cellophane. I sit down in the chair in defeat and take a gulp of the tea.
“Your girlfriend sure is a looker,” calls the occupant of the bed opposite. I glare at him, and he disappears back behind his Nuts magazine.
“Yes, I realize now how lucky I am to have her,” he calls back, giving me a look which makes my toes curl. “Could you just pull the covers up for me, darling? They have got into a bit of a tangle.”
Oh, he is twice as annoying injured.
Aware I am under scrutiny, I act the part and none too gently, pull the covers straight and remove his empty biscuit wrapper. My hands brush his arms, causing a trail of heat to pulse through my body. I quickly sit back down in the chair.
He points to my digestives. “Are you going to eat them?”
“No.” I toss them at him—glad of the distraction from his stare. He wolfs them down in a second. Clearly, nothing much wrong with his appetite. I should go now. I’ve reassured myself he is on the road to recovery.
“I am not being charged,” I say quietly.
“I know I’ve been updated”—he nods at his phone—“unless I prosecute you for assault, of course. So have you come to plead for clemency?”
Oh, he’s just loving this . I try not to react, but his grin is infectious and he looks so …No stop! You’re off men, pull yourself together. You are going to become Sister Shona.
I avoid looking at his face and study my tea cup. “No, I was worried about you. That was one crack on the head you took. And I felt guilty about kicking you.”
“I forgive you. That creep was pretty convincing.”
“I have rotten taste in men.”
“Yes, you have—and ornaments,” he sighs. “I mean, look at those elephants.”
He is teasing me, but I don’t want to laugh or argue. In fact, I want him to put his arm around me like he did earlier in my flat and let me cry on his shoulder. I absentmindedly straighten the bed cover again and pick up the other biscuit wrapper. “DS Shepherd told me about you watching over me and going in early.”
“Did she now.” The grin disappears. “What else did she say?”
I smirk, giving him a taste of his own annoying manner. “Never you mind.”
He frowns and takes a sip of his tea.
“Well, I am a sucker for a pretty face in a Regency dress,” he says softly.
“Oh careful, that was almost something nice you said; perhaps you are not quite yourself after all.”
“Maybe not, but I think you should say something nice in return.”
I ponder for a second, then say, “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“Made a balls up of that, didn’t I?”
“Yes.” I can’t help grinning. “But it was all so confusing. When you turned up on the steps of my flat I thought you were stalking me. I suppose you couldn’t have just said, ‘I’m police. You are dating a dangerous criminal.’ No! You had to smirk and pretend you were going to Starbucks.”
He shrugs. “It wasn’t my case. I shouldn’t have been there at all. I couldn’t tell you anything, and you wouldn’t have believed me anyway. Nick made a copy of your keys after he took them from your bag the evening of the ball. He went to your flat after he left you at the hotel and then returned them later so you wouldn’t notice. That’s what woke you up that night. He came back the afternoon you saw me outside your flat . I watched him leave empty handed a few minutes before you came home early from work.”
A wave of anger flows over me at the way I played into Nicks hands. “I could have helped you trap him if you had confided in me. I always wanted to be a detective.”
“Have you now,” he smirks. “Then maybe you should track down your lost elephant.”
“I wish I could—that would clear any suspicion of my guilt.”
He reaches over and pats my arm, and something inside me instantly melts. “I always knew you weren’t a criminal, Shona, even after you were so rude to me at the Regency ball.”
“I was rude!”
“Yes. I was about to ask
“Your girlfriend sure is a looker,” calls the occupant of the bed opposite. I glare at him, and he disappears back behind his Nuts magazine.
“Yes, I realize now how lucky I am to have her,” he calls back, giving me a look which makes my toes curl. “Could you just pull the covers up for me, darling? They have got into a bit of a tangle.”
Oh, he is twice as annoying injured.
Aware I am under scrutiny, I act the part and none too gently, pull the covers straight and remove his empty biscuit wrapper. My hands brush his arms, causing a trail of heat to pulse through my body. I quickly sit back down in the chair.
He points to my digestives. “Are you going to eat them?”
“No.” I toss them at him—glad of the distraction from his stare. He wolfs them down in a second. Clearly, nothing much wrong with his appetite. I should go now. I’ve reassured myself he is on the road to recovery.
“I am not being charged,” I say quietly.
“I know I’ve been updated”—he nods at his phone—“unless I prosecute you for assault, of course. So have you come to plead for clemency?”
Oh, he’s just loving this . I try not to react, but his grin is infectious and he looks so …No stop! You’re off men, pull yourself together. You are going to become Sister Shona.
I avoid looking at his face and study my tea cup. “No, I was worried about you. That was one crack on the head you took. And I felt guilty about kicking you.”
“I forgive you. That creep was pretty convincing.”
“I have rotten taste in men.”
“Yes, you have—and ornaments,” he sighs. “I mean, look at those elephants.”
He is teasing me, but I don’t want to laugh or argue. In fact, I want him to put his arm around me like he did earlier in my flat and let me cry on his shoulder. I absentmindedly straighten the bed cover again and pick up the other biscuit wrapper. “DS Shepherd told me about you watching over me and going in early.”
“Did she now.” The grin disappears. “What else did she say?”
I smirk, giving him a taste of his own annoying manner. “Never you mind.”
He frowns and takes a sip of his tea.
“Well, I am a sucker for a pretty face in a Regency dress,” he says softly.
“Oh careful, that was almost something nice you said; perhaps you are not quite yourself after all.”
“Maybe not, but I think you should say something nice in return.”
I ponder for a second, then say, “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“Made a balls up of that, didn’t I?”
“Yes.” I can’t help grinning. “But it was all so confusing. When you turned up on the steps of my flat I thought you were stalking me. I suppose you couldn’t have just said, ‘I’m police. You are dating a dangerous criminal.’ No! You had to smirk and pretend you were going to Starbucks.”
He shrugs. “It wasn’t my case. I shouldn’t have been there at all. I couldn’t tell you anything, and you wouldn’t have believed me anyway. Nick made a copy of your keys after he took them from your bag the evening of the ball. He went to your flat after he left you at the hotel and then returned them later so you wouldn’t notice. That’s what woke you up that night. He came back the afternoon you saw me outside your flat . I watched him leave empty handed a few minutes before you came home early from work.”
A wave of anger flows over me at the way I played into Nicks hands. “I could have helped you trap him if you had confided in me. I always wanted to be a detective.”
“Have you now,” he smirks. “Then maybe you should track down your lost elephant.”
“I wish I could—that would clear any suspicion of my guilt.”
He reaches over and pats my arm, and something inside me instantly melts. “I always knew you weren’t a criminal, Shona, even after you were so rude to me at the Regency ball.”
“I was rude!”
“Yes. I was about to ask
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