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‘It did not,’ he snapped, not even convincing himself now.
‘I’ve become some sort of challenge,’ she continued, still studying him as if she could see right through him. ‘That’s it, isn’t it? I’m the one that got away?’
He didn’t know whether to be impressed or even more aggravated. No woman had ever seen through him so effortlessly or so precisely before. Given the many ways she’d already mucked up his karma over the past fortnight, though, he settled for aggravated.
He took her arm. ‘I’ve told you already, I don’t play games.’ Or only games he knew he could win and he was fairly sure he wasn’t winning this one. ‘It’s decision time. Are you coming to LA or not?’
Her brow puckered at the ultimatum and he realised his mistake. He let go of her arm.
What the hell had happened to relaxed and charming? He sounded like an ass. Which wasn’t like him at all. He never lost his cool with women, especially when he wanted them as much as he wanted her.
He was on the verge of revising the ultimatum, when she surprised him.
‘Actually, I’d like to come.’ Her lips lifted in a captivating smile. ‘But I’ve got a few conditions before I can agree to go.’
He tucked his hands into his pockets. ‘And what would they be, now?’ he said warily. What had become of the tentative girl he’d initiated last night? he’d like to know.
‘First of all, we must both agree this is only for two weeks,’ she said. ‘Once those two weeks are up we go our separate ways.’
He gave a brief nod, not sure why he wasn’t more relieved. He’d planned to say the same thing himself, hadn’t he? But it still felt strange to have her take the initiative.
‘I don’t want this interfering with your relationship with Connor and Daisy and Ronan.’
‘It won’t be a problem,’ he said, admiring her loyalty to her friends. She looked so earnest, he decided it wouldn’t go in his favour if he pointed out why it wouldn’t be a problem. That he had no relationship with Connor and his family and he didn’t intend to have one.
She huffed out a careful breath, little pink spots mottling her cheeks. ‘This is a bit …’ she paused, clasping her hands together ‘… personal. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but
I was tested six years ago and…’ She paused.’ Well, there hasn’t been anyone since. How about you?’
It took him a moment to register what she was asking him. His admiration increased. It was a necessary question in this day and age—especially if she’d ever read any of the rubbish written about his private life in the press. So why could he feel himself flushing?
‘I had a test a few years back, for insurance purposes. Plus I always use a condom. And I don’t do drugs. Will that do?’
‘Okay, that’s good,’ she said, unclasping her hands and looking so relieved he had the sudden urge to give her a cuddle. She wasn’t nearly as tough and savvy as she was pretending to be.
‘Anything else?’ he asked, running a knuckle down her cheek and feeling better by the second.
The next two weeks were going to be quite an adventure. An adventure without any of the usual risks.
Sure her forthright approach and her perceptiveness might have unnerved him a little, but he was starting to see the benefits. The woman had no angles, no hidden agenda, not that he could see. The thought was so refreshing, it was intoxicating.
That he had no idea what she was thinking, or what she was going to do next, was probably a small price to pay. And anyway, he’d have her all figured out after two weeks. He was an expert at reading people, at studying them, and getting the information out of them he wanted.
Once he knew all her secrets, she wouldn’t fascinate him the way she did now.
The nervous smile she sent him intoxicated him even more.
‘I’d also like to buy my own plane ticket home.’
Now that was plain stupid. He wasn’t agreeing to that one. ‘Why would you want to do that?’ he asked, exasperated. ‘It’ll cost a fortune.’
The papers said she lived in a one-room apartment, and he had no idea how much shop girls earned, but she’d be flying to and from LA in first class. He wasn’t going to let her travel in economy.
‘I’ve got some savings. And it’s important to me,’ she said, but he detected a note of uncertainty.
‘And why is it so important?’ he asked, deciding to take advantage of the little chink in her armour. It was about time he started asserting his own agenda. He was in charge here, not her, and it was probably best she knew it. ‘I’ve already bought the return ticket, so you’d be wasting your money. We both would.’
It wasn’t the truth. He’d only instructed his PA to buy Juno a ticket out to LA. Which was quite an oversight now he thought about it. When was the last time he’d dated a woman without already having an exit strategy firmly in place?
