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He stopped talking then and lifted his wine glass to his lips, leaving Harriet up in the air as to how he had coped with his mother’s death. Whilst Harriet could see the danger in continuing with this conversation—her heart had already turned over in sympathy for Alex—she simply could not bear the suspense of not knowing.
‘And you, Alex?’ she prodded quietly. ‘How did you cope?’
He shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. He put his glass down and smiled, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. ‘I went to Oxford, found two great mates and joined the Bachelor’s Club.’
Harriet’s eyebrows arched in genuine surprise. ‘What on earth is the Bachelor’s Club?’
‘I thought you didn’t want to exchange personal details,’ he reminded her.
‘That was before.’
‘Before what?’
‘Before you whetted my curiosity.’
He laughed and the sparkle was back in his eyes. ‘Women!’ he exclaimed, but on a teasing note.
‘Yes, yes, I know. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.’
‘True. I, for one, could not survive without a woman in my life. And in my bed,’ he added, bringing Harriet back to cold, hard realty with a jolt. ‘But I have found that the pleasure of a woman’s company does come at a price. They invariably want to know way too much about your life, both past and present.’
Harriet stiffened at the injustice of this remark. ‘I didn’t ask you to tell me about your father’s drinking problem, or your mother’s death. You volunteered the information.’
He sighed and that bleakness was back in his eyes. ‘So I did. Foolish of me. Could you forget I ever mentioned it? It’s a rather depressing topic.’
Harriet wondered which one. His father’s drinking problem or his mother’s death? She suspected the latter. He must have loved his mother very much. Clearly, his way of coping initially with her death had been to run away from his life here in Australia by studying in England, making friends there and joining this Bachelor’s Club.
‘I only asked you about the Bachelor’s Club, Alex,’ she pointed out. ‘If you don’t want to tell me about it, then fine.’
Their meal arrived at that opportune moment, a simply huge platter full of the most delicious seafood. The tantalising smells wafted up to Harriet’s nose, making her mouth water.
‘Gosh, that looks good,’ she said and the waiter smiled at her. So did Alex.
‘Tuck in, then,’ he said once the waiter had departed. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m suddenly starving.’
They both tucked in, Harriet sampling a little bit of everything. Oysters, lobster, crab, scallops and fish pieces, along with side dishes of French fries and salad. They didn’t talk much, and when they did, it was about the food. Alex ordered a second bottle of wine at one stage, though in the end they drank only half of it. He didn’t mention the Bachelor’s Club again and Harriet decided to let the matter drop. She could read between the lines, anyway. Unlike his sister and brother, Alex had decided that love and marriage were not for him. Maybe he was afraid of the responsibility that marriage entailed. And the emotion. Maybe he was afraid of falling in love. Or maybe he simply wasn’t capable of falling in love, his mother’s tragic death having killed off that particular part of him. Whatever, Alex obviously liked his life as a bachelor and had no intention of changing. Only a very foolish woman would start thinking—or hoping—that she would be the one to change him.
Harriet liked to think that she wasn’t a very foolish woman.
Enjoy what you’re doing whilst it lasts, she told herself as she wiped her fingers with her serviette. Then do what Alex always does—move on!
Chapter Thirteen
ALEX GLANCED ACROSS the table and wondered what was going on in Harry’s mind. A somewhat defiant light had come into her eyes all of a sudden. Or was it determined? Whatever, he knew that his affair with her was not going to be like any affair he’d ever had before. How could it be? She was different from his usual choice of bed partner. Older, more intelligent and more difficult to control.
Not in bed, though. In a matter of minutes he’d torn down her defences and had her blindly surrendering to his wishes. Clearly, she was a passionate creature whose desire for sex easily matched his. That episode in the shower had been seriously hot. She was seriously hot. One night with her would definitely not be enough. One month seemed too inadequate as well. Which was a worry. He didn’t want to want any woman too much. Harriet might start thinking he wanted more from her than just sex. Which he definitely didn’t. He liked his life the way it was. He liked being a bachelor with no emotional ties.
