He looked surprised and sat back a little. ‘Wrong? No. Why?’
‘It’s just that you look a little… funny.’
‘Thanks.’
‘I mean…’ To be honest, I didn’t know what I meant.
‘Are you having a nice time?’ Charlie said, effectively changing the subject.
‘I am. Thank you for inviting me.’
‘You’re welcome. Mum would have started to think you didn’t exist if she didn’t meet you soon.’
‘Oh?’ I said, prompting him for more.
‘Well, she’s obviously heard about you.’
‘She has?’ I said, sounding a little alarmed.
‘In a good way,’ Charlie confirmed.
‘All right.’
‘She’s always enjoyed meeting our friends. That’s all.’
I nodded, without looking at him.
Charlie dipped his head down, and caught my eye. ‘That’s all. Don’t worry.’
I held his gaze a moment. ‘OK,’ I said, seeing that really was all it was.
Why I had even thought for a moment that there might be anything more was just ridiculous. A couple of glasses of wine and the summer heat and I was already losing it. It was just that, occasionally, Charlie’s undeniable yumminess caught me by surprise.
I’d opened my door all those days ago to an accountant who could fill in for Adonis on his days off. Obviously, I wasn’t blind. I’d seen immediately how gorgeous he was, but I’d been doing a good job of being distracted by the accounts. Stealing a glance at him now, I could see that I’d done an excellent job of being distracted. Had it been too good? All right, Charlie hadn’t exactly made any moves, but I got the impression that sometimes he wasn’t as sure of himself as his looks and – oh, my – that body should make him. A little encouragement might have resulted—
‘You’re quiet.’ Charlie broke into my thoughts.
‘Am I?’
‘Yes. Unusually so. What’s wrong?’
I ignored the second part and focused on the former. ‘That makes it sound like I talk all the time!’ I said, turning to look at him.
‘Well, you are quite chatty.’
I carried on looking at him.
‘I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Not with you. It’s nice. It’s good. It saves me from having to think of anything to say.’
My mouth dropped open. ‘So, you’re saying I talk so much that you don’t even have the chance to speak?’
‘No! Not at all.’ He searched my face. And then he saw it. The twitch on my lip. ‘You little rotter,’ he said, wrapping an arm around my waist and squeezing me up against him. ‘You had me really worried I’d actually upset you then. Don’t do that to me.’
‘Sorry. But you were making me out to be rather a chatterbox.’
‘You are. But in a good way.’
‘You and your “good way”.’ I eased out of the squeeze, feeling a little warmer than I probably ought to.
