Holding Strong. Lori Foster
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An amount that had continued to be paid in the four months since he had died, Joey realised slowly. On David Banning’s instructions…? If so, why? Daniel’s death four months ago had surely completely nullified any responsibility the Banning family might, or might not, feel towards Lily?
‘You’re frowning again, Joey,’ Nick probed softly.
She drew in a ragged breath, at the same time shaking her head in self-derision. It was simply no good tormenting herself with all these thoughts and questions; no doubt she would have the answer to all of them this evening. When she had dinner with David Banning. It was the waiting that was killing her.
‘Just ignore me,’ she told Nick ruefully, before biting into her own sandwich.
‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly do that,’ Nick told her huskily, his gaze suddenly very intense. ‘You intrigue me, Joey,’ he added softly.
She stiffened, looking across at him with clear green eyes. ‘I wouldn’t waste your time, if I were you; I’ve just told you all that there is to know about me,’ she bit out dismissively.
‘It’s my time to waste.’ He shrugged. ‘And so far it hasn’t been wasted,’ he assured her.
Joey found herself mesmerised by the warmth in those deep brown eyes, by the sensual nature implied by that fuller lower lip; she didn’t doubt for a moment that Nick would be a caring as well as passionate lover—
Lover? Now she really had gone too far!
She put her half-eaten sandwich back down on the plate. ‘I have to go—’
‘No, you don’t,’ Nick cut in assuredly. ‘I checked in the appointment book earlier while I was waiting in the salon to talk to you; your next appointment—for a perm, I believe,’ he added drily, ‘isn’t until two-thirty.’
He had checked earlier?
Did that mean he had intended inviting her out to lunch all the time? Why else would he have checked the appointment book…?
‘Look, Nick, I think you might have misunderstood the situation,’ she began hardly.
‘Let me see,’ he murmured thoughtfully. ‘You agreed to cut my hair last night because you had a little time to kill before going home. You didn’t believe for one moment that I would return this morning with the money to pay for it, and were obviously surprised when I did,’ he continued determinedly as Joey would have spoken. ‘You’re a single mother. You don’t have a lot of time for—or faith in—men. Understandably,’ he accepted. ‘Have I “misunderstood” anything so far?’ He raised mocking brows.
Joey closed her mouth, looking at him with narrowed eyes. No, he seemed to have got the gist of circumstances so far. ‘You missed out the fact that I’m not interested in a relationship at the moment,’ she finally told him firmly.
‘Or at any time in the near future, if I’ve read the signs correctly,’ Nick acknowledged good-humouredly.
Joey glared at him frustratedly. If he had read those signs, what was he doing here?
More to the point, what was she doing here…?
She knew the answer to that only too well; Nick had read the signs, he had just chosen to ignore them. And he had decided to make her ignore them too.
But not any more. ‘Exactly,’ she told him determinedly, bending to pick her bag up from the floor. ‘Now, if you will excuse me—’ She broke off as Nick reached out and took a firm grasp of her arm, looking first at his hand against the paleness of her skin, and then across at the man himself. ‘Would you please let me go?’ she demanded evenly.
‘In a minute.’ He nodded abruptly, making no attempt to set her free. ‘Joey, don’t let one bad experience sour the rest of your life,’ he told her huskily.
‘One bad experience?’ she returned mockingly.
‘However many there have been,’ he dismissed impatiently.
Joey wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that! ‘Actually, personally, there’s only been the one,’ she conceded grudgingly. ‘But I’ve seen dozens of other terrible relationships to know it’s a lottery out there, and that the man usually has the advantage.’ She shook her head. ‘I used to say that if I ever “came back” I wanted to be a man. But then I gave it a little more thought—and realised that by the time that happened the women would probably be in charge!’ She grinned at the thought.
‘I think you would get on well with my sister,’ Nick said, finally releasing her. ‘She is of similar sentiments,’ he explained ruefully as Joey sank back down into her chair.
‘You have a sister?’ Joey asked interestedly. And not just because it would turn the conversation away from her for a while; she was interested in this man in spite of herself!
Nick gave a grin. ‘And a mother and father,’ he admitted sardonically. ‘In fact, I went up to London and had dinner with them all last night,’ he added drily, brows arched over teasing brown eyes as he saw Joey’s look of surprise. ‘Not the “heavy date” you had in mind?’ he taunted lightly.
Not exactly, no, she inwardly acknowledged. ‘Tell me about them,’ she invited softly, relaxing back in her seat now that Nick no longer had that grip on her arm. But, as before, her skin tingled where he had touched her…
‘Not a lot to tell, really.’ He shrugged. ‘My father is something in the City; my mother is the perfect wife and mother. My sister is two years older than me, editor on a newspaper, divorced—and intending to stay that way,’ he revealed drily.
Joey gave a rueful smile. ‘There’s a lot of it about!’
‘Unfortunately, yes,’ Nick agreed heavily. ‘It’s a bit tough on us men when all you women have decided that marriage and motherhood aren’t for you,’ he explained wryly.
Her mouth twisted. ‘I’ve usually found it’s the other way round—marriage and fatherhood aren’t for you!’ she explained as he raised his brows questioningly.
He shrugged. ‘Speaking personally—’
‘I really do have to go, Nick,’ she cut in firmly—she didn’t want to know how he ‘personally’ felt about the subject. Or any subject, for that matter. In fact, the conversation had become altogether too personal for two people who had only met briefly the previous evening! ‘I have some shopping to do before my two-thirty appointment,’ she added, at the same time taking some money from her bag to pay for her lunch.
‘Don’t,’ Nick warned softly as she would have put the money on the table. ‘I think I can manage to pay for a sandwich you haven’t eaten,’ he added mockingly at her questioning look.
No doubt he could, but it was a fact that most men expected you to pay your own way, even for a sandwich! ‘Thank you,’ she accepted, putting the money back in her bag.
Nick chuckled softly. ‘Very graciously done, Joey. Even if it did almost kill you!’ he added, still laughing.
Joey returned his smile. ‘It was that obvious, was it?’
‘I don’t know what sort of men you’ve met in the past, Joey—’ Nick shook his head ruefully ‘—but when I take you out I’ll do the paying.’
When he…? But this was a one-off—wasn’t it…?
‘Don’t look so worried, Joey.’ Nick reached out and lightly touched her hand as it rested on the table. ‘I only want to invite you to have dinner with me this evening.’
The intensity of his gaze easily held hers, and Joey found that her breathing suddenly seemed laboured, her hand once again tingling where he touched her.
What was it about this man that caused her to react in this way? Oh, he was very attractive, ruggedly so, and he could also be extremely charming; that smile