would see her again?
A curl of jealousy stirred forcefully inside Carrie. The feeling took her completely by surprise and horrified her. Why should she be jealous? Max’s love-life was nothing to do with her. She couldn’t care less.
Carrie bit down on her lip. She was probably tired. It was probably the strain of all these lies she had to tell. She hated lying. Yes, that was it. Of course she wasn’t jealous. After Martin she had promised herself she would never feel like that over a man again and she intended to stick to that promise.
Max pulled up outside her apartment.
‘Thanks again for a lovely evening.’ She couldn’t wait to get away from him now.
‘You’re welcome.’
She hardly even waited for him to finish speaking before she was reaching for the door handle. ‘See you tomorrow at the office.’
To her surprise Max also got out of the car. ‘I’ll walk you to your door,’ he said.
‘There’s no need.’
‘Maybe not, but I’d still like to see you safely inside.’ He locked his car and then moved to follow her towards the front door of the building.
The man was really irritating, Carrie thought as she struggled to find her keys. Why couldn’t he just go away when she told him to? She was conscious of his closeness as she unlocked the door, conscious of the scent of his aftershave in the warm evening air.
As she pushed the door open he stepped inside with her, obviously intent on walking all the way up to the front door of her apartment.
‘I’m okay now, Max,’ she said, turning to look up at him. ‘I can go up to the apartment on my own.’
‘Are you angry with me, Carrie?’ he asked softly.
‘No! Why should I be angry?’ Her heart started to pound against her chest as he moved a step closer.
‘I don’t know. Maybe it was something Estelle said.’ The quietness of his voice in the empty hallway seemed to echo strangely. ‘Or maybe you are scared of being alone with me?’
‘That’s ridiculous. I’m not scared of you—why should I be scared of you?’
‘I don’t know.’ He reached and touched her face gently. It was a curiously tender gesture and it made her heart ache with a heaviness she couldn’t begin to understand. ‘Sometimes you look at me with a wariness that makes me think someone has really hurt you in the past…that you are scared of getting too close to a man again.’
Carrie was horrified by the observation. ‘If I’m waryof you then it’s because you are a business client and this charade is wrong. We are lying to people.’ She hissed the words in a low tone. ‘Of course I’m uncomfortable.’ She swung away from him before he could continue with the conversation and made her way upstairs to her front door.
He followed her. Carrie was appalled at how her hands trembled as she tried to put her key in her door. He reached past her and took the key from her hands to insert it in the lock. The touch of his skin against hers made her body start to pump with adrenalin.
‘There, you see, you did need me to walk you upstairs after all.’ His voice was gently teasing. ‘Now, are you going to tell me why you are annoyed with me? What did Estelle say to you?’
‘She talked a lot of rubbish—’
‘She usually does.’ He stepped inside the narrow hallway of her apartment and closed the door. ‘So what kind of garbage did she spout this evening?’ He seemed far too close in the confined space and she backed away, only to find herself up against the wall.
He put his hands either side of her head, leaning on the wall and trapping her in the circle of his arms without actually touching her.
His closeness made her senses reel. ‘She didn’t say anything that upset me. I just didn’t like lying—maybe it comes easy to you, but not to me.’ Carrie whispered the words fiercely, mindful that Molly’s grandparents were in the apartment. ‘And I think you should have told me about Natasha, and what she means to you. I didn’t know who
A curl of jealousy stirred forcefully inside Carrie. The feeling took her completely by surprise and horrified her. Why should she be jealous? Max’s love-life was nothing to do with her. She couldn’t care less.
Carrie bit down on her lip. She was probably tired. It was probably the strain of all these lies she had to tell. She hated lying. Yes, that was it. Of course she wasn’t jealous. After Martin she had promised herself she would never feel like that over a man again and she intended to stick to that promise.
Max pulled up outside her apartment.
‘Thanks again for a lovely evening.’ She couldn’t wait to get away from him now.
‘You’re welcome.’
She hardly even waited for him to finish speaking before she was reaching for the door handle. ‘See you tomorrow at the office.’
To her surprise Max also got out of the car. ‘I’ll walk you to your door,’ he said.
‘There’s no need.’
‘Maybe not, but I’d still like to see you safely inside.’ He locked his car and then moved to follow her towards the front door of the building.
The man was really irritating, Carrie thought as she struggled to find her keys. Why couldn’t he just go away when she told him to? She was conscious of his closeness as she unlocked the door, conscious of the scent of his aftershave in the warm evening air.
As she pushed the door open he stepped inside with her, obviously intent on walking all the way up to the front door of her apartment.
‘I’m okay now, Max,’ she said, turning to look up at him. ‘I can go up to the apartment on my own.’
‘Are you angry with me, Carrie?’ he asked softly.
‘No! Why should I be angry?’ Her heart started to pound against her chest as he moved a step closer.
‘I don’t know. Maybe it was something Estelle said.’ The quietness of his voice in the empty hallway seemed to echo strangely. ‘Or maybe you are scared of being alone with me?’
‘That’s ridiculous. I’m not scared of you—why should I be scared of you?’
‘I don’t know.’ He reached and touched her face gently. It was a curiously tender gesture and it made her heart ache with a heaviness she couldn’t begin to understand. ‘Sometimes you look at me with a wariness that makes me think someone has really hurt you in the past…that you are scared of getting too close to a man again.’
Carrie was horrified by the observation. ‘If I’m waryof you then it’s because you are a business client and this charade is wrong. We are lying to people.’ She hissed the words in a low tone. ‘Of course I’m uncomfortable.’ She swung away from him before he could continue with the conversation and made her way upstairs to her front door.
He followed her. Carrie was appalled at how her hands trembled as she tried to put her key in her door. He reached past her and took the key from her hands to insert it in the lock. The touch of his skin against hers made her body start to pump with adrenalin.
‘There, you see, you did need me to walk you upstairs after all.’ His voice was gently teasing. ‘Now, are you going to tell me why you are annoyed with me? What did Estelle say to you?’
‘She talked a lot of rubbish—’
‘She usually does.’ He stepped inside the narrow hallway of her apartment and closed the door. ‘So what kind of garbage did she spout this evening?’ He seemed far too close in the confined space and she backed away, only to find herself up against the wall.
He put his hands either side of her head, leaning on the wall and trapping her in the circle of his arms without actually touching her.
His closeness made her senses reel. ‘She didn’t say anything that upset me. I just didn’t like lying—maybe it comes easy to you, but not to me.’ Carrie whispered the words fiercely, mindful that Molly’s grandparents were in the apartment. ‘And I think you should have told me about Natasha, and what she means to you. I didn’t know who
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