Page 36 of About Last Night
‘You’re welcome.’
‘You want to see it?’ he asked, fully expecting her to shoot him down, but unable to stop himself from pushing at her – craving the satisfaction of watching her break and admit she wanted more than detached politeness between them too.
She glanced his way, her eyes wide with excitement. ‘I’d love to see it – If I’m not imposing on your evening too much – just a quick glance – I’ll run in and out – I’ve always wanted to see what it’s like in there,’ she said, her voice breathy at the end of the run-on sentence.
Her verbiage amused him. It proved to him that he still had the desired effect on her – although she was clearly determined to establish that she wasn’t after anything more than a look-see of where he was living tonight.
No funny business, her expression said.
He smiled. ‘No problem. I’m not planning on going out again this evening.’ He wasn’t making any other promises though.
‘Okay then. Thanks.’
They jumped on the tube and travelled one stop to St Pancras,joining the fast-moving crowds milling through the turnstiles and out onto the main road.
Lula looked up at the majestic clock tower of the red-bricked gothic revival building and whistled. ‘Nice one, Tristan, that’s quite a find.’
‘It helps to have friends with high places,’ he quipped.
‘Very droll,’ she said, her eyes flashing with amusement.
He let them in through the glass-fronted entrance and they walked up to his apartment. He tried not to watch her tidy behind as she climbed in front of him on her customary heels, her hips swinging in a mesmerising motion right in his field of vision.
She had such a neat figure. So perfectly formed.
He smiled at her gasp of astonishment as he opened the front door to reveal the apartment in all its glory. It really was magnificent, with its ten-meter-high ceilings, exposed brickwork and one whole wall dedicated to an enormous bookcase, filled with the brightly coloured spines of hundreds of books. She moved around the place, running her hands over the sleek modern furniture, the exposed beams, the wrought iron spiral staircase that led up to the mezzanine where the master bedroom was located.
When she turned back to him her eyes were bright with wonder.
‘Why on earth doesn’t your friend still live here? God, if I owned this place, I’d never want to set foot outside, let alone allow someone else to rent it.’
‘His wife wanted somewhere bigger after they got married. She made him give this place up.’ He rolled his eyes skyward.
She smiled down at the floor. ‘Is that a hint of disdain I detect?’
He shrugged. ‘He had a good thing going here. Now he’s living like a zombie in the burbs and kowtowing to a wife who barely allows him out in the evenings.’
‘Hmm, definitely disdain.’ She ran her fingers over the back of a sofa, her gaze focussed on the undulating motion.
He slumped down onto the sofa opposite and watched her walk around the rest of the apartment, moving into the small kitchen diner, then back out to the living area again.
She sat down on the sofa and looked at him, her brows drawn up into a frown. ‘You know, maybe you’re different to your dad? Maybe you’ll find you like the idea of getting married once you’ve found the right person.’ There was a lilt of hope in her voice as if she couldn’t bring herself to believe that he was fine as he was. What was it with the women he met? Why did they always seem to think he needed fixing?
He gave her a tolerant smile. ‘Maybe, but I doubt it. I’ve just come out of a relationship with a woman who I thought was a perfect match for me, but I never felt the urge to marry her.’
Her face seemed pale under the bright overhead light and her gaze slid away from his. ‘Whydidyou split up with your girlfriend?’
Even though he didn’t want to talk to Lula about the mess his life had become, he didn’t want to lie to her either. She’d asked him a direct question so he should give her a direct answer. ‘She left me for my brother.’
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. ‘No! That’s so tacky!’
He’d expected pity, so was heartened by her outrage. He smiled, attempting to keep things light, even though his whole body was hot with discomfort. ‘Yeah, tacky and humiliating.’
‘I can’t believe your own brother would do that to you.’
‘Well, that’s Jon.’ He huffed out a laugh. ‘It wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t carried the bastard for so many years.’
‘What do you mean?’
