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“I’ve had him checked out. He’s come up pretty clean. He studied astrophysics at Oxford on a scholarship. From a middle-class upbringing in Brixton. Dad employed him to run hedge funds on behalf of Lovechilde’s investing arm, after which they became partners, due to Will’s brilliance with numbers and reliable results. There’s not a lot more than that.”
“Then maybe he’s telling the truth. In a moment of weakness, he succumbed to Bethany’s charms. She is very attractive,” I said.
Declan nodded. “I’m with Savvie. I think we should encourage Mother to sack her.”
That idea left a bad taste in my mouth. “She’s a single mother.”
“Then offer her a gig at the hotel in London. A job for both mother and daughter.”
I nodded. “That’s a good solution. At least it will remove the temptation.”
I left them and went back to join Mirabel.
After dinner, I suggested she and Cian stay the weekend. Apart from finding it hard to separate from Cian, I had ulterior motives: I wanted Mirabel in my bed.
As I’d suspected, she wasn’t keen. My mother still spooked her. I offered to drive her home instead.
As I carried Cian’s bassinet inside her little flat, I shivered at the thought of my son living there. Mirabel placed him in his crib and wrapped another blanket around him as I watched. It was only nine o’clock, and I stood there, unsure what to do with myself. Mirabel seemed just as uncertain. Her eyes went from Cian’s to mine and everywhere else.
“Can I offer you something?” she asked.
Yep. Your body and mouth.
I shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”
“I’ve got some beer.” She gave me one of her tight smiles. “Sheridan left some of hers behind.”
“That will be great. And, hey”—I followed her into the tiny kitchen that could barely fit two people—“I’m sure you can drink if you express. Isn’t that how it works?”
She sniffed. “You’re up with all the latest mummy stuff, I see.”
I grinned. “I looked it up.” I rubbed my neck. It had become a daily habit—googling newborns and best practices.
“I’ve given up everything for now. I feel good for it, to be honest.”
I nodded slowly, my eyes falling into hers again.
As she handed me a bottle of beer, our fingers touched, sending a spark through me. She must have sensed something, too, because her eyes met mine with a knowing look. I unscrewed the top and took a swallow.
As I followed her to the sofa, I couldn’t help but ogle her sexy arse as her hips swayed. Her tiny waist only emphasised her curves. “Have you been doing yoga or something?” I had to ask.
“Yep, along with other stretches. I’ve become a bit of a fitness junkie.” She smiled. “Why?”
“I’m just wondering how a woman who has only just given birth can look so sumptuous?”
“Sumptuous? You make me sound like a meal.” Her mouth twisted into a smirk.
As I landed on her lumpy sofa, the spring dug into my butt, and I adjusted my body. “Would you let me buy you a flat?”
“No” shot out of her lips, making me wince.
“I just thought…” How could I tell her I didn’t want my son growing up in that tiny, damp space? It didn’t even have natural light during the day. How was he to grow up in that hovel?
She looked at me as though I’d asked her to move into a cave.
I sucked back some air. Mirabel was independent to a fault. Maybe that was why I admired her. The fact she wasn’t on the take. But this was taking it too far. Our son needed a warm, comfortable environment to grow into a happy, healthy being.
“I’m going to renovate. I like the neighbourhood. I can afford another place, you realise. ‘Song of the Sea’ is earning me a living.” She flicked a wavy tendril away from her face, drawing my attention to her very plump chest.
