of these days.' He paused. 'Shall we say eight o'clock? I'll pick you up here.' His smile touched her startled eyes and parted lips. 'Until then,' he said, and walked away, leaving her staring after him.
As Declan let himself into his house Jeremy came out of the kitchen carrying a can of beer.
'Hi. Do you want one?'
Declan shook his head. 'I'm going out to dinner later.' He paused. 'I thought you were working tonight.'
Jeremy shrugged. 'I was supposed to be meeting a client, but it was cancelled, so I'm playing squash with Tom Bainbridge instead. I just came home to change.' He gave Declan a leering glance. 'So, who's the lucky lady tonight? One of your groupies?'
'On the contrary.' Declan felt a curl of distaste inside him. God, he thought, love must be a weird thing if it kept a sane girl like Maria wanting this oaf. And Olivia too.
'You mean she didn't fall on her back the moment you looked at her?' Jeremy gave a loud laugh. 'She must be unique.'
'Possibly.' Declan gave him a thin-lipped smile. 'Certainly deserving of my closest attention.'
'I get you.' Jeremy winked. 'No worries, old boy. I'll be the invisible man when I come back tonight'
'Thanks,' Declan said drily. 'But that might be a little premature.'
'Playing hard to get, is she?' Jeremy's face darkened slightly. 'They're the worst'
Ah, thought Declan, suddenly alert. So things aren't going to plan in the romance of the century. How interesting. Yet he was with her the other night. Sasha is sure of it.
Aloud, he said lightly, 'I'm taking things gently. She's— currently involved.'
'And you're going to create a diversion?' Jeremy laughed again. 'My God, you can be a bastard sometimes. She won't know what's happening to her.'
Declan gave him a tranquil smile. 'I'm counting on it,' he said 'Now I'm going up to shower.'
'Before you go—' Jeremy cleared his throat awkwardly. 'I want you to know that I'm seriously looking for a place of my own.'
Declan halted, one foot on the bottom stair. 'Any particular reason?' he asked, brows raised.
Jeremy did not meet his eyes. 'It's been good of you to have me here—but it's time I want. You want your privacy, and I—I need my independence.'
Declan nodded expressionlessly. 'What does Maria think?'
Jeremy looked more uncomfortable than ever. 'Well, I haven't really discussed it with her. I thought I'd see a few flats—narrow the choice a little first' He gave an unconvincing laugh. 'After all—you know women.'
'I've known some,' Declan agreed, thoughtfully. 'Well— good luck with the hunt.'
'And good luck with yours too, old boy.' Jeremy lifted his beer can in a parody of a toast, then went back into the kitchen.
Declan went up to his room, thinking furiously. He'd lay odds that Jeremy wasn't planning to set up house with his wife, he told himself grimly. So his decision to make a play for Olivia, to use himself as bait to lure her from Jeremy, hadn't been made a moment too soon.
He wasn't sure when the idea had first come to him. But there was no denying that Olivia had been a thorn in his flesh since she'd arrived on his doorstep, blurting out her plans to wreck Maria's marriage.
His immediate impulse had been to kick Jeremy out of his house into well-deserved oblivion and tell Maria everything, but more rational thought convinced him that he should not be the catalyst in the destruction of his cousin's relationship.
For reasons best known to himself—reasons he couldn't fathom—she seemed determined to hang in there. She wanted to make the marriage work somehow—even at a distance. And he had to respect her decision, and her needs, even if he disagreed profoundly with them.
The last time they'd talked on the telephone she'd sounded more hopeful—even chirpy. He wasn't going to be the one to bring that defeated note back into her voice.
What he hadn't allowed for was Olivia's stubborn determination to have Jeremy herself.
Indeed, he found it well-nigh incredible that someone as basically
As Declan let himself into his house Jeremy came out of the kitchen carrying a can of beer.
'Hi. Do you want one?'
Declan shook his head. 'I'm going out to dinner later.' He paused. 'I thought you were working tonight.'
Jeremy shrugged. 'I was supposed to be meeting a client, but it was cancelled, so I'm playing squash with Tom Bainbridge instead. I just came home to change.' He gave Declan a leering glance. 'So, who's the lucky lady tonight? One of your groupies?'
'On the contrary.' Declan felt a curl of distaste inside him. God, he thought, love must be a weird thing if it kept a sane girl like Maria wanting this oaf. And Olivia too.
'You mean she didn't fall on her back the moment you looked at her?' Jeremy gave a loud laugh. 'She must be unique.'
'Possibly.' Declan gave him a thin-lipped smile. 'Certainly deserving of my closest attention.'
'I get you.' Jeremy winked. 'No worries, old boy. I'll be the invisible man when I come back tonight'
'Thanks,' Declan said drily. 'But that might be a little premature.'
'Playing hard to get, is she?' Jeremy's face darkened slightly. 'They're the worst'
Ah, thought Declan, suddenly alert. So things aren't going to plan in the romance of the century. How interesting. Yet he was with her the other night. Sasha is sure of it.
Aloud, he said lightly, 'I'm taking things gently. She's— currently involved.'
'And you're going to create a diversion?' Jeremy laughed again. 'My God, you can be a bastard sometimes. She won't know what's happening to her.'
Declan gave him a tranquil smile. 'I'm counting on it,' he said 'Now I'm going up to shower.'
'Before you go—' Jeremy cleared his throat awkwardly. 'I want you to know that I'm seriously looking for a place of my own.'
Declan halted, one foot on the bottom stair. 'Any particular reason?' he asked, brows raised.
Jeremy did not meet his eyes. 'It's been good of you to have me here—but it's time I want. You want your privacy, and I—I need my independence.'
Declan nodded expressionlessly. 'What does Maria think?'
Jeremy looked more uncomfortable than ever. 'Well, I haven't really discussed it with her. I thought I'd see a few flats—narrow the choice a little first' He gave an unconvincing laugh. 'After all—you know women.'
'I've known some,' Declan agreed, thoughtfully. 'Well— good luck with the hunt.'
'And good luck with yours too, old boy.' Jeremy lifted his beer can in a parody of a toast, then went back into the kitchen.
Declan went up to his room, thinking furiously. He'd lay odds that Jeremy wasn't planning to set up house with his wife, he told himself grimly. So his decision to make a play for Olivia, to use himself as bait to lure her from Jeremy, hadn't been made a moment too soon.
He wasn't sure when the idea had first come to him. But there was no denying that Olivia had been a thorn in his flesh since she'd arrived on his doorstep, blurting out her plans to wreck Maria's marriage.
His immediate impulse had been to kick Jeremy out of his house into well-deserved oblivion and tell Maria everything, but more rational thought convinced him that he should not be the catalyst in the destruction of his cousin's relationship.
For reasons best known to himself—reasons he couldn't fathom—she seemed determined to hang in there. She wanted to make the marriage work somehow—even at a distance. And he had to respect her decision, and her needs, even if he disagreed profoundly with them.
The last time they'd talked on the telephone she'd sounded more hopeful—even chirpy. He wasn't going to be the one to bring that defeated note back into her voice.
What he hadn't allowed for was Olivia's stubborn determination to have Jeremy herself.
Indeed, he found it well-nigh incredible that someone as basically
Similar Books
