by Heidi Rice
Daisy clasped her hand, a single tear spilling over her lid. ‘I understand, Juno. I really do. You went through something no sixteen-year-old should ever have to cope with. And I would never want you to put yourself through that again.’ She scrubbed the tear away with an impatient hand. ‘But you have to start trusting your own judgement if you’re ever going to be sure of anything again. Don’t you see that?’
‘Fine, well, my judgement was telling me that Mac Brody was only interested in a one-night stand.’
‘You don’t know that,’ Daisy said, undeterred.
Juno forced out a laugh. ‘You’re just saying that because he’s Connor’s brother. You don’t know him. Do you want to know what he said to me? Why he really came to France?’ she asked.
‘I’d love to know,’ Daisy said.
‘He came because he wanted to sleep with me,’ Juno said grimly, feeling guiltier now than ever.
Instead of looking disgusted, Daisy laughed. ‘I knew it. I hope you were suitably flattered.’
Juno felt the flush heat her cheeks. Of course, she had been flattered. Ridiculously so. But Daisy was missing the point completely. ‘Can’t you see how shallow that makes him? He as good as shunned you and Connor and even little Ronan at the wedding reception. You know he did. I don’t know how you can forgive him for that so easily.’ And how had she?
‘You mustn’t judge him because of that,’ Daisy said, sounding exasperated. ‘The situation between him and Connor is complicated. I told you that.’
‘I know, I know, you said they had a tough childhood, but that doesn’t justify—’
‘Juno, listen to me,’ Daisy interrupted her. ‘They haven’t seen each other since Mac was ten years old. Connor is pretty sure he spent the whole of his teens being shunted from one foster home to another.’ She let out a heavy sigh. ‘I’m not making excuses for him. It really is complicated. And I don’t think he’s as shallow as you think. He’s just careful to guard his emotions.’
Juno closed her mouth. Not sure what to say. She didn’t want to think about Mac as a child, unloved and alone. It would make him seem vulnerable again.
‘The thing is, Juno, you don’t know him either,’ Daisy said. ‘And the little you did know you liked. I believe you said yourself, and I quote, “Mac was really amazing.” Why couldn’t you have enjoyed a bit more of that amazing? And got to know him while you were at it? Instead of running off before you gave yourself the chance?’
‘You think I overreacted?’ Had she overreacted? Had she let herself down? Reverting to her old cut-and-run technique at the first sign of intimacy? Was that why she’d been feeling so empty, so disillusioned ever since she’d crept out of that hotel room? Not because she’d been mooning over Mac, but because she’d taken the coward’s way out?
‘Maybe a teensy-weensy little bit.’ Daisy gave a reluctant laugh. ‘There was always the slight chance Mac wouldn’t have kicked you out on your bum the instant he woke up.’
‘Gee, thanks,’ Juno said, smiling despite the crushing feeling of disappointment pushing at her chest. ‘That makes me feel so much better.’
The sudden barrage of noise from outside startled them both.
‘Quick, hold Ronan and I’ll take a look.’ Daisy passed the baby to Juno and scurried to the window. ‘Maybe it’s the police.’
Juno breathed in Ronan’s sweet talcum-powder scent, not caring about the police or the press any more. The reporters would leave soon enough when they realised her ‘Night of Passion’ with Mac Brody wasn’t going to be repeated. The feeling of disappointment got bigger, squeezing the air out of her lungs.
Why had she been such a coward this morning? She’d already taken a chance on Mac—and then she’d totally chickened out. Would it really have been so terrible to stick around? To stand up for herself for a change and see what happened?
Daisy flipped open the curtain and peered out. ‘Well, well, well.’ Sending Juno a bright smile, she beckoned her over. ‘Take a look at this.’
Juno walked to the window, Ronan heavy in her arms as Daisy pulled the curtain back.
Her head spun as she stared at the tall figure taking the steps to Daisy and Connor’s door two at a time. With his chin up and his eyes shielded by dark glasses, Mac Brody seemed oblivious to the explosion of camera flashes and shouted questions going off like gunshots around him.
Juno’s pulse spiralled out of control as Daisy whispered, ‘Maybe Mr Really Amazing’s going to give you a second chance.’
Chapter Nine
‘WE’RE booked on the ten o’clock flight.’ Mac paced across the study. Yanking one hand out of his pocket, he glanced at his watch. ‘You’d best be getting together whatever you need. We’ve not long before we have to leave.’
‘What flight?’ Even though she could hardly breathe, Juno knew when she was being bulldozed.
Mac stopped pacing and looked at her at last. ‘The flight to LA,’ he announced, as if she had a problem understanding English. ‘I’m not leaving you to the mercy of the press. You’ll be staying with me for the next couple of weeks, till all this nonsense blows over.’
‘Stay? With you?’ she sputtered. ‘But I can’t do that.’
Okay, she couldn’t deny the thrill that had made all her nerve endings tingle when he’d stalked into the study. His charismatic presence had sucked all of the oxygen out of the small room as soon as Daisy had excused herself to give them ‘a little privacy’.
She’d been overjoyed to see him and pathetically flattered that he’d followed her all the way from France.
But being excited to see him was one thing, completely losing her grip on reality quite another. ‘I can’t go to LA. I’m managing the shop tomorrow,’ she said, trying to bring reason and practicality to a conversation fast spinning out of control.
‘Don’t be stupid,’ he said, as if he were being the reasonable one. ‘You won’t be able to get near your shop. They’ll have the place besieged. They’ll stalk you and your customers, scour your bins, stake out your place next door and hunt down your friends until they get the story they want.’
‘They can’t do that,’ she interrupted him, shocked. ‘I’ll get a restraining order.’
‘It takes days to get a restraining order, by which time they’ll have made your life a misery. Believe me, I know. I’ve been in this circus for five years.’ He stepped towards her, cradled her cheek. ‘Come to LA. I’ve an estate in Laguna Beach with proper security where they can’t touch you. They’ll have moved on to their next kill in a few weeks and then you can come home.’
As his knuckle stroked her cheek she stared into his eyes—but the impossibly blue depths were filled with so much sincerity, she immediately smelled a rat. Something wasn’t right. He hadn’t come all this way to save her from the paparazzi. Surely.
She took a step back. ‘Why would you do that? Why would you go to all that trouble? We hardly know each other.’
His lips quirked, one black brow lifting. ‘Something we can certainly remedy while you’re in LA.’
She swallowed, her mouth bone-dry. ‘So you’re not really here to rescue me from the press?’
‘I am,’ he said, the grave statement contradicted somewhat by his sinfully sexy smile. ‘But there’s no law that says we can’t enjoy ourselves while you’re there. As it happens I’ve a few weeks before my next project starts. So I’m in need of a distraction and, it seems, so are you.’
He drew his thumb down the line of her neck; the thrill shot through her like quicksilver and the yearning got worse.
She wanted to go to LA with him, however much she might want to deny it. He made her feel alive and excited in a way she never had before.
She should never have run out on him this morning; it had been cowardly and pathetic. But she had, because there was still some of the frightened, insecure little girl inside her she thought she’d destroyed years ago. Could this be her chance to bury that unhappy child for good? To prove that if she was smart and sen
sible, kept a clear head and made the right choices not every relationship had to end with a broken heart?
‘Define distraction?’ she asked, her voice surprisingly steady considering every one of her pulse points was now throbbing in unison.
‘Allow me to demonstrate.’
He folded her into his embrace and claimed her mouth with a short, sharp and shockingly erotic kiss. The blissful ache from last night pounded back to life with staggering speed.
When he released her, they were both breathing heavily.
‘Does that answer your question?’
She touched her lips, stunned by the force of his hunger and the heat of her own response. She had the answer she needed. This was all about sexual chemistry. Nothing more. They weren’t talking about happy ever after here, they were talking about fulfilling a basic human need. A need that, she had discovered last night, Mac was the perfect man to fulfil. But could she keep sight of that and make sure her emotions didn’t get involved?
‘Last night was only a taster,’ he said, his voice husky, his eyes smouldering with erotic promise. ‘We’ve some more memorable nights in our future. Fourteen, to be exact.’
She sucked in a breath. But it wasn’t his arrogance that startled her. She’d detected the slightest edge to his voice at the reference to ‘memorable nights’. All of a sudden she understood why he’d come after her, instead of the millions of other women he could have chosen as his distraction. The realisation gave her confidence an important boost.
So far Mac had had everything his own way. He’d called all the shots and she’d let him, because she’d been completely blindsided by the passion between them. And that had left her entirely at his mercy.
She needed to have some control over this relationship if she was going to be sure to keep her heart out of the equation. Which meant showing Mac she wasn’t a complete pushover.
‘This is about the note,’ she said as clearly as she could manage while still hyperventilating. ‘That’s why you’re here. It annoyed you.’
How the hell had she figured that out?
While it was far from the only reason, Mac didn’t appreciate being read so easily, especially as he’d rehearsed how he would play things all the way from the airport.
Relaxed and charming had been the game plan. He wanted her to know how good the sex would be. He wanted her to know he was doing her a favour. He didn’t want her to know how eager he was for her to come to LA—or how much her damn note had rattled him. It would make him look like an idiot.
And the plan had been working well enough, till a moment ago.
Mac forced an indulgent chuckle and lifted a mocking eyebrow. ‘Not a bit of it,’ he replied, his tone deliberately light. ‘It was a nice enough note. Just a bit previous as it turns out.’
Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head. ‘I don’t believe you. It ticked you off. I can tell.’
How the hell could she tell?
He knew how good an actor he was and he’d given that last statement just the right measure of nonchalance to make it convincing.
‘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?
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.
She was taking a huge chance, but it felt right. Because she’d been careful and cautious. She’d staked out her territory and knew exactly how much she was risking. And how much she wasn’t. Mac Brody was irresistible, a wicked temptation no woman should ever have to say no to. But if she was practical, if she kept focused, and if she didn’t let him walk all over her she knew she could handle this.
The good news was, she was going into this with her eyes wide open. With no delusions and no foolish, impossible dreams waiting to be fulfilled. She had her ticket home and two weeks from now she’d return to her real life with a new sense of purpose and a new sense of herself as a woman. She was curious about Mac and she was excited by the prospect of getting to know him better, but that didn’t mean she was going to start fooling herself into thinking he was the man of her dreams. Intimacy didn’t have to be a threat, as long as you didn’t let it overwhelm your common sense.
