Mismatch

by Tracie Delaney

  She softened her features. “I’m sorry. That was out of order. You know I’d never leak something like that to the press, and it’s not my place to make demands. I know how busy you are, but I’d appreciate it if you could look into this matter as soon as possible. An innocent man’s freedom is on the line here, not to mention his reputation.”

  Mike blew out a soft breath through his nose, and his lips curved into a wry smile. “You always could wrap me around your little finger, Jayne. I’ll look into it, but it’ll be Monday. I’ve promised Tanya that I’ll take her and Jenna to the beach this weekend. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”

  Jayne walked around to Mike’s side of the desk and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “You’re a legend,” she said with a smile.

  Mike rolled his eyes, but he didn’t look displeased. “Get out of here, woman. I’ve got a job to do.”

  Jayne picked up her handbag. “When this is over, drinks are on me,” she said as she left Mike’s office.

  She darted downstairs, the heavy weight on her shoulders lifting slightly. Mike’s job these days might involve pushing papers and managing ever-decreasing budgets, but in his heart, he was still a copper and one of the best. If anyone could get to the bottom of this in record time, it was Mike.

  As soon as Jayne cleared the building, certain she was out of earshot, she called Rupe. Time to give him a piece of good news that he could cling to.

  17

  Rupe woke on Saturday morning feeling much more positive, even though his situation hadn’t altered one bit. The chief superintendent Jayne had referred to the previous day was fairly influential by all accounts. If he was getting involved in Rupe’s case, that could only be a good thing.

  He sprang out of bed. After showering in record time, he gave himself a close shave and added a light touch of cologne. He’d made no particular arrangements to see Jayne, but as he’d ruined last weekend for her, he intended to make up for that by offering to drive her to see her grandmother.

  He sent her a text, informing her that he was on his way over. He wasn’t sure what kind of a response he’d get, but when she replied with Bring croissants, he couldn’t stop the broad smile from spreading across his face.

  Despite being early, it was already hot. Rupe wandered around the side of the house and pressed the button to open the garage door. As the mechanism whirred, a stir of excitement churned in his gut.

  He scanned the lineup of cars in his garage before picking the BMW M4 Convertible. Imagining Jayne’s hair blowing in the breeze made him harden in his jeans. The one kiss they’d shared had left him desperate for more, even if she had virtually thrown him out when he’d tried to deepen it. By agreeing he could go over that morning, maybe she had finally decided to stop fighting their obvious attraction to one another.

  He stopped by a bakery and picked up a selection of pastries and a couple of coffees. He took the lift up to Jayne’s floor and balanced the bag of pastries on top of the coffee cups as he knocked on her door.

  His eyes widened when she greeted him. She was dressed in a pair of red shorts and a tight white T-shirt that clung to her breasts. Her long legs were bare, and on her feet were Roman-style sandals. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. The whole effect made her look about twenty. His pulse jolted.

  “About time,” she said, reaching for the bag of food. “I’m starving.” She appeared not to notice his nonplussed state as she wandered into the kitchen and began taking plates out of the cupboard.

  Rupe managed to drag himself back to the present. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. By the time he’d reached the kitchen, Jayne was coming towards him with two plates piled high with warm pastries.

  “Here.” She thrust a plate at him and swapped it for a coffee. She wandered past and sat down on the sofa, crossing her legs in front of her. As she tucked into a pain au chocolate, she made an appreciative sound at the back of her throat. Rupe’s cock twitched, and he suppressed a groan as she delicately wiped crumbs from the side of her mouth with her little finger.

  “These are amazing.” As she realised he was still standing like an idiot with a plate in one hand and a coffee in the other, she frowned. “What’s up with you?”

  Rupe coughed and went to sit down. “Nice outfit.” He balanced his coffee in his lap and took a bite out of an almond croissant.

  Jayne glanced down at herself before looking up with a girlish grin. “It’s nice to dress down on the rare occasions I’m not working.”

  Rupe lazily swept a gaze over her. “If you’re going to look like that, you need to not work more often.”

  A faint tinge of red touched her cheeks before she recovered her composure. She took another bite of her croissant.

  “Listen,” Rupe said. “I totally ruined last weekend for you what with my being up on a murder charge and all. How do you feel about letting me drive you to your grandmother’s today?”

  Jayne grimaced at his murder charge comment, and then her eyes widened in surprise. “You’d do that?”

  Rupe shrugged one shoulder. “Sure. I’ll drop you off, wander around for a bit, and pick you up later. A quick dinner, then we can head home.”

  Jayne grinned. “What if I told you my grandmother lives in Scotland?”

  “Then I’ll take you to Scotland, although it might be a bit of a stretch to travel there and back in a day.” He waggled his eyebrows. “We’d need an overnight stay.”

  “Lucky for me she only lives in Kent, then,” Jayne said, playfully bumping her shoulder against his.

  Rupe gave her a faux-aggrieved look. “You’ve wounded me, Jayne Seymour.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Sure I have.” And then she frowned. “What about your sign-in at the police station?”

  Rupe clapped a hand to his forehead. “Shit. I’d completely forgotten about that. Do you think they’ll let me sign in at one local to your grandmother’s?”

  “Let’s call in to the police station first. I doubt they’ll have a problem with it.”

  Jayne brushed pastry crumbs off her T-shirt. She stood and held out her hand for his plate.

  “Right then,” she said after she’d put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. “Let’s go.”

  They strolled downstairs in amiable silence, but when Jayne laid eyes on his car, she chuckled under her breath. “You are such a cliché.”

  Rupe opened her car door and waved his arm with a flourish. “At the risk of damaging your feminine sensibilities, after you.”

  Jayne slipped inside the car. “Ow,” she said as her bare legs touched the hot leather seat. She lifted her backside in the air.

  Rupe climbed in beside her and reached between the seats. He passed her a folded-up towel. “Sorry, the leather gets a bit hot. It’ll cool down as we get going.”

  Jayne laid the towel beneath her and sat back down. “Better. I’ll send you the bill for my skin grafts.”

  Rupe leaned towards her. “Don’t worry, darling,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll rub some salve into them later.”

  Jayne shoved him away. “Get going before I change my mind.”

  Rupe laughed and started the car. As they pulled away from the kerb, he spotted Kyle walking along the street. Rupe glanced at Jayne. She’d noticed him too. She quickly ducked down in her seat.

  “Put your foot down. He’s the last person I want to deal with when I’m in such a good mood.”

  Rupe obliged, even though Jayne had nothing to fear from Kyle any longer. Rupe had made sure of that. As he pressed the accelerator, the car jumped forward, and they sped away. Jayne pushed herself upright.

  “Have you heard anything from him?” she said.

  Rupe shook his head.

  “You will. It’s a bit late for him to go to the police, but he’ll definitely pursue you for a financial settlement.”

  Rupe kept his face straight. He’d tell her at some point in time, just not right then. As he spotted her still waiting for an answer, he ges
tured dismissively. “It doesn’t matter.” He chuckled. “A few years ago, Cash punched a reporter at a press conference for dissing an article which Tally, his wife, had written. She’s a journalist,” he added for context. “Cash had had trouble with this particular reporter for years. He paid him off, and the problem went away. Cash reckoned it was worth every penny because each time he recalled seeing the guy’s nose splattered across his face, it made him smile. I’m starting to understand what he meant.”

  Jayne laughed, and the carefree sound did funny things to Rupe’s insides. He glanced sideways. Her ponytail was swinging in the wind, her cheeks were tinged pink, and she looked more relaxed than she had at any time since he’d known her.

  Fortunately, the police agreed he could sign in at a different station, and after the arrangements had been made, they set off for Kent. As they left London behind, the roads narrowed and the traffic lessened. Rupe put on some music, and Jayne leaned back her head and closed her eyes, her lips moving silently as she mouthed the words to the songs. Contentment washed over him. Up until then, he might not have been the settling-down type, but something about being with Jayne was making him question the validity of his previous choices. Sooner or later, he’d have to grow up, and if Jayne was the one who forced that change through, he wouldn’t be complaining.

  As they got closer to the village of Hawkhurst, where Jayne’s grandmother lived, Rupe slowed the car and turned down the music. Jayne had fallen asleep on the journey, so he gently shook her arm to rouse her.

  “We’re almost there. Can you direct me to your grandmother’s house?”

  Jayne rubbed her eyes and sat up straight. “Wow, sorry to fall asleep. I’m not a very good road-trip companion, am I?”

  Rupe glanced sideways. “You snore terribly. I had to turn the music up.”

  “I do not snore,” Jayne said in an indignant tone, her arms folded across her chest.

  “Oh yes you do. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have assumed we were driving through a building site. You’re like a pneumatic drill when you get going.”

  Jayne shot him a withering look. “Well, count yourself lucky it’s the one and only time you’ll have to listen to it.”

  Rupe flashed a wolfish grin. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

  She shook her head in defeat. “Keep going down this road. At the end, turn left, and I’ll direct you from there.”

  After five minutes, she instructed him to stop outside a whitewashed cottage. The front garden was small but well tended, with potted plants and gravel instead of a lawn. Low maintenance, he guessed, for an old lady to manage.

  Jayne climbed out of the car while Rupe stayed where he was. As she began to walk to the front door, she glanced over her shoulder.

  “Well, come on, then,” she said. “You might as well meet Ganny and have a cup of tea.”

  Rupe grinned. “Wow. Two glasses of wine the other night, and now I’m meeting the family. Surely, this puts me in the middle of that inner circle of yours.”

  She raised her eyes heavenward. “Not even on the periphery. I simply thought that offering you a drink was the least I could do, considering you’ve driven me all the way down here.” She shrugged. “Of course, if you’d rather not…”

  Rupe scrambled out of the car, and as he drew level with Jayne, he knitted his fingers through hers.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Down, boy,” she said, extricating herself as the front door opened. Jayne threw herself into the outstretched arms of her grandmother. It was several seconds before they broke apart.

  “Ganny, you look wonderful,” Jayne said, holding her grandmother at arm’s length. She glanced at him. “This is a friend of mine, Rupert Fox-Whittingham. Rupe, this is my grandmother, Sally.”

  “It’s good to meet you, Sally,” Rupe said, his hand outstretched. Sally shook it as her keen hazel eyes—a replica of Jayne’s—swept over him. Rupe got the sense he was being assessed. Clearly, Jayne had inherited her ability to read people from her grandmother. After a few seconds of silence, Sally muttered under her breath, “Better than the other deadbeat,” before turning her back on them. She ambled into the living room.

  “You passed the test,” Jayne murmured under her breath as they followed her grandmother. “Ganny never did like Kyle.”

  Rupe lowered his voice. “Wine, meeting the family, and being approved of by said family. I am on fire.”

  Jayne dug her elbow hard in his ribs, and he groaned.

  “Have I told you I like it rough?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Shhh,” she said, hitting him with a look of admonishment as her grandmother wandered into the kitchen to make tea.

  After being grilled by Jayne’s grandmother for thirty minutes, Rupe made his excuses and left them to it. He needed to check in at the police station, and Jayne deserved some downtime with her only family. She didn’t need him cramping her style. He promised to return in a few hours to take her home. On their way back, he planned to take her on a slight detour to a fabulous fish restaurant a few miles farther down the coast.

  Jayne was definitely softening towards him, and he was determined to take advantage of that. Sure, he still had the murder charge hanging over his head—which neither of them had mentioned to Jayne’s grandmother—but there was no use moping. He couldn’t stop his whole life because of something that he had absolutely no control over other than what he and Jayne were already doing to try to prove his innocence.

  He arrived to pick up Jayne just before five. Her grandmother saw them off with warnings about driving carefully. Jayne twisted in her seat and waved until her grandmother’s house disappeared from view.

  Facing forwards again, she let out a contented sigh. “Thank you for bringing me,” she said with a smile that made his stomach do a backflip. “She might act tough, but since my grandfather died, she’s definitely frailer.”

  “How long ago did he die?”

  “Four years.” Sadness swept across her face. “I miss him terribly but not as much as she does. They were married for fifty-five years.”

  Rupe gently squeezed her fingers but didn’t linger. However, when he rested his hand on top of the gear lever in his preferred driving style, Jayne covered it with hers.

  “You’re a good person, Rupert Fox-Whittingham.”

  A delightful shiver ran up his spine, and he turned his palm up so he could hold her hand. “Hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “Good. I’ve booked us a table at a restaurant on the coast. We should be there in about half an hour.”

  The restaurant was situated directly on the beach, and Rupe had secured them a table on the outside veranda, where they could smell the sea and hear the waves lapping on the shore. After they’d eaten, Rupe suggested a walk along the promenade. To his surprise and delight, Jayne agreed. A light breeze blew off the water, and when Jayne shivered, Rupe took a risk by putting his arm around her waist. She didn’t shrug him off, so he pulled her closer. She slipped her arm around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

  They walked along in silence for a few minutes before Rupe drew to a halt. He eased Jayne around to face him. Her hazel eyes were shining in the approaching dusk, and something in their depths made Rupe lean down and touch his mouth to hers. He pulled back, and when she sighed and slowly blinked before parting her lips, Rupe cupped his hands around the back of her neck and slanted his mouth across hers. He had every intention of keeping the kiss light and soft, but when Jayne buried her hands in his hair and flicked her tongue inside his mouth, he lost all reason. He stepped into her, his cock thickening as he deepened the kiss.

  Jayne pressed herself against his erection, but when a low, deep groan eased from his throat, she tore her mouth from his and took a step away.

  “We shouldn’t have done that.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Rupe said, his voice thick with desire. “Come on, Jayne. Let’s face facts. I’m attracted to you. You’re attracted to me. We’re both single,
consenting adults. What’s the problem?”

  Jayne stuck her hands in the back pockets of her shorts and began to walk back towards the car. Rupe watched her for a few seconds before jogging after her. He fell into step beside her but didn’t speak. This was Jayne’s issue, and she was going to have to sort through it on her own.

  They drove back to London in virtual silence. As Rupe pulled into the kerb outside Jayne’s apartment, she twisted in her seat.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes downcast. “You’re right. I am attracted to you, but the timing is all wrong. You’re still in a lot of trouble with the police, and I’m going through a messy divorce. This just isn’t going to work.”

  As she made a move to get out of the car, Rupe stopped her. “That is such bollocks, Jayne,” he said, ignoring the fact her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline at his directness. “This has nothing to do with shit timing. You’re hiding behind that excuse because you’re scared of commitment, of giving yourself to another man, in case he does the same thing as your husband.”

  Jayne shot him a furious look. “You don’t know anything about what I’m feeling, but you’re right about one thing: I will never allow myself to be hurt by a man again, especially one like you who sees nothing wrong in shagging married women. You need to remember that on the other end of that marriage is a person.”

  Rupe flinched. Fuck. When she let go, she did it in style. He ducked his head. “You’re right. Not once during my fling with Nessa did her husband cross my mind. That was partly because she assured me that they didn’t have a real marriage, but I’ll admit I was thoughtless and selfish, and boy, am I paying for that wake-up call.”

  Jayne closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they’d softened. “I’m sorry. That was mean.”

  “No, it was factual.” Rupe took her hands in his. “Look, I don’t care about your past, apart from the hurt it caused. But the bad experience with Kyle has made you bury the woman you truly are so far beneath your professional exterior that I’m not sure you even know where to find her any more.” He dropped her hands and turned to stare out of the windshield. “And if that’s the case, then you’re right—this is going nowhere.”