Page 70 of Love like the (Real) Reel Thing
He glanced up.Shit, too late.
“Hi! Sorry, I didn’t mean to just …” Adam trailed off, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I should have let you know.”
Jess tried to speak, but no words came out. In fact, she seemed to be having a problem breathing.
His frown deepened as he stood and walked around the desk. “Are you alright?”
Jess involuntarily took a step back, grateful that she’d remembered how to breathe again.Think,Jess. Stay calm and think.Maybe he regretted the way things had gone a few weeks ago when he’d got back to Dublin. Maybe he’d been thinkingabout her and wanted to apologise. Not just for that, but for everything. She should give him a chance, hear what he had to say. Not that she was just going to fall back into his arms, or anything. There was no way that was going to happen. Her eyes drifted briefly to his arms, remembering how strong they were. Naturally muscled, lightly tanned with a dusting of dark hair. She swallowed.Focus,Jess.
“Why are you here?” Okay, that had sounded a bit abrupt, but she was still in shock.
“Jess?”
She turned to see Robert standing at the door.Shit, not now.
His eyes slid past her. “Sorry, I didn’t realise anyone else was here.”
Jess glanced back at Adam who simply raised one dark eyebrow and folded his arms.
Christ.She turned and walked past Robert into the small area behind reception, relieved when he followed her.
“Sorry about that. Something I need to deal with.”
“Don’t worry about it. Listen, I’ve just mislaid my phone. I definitely had it getting into your car, so I was wondering if I could take your key for a few minutes?”
“Oh! Sure.” She was still holding her bag, she realised. She started to scrabble for her key when she remembered something. “I didn’t lock the car! I mean, there’s no need, not with both gates to the castle grounds locked.”
“Oh, right. So you don’t mind if I just …”
“No, of course not.” She smiled brightly.
His eyes slid past her again to the office door, then he took hold of her wrist and tugged her towards him, holding her jaw in his hand as he kissed her. Jess tried not to tense, but she wished he’d just go look for his phone. She wasn’t in the mood to be kissed, not with Adam just a few feet away. She hopedhe couldn’t hear the kissing and was immediately annoyed with herself for worrying about what Adam thought.
She pulled gently out of the kiss. “See you later.”
“Later.”
After he left, Jess took a moment to compose herself and then stepped back inside her office.
Adam was perched on the edge of her desk, his hands deep in his pockets.
When Jess met his eyes, he stared blandly back. She opened her mouth to speak.
“Who’s the guy?” he asked quietly.
She felt a flush creep annoyingly up her neck. “That’s none of your business, Adam. So, if we can get back to why you’re here?”
He gave her a long look. “Frank asked me to come down and give you a hand.”
So she’d been wrong. He wasn’t here because he missed her. He was here because … the full realisation of what he’d said struck her.
“I don’t believe you!” she spluttered. “If Frank thought I needed help, he’d ask me first. If he had a problem with the way I was doing my job, he’d just tell me.”
“You forget I have a very different relationship with Frank, Jess.” Adam shrugged. “He asked me to be here so I’m here.”
“Oh well, however high your uncle tells you jump!” Jess glared at him but her stomach was churning. Clearly, Frank thought there was too much going wrong and he didn’t trust her to handle it.
A muscle clenched in Adam’s jaw. “Let’s not make this personal.”
