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‘Far enough.’ He leaned forward, picked up her fork and handed it to her. ‘Eat, or I’ll have to force-feed you.’
‘I’m not that hungry.’
‘Eat.’
Feeling thoroughly unsettled and not really understanding why, Miranda speared a thin strip of chicken and nibbled it. ‘Why do you say far enough? You’re obviously close to her.’
‘We’re twins,’ Jake confessed. ‘So, yes, we’re close. A bit too close sometimes. She’s inclined to meddle in my life.’
‘Like decorating your house?’
‘That sort of meddling I can live with.’ He picked up his glass. ‘What I don’t like is her interference in my love life. She’s always inviting me to dinner and introducing me to yet another of her recently divorced, unattached friends.’
Miranda couldn’t help smiling. ‘It’s pretty hard to meet people. That sounds as good a way as any.’
‘That’s because you don’t know my sister.’ Jake suppressed a yawn and pushed his chair away from the table. ‘Let’s just say that her idea of my ideal woman and my idea of my ideal woman don’t exactly coincide.’
‘What’s your ideal woman?’ The moment she asked the question she wished she hadn’t. His blue eyes lifted to hers and didn’t shift.
‘I’m looking at her.’
She gave a soft gasp and looked away. ‘Jake…’
‘I know what you’re going to say next so I’ll save you the breath and that way you can concentrate on clearing the food on your plate. You’re going to say that I’ve only known you a short time, you’re going to remind me that you’re pregnant, just in case I’d forgotten, and then you’re going to say that you’re not interested in men because relationships always go wrong.’
It was so close to what she would have said that she gaped at him. ‘Are you a mind-reader?’
‘No, but I think I probably understand women better than most men.’ He put his glass down on the table and leaned forward, his eyes still on her face. ‘I have a twin sister and on top of that I spend every day talking to women at a time when they’re at their most emotionally vulnerable. I have a pretty good idea what all your argu
ments will be, although I don’t understand all your reasons because you don’t trust me enough to tell me about your family. I’m hoping that, in time, that will change.’
She stared at him, stunned by what he was saying. ‘I’ve told you about Peter.’
‘Yes. But there’s more and that’s fine.’ His tone was conversational, as if they were discussing nothing more serious than the weather. ‘I’m willing to wait until you’re ready to tell me.’
She was his ideal woman?
‘Jake—’
‘I’m not expecting a response to what I just said.’ He stood up and flicked on the kettle. ‘You asked me about my ideal woman and I told you.’
‘But that’s ridiculous.’ Her voice was hoarse. ‘Why would you be interested in me? What could I possibly have that you want?’
He turned to face her, dark lashes partially shielding the expression in his eyes. ‘You don’t have a very high opinion of yourself, do you, sweetheart?’
‘I just don’t see why a man like you would be interested in a woman like me. It doesn’t make sense.’
‘A man like me?’ He raised an eyebrow in question. ‘What sort of woman should a man like me be interested in, Miranda? Tell me. I’m intrigued to know.’
She took a deep breath. ‘You’re clever and good-looking, you don’t need me to tell you that. You must have hopeful women trailing after you in droves. You certainly don’t need someone as—’ She broke off and hesitated. ‘Complicated. You don’t need someone as complicated as me.’
‘You’ve worked with me for long enough to know that I thrive on complicated. I find routine and predictability unspeakably boring.’ He smiled. ‘Finish your dinner, Miranda, and stop worrying.’
She ignored her food. ‘I need you to know that nothing is going to happen between us. Not ever. I just don’t—’
‘It’s already happened and you know it.’ His voice level, he spooned coffee into a cafetiere and picked up the kettle. ‘There’s a connection between us that we cannot possibly deny, but I understand that this is a big thing for you. So we’ll just live with it for a bit and see where our relationship goes. I’m a patient man.’
‘Patience has nothing to do with it and our relationship isn’t going anywhere!’ There was a note of panic in her voice. Why wasn’t he listening to her? ‘And what do you mean, it’s a big thing for me? Given that you’re in your thirties and single, it would seem a reasonable guess that a relationship is a big thing for you, too.’
