my belly’.
‘Relax,’ he ordered.
Eve bit back a laugh.
‘You might as well tell me what they said, you know, because otherwise Josie will, and if my daughter has been traumatised I’d like to know up front.’
‘Traumatised!’
She was shocked by the suggestion and then it dawned on her that his interest arose from parental anxiety and not, as she had thought… Well, what did you think, Evie—that he found you fascinating? That he wanted to know what made you tick or just that he wanted to get in your pants?
In your dreams. She sighed and then thought wryly that was probably the only way he’d ever appear in her bed! It was ridiculous to try and pretend that this man hadn’t awoken some dormant responses in her or that he wasn’t the domineering, controlling type that she was never going to get involved with. He might make an appearance in her fantasies but in real life—no way! He might make a lousy lover but at least he seemed to be a good and concerned father.
‘Your daugh… Josie wasn’t involved… I wasn’t involved in what just happened in here.’ Eve was horrified that he seemed to suspect that his daughter had witnessed some sort of slanging match. Or maybe even a brawl. ‘Really,’ she assured him earnestly. ‘They didn’t even know I was here and I didn’t know your daughter was here either. It was just a case of eavesdroppers hearing bad things about themselves… We didn’t get on at school either.’
‘They look a lot older than you…’
He caught her look and added, ‘Josie pointed them out when she was dragging me in here. Why would their jealousy of you make you cry?’
God, why didn’t Josie come and drag him out again—right now? Eve glanced at the doorway, willing the girl to appear, but it remained empty. She sighed again. The quickest way to get him out of here seemed to be to satisfy his curiosity and go three seconds without breaking down like some sort of neurotic basket case.
‘That had nothing to do with them. It was just a combination of champagne, jet lag and…’ She stopped, an arrested expression appearing on her face as she belatedly processed his comment. ‘They aren’t
jealous
.’ Spiteful and insensitive, granted… ‘Why would you think they were jealous of me?’
He looked amused by the question. ‘Let me see. You are a success and you are beautiful and they are…’ His lips twisted into a grimace of contempt as he recalled the blonde with the unlikely orange tan who had thrust her chest in his face and written her number on his hand, embarrassing all those who had witnessed the action.
Draco had not been embarrassed but he had been offended and annoyed.
‘Not.’
He thought she was beautiful?
‘And you did not drink any champagne.’
Her accusing green stare settled on his face; it was nice just for once to be the one on the offensive. ‘How do you know?’
‘I’m an observant man.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘You were watching me!’ she flung, quivering with a combination of outrage and excitement that tied her stomach in knots and brought a flush to her pale skin.
‘And you knew I was.’ His retort was unanswerable for someone who was not a good liar. ‘It is the game men and women play,
cara
,’ he drawled.
Eve felt as if she had just stepped out of the training pool into the deep end. She struggled to fight her way through the panic that was closing in on her and remain calm and in control. ‘I’m not playing games.’
He looked at her for a long moment, acknowledging a flicker of uncertainty as the extraordinary possibility that she was telling the truth occurred to him. She could not be
that
inexperienced, surely? But looking deep into those big emerald eyes, he saw she wasn’t trying to hide anything—or perhaps she didn’t know how…?
A word popped into his head:
innocence
.
He straightened up, pulling away from her in more than the physical sense. He had thought they were on the same page but he had been
‘Relax,’ he ordered.
Eve bit back a laugh.
‘You might as well tell me what they said, you know, because otherwise Josie will, and if my daughter has been traumatised I’d like to know up front.’
‘Traumatised!’
She was shocked by the suggestion and then it dawned on her that his interest arose from parental anxiety and not, as she had thought… Well, what did you think, Evie—that he found you fascinating? That he wanted to know what made you tick or just that he wanted to get in your pants?
In your dreams. She sighed and then thought wryly that was probably the only way he’d ever appear in her bed! It was ridiculous to try and pretend that this man hadn’t awoken some dormant responses in her or that he wasn’t the domineering, controlling type that she was never going to get involved with. He might make an appearance in her fantasies but in real life—no way! He might make a lousy lover but at least he seemed to be a good and concerned father.
‘Your daugh… Josie wasn’t involved… I wasn’t involved in what just happened in here.’ Eve was horrified that he seemed to suspect that his daughter had witnessed some sort of slanging match. Or maybe even a brawl. ‘Really,’ she assured him earnestly. ‘They didn’t even know I was here and I didn’t know your daughter was here either. It was just a case of eavesdroppers hearing bad things about themselves… We didn’t get on at school either.’
‘They look a lot older than you…’
He caught her look and added, ‘Josie pointed them out when she was dragging me in here. Why would their jealousy of you make you cry?’
God, why didn’t Josie come and drag him out again—right now? Eve glanced at the doorway, willing the girl to appear, but it remained empty. She sighed again. The quickest way to get him out of here seemed to be to satisfy his curiosity and go three seconds without breaking down like some sort of neurotic basket case.
‘That had nothing to do with them. It was just a combination of champagne, jet lag and…’ She stopped, an arrested expression appearing on her face as she belatedly processed his comment. ‘They aren’t
jealous
.’ Spiteful and insensitive, granted… ‘Why would you think they were jealous of me?’
He looked amused by the question. ‘Let me see. You are a success and you are beautiful and they are…’ His lips twisted into a grimace of contempt as he recalled the blonde with the unlikely orange tan who had thrust her chest in his face and written her number on his hand, embarrassing all those who had witnessed the action.
Draco had not been embarrassed but he had been offended and annoyed.
‘Not.’
He thought she was beautiful?
‘And you did not drink any champagne.’
Her accusing green stare settled on his face; it was nice just for once to be the one on the offensive. ‘How do you know?’
‘I’m an observant man.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘You were watching me!’ she flung, quivering with a combination of outrage and excitement that tied her stomach in knots and brought a flush to her pale skin.
‘And you knew I was.’ His retort was unanswerable for someone who was not a good liar. ‘It is the game men and women play,
cara
,’ he drawled.
Eve felt as if she had just stepped out of the training pool into the deep end. She struggled to fight her way through the panic that was closing in on her and remain calm and in control. ‘I’m not playing games.’
He looked at her for a long moment, acknowledging a flicker of uncertainty as the extraordinary possibility that she was telling the truth occurred to him. She could not be
that
inexperienced, surely? But looking deep into those big emerald eyes, he saw she wasn’t trying to hide anything—or perhaps she didn’t know how…?
A word popped into his head:
innocence
.
He straightened up, pulling away from her in more than the physical sense. He had thought they were on the same page but he had been
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