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He shot her a rueful look. ‘You are such a girl.’
‘How observant.’
He smiled. ‘The point is I am happy. Or I would be if I could visit my sister without getting the third degree about my love life.’ He touched her cheek. ‘But now I’m thinking, with you there … as a very sexy distraction … things could be a whole lot easier.’
Ruby forced out a laugh, determined to be amused instead of insulted—or hurt—by the suggestion. This was good. He had a logical reason for wanting her along. She should be logical back. ‘So I’d be, like, your stunt girlfriend?’
He nodded, not looking remotely ashamed at the ploy to fool his sister.
‘That is so like a guy. Why can’t you just be honest with her? Tell her you’re not ready for that sort of commitment yet.’
‘Believe me, I’ve told her I’ll never be ready for that sort of commitment. But Maddy won’t buy it. She’s convinced herself her marriage is perfect, and it’ll always be that way, despite all the evidence to the contrary.’
Again she heard the note of cynicism, sharpened by bitterness—and wondered what had made Cal so sure his sister’s marriage was doomed to failure.
‘Plus you have no idea how persistent Maddy is,’ he added. ‘So you have to come with me. And protect me from her.’
‘So now who’s the sissy?’ she teased, pretty sure Callum Westmore had never needed anyone’s protection.
But she could feel her resolve weakening.
The man had charm to spare and he knew how to use it. But more than that, she was oddly flattered by his persistence. And desperately curious. Seeing someone in their home environment was always revealing. And there were so many
things about Cal that she wanted to know.
‘And Cornwall’s incredible at this time of year.’ His lips lifted in an assured smile and her pulse slowed.
She laughed at the temptation in his eyes. ‘Oh, all right, then, Counsellor. I’ll come,’ she said, determined to ignore the panicked flutter of her pulse. They were fine, they were back to where they were supposed to be. Shallow and sexy, right where they’d been before she’d overreacted and made a twit of herself over the phone call.
‘Great.’
Warmth spread through her system at the approval turning his irises to a rich emerald.
‘But only if we stop by my flat so I can pack an overnight bag,’ she finished, not wanting to be a complete pushover.
‘You’re on.’
He tugged her close, his lips covering hers in a lazy kiss. She opened her mouth, making the warmth shoot to blazing heat—and burn off all her lingering doubts.
As they sped down the motorway in Cal’s flashy Italian convertible, with the roof up and two hastily packed overnight bags stowed in the back seat, Ruby stared at the not altogether sumptuous scenery of the M4 corridor and tried not to let the doubts resurface.
Callum Westmore was dangerous. But she could handle him and this ‘thing’ between them just fine, because it was nothing more than a straightforward mix of heat and curiosity.
She’d never be foolish enough to get serious about someone as dominant as Cal, because she liked to be the one in charge too much. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t satisfy the heat. And the curiosity.
Leaning forward, she turned down the soulful ballad blaring out of the car speakers from the golden oldies radio station he’d chosen.
‘What did you mean,’ she asked, shifting in her seat to look at Cal, ‘when you said “despite evidence to the contrary”?’
‘Sorry?’ He sent her a cursory glance as he flipped up his indicator to swing into the fast lane.
‘You said something about your sister, believing her marriage was perfect, despite evidence to the contrary. What did that mean? Do you know something she doesn’t? Is her husband cheating on her?’ The thought depressed her. She wouldn’t wish that kind of heartache on any woman—or man, for that matter.
‘Not as far as I know,’ he said. ‘Rye seems like a nice enough guy.’ The observation sounded strangely detached.
‘So what did you mean by evidence to the contrary? What evidence?’
‘I guess I meant marriage generally.’ He shrugged, shifting down a gear to overtake a lorry. ‘Our parents’ marriage was a disaster and they made sure we knew it. That was hard on Maddy.’
