Page 88 of Never Gonna Happen

‘Tell me everything.’

Emily crossed Regent Street towards Grosvenor Square, enjoying the thrill of being back in the midst of London’s traffic and noise. She was glad she’d seen Mark, although she was pretty sure he’d have booked them into the nearest hotel if she’d given him half a chance. But actually it now felt like she’d laid that ghost to rest – she’d enjoyed Mark’s company, but the physical attraction had waned with time and distance, and this time it had been easy to say goodbye. She’d given him Mr Hunter’s details to call when he had information, so she didn’t expect to hear from him again any time soon.

Mr Hunter had also gone to dinner with friends, so the Mayfair house was blissfully empty. Emily found herself checking for Adam around every corner these days, knowing he could turn up at any time, but he had his own place in London so there was no reason for him to rock up here. And if he did, she’d see his bastard piggy-eyed face on the CCTV and just pretend she wasn’t in.

She hurried upstairs to her room and sat cross-legged on the bed so she could call Jamie. He answered after a couple of rings, which made her wonder if he’d been waiting for her call. ‘Hey,’ she said. ‘I’m just calling to say I love you, as promised.’

Jamie laughed. ‘You’re home early.’

‘Not really,’ she said vaguely. ‘It was just dinner.’

‘Did you have a good time?’

Emily smiled, wondering why men asked questions they really didn’t want to hear the answer to. ‘It was nice to see him, and I was able to offer some staffing advice. How was your physio?’

‘He was great, don’t change the subject. Did you tell Mark about me?’

‘He asked if I was seeing anyone, so I said I was. He didn’t ask for details, so I didn’t offer any.’

‘That’s it?’

Emily sighed. ‘He also asked if I was happy, and I said I definitely was.’

‘Hmm,’ said Jamie. ‘Sounds like he was trying to get back in your knickers.’

Emily laughed. ‘Well, unluckily for him, my knickers are off limits to everyone but you.’

‘I’m very glad to hear it.’

They were both quiet for a moment. ‘I’ll be back tomorrow,’ she said, wishing she was there already.

‘I’ll think about your knickers until then.’

‘Maybe I’ll buy some new ones while I’m here,’ she said playfully. ‘Pop to Selfridges tomorrow, get something fancy.’

‘Interesting,’ said Jamie. ‘Do you take requests?’

Emily laughed, all thoughts of Mark wiped clean from her mind. ‘Maybe. What were you thinking?’

She lay back on the pillows and closed her eyes while Jamie told her exactly what he was thinking.

Chapter Forty-Two

Emily woke up in Jamie’s bed on Sunday morning feeling like all was well in her world, allowing herself a smile at the discarded scraps of black lace on the bedroom floor. She’d popped to Selfridges during her lunch break on Thursday and selected a triangle bra and a matching Brazilian thong – neither was remotely practical or suitable for everyday wear, but they made her feel like a completely different woman. The set had cost more than the cumulative amount she’d spent on underwear in her entire life, especially considering how little there was of it, but Jamie’s enthusiasm last night had made it worth every penny.

She stared at the clear blue sky out of the window as he clattered mugs in the kitchen, thinking about how Jamie’s leg injury had changed things between them in the bedroom. Aside from the obvious logistics of Emily having to be on top, it required them to communicate more, for Jamie to tell Emily exactly what worked and what didn’t. They needed to slow everything down and take their time, which definitely wasn’t a bad thing. It was an unexpected level of intimacy so early on in their relationship, but things still had all the intensity of their first few weeks together.

It was hard to believe it had already been over a month since Jamie’s accident – his ribs and knee had healed well, he was doing daily physio in the pool, and expected to be able to start putting some weight on his leg in the next couple of weeks. With any luck the boot would be off by the time the weather started to warm up, and he’d be able to ditch at least one of his crutches and get back on a horse. His physio had advised against it for a few more weeks, so instead he was spending a lot of time getting under the feet of the grooms and stable hands.

Emily jumped out of bed and pulled one of Jamie’s T-shirts over her head, then padded through to the kitchen.

‘Good morning,’ she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

‘I’ve made tea,’ said Jamie, twisting round to kiss her. ‘Let’s go back to bed.’

Emily picked up both mugs and carried them back to the bedroom, Jamie following on his crutches. He leaned them against the wall and sat on the edge of the bed, then swung his legs round, punching the pillow behind his back to make himself comfortable.

‘I’ve had a message from my dad,’ he said. ‘Do you fancy going riding today?’