‘Zac Edwards. And nothing personal, but I’d rather not be meeting you.’
Mark gave Zac a brief smile. ‘Not the first time I’ve heard that.’ He motioned towards the sofa and armchair. ‘Shall we sit?’
Kat cleared her throat. ‘I’ll leave you both to it. Mark, I’ve got the information we needed.’ His eyes flared with surprise, but she ignored his unspoken question and turned to Zac. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow. Message me with the time you want picking up, or if you need to go out for any reason.’
‘Sure. And Kat,’ those eyes met hers. ‘Thanks.’
What on earth was he thanking her for – poking round his house, hounding him for details of his sex life? Still, she smiled, relieved there was no hard feeling. ‘No problem.’ He made a movement to stand – no doubt to walk her to the door, because he seemed to have impeccable manners – so she signalled for him stay where he was. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll see myself out.’
Though his body settled back into the sofa, she felt his eyes remain on her as she opened the door.
She also felt a tingle resonate throughout her body as it reacted to his gaze.
Chapter 6
It was Friday morning. Four days since Zac had met Kat in the lift, decided he wanted to ask her out, then found out she was going to be his bodyguard. Four days of not driving his own car. Of living in a hotel. Of being quizzed about his friends, his acquaintances. His sex life.
Four evenings spent stuck in his hotel room feeling frustrated because he couldn’t go for a run, or down to the bar for a drink. Not without disturbing Kat.
And he still didn’t know who was stalking him, so he still didn’t know how much danger he was really in.
‘I’m out tonight,’ he reminded Kat as they walked into the underground car park together.
‘Umm.’ Her eyes scanned the concrete underbelly of the hotel, and Zac belatedly realised it was the wrong time to ask her anything. He was slowly learning she could switch off and on at will, and anywhere in the open, like a car park, she was as focused as a laser beam. It was reassuring, though he’d be far more reassured when they told him who the stalker actually was.
Or would he? A cold shiver ran down his spine as his thoughts hurtled towards that worse-case scenario, before he yanked them back.
Once they were in the Jeep and heading down the road, Kat finally responded to his earlier comment. ‘It’ll be Mark on duty tonight.’
A surprising lump of disappointment settled in his gut. ‘Hot date?’
Her laughter vibrated around the Jeep; it was that facet of her that he was starting to appreciate. Her vibrancy, her zest for life. ‘Not unless you count going to the cinema with my fourteen-year-old niece as a date.’
‘Is this the same niece who lives with you?’
She flicked him a glance. ‘So you do listen to some of the stuff I say.’
He listened to everything, every word, because the banter with Kat, the repartee during their car journeys, was fast becoming the highlight of his day. ‘You must be going to the cinema with Debs then, she of the one-syllable answers.’
She pursed her lips and shrugged, clearly doing an impression of a typical teenager. ‘Sure.’
‘I can see why you chose the cinema.’
‘Exactly. The thing is, when she’s not being monosyllabic, she’s actually funny, sassy and off the scale smart. I know I’m biased, but she’s the most amazing young person, she really is.’ Pride and affection wound through her voice. ‘She just needs more confidence. Mandy, my sister, her mum, she’s tried hard but between work and battling her addictions, it’s been tough.’
‘And the dad?’
Kat snorted. ‘That waste of space didn’t hang around when he found out Mandy was pregnant. Oh no. He disappeared faster than a … damn it, I can’t think of anything witty.’
‘England’s chances of regaining the Ashes?’
She gave him a wide-eyed look. ‘Oh God, please don’t tell me you’re a cricket fan.’ Before he could reply, she was answering her own question. ‘Of course you are. The posh background.’ She waved down at his tailored trousers. ‘The natty dressing. The way you do everything slowly, patiently, never in a rush. You’re bound to love cricket.’
‘Fast isn’t always better.’
She rolled her eyes at his double entendre. ‘Only a cricket lover would say that. Fast is exciting, thrilling. Adrenalin pumping. Lewis Hamilton, sweeping through Maggots, into Becketts and then haring onto the Hangar Straight. That’s sport. Not five days of men standing around in a field wearing white trousers.’
‘You’ve made your point,’ he said dryly, trying not to feel too entertained. His journeys to the studio were going to be infinitely duller when he no longer needed a bodyguard. ‘Have you always lived with your sister?’
‘I’ve always shared a house with her, yes. When I was in the army I was away a lot so she and Debs would get used to me not being there, and then have to readjust.’ Her eyes flicked between the rear-view mirror and the road ahead. ‘It’s not always been plain sailing, but we’re a unit. Having shitty parents brought us closer together probably, so we have something to thank them for, at least. What about you? Have you any siblings?’
He forced himself not to react. Giving himself a moment, he picked up three Starburst wrappers and screwed them into a ball. ‘A brother and a sister, yes. We’re not close.’ Because he didn’t want to give her any chance to question him further, he changed the subject onto something he did want to talk about. ‘You laughed when I asked if you had a hot date. Are you dating anyone?’
For the first time since he’d known her, Kat didn’t reply straight away. She’d openly spoken about her family, her job, her life as a soldier. Not, it seems, about her love life. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be learning your lines?’
He looked down at his forgotten script. Funny how his rule of reading through ten times had slipped since she’d started driving him to the studio. ‘It’s a fair question,’ he reminded her. ‘You grilled me on my romantic history.’ Even now, he cringed at the memory of that conversation. He wasn’t a guy who usually went for the quick and easy. He preferred to do the choosing and the chasing, because that way he knew if he was successful, he was wanted for himself, and not the fame that came with him. He’d succumbed to the overtures of the bold, busty Hannah, though. And the embarrassment, the shame of that sleazy encounter had burned through him when he’d spoken to Kat about it. He’d not even dared to look at her, fearing what he’d see on her face. Womanising actor who deserved to be stalked.
‘No,’ Kat said heavily. ‘I’m not dating anyone.’
‘Why not?’
Suddenly the car swerved as Kat pulled out to overtake the slow van in front of them.
‘Whoa.’ He grabbed onto the handle above the door to steady himself.
She glanced sideways. ‘You’re looking a little pale over there.’
‘I’m trying to persuade my breakfast to remain in my stomach.’ When he was certain there were no more overtaking manoeuvres ahead, he began to breathe again. ‘Rather an extreme way to avoid the question.’