devices for a while.’
‘Have you eaten?’
‘Yes. I took pity on my staff and had something sent in between meetings. So right now I just want to sit and hold hands with you for a few minutes.’ Jake held up his hand and Sarah took it, letting him draw her down beside him.
‘You look tired,’ she commented.
‘I am. But I shall get myself to bed early tonight. And then tomorrow I’m yours,’ he assured her. ‘All through the meetings and presentations I missed you yesterday, Sarah. I missed you today, too. Which is why I’m here, even though I’ll be seeing you in the morning.’ His grasp tightened. ‘And not just for the kiss—which I couldn’t help when I saw the worried look in those beautiful eyes.’
‘Worried I didn’t have a driver for tomorrow,’ she agreed with feeling.
He moved closer. ‘Would you have been disappointed?’
‘Yes.’ Sarah looked down at their clasped hands. ‘And not just because I didn’t want to go alone, either.’
Jake put a finger under her chin to turn her face up to his. ‘Can it be the lady’s warming towards me?’
‘You know I am!’ She met his eyes steadily. ‘But the situation still stands, Jake.’
He nodded, resigned. ‘But the odd friendly kiss can’t do any harm. In fact,’ he added, melting her with the eye-crinkling smile, ‘it would do me a whole lot of good.’
For answer she tilted her chin in invitation.
Jake kissed her gently, then took her by surprise by lifting her onto his lap. When she leaned into him instead of struggling to get away he gave a relishing sigh and held her close. But after a moment or two his arms tightened, and heat flared in his eyes, the pupils extending to cover the blue iris. Sarah gazed into them, spellbound, and with a smothered sound he bent his head and kissed her, his tongue caressing hers. She melted against him, responding with such fervour their hearts were thudding in unison when the need for air forced them to separate. Breathing hard, Jake straightened with reluctance and gazed down into her dazed face.
‘I was wrong. That did me no good at all.’
‘I know what you mean,’ she said unevenly. ‘If those are your friendly kisses what are the passionate ones like? Don’t demonstrate!’ she added hastily, then frowned. ‘That’s an unsettling look in your eye. What’s wrong?’
Jake was silent for a moment, then gave her an oddly bleak smile. ‘I keep wondering about your old pal NickMorrell.’ He gave her a hard, devouring kiss by way of illustration. ‘Were you on these kind of terms with him?’
Sarah shook her head vehemently. ‘No. Not like this. Never like this. With anyone.’
‘No one at all?’ Jake smoothed the hair away from her forehead, his eyes holding hers.
‘I know what you’re asking, Jake.’ She would have slid from his lap, but he held her fast. ‘All right. I’ll tell you just one thing, Jake, on condition we don’t talk about it any more.’ She sat rigid for a moment, then sagged against him, burying her face against his shoulder. ‘Other than my grandmother, no one knows that Davy owes her existence to a single moment of misguided sympathy.’
Jake stroked her hair in silence for a moment, then stood up with her and set her on her feet. ‘Thank you, darling. It can’t have been easy for you to tell me that. And now I must go. See you in the morning.’
‘You were right, Jake. You are definitely not the average male.’ Sarah smiled crookedly. ‘Any other man would be hammering at me with more questions.’
He kissed her again. ‘I admit I want to know every last thing about you, Sarah, but I promise I’ll be patient until you can trust me with the entire story. So get some sleep, darling. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.’
Jake arrived next morning on the stroke of six, as promised, in jeans and a navy jersey over a thin shirt, which was so similar to Sarah’s choice of clothes she laughed as he gave her a swift kiss.
‘We look
‘Have you eaten?’
‘Yes. I took pity on my staff and had something sent in between meetings. So right now I just want to sit and hold hands with you for a few minutes.’ Jake held up his hand and Sarah took it, letting him draw her down beside him.
‘You look tired,’ she commented.
‘I am. But I shall get myself to bed early tonight. And then tomorrow I’m yours,’ he assured her. ‘All through the meetings and presentations I missed you yesterday, Sarah. I missed you today, too. Which is why I’m here, even though I’ll be seeing you in the morning.’ His grasp tightened. ‘And not just for the kiss—which I couldn’t help when I saw the worried look in those beautiful eyes.’
‘Worried I didn’t have a driver for tomorrow,’ she agreed with feeling.
He moved closer. ‘Would you have been disappointed?’
‘Yes.’ Sarah looked down at their clasped hands. ‘And not just because I didn’t want to go alone, either.’
Jake put a finger under her chin to turn her face up to his. ‘Can it be the lady’s warming towards me?’
‘You know I am!’ She met his eyes steadily. ‘But the situation still stands, Jake.’
He nodded, resigned. ‘But the odd friendly kiss can’t do any harm. In fact,’ he added, melting her with the eye-crinkling smile, ‘it would do me a whole lot of good.’
For answer she tilted her chin in invitation.
Jake kissed her gently, then took her by surprise by lifting her onto his lap. When she leaned into him instead of struggling to get away he gave a relishing sigh and held her close. But after a moment or two his arms tightened, and heat flared in his eyes, the pupils extending to cover the blue iris. Sarah gazed into them, spellbound, and with a smothered sound he bent his head and kissed her, his tongue caressing hers. She melted against him, responding with such fervour their hearts were thudding in unison when the need for air forced them to separate. Breathing hard, Jake straightened with reluctance and gazed down into her dazed face.
‘I was wrong. That did me no good at all.’
‘I know what you mean,’ she said unevenly. ‘If those are your friendly kisses what are the passionate ones like? Don’t demonstrate!’ she added hastily, then frowned. ‘That’s an unsettling look in your eye. What’s wrong?’
Jake was silent for a moment, then gave her an oddly bleak smile. ‘I keep wondering about your old pal NickMorrell.’ He gave her a hard, devouring kiss by way of illustration. ‘Were you on these kind of terms with him?’
Sarah shook her head vehemently. ‘No. Not like this. Never like this. With anyone.’
‘No one at all?’ Jake smoothed the hair away from her forehead, his eyes holding hers.
‘I know what you’re asking, Jake.’ She would have slid from his lap, but he held her fast. ‘All right. I’ll tell you just one thing, Jake, on condition we don’t talk about it any more.’ She sat rigid for a moment, then sagged against him, burying her face against his shoulder. ‘Other than my grandmother, no one knows that Davy owes her existence to a single moment of misguided sympathy.’
Jake stroked her hair in silence for a moment, then stood up with her and set her on her feet. ‘Thank you, darling. It can’t have been easy for you to tell me that. And now I must go. See you in the morning.’
‘You were right, Jake. You are definitely not the average male.’ Sarah smiled crookedly. ‘Any other man would be hammering at me with more questions.’
He kissed her again. ‘I admit I want to know every last thing about you, Sarah, but I promise I’ll be patient until you can trust me with the entire story. So get some sleep, darling. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.’
Jake arrived next morning on the stroke of six, as promised, in jeans and a navy jersey over a thin shirt, which was so similar to Sarah’s choice of clothes she laughed as he gave her a swift kiss.
‘We look
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