Ellie.’
Patrick’s voice was so reassuringly normal that she slid her arms around his waist and buried her face in his jumper with relief. ‘You scared me, I thought you were something spooky.’
‘Did you now?’ His hand crept under her hair and cradled her against him. A rumble of laughter purred in his chest. ‘You haven’t been cooking up spells again, have you?’
‘Shut up, Patch Morgan.’ He’d voiced her subconscious fear and she felt like the biggest of fools. ‘Of course not,’ she lied, crossing her fingers behind her back. ‘I thought the oven had blown up, and something spooky had escaped?’
He laughed again, deliciously against her ear. ‘ That I can believe.’
‘Stop putting a jinx on my cooking,’ she warned. ‘One of these days you are going to beg me for a second helping.’
‘If we stay in this position I’m going to be begging for a first helping,’ he growled. ‘Any thoughts I have of continuing my celibate life evaporate when you’re around.’
‘You’ve been celibate since your relationship broke up?’ Astonished, she lifted her face to the shadowy outline of his head. ‘Completely?’
‘Mind and body.’ He pushed her to arms length and held her there.
No wonder he was bad-tempered. ‘How long?’
‘Over three years.’
He must have loved Todd’s mother and awful lot. ‘What happened, Patrick?’
His pain crossed the gap between them in one big wave.
‘The relationship started going wrong before Todd was born. Her parent’s didn’t think I was good enough for her. When my business went under and the money ran out she decided they were right.’ For a moment his fingers dug cruelly into her shoulders. ‘Sometimes you remind me of her.’
A cold shudder went through her. ‘I look like her?’
‘No.’ The ragged breath he dragged in was drowned by another roll of thunder. Ellie’s reflexes twitched, but she managed to resist the urge to jump. ‘It’s just the way you are. She was fire on the outside and ice on the inside. She promised everything and gave nothing.’
‘I’m not like that,’ she protested. ‘You’re making an unfair comparison.’‘You’ve got it wrong, Ellie. You’re the other way around. Ice outside - fire inside. If you set your mind on something you go after it with chilling persistence.’
‘And you think I’ve set my mind on you?’ She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was ludicrous. It was his brother she was after. Was it? She hadn’t thought of Andrew for days. With Patrick around everyone else went out of her head. Had he picked that up? Was he scared of becoming involved with her?
‘Whether you realize it or not, you’re sending out signals. I’m not willing to take a risk.’ His arms dropped from her shoulders. ‘I don’t want to hurt you, Ellie.’
* * * *
‘It’s yourself you don’t want to hurt.’ The knowledge of Patrick’s unwitting admission was dangerously exhilarating. ‘I didn’t pick you for a coward.’
‘ And I didn’t pick you for a fool.’ Lightning chose that moment to illuminate them both. The strangely glittering eyes she encountered both repelled and attracted her. ‘If it’s punishment you want perhaps I can satisfy that need.’ His hand snaked out, twisted through her hair and applied pressure until her face turned up to meet his. ‘Spell it out, Eloise,’ he whispered. ‘If you want to be my temporary lover, start acting like one. If you don’t ... say so, right now.’
A thrill of excitement surged through her when she realized she was actually toying with the idea. She’d also been without a partner since David had gone.
A sexual relationship with Patrick would border on the edge of unreality. Like the rain after a drought, they’d both be relentless until they were satiated.
What then? Patrick could offer her nothing more. That’s what he’d been trying to get through to her. He wanted nothing more. He’d loved once, now his heart
Patrick’s voice was so reassuringly normal that she slid her arms around his waist and buried her face in his jumper with relief. ‘You scared me, I thought you were something spooky.’
‘Did you now?’ His hand crept under her hair and cradled her against him. A rumble of laughter purred in his chest. ‘You haven’t been cooking up spells again, have you?’
‘Shut up, Patch Morgan.’ He’d voiced her subconscious fear and she felt like the biggest of fools. ‘Of course not,’ she lied, crossing her fingers behind her back. ‘I thought the oven had blown up, and something spooky had escaped?’
He laughed again, deliciously against her ear. ‘ That I can believe.’
‘Stop putting a jinx on my cooking,’ she warned. ‘One of these days you are going to beg me for a second helping.’
‘If we stay in this position I’m going to be begging for a first helping,’ he growled. ‘Any thoughts I have of continuing my celibate life evaporate when you’re around.’
‘You’ve been celibate since your relationship broke up?’ Astonished, she lifted her face to the shadowy outline of his head. ‘Completely?’
‘Mind and body.’ He pushed her to arms length and held her there.
No wonder he was bad-tempered. ‘How long?’
‘Over three years.’
He must have loved Todd’s mother and awful lot. ‘What happened, Patrick?’
His pain crossed the gap between them in one big wave.
‘The relationship started going wrong before Todd was born. Her parent’s didn’t think I was good enough for her. When my business went under and the money ran out she decided they were right.’ For a moment his fingers dug cruelly into her shoulders. ‘Sometimes you remind me of her.’
A cold shudder went through her. ‘I look like her?’
‘No.’ The ragged breath he dragged in was drowned by another roll of thunder. Ellie’s reflexes twitched, but she managed to resist the urge to jump. ‘It’s just the way you are. She was fire on the outside and ice on the inside. She promised everything and gave nothing.’
‘I’m not like that,’ she protested. ‘You’re making an unfair comparison.’‘You’ve got it wrong, Ellie. You’re the other way around. Ice outside - fire inside. If you set your mind on something you go after it with chilling persistence.’
‘And you think I’ve set my mind on you?’ She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was ludicrous. It was his brother she was after. Was it? She hadn’t thought of Andrew for days. With Patrick around everyone else went out of her head. Had he picked that up? Was he scared of becoming involved with her?
‘Whether you realize it or not, you’re sending out signals. I’m not willing to take a risk.’ His arms dropped from her shoulders. ‘I don’t want to hurt you, Ellie.’
* * * *
‘It’s yourself you don’t want to hurt.’ The knowledge of Patrick’s unwitting admission was dangerously exhilarating. ‘I didn’t pick you for a coward.’
‘ And I didn’t pick you for a fool.’ Lightning chose that moment to illuminate them both. The strangely glittering eyes she encountered both repelled and attracted her. ‘If it’s punishment you want perhaps I can satisfy that need.’ His hand snaked out, twisted through her hair and applied pressure until her face turned up to meet his. ‘Spell it out, Eloise,’ he whispered. ‘If you want to be my temporary lover, start acting like one. If you don’t ... say so, right now.’
A thrill of excitement surged through her when she realized she was actually toying with the idea. She’d also been without a partner since David had gone.
A sexual relationship with Patrick would border on the edge of unreality. Like the rain after a drought, they’d both be relentless until they were satiated.
What then? Patrick could offer her nothing more. That’s what he’d been trying to get through to her. He wanted nothing more. He’d loved once, now his heart
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