just walked into a room full of people stark naked. The man standing across from her wasn’t the charming, gorgeous, regular guy she’d thought he was all evening any more. He was a stranger.
The assessing look he was giving her, as if he was trying to gauge her reaction, wasn’t helping to calm her nerves any.
‘It wasn’t a coincidence,’ he said, and dread settled like a block of ice in her stomach.
‘It wasn’t?’ What exactly was he trying to say?
His eyes flicked away from her face. ‘I accepted Jack’s dinner invitation this evening because I wanted to meet you. I wasn’t happy about your article. It’s caused me a lot of trouble in the last few weeks and…’ He paused, looked back. ‘I had every intention of telling you so.’
She gripped the edge of the counter to stop her hands shaking. ‘I don’t understand.’ The look of regret on his face made an icy chill rise up her neck. ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’
He dragged his hand through his hair. ‘When you started flirting with me I thought you knew who I was. So I played along, and then, well…It got complicated.’
She held up her hand, wanting him to stop. What was he telling her? That this whole evening had been some kind of set-up?
‘Why would you do that?’ she said on a broken whisper. And then suddenly she knew the answer. ‘You wanted to make a fool of me.’
And he’d succeeded—big-time. She’d fallen apart in his arms, told him she was falling in love with him—she’deven told him about the Meg Ryan Test. She’d given him everything she had to give and all the time he’d despised her. Tears of anguish seared her throat but she gulped them back. The rollercoaster of emotions she’d been on all evening—the excitement, the adrenalin, the anticipation of something wonderful happening—had just plunged right off the rails into a pit of anguish and uncertainty.
‘It wasn’t like that,’ he said impatiently. He stepped towards her. She shrank back.
‘What was it like, then?’ she whispered. ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds as if you have a very low opinion of me, and what I do, but you seduced me anyway.’
He lifted his hands, palms up. ‘You’re overreacting,’ he said, frustration edging the words. ‘I’d forgotten all about the article by the time we got up here.’
‘Well, bully for you. Is that supposed to make me feel better?’
‘There’s no need to be sarcastic.’ His brows lowered dangerously. ‘And as it happens I had a right to be annoyed. You could at least have had the courtesy to contact me and ask me if I wanted to be on your list.’
Her mouth hung open. He couldn’t be serious? Was he actually implying that this whole sordid mess was her fault? ‘That’s beside the point and you know it. You should have told me who you were immediately.’ The truth of what he’d done hit her like a punch to the gut and she wrapped her arms round her waist. ‘You seduced me to get even with me, you jerk.’
‘No, I didn’t,’ he returned. ‘And anyway, I wasn’t the only one doing the seducing. I didn’t hear you complaining when I was stroking you to your first orgasm.’
That did it. ‘You smug, patronising—’ She picked up her cup and hurled the liquid at his head.
He ducked, and her Mickey Mouse mug shattered against the kitchen cabinet, spraying him with rosehip tea. ‘Calm down.’ He scraped his fingers through his hair, sprinkling pink droplets onto his white T-shirt.
‘Get out of my flat,’ she said, her voice shaking. The moment of violence had passed, leaving her feeling weak and exhausted and as shattered as her favourite mug.
How could she have been so idiotic?
‘Fine—if that’s the way you want it.’ He marched out of the kitchen, grabbing his jacket from the floor as he strode down the hallway.
She followed him out, hurling a few choice epithets after him, but her heart wasn’t in it.
As soon as the front door slammed she slumped back
The assessing look he was giving her, as if he was trying to gauge her reaction, wasn’t helping to calm her nerves any.
‘It wasn’t a coincidence,’ he said, and dread settled like a block of ice in her stomach.
‘It wasn’t?’ What exactly was he trying to say?
His eyes flicked away from her face. ‘I accepted Jack’s dinner invitation this evening because I wanted to meet you. I wasn’t happy about your article. It’s caused me a lot of trouble in the last few weeks and…’ He paused, looked back. ‘I had every intention of telling you so.’
She gripped the edge of the counter to stop her hands shaking. ‘I don’t understand.’ The look of regret on his face made an icy chill rise up her neck. ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’
He dragged his hand through his hair. ‘When you started flirting with me I thought you knew who I was. So I played along, and then, well…It got complicated.’
She held up her hand, wanting him to stop. What was he telling her? That this whole evening had been some kind of set-up?
‘Why would you do that?’ she said on a broken whisper. And then suddenly she knew the answer. ‘You wanted to make a fool of me.’
And he’d succeeded—big-time. She’d fallen apart in his arms, told him she was falling in love with him—she’deven told him about the Meg Ryan Test. She’d given him everything she had to give and all the time he’d despised her. Tears of anguish seared her throat but she gulped them back. The rollercoaster of emotions she’d been on all evening—the excitement, the adrenalin, the anticipation of something wonderful happening—had just plunged right off the rails into a pit of anguish and uncertainty.
‘It wasn’t like that,’ he said impatiently. He stepped towards her. She shrank back.
‘What was it like, then?’ she whispered. ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds as if you have a very low opinion of me, and what I do, but you seduced me anyway.’
He lifted his hands, palms up. ‘You’re overreacting,’ he said, frustration edging the words. ‘I’d forgotten all about the article by the time we got up here.’
‘Well, bully for you. Is that supposed to make me feel better?’
‘There’s no need to be sarcastic.’ His brows lowered dangerously. ‘And as it happens I had a right to be annoyed. You could at least have had the courtesy to contact me and ask me if I wanted to be on your list.’
Her mouth hung open. He couldn’t be serious? Was he actually implying that this whole sordid mess was her fault? ‘That’s beside the point and you know it. You should have told me who you were immediately.’ The truth of what he’d done hit her like a punch to the gut and she wrapped her arms round her waist. ‘You seduced me to get even with me, you jerk.’
‘No, I didn’t,’ he returned. ‘And anyway, I wasn’t the only one doing the seducing. I didn’t hear you complaining when I was stroking you to your first orgasm.’
That did it. ‘You smug, patronising—’ She picked up her cup and hurled the liquid at his head.
He ducked, and her Mickey Mouse mug shattered against the kitchen cabinet, spraying him with rosehip tea. ‘Calm down.’ He scraped his fingers through his hair, sprinkling pink droplets onto his white T-shirt.
‘Get out of my flat,’ she said, her voice shaking. The moment of violence had passed, leaving her feeling weak and exhausted and as shattered as her favourite mug.
How could she have been so idiotic?
‘Fine—if that’s the way you want it.’ He marched out of the kitchen, grabbing his jacket from the floor as he strode down the hallway.
She followed him out, hurling a few choice epithets after him, but her heart wasn’t in it.
As soon as the front door slammed she slumped back
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