engulfed by the familiar scent of clean clothes and hot-blooded man.

  The man she couldn’t have.

  Choking on her sobs she squirmed out of his grasp, and pushed her way out of the tack room, blinking as she stumbled into the sunlight.

  She had to run, run as far away from Ed as she could, for both their sakes.

  She hurled herself towards the pony, untied him, scrabbled onto his back and with a swift squeeze of her legs she urged him up the drive, and out onto the road.

  ***

  ‘Millie, don’t forget your hat … ’

  Ed strode into the yard in time to see Millie, blond hair flying behind her in a haze, galloping off up the road on Cracker.

  Not again. He shook his head, breaking into a run as he headed towards his car. Damn that he’d parked at the top of the drive – so she wouldn’t see him arriving and leg it. He gritted his teeth. Millie running for the hills was getting to be a habit – twice in three days – but this time she wasn’t angry, this was different. He’d read the hurt in her eyes. He threw himself into the driver’s seat, flung the car into a three point turn, and screamed off after Millie.

  Who’d have thought love would be so difficult? He barely knew if he was blazing with Millie for being so reckless, or scared witless in case something happened to her. Great. He blew in relief, as he caught a glimpse of her in the distance behind a dry stone wall, turning off the road and into the lane leading to the quarry. At least there shouldn’t be any blasting today. Swinging the onto the quarry track, the car groaned and bounced as it bowled over the ruts. He was gaining on Millie now. Ahead of him, she was off the pony, now, pushing her way through the gate into the field above the quarry.

  By the time his car had screeched to a halt, and he’d flung himself over the gate, Cracker was galloping up the field towards the brow of the hill. Not giving much for his chances of catching her, but he’d let her go in London, and no way was he going to give up this time. Flinging himself at the incline he began to run. Ahead of him, Cracker and Millie were breaking the skyline now, silhouetted against the blue. Ed froze, as he saw Cracker rear up. Then his stomach hit the deck. Millie was falling.

  His lungs were bursting as he powered on up the hill, fighting to reach Mille, who was sprawled on the grass ahead of him. Grimacing at the irony of the déjà-vu, dying inside as the image of Millie lying prone and deathly flashed through his mind. And then he was there, one hand on her honey-brown thigh, the other brushing back a hayrick of hair to find her jaw set, her smokey eyes sparking straight into his.

  ‘Don’t say it Mitchum.’

  ‘What, the bit about girls who leave their hats behind not having any brains, or the I love you part?’ He knew he was pushing it, but, what the hell, she was alive.

  ‘The brains thing.’ And showing her displeasure by kicking him.

  He flinched as she caught him square on the shin. ‘Whoa.’

  Then her eyes blurred, and her voice sank to a whisper, ‘About the other –’ Her head rolled sideways as she avoided his gaze. ‘There’s stuff I need to tell you.’

  He fought the urge to crash his mouth over hers.

  ‘If its stuff that makes you tear off on horseback, maybe we’d better talk about it right away, if your head’s okay that is?’

  ‘My head’s fine, it’s my backside and my pride that are suffering.’ She gave a shamefaced grimace ‘A rabbit jumped up under Cracker’s nose, I shouldn’t have come off.’ She pushed herself to standing, and hobbled towards the pony, grazing nearby, and knotted his reins. ‘He’s all good for a few minutes.’ She eased herself down onto the grass again, drawing her legs in up front of her, and hugging her knees tightly.

  ‘So?’ He sat down beside her. ‘If it’s the money thing, I’ll give it all away.’

  ‘If only it were that simple. It’s the love thing – it can’t happen.’ She shook her head, disconsolately. She hesitated, drawing in a deep breath. ‘When I told you your mother was strong when she decided to have you, I knew that because I went through the same thing as she did. Except I … ’ She faltered. ‘I wasn’t strong like your mother. I was weak and I was a coward, and everything went wrong.’

  ‘Ah, Millie … ’ He reached to slide a protective arm around her, but she pushed him away.

  ‘I regret it every day.’ She blurted the words dismally, hanging her head. ‘I was with Josh, at the end of my second year at uni. I told him I was pregnant, and he didn’t want to know … ’

  ‘I knew he was a waste of space, I knew he’d hurt you.’ Fire flared in Ed’s belly at the mention of Josh. He’d always wanted to tear the guy limb from limb.

  Millie sniffed, and swallowed hard. ‘After my first scan at twelve w
eeks I started getting stomach cramps, and the doctor said I was over-tired and needed to rest. Oh, and to stop my dancing and strenuous exercise. So I ended up going home to my parents, which wasn’t what I’d planned, but I didn’t know what else to do. But once I got there, everyone started saying I wouldn’t cope on my own, and questioning whether I should even go through with the pregnancy. I was already stressed, but their reaction was such a shock it made it worse. I can’t blame anyone but myself, but we had this big argument, and I went dashing out of the house. It was raining, and I was down by the river, half running, half walking, when the cramps came on really badly, and I collapsed. Someone stopped and took me to hospital, but I was bleeding badly by the time I got there, and two days later I lost the baby. And it was all my fault. If I hadn’t stressed my body like that, if I’d only stayed at home, who knows, the baby would have been okay.’ She leaned back, raking her hands through the tangle of her hair, and sighed hopelessly.

  ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, Mille, you don’t know that’

  ‘And the time in hospital was awful.’ She screwed up her face, and shuddered. “That’s why I couldn’t bear to stay in hospital when I hurt my head. The smell of the antiseptic brought it all back.’ Her bottom lip juddered, and she scraped away a silent tear.

  ‘Sweetheart … ’ He reached across. At least she might let him hold her knee.

  ‘The worst thing was, poor Sophie had been trying to have a baby for years. I think my parents couldn’t bear to think of Sophie go through the agony of seeing me have an unplanned child when she couldn’t have one herself.’

  ‘Everyone tries to do their best in these situations, sometimes it’s hard … ’

  Wanting to wrap her in his arms and hold her to make the hurt go away, but again she pulled away, as if she had to emphasise her separation.

  ‘Sophie got pregnant shortly afterwards, and the full impact of what I’d done only hit me when Bella was born. That was when I decided to cut myself off from my family. I couldn’t face seeing Bella growing up, and always being reminded of my mistake. And I had to learn to make my own decisions, and take responsibility for my own life, not go running back to my family, getting into arguments. So that if anything like that happened again, it would be down to me.’

  ‘It hasn’t has it?’ Millie pregnant? ‘Happened again I mean?’

  ‘No, no.’ She sounded quietly dismissive. ‘I had an implant to make sure I never got pregnant again – not that I slept with anyone. There was never a danger of a pregnancy with us, the condoms were for health, not contraception.’

  That put him in his place. Firmly. ‘But then I made you go and see Sophie because I wanted to help you get over your jealousy, as a payback for how you helped me. How awful is that? I’m so sorry, making you see Bella like that. I even handed her to you. That must have been terrible’

  Talk about crashing his big feet in it.

  ‘I practically expired when you dropped her on my knee, but in a way I think it helped. Now Bella’s older, she’s a person, an individual, not just a baby, and seeing her the other day made me appreciate that. I need to thank you for making me go there – I went back to Sophie’s when I ran off from you, and I’d never have done that otherwise.’ She sliced him a half smile.

  First of the day, gratefully accepted, even if it was watery.

  ‘But why does any of this get in the way of me loving you?’

  She hugged her knees tighter.

  ‘You of all people Ed deserve better than someone who did what I did. We both know that.’

  ‘Hey, I’ll be the judge of what I need. As I see it, you’ve taken me, a guy who was incapable of forming any kind of lasting relationship, who was very set in their bad-boy ways, and turned my life around. I was hell bent on introducing you to the joys of no-strings encounters, but you shook me up, made me see the world as a different place. You taught me how to trust, and you made me want to care.’

  He broke off, but Millie only rubbed a hand across her nose, snapped off a blade of grass, and rolled it between her fingers.

  ‘Then there was my mother. Without you, I’d still be hating her for something she wasn’t responsible for.’ He bobbed, trying to make her look at him. ‘You showed me how to enjoy life Millie, in a way I never have. But most of all you taught me how to fall in love.’

  ‘Maybe … ’ She gave a shrug, wiggled her feet, bit her thumb.

  He had to be getting through to her.

  ‘When you weigh all those things against what you’re talking about, I’m sorry, but whatever you did in the past, right now you’ve earned my love fair and square.’

  Finally she inclined her head towards him, and he caught the shine of tears on her cheek. Her lips were curled into a smile, and he dared to sneak an arm around her shoulder. This time she didn’t pull away.

  ‘So we’re good then?’

  As she answered with a nod, he closed his mouth over hers. It was a long time and a load of sweetness later, when he broke the kiss. And that was only because there was something he had to say.

  ***

  Millie’s head spun, as Ed pulled away.

  Heady, dizzy, and in love, with the most glorious guy in the world, and letting his chocolate voice slide over her. Then he shot her a grin, as wide as an ocean, flipping her tummy one more time.

  ‘It was seeing you with Bella that finally made me realise I was in love with you. I had this huge desire for you to have my children, which hasn’t gone away, but I’ll work with you on this one.’ His shamefaced grimace melted into a smile. ‘Although I’m hoping you’ll marry me first? How do you feel about becoming Mrs Mitchum?’

  Digging her fingers into his arms, to be sure this was real, she breathed in the wonderful scent of him

  ‘Of course I’ll marry you Ed.’ Smiling, biting her lip, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and ending up doing both.

  ‘Thank you.’

  He kissed her again, thoroughly, and she only broke away to rub a hand across her nose, hoping it wasn’t running too much.

  ‘You are one fast mover, for a confirmed bachelor who doesn’t date.’

  ‘Correction, I didn’t date until you came along, and fell at my feet in this field. After a kiss as hot as the one you gave me that day, I’d have had to come back to find you again, challenge, or no challenge.’ He brushed his thumb over her cheekbone, pushed away a tear. ‘I think I probably fell in love with you the first time I saw you, lying there, and unconscious right here. And as I said earlier, I’m so glad you jumped me … ’

  His lips were twitching into a teasing smile, but she couldn’t let that go.

  ‘I told you before, I didn’t jump you!’

  ‘Bingo! I love it when you pout like that. And if you didn’t jump me here, you definitely did it in the tent in Provence. High heels, lacy shorts and a jacket with no shirt under, doesn’t give a guy any other option -– not this guy, with you the shorts, anyway.’

  She laughed at him, her heart infusing with warmth. ‘You are one bad boy Ed Mitchum.’

  ‘Funny when you think, an explosion started all this off. Just proves your Big Bang Theory was right.’

  ‘I thought that theory was about getting the bang out of the way in one date, not about sticking around long enough to get married.’ Her eyes locked on Ed’s tanned fingers, draped over her shoulder, and the base of her stomach shifted with desire, at the thought of what Ed did to her in the tent, and would do to her again.

  ‘Now it’s all about how love makes the big bangs last forever. And talking of big bangs, Future Mrs Mitchum, how about we take that pony home, so I can take you to bed – or the courtyard if you’d prefer to be alfresco.’ He raised his eyebrows in her direction, twisted his mouth into another wicked smile that told her he knew he was letting himself in for a storm. ‘And if your bruised butt is up to it, maybe you can give me that twirl on your pole?’

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  First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2013

  Copyright © Jane Linfoot

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