‘What do you mean?’
Placing his hands in his pockets, he took a step away from her. ‘I’m very attracted to you, Kat.’
She swallowed, her heart beating erratically. ‘Thank you. I’m flattered, I really am.’
‘Are you attracted to me?’
Oh shit. ‘How could I not be. I mean, look at you. All those shiny good looks—’
His jaw muscle twitched. ‘Cut the crap.’
Beneath his annoyance, she saw a vulnerability she’d not expected. Yet she couldn’t be seduced by it, or by him. She just couldn’t. ‘Look, whatever seduction routine you’ve got going on inside your head—’
‘Seduction routine.’ He jerked backwards, shaking his head. ‘You think I’m that cunning? That I planned this? You’re the one who suggested the walk.’
‘I know, I’m sorry.’ Agitated, she glanced towards the river, watching a group of ducks as they glided serenely by. ‘What I’m trying to tell you is, if you want to seduce me, it will work.’
He stilled. ‘It will?’
‘Yes.’ As his mouth started to curve into that sexy small smile, she added, ‘But I’m asking you, please, not to.’
His answering sharp exhale sounded like a clap of thunder against the tranquillity of the setting. As she held her breath, waiting for him to reply, the air between them hummed, like power lines from an electricity pylon. The more he stared at her the more she knew, without doubt, that if he decided to kiss her anyway, she’d melt against him.
Damn, that pissed her off. She didn’t want a man to have that sort of hold over her again. The sort of hold that would lead her to forget right from wrong, sensible from stupid, and just give in to what her body wanted.
Maybe, further down the line, to what her heart wanted.
‘Am I allowed to ask why I can’t seduce you?’ he said eventually.
‘Sleeping with the client is tacky and unprofessional. I don’t want to be that person.’ She swallowed, focusing on keeping her voice steady, her emotions on lockdown. ‘More importantly, it’s a distraction. And distractions can get you killed.’
He gave a little shake of his head, as if he didn’t believe her. But then a guard came down across his face and he stared towards the riverbank. When he spoke again, it was as if the whole conversation hadn’t happened. ‘I believe you promised me a gin and tonic.’
She told herself she was relieved he hadn’t pressed it. Relieved he hadn’t kissed her, even though her lips felt deprived of his touch. ‘I promised you a pub. You’re responsible for your own drink.’
A twitch of those delicious lips. ‘Who said having a bodyguard is no fun?’
They started to walk again, an underlying … tension was too strong a word for it … a sizzle, an awareness between them that, while it had always existed, she’d been able to push to the back of her mind. Now she’d have to find a way to cut through it, so she could get them back on the polite yet friendly footing her equilibrium desperately needed.
‘You do realise I’m not here for your entertainment,’ she remarked after a while.
‘More’s the pity.’
Ignore him. ‘I’m here to keep you safe.’
He slid her a sidelong look. ‘Explain how you driving like a lunatic, keeps me safe.’
Better, she thought. ‘I drive like a competent professional who’s undergone extensive advanced driving tests.’
‘Is that so?’
‘It is. So, about that offer you made to lend me the Aston to go rally cross racing.’
As his laughter filled the air between them, Kat relaxed. Perhaps by tomorrow their almost-kiss would be a distant memory.
Chapter 9
Kat rechecked her image in the mirror. There was no escaping the fact. Dresses just weren’t for her. The same body that looked okay in jeans and leggings was too muscular, too athletic for a dress. She was a soldier, pretending to be a lady and failing miserably.
‘I thought you said you had to leave at six?’
Kat caught sight of her niece in the mirror reflection. ‘I did.’
‘Then stop looking at yourself and get in the car. You look fine.’
‘Is that the best you can do? Fine?’
‘What do you want me to say?’
‘That I look elegant?’ She turned away from the mirror, and the clear evidence to the contrary.
Debs shoved her hands on her hips. ‘You want me to lie?’
What was the point? It hardly mattered what she looked like tonight, did it? This was just a job.
Except he’d called it a date. And she was meeting Zac’s parents.
She gave herself a mental slap. Since that awkward conversation on the riverbank, things were back to normal between them. Fine, normal was pushing it. Normal meant she wasn’t aware of his eyes on her, her body didn’t react to his nearness. She didn’t think, far too often, about what it would have felt like to be kissed by him. So, no, things weren’t as they had been, weren’t normal, but he hadn’t flirted, hadn’t acted in a manner outside the boundary of client and bodyguard. He was doing as she’d asked, and she needed to find a way to do the same. His life might depend on it.
Worms of worry wriggled around in her belly and Kat pressed a hand to it, pushing them away. Inhaling a deep breath, she walked purposefully into her bedroom and grabbed at her handbag and the black wrap she’d pinched from her sister’s wardrobe.
‘What time are your friends getting here?’ she asked Debs as she came back out.
‘They’ll be here in a bit. And yes, we’ll be careful. We won’t invite anyone else, we won’t open the door to anyone.’
‘And?’
‘We won’t drink, won’t smoke, won’t do drugs.’ She rolled her big brown eyes. ‘Won’t have any fun.’
‘Good. Mark’s coming round to say hello later, so when he phones, you can open the door to him.’
‘OMG, you did not get your boss to come and check on us.’
‘No.’ She searched around on the hall table for the hire car key. ‘I got my friend to drop by on his way back from a function.’ Damn, where the hell had she put it?
Debs picked a key off the coffee table, waving it in the air. ‘Looking for this?’
‘Thanks.’ Dashing to take it from her, Kat almost turned her ankle. ‘Ruddy hell. How does anyone walk in high shoes?’
‘You think they’re high?’ Debs looked down at Kat’s three-inch black strappy sandals in disgust. ‘People wear higher shoes than that to school.’
There was nothing like a sarky teenager to crush your fragile confidence. ‘Thanks, your comments on my attire have been noted and ignored. Now, I’m off. Be good.’
‘You too.’ Debs began to giggle. ‘You know, considering you told me you don’t fancy Zac Edwards, you’re weirdly worried about how you look.’
‘I don’t want to embarrass him. We’re pretending I’m his date.’ And God, how had she let him persuade her into that? She was hardly the type he usually had draped over his arm. ‘I realise how ridiculous that seems.’