The player’s temper tantrum and bad behaviour could bankrupt a club that had already been on the brink.
He blinked and looked up. Lara was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. His stomach did that crazy thing it had in the last few hours and flipped over. She’d been the one bright thing in the past twenty-four hours.
‘What?’
She shook her head. ‘You can’t buy those clothes for me.’ She held out her hands. ‘Reuben, I shouldn’t even be in a place like this. I probably can’t afford a bra from this place, let alone anything else.’
‘You need a bra?’ That was creating pictures in his mind it shouldn’t. Every time they’d appeared in his brain these last few hours he’d tried to force his memories back to the pink onesie. That usually killed any hormones plain dead.
Lara’s brow creased into a frown. ‘No. I don’t need a bra. I need to be able to pay for my own clothes.’
He stared at her. ‘Why?’
Lara threw up her hands and stared at him in disbelief. ‘Why? Why? Because I hardly know you. Because these clothes are for me, not you. Because I like to walk around in things that I’ve bought with money that I’ve earned. Because it’s important to me to be independent.’
He didn’t get it. Not really. Every other woman he’d ever dealt with loved it when he threw money at them.
He gave a little smile. ‘But you looked beautiful in the clothes. They’d be perfect for the cruise.’
Her shoulders sagged. ‘I know that. But I can’t afford them. And it’s important for me to be able to look after myself.’
Okay. Maybe she was making sense. He’d thought this was an easy get-out clause after not telling her about her disposed-of summer wardrobe.
His phone rang again and he flinched. A wave of concern washed over her face and she reached over and took his hand, her argument about money momentarily forgotten. ‘You know what? Maybe you need to think about something else. You’ve spent an hour constantly fighting with that guy on the phone. When was the last time you had a holiday?’
That was easy. ‘Spring. Four years ago. My dad was in hospital.’
‘You haven’t had a holiday in four years? That’s ridiculous. It’s about time you had a break.’
He shook his head. Ugh. Bad idea. ‘Breaks don’t make you money. I don’t do holidays. They’re a waste of time.’
She let out a laugh. ‘I guess you and I have different priorities. My holiday is the one thing I look forward to every year.’ Her voice tailed off and she looked outside the dressing room.
There it was again. That expression on her face. The one that made him feel like the worst person in the world. He hated it when she looked like that. It didn’t matter that none of this was really his fault. His only crime had been his act of omission. But he still didn’t like the fact that right now he’d do anything to take that look off her face.
A tiny seed was starting to sprout in his brain. Lara was looking up at him with those clear blue eyes. What on earth had that clown Josh been thinking? The guy must have had rocks in his head.
She was shaking her head again, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Bree wasn’t around. ‘This was a nice idea, Reuben. It really was.’ She ran her hand over her own skinny jeans. ‘But it can’t happen. This...today... It was a bit like being a fairy princess for an hour or so. But time’s up. It’s back to real life and the fact I’ll probably need to raid some of the second-hand shops to see if I can restock my summer wardrobe.’
He tried to interrupt but she held up her hand. ‘Don’t. I don’t want charity—and I know you don’t mean it like that. I know you’re just trying to do something nice.’ She gave him a rueful smile and pressed her hand against her heart. ‘But your something nice makes me feel bad in here. It makes me feel as if I can’t look after myself. It makes me feel as if I need someone to bail me out.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t want to feel like that. I can’t feel like that right now. Finding Josh in bed with someone else is doing enough damage to my self-esteem right now. You need to let me find my own way with this too.’ She stood up. This time her flat abdomen was right in front of his face.
It was probably an unwitting action. She reached out with her hand and ran her fingers through his hair. ‘Come on, Reuben, let’s get out of here before your favourite footballer calls back and you spontaneously combust.’
As if by magic his phone buzzed in his pocket again and he could feel his rage rising. He’d spent the last few years working non-stop. For the most part he’d liked it. It wasn’t as if he had a wife and child to come home to and the lifestyle suited him. He loved the energy of his job, even thrived on the stress a little, but the last day had made him stop to breathe for a moment.
When was the last time he’d taken a holiday? When was the last time he’d even thought about taking a holiday?
He’d always had a take-no-prisoners attitude and it had served him well in his line of work, which was full of inflated egos. He called things as he saw them and worked hard for any team he dealt with. But now? If he had five minutes alone in a room with the current diva he was dealing with it was likely he’d do something he shouldn’t.
The truth was he needed some time out. He needed some time away.
He stood up quickly, his hand catching Lara’s waist.
She didn’t flinch, just wrapped her hand over his and moved a little closer, putting her other hand on his shoulder. ‘You okay?’
He could hear the genuine concern in her voice. Her light floral perfume with tinges of orange was floating up around him. She brushed her hand against his cheek.
The unanswered phone buzzed again and Lara let out a sigh of exasperation. She dipped into the pocket of his jeans, retrieved the phone and pressed the button. ‘Reuben Tyler is unavailable to take your call,’ she said sharply.
After a few seconds her eyebrows rose. The footballer was obviously on a tirade. She shot Reuben a cheeky smile as she shook her head. ‘Finished?’ she enquired into the phone. ‘In that case, the answers to your questions were no, no and no. And don’t call us, we’ll call you.’ She hung up and put his phone in her bag.
He’d never actually had anyone take charge of him before. It was a whole new experience. Lara just shrugged. ‘I didn’t like him much.’ She started heading towards the door. ‘You should make yourself unavailable for a while until he sorts himself out.’
She was so matter-of-fact about it. Her head wasn’t thumping with stocks, shares and the livelihoods of everyone attached to the club. It was almost like a light-bulb moment for him.
He followed her out to the main department, wincing at the bright lights. Bree was standing behind the nearest counter with a whole range of beautifully folded clothes, awaiting payment.
Lara’s footsteps faltered. ‘Oh, no,’ she whispered.
He walked right into the back of her and slid his hand around her waist. ‘Don’t panic. I have the perfect solution.’
She spun around to face him, her lips just inches from his. It struck him that to anyone looking they must appear a couple. ‘Does she work on commission?’ Lara whispered. ‘Have I just ruined her entire day?’
He reached for his wallet. ‘I’m going to pay.’
She grabbed hold of his hand. ‘No, Reuben. We’ve spoken about this.’
He gave her a smile. ‘Not entirely. I’m paying you back.’
She frowned. ‘Paying me back for what?’
He waved his hand and stopped Bree from wrapping the pink dress. ‘Here,’ he said with a flourish. ‘Go and put that back on.’
‘Why on earth would I do that?’
‘I’ll let you know what I’m paying you back for once we get out of here. Let’s test-drive your fancy new clothes.’
She was bewildered. But Reuben had already swiped his credit c
ard. Bree reached behind her and pulled the silver sandals back out of the bag. ‘Here, take these too. You can change back in the dressing room.’
Lara held the glittering pink dress in her hand. Was she finally losing her mind? Maybe this was all just some crazy dream and any second now she’d wake up and find out the last few days hadn’t happened at all.
The bright lights of the shop made the dress glitter even more. It was gorgeous. It was a beautiful dress. She’d actually looked at herself in the mirror and held her breath.
She shrugged. Where was the harm in this? It was only temporary. Most of the clothes she could still return. The pink dress?
Well, that might just be destiny.
* * *
The bar was beautiful. In one of the most well-known five-star hotels in London, it was sleek, chic and discreet. It was definitely the place to bring a date you wanted to impress. The opulent art deco setting couldn’t be any sexier—smouldering black lacquer, burnished gold alcoves, velvet upholstery and the kind of low lighting that showed off everyone to their best advantage.
Normally Lara would have shied away from a place like this, but with her shimmering pink designer dress and silver sandals, for once she didn’t feel out of place.
Reuben obviously knew the cocktail bar well. He nodded to the barman and handed her a cocktail menu. ‘What would you like?’
She was too busy staring at the chandelier directly above her head. She gave a shrug. ‘Something fruity.’
He shook his head and leaned across the bar to place an order. ‘What do you think of the place?’
She glanced around at all the elegant couples in the room. They looked like they did this every day. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she said quietly. ‘Very elegant.’
Reuben pointed over to the corner. ‘Over there? That’s the former cabaret stage where George Gershwin and Frank Sinatra performed.’
She sucked in her breath as the barman slid some orange-coloured drinks towards them. The drinks were just as glamorous as the place. Served in stunning, long-stemmed crystal glassware, she was almost too afraid to even take a sip.
The peach-flavoured icy drink was delicious. A few more of these and she would drift off into a world all of her own. And from where she was currently sitting, she would take the sexy Irish man right with her.
No. She shook her head. Silly thoughts. Ridiculous thoughts. It was just...she couldn’t stop focusing on those lips. Those lips that had kissed her earlier like she’d never been kissed before. Was that what kisses were meant to be like? How come it had taken this long for her to find out?
She took another sip of the peach cocktail. It was gorgeous, just the right amount of sweetness with a little bit of tartness. It was so easy to get carried away in a place like this, with its decadence and splendour. Particularly when she was dressed like this and had the handsomest man in the room on her arm. It was almost like being in a movie. Time for a reality check.
She owed Reuben a huge amount of money. And in spite of the glamour and ambience of a place like this, that made her feel distinctly uncomfortable. He didn’t give her controlling vibes at all. But she wanted to be in charge of her own life. She wanted every decision she made to be based only on what she wanted—no more outside influences. She really needed to clear the air about this before she could move forward. And there was no time like the present.
She looked over at him and took a deep breath. ‘So, tell me, Reuben. How am I going to pay you back?’
* * *
Reuben was relaxed. He was feeling chilled. And it was the first time he’d felt like this in weeks—perhaps months.
Lara looked absolutely stunning. She’d pulled her blonde hair up in some kind of silver clasp, leaving little tendrils around her ears. She’d found some pink lipstick somewhere and it matched her dress to perfection. She looked as if she’d spent all day getting ready when the reality was he knew it had only taken ten minutes.
Another thing he liked about her. Along with a whole host of others.
He couldn’t understand why she wasn’t more confident about herself. It was one of the reasons he’d suggested she test-drive her new clothes. He’d known just how stunning she looked in them. And so did every other guy in the room. All eyes had been on Lara from the second they’d walked in here. Only she didn’t seem to notice.
It had come to him in a blinding flash exactly how he should play this. There was chemistry between them. No one could deny it. And after one taste of her lips he was sure he wanted to taste a whole lot more.
He got it that she was proud. He got it that she didn’t want a handout. And while he admired that—and he certainly wasn’t used to it—it put him in a bit of a difficult position.
Then she’d made the suggestion herself. Reuben should have a holiday.
The idea had never appealed before.
But the idea had never had a blonde-haired, pink-dressed beautiful woman dangling before his eyes. Maybe a quick fling would get Lara Callaway out of his system?
Sure, Caleb might kill him. But from where he was standing it would be worth it.
More than worth it.
And maybe some time together would instil a little more confidence into this gorgeous woman? Maybe, if she had the holiday she’d always dreamed of, and didn’t have to worry about money, she’d be able to see herself the way he saw her. A sexy, gorgeous woman with the world at her feet.
She was still waiting for him to answer as she sipped at her straw through those delectable lips.
‘That’s easy.’ He gave her one of his dazzling smiles. ‘You’ll pay me back by letting me go on the cruise with you.’
She blinked, then her brow furrowed. ‘Wait a minute. I’m lost. Want to run this by me again?’
Maybe he should buy her another cocktail. ‘It’s simple. You told me I need to take a holiday, and you don’t want me to pay to replace your clothes. This is the easy solution. I come on the cruise with you—and instead of refunding your cash for my share, I buy you a new wardrobe.’ He let his eyes roam up and down her body in the glittering pink dress. Boy, did she wear it well. ‘That way you don’t feel indebted to me because you’re officially buying your own clothes.’
She made a noise. Maybe it was a whimper. ‘But...but...’ The words just wouldn’t form. ‘But you don’t do holidays,’ she finally squeaked.
He lifted one eyebrow. ‘It seems like I do now.’
She lifted up her hands. ‘But you hardly know me.’
She looked panicked and it made the edges of his mouth curl up in amusement. ‘Then clearly that’s about to change.’
She wasn’t talking. Her mouth was hanging open. It was the first time he’d really seen Lara lost for words. It made him want to laugh.
He walked smoothly behind her, pressing his chest against her shoulders and looking into the glass in the gantry ahead of them. He bent down and whispered in her ear.
‘Stop panicking, Lara. Let the rational side of your brain kick in for a few seconds.’
She was staring straight ahead, watching their reflections in the glass gantry. It was the first time he’d really seen them together—seen what the rest of the world must see when they looked at them.
He smiled. He was absolutely doing the right thing. Two weeks on a cruise with this woman? He’d have to be crazy to let her go alone.
She was staring right back. Watching him, with his head at her shoulder and his arm slipping around her waist. She still looked pretty stunned.
‘You know it makes sense,’ he said smoothly. ‘Technically, you’re paying for your own clothes. I’m just refunding you for the half of the cruise that I’ll be taking in Josh’s place.’
It seemed almost reasonable. If she jumbled it around in her head for long enough she could find arguments and counter-arguments everywhere.<
br />
The cruise was days away.
She really, really wanted to go.
And she really needed something to wear.
Did she want to spend two weeks on a cruise ship alone?
None of this was normal. None of this was rational. That kiss must have driven her crazy because she couldn’t think a single sensible thought.
She took a huge sip of her cocktail. ‘Okay,’ she said quickly, as she felt his fingers at her waist. She lifted her cocktail glass towards him. ‘Two weeks on the cruise of a lifetime.’
Reuben walked around to her side and picked up his glass. His fingers hadn’t left her waist. He clinked his glass against hers. The look on his face was almost predatory.
He gave her a wicked smile. ‘My first holiday in four years. This could be fun.’
CHAPTER SIX
LARA HADN’T STOPPED chattering for the last thirty minutes. All the way on the transfer from the airport to the cruise-ship terminal.
Reuben pushed his credit card towards the red-lipped hostess who’d just given them the hard sell. ‘Yes to the drinks package and yes to the excursion package.’
The woman beamed at them both and swiped his card in the blink of an eye.
‘Reuben,’ hissed Lara. ‘That’s probably way more expensive that it ought to be. I’d already prepaid a few excursions.’
He shook his head and put his arm behind her back, pressing gently to urge her to move forward. He wasn’t going to argue about this. ‘Why come on a cruise and only go on a few excursions? Let’s just enjoy them all.’ The ship was gleaming next to them.
‘Didn’t you say you wanted to do the excursions to Monaco, Rome and Pisa?’
She nodded.
‘And don’t you think it’s likely we’ll drink a couple of glasses of wine with dinner each day?’
She pressed her lips together and nodded again.
He gave her back a little push again towards the embarkation point. Her footsteps faltered as she tried to push her passport back in her bag. Her hands were trembling.
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