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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?
It occurred to him at that precise moment she would also be the
first woman he’d invited to his home. The house in Laguna Beach was his sanctuary and he hadn’t even let Gina stay there overnight, always insisting they sleep at her pad in the Hollywood Hills. He gave a mental shrug. It wasn’t significant. Hadn’t they just established this was strictly a two-week deal?
‘Well, I suppose if you’ve already paid for the ticket.’ She chewed on her bottom lip, still considering. ‘I guess that would be okay. I just wanted to make sure I had a ticket home.’
‘It’s all sorted,’ he said shortly, not sure why her persistence was beginning to irritate him. ‘Now if you’ve finished with the demands could you go get packed?’ He steered her towards the study door. ‘We’ve a plane to catch.’
And the sooner he got her on it, the happier he’d be.
Excitement, exhilaration and extreme terror all fought for supremacy as Juno rushed down the hallway to tell Daisy her news.
Her mind whirred as she concentrated on the details. She had to arrange cover for her position at the shop, then Daisy would have to help her pack. Daisy could help her select what to wear, so she didn’t look like some preposterous tomboy waif when she arrived in LA.
