Page 16 of About Last Night
He couldn’t let that cloud his decision, though. In fact, she’d probably deliberately chosen that look to appeal to his soft side.
He shifted in his chair as his stomach plunged and twisted at the memory ofhersoft side pressed against him.
‘Hello,Tallulah. Come in.’ He gestured towards the seat next to him, keeping his movements firm and steady.
She was staring at him, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open as though her greeting had caught in her throat.
Was she really going to pretend to be surprised to see him here? Did she have the gall?
‘Tristan?’ Her voice came out in a breathy whisper and she dipped her chin and cleared her throat, glancing over her shoulder before stepping into the room and closing the door. Turning back, she held out her hands as if she couldn’t believe it was him sitting there. ‘What—?’ She shook her head, conjuring up a stunned smile. ‘What are you doing here?’
Apparently, shedidhave the gall.
‘You’re really going to pretend you didn’t know who I was last night?’
She frowned, her cute button nose wrinkling in apparent confusion. ‘I didn’t?—’
‘You lied to me. You said your name was Louise.’
Colour flooded her cheeks and she parted her lips and let out a sharp huff of breath, doing a great job of looking abashed.
He crossed his arms. ‘So, what is it? Louise or Tallulah?’
She shifted in those ludicrous heels of hers and cleared her throat again. ‘It’s Tallulah.’ Catching his eye, she gave him a cautious smile. ‘I know, with anawesomename like Tallulah Lazenby you’d think I’d be taller,’ she joked, clearly hoping to draw a smile from him.
When he didn’t respond she walked over to where he was sitting, stumbling a little in her heels, and perched on the chair next to him, splaying her hands, which appeared to be trembling, on the table. ‘My friends call me Lu or Lula, but it’s short for Tallulah – which I only use for my professional persona.’
She stared down at the table. ‘I didn’t mean to lie to you; I just thought it would be fun to pretend to be someone else for the evening, so I didn’t correct you when you called me Louise.’
Her gaze flicked up to meet his. Her eyes were wide and she was doing a damn good impression of looking mortified at being caught out. ‘Believe me, I had no idea it was you I was meeting with today. Jez didn’t tell me your father couldn’t make it.’
That sensuous voice of hers was evoking the deep sexual ache he’d been battling to ignore since she walked in, only increasing his edginess.
Was she telling the truth? He was disturbed by his inability to tell. It wasn’t like him to feel this ruffled and he sure as hell didn’t like it.
Sighing, he leant back in his chair, away from her stupefying presence. ‘To be honest, I don’t know what to believe, Tallulah.’
She looked at him as though he was crazy. ‘You think I deliberately lied to you?’ Her disdain made the hairs on the back of his neck rise and his blood pump faster.
Marcy had acted in exactly the same way towards him oncewhen he’d accused her of cheating on him – months before she finally admitted she had actually done the dirty and was leaving. His gut feeling had been bang-on that time.
Perhaps Tallulah realised she’d been rumbled and was trying to brazen it out by appearing outraged by his suggestion in order to force him to back down.
Not going to happen.
‘It’s quite a coincidence that we met last night, though. And that you were so keen to sleep with me.’
Her face flushed bright red, but she still managed to give him anare-you-for-real?look. ‘I seem to remember you being just askeenon the idea.’
He stared back, maintaining cool eye contact. Her gaze slid away from his and he felt validated by her retreat.
Gotcha.
‘Anyway,’ she muttered, ‘you know what they say: lifeisstranger than fiction.’ Her gaze moved to the bacon sandwich on the table next to her and he caught the flash of longing on her face, before she carefully blanked her expression.
‘You hungry?’ he asked, motioning towards his food. He wondered whether she’d have the balls to try and take his food as well as his pride.
She frowned and glanced up at him, her gaze raking his face for signs of a trap. ‘Why? Are you offering me your breakfast?’ she asked, clearly suspecting he’d set a booby trap and she’d be ejected straight out of the building if she made so much as a move towards it.
