The Partnership (Callaghan Green Series Book 10)

by Annie Dyer

  I left the building at five, Payton giving me a sly wave as she saw me on my way out. I gave her the same wave back, knowing damn well she was dying to know what was happening. As was most of the office. Seph and I had taken the same delight in not saying anything, just giving a knowing smile.

  Olivia was possibly more excited than me, to the extent where she was emailing me links to lingerie stores online and asking if I’d waxed – I had. I hadn’t thought about anyone else seeing it. It’d been that long since another person, other than a doctor for my routine pap test, had seen inside my knickers I wasn’t sure if things had healed over and were eating grass.

  Pushing any idea of taking any underwear off tonight because the very thought of it was enough to induce a panic attack, I stared in my wardrobe and then back at my bed. Olivia had kindly – so she thought – laid out her suggestion of what to wear there. Everything had tags on, so my sister clearly thought I needed more direction.

  The jeans were skinny and had that wet look that made them look sexier than normal ones. They were definitely wearable and I wasn’t going to be having her send them back. The sweater wasn’t totally fitted, meaning I wasn’t going to feel like a sausage squeezed into a tight skin. Liv knew if one thing was tight, the other needed some give. After giving birth, I’d lost the baby weight, but my figure had become curvier: I had bigger boobs and hips, both of which I liked, neither of which needed to be shown off at the same time. The back of the sweater dipped to just above where my bra strap would be; my sister had managed to outdo herself with this.

  Having a kid trained you to get ready in record time. If Rose was out with Liv, ordinarily I’d have made the most of the chance to not be interrupted, a child-free bathroom some kind of supernatural treat, but with Seph picking me up in a little over an hour I didn’t have time to throw away. I also didn’t have time to be nervous.

  Showered, dried, moisturised with cream that was the same scent as my favourite perfume, blow dried hair, straightened and then make-up that looked more than passable. Olivia had picked the right size jeans and she sent me a text instructing which bra to wear – I wasn’t sure when your sister was supposed to stop knowing what was in your underwear drawer, but we hadn’t reached that point yet.

  The doorbell rang bang on half-six and I ran back through the sentences that I’d almost been chanting while I was getting ready.

  You see Seph every day.

  He’s a friend and a colleague.

  He shits just like everyone else.

  The last made me giggle as I answered the door. I soon stopped, mainly because my focus had to immediately go on how to breathe.

  Seph Callaghan was the sort of good-looking you usually saw in magazines, especially when he was looking serious. He displayed a suit like every single one was made to fit him personally, which they probably were, the slight stubble and cut jaw making me want to photograph him just for posterity.

  Tonight, he was different. Jeans, dark blue ones that looked fairly worn, with a black T-shirt, no label and a leather jacket that was slightly battered. He hadn’t had his glasses on since Friday, and as much as they’d suited him, I preferred him without. This man was gorgeous, but right now he was more than that. He was some sort of god sent to distract me from whatever it was I should’ve been doing – and it wasn’t drooling over him.

  My mouth opened to apologise, but he wasn’t laughing at my staring or lack of words; his eyes were on me, trailing over my hair and down to my legs, and when he finally met my eyes, I saw something in them I only just recognised.

  Lust.

  “You look fucking amazing.” His words were rusty in the evening air. “Shit, Georgie, I don’t want to blow this.”

  Why was this beautiful, clever man so nervous?

  “You won’t. You can’t. We’ll still be sharing an office tomorrow. I’ll still be right about that advice to Hartford.”

  He laughed and the tension eased. “Disagree. I’ll tell you why in the car. But first.”

  The bag he handed me was full of colouring pencils and books for Rose.

  “You didn’t need to do this.”

  He shrugged, looked bashful. “I know. But I’m stealing her mum from her for a night – I figured I should do something to make up for it.”

  I shifted closer to him and stood up on my tiptoes a little to press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you. That’s sweet and she’ll love them. Let me put them inside so we can escape before she gets back with Liv.”

  He nodded, watching me as I stepped back inside, leaving the books and pencils on the console table, with the note he’d written – on another post it note – for her so she knew who they were from.

  I locked up, then took the hand he offered and let him lead me down the path, to where, I wasn’t sure.

  I only hoped my heart could take it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Seph

  I chose to drive so I didn’t drink. I wanted to be sober enough so anything I said that cocked things up couldn’t be blamed on alcohol, and I was only too aware that I could easily cock this up without even trying.

  I’d toyed with hiring a car and driver, but that seemed pretentious and twattish, so I’d opted for the controlled option: my car, washed and valeted, me as driver. Only now Georgie was in the car with me, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea because her legs in those fucking jeans were enough of a distraction to cause a crash. She had curves; toned, hot curves that seemed to send me in the direction of what was between her legs. I felt my dick harden in my jeans and hoped she wasn’t eyeing me up like I was her, because that would not be a good first date move.

  I brought up David Hartford again, which did something to pour cold water on my hard-on, but the conversation didn’t stick. Georgie ended up telling me about Rose and the list of demands she had for her new room once the mural was up. She wanted a bookcase with some series of books about unicorns, and if she couldn’t have that she’d write her own.

  “She thought that was a threat?”

  Georgie laughed. “I know. I debated just getting her a load of notebooks. Where is it we’re going?”

  I’d taken a turn off the main road we’d travelled down, still south of the river but now east of Greenwich.

  “You’ll see.”

  I was desperate for it to be a surprise, one I hoped she’d enjoy and not forget for good reasons. I pulled up, the quietness of the city obvious as soon as the engine stopped. When I opened the door, the damp coolness of being near water was obvious. I knew Georgie had no sense of direction, so I was pretty sure she wouldn’t have realised we were heading towards the river.

  “Know where we are?”

  She shook her head, that dark red hair bouncing over her shoulders. Her car door opened, and she got out, looking around her.

  “You really don’t have a sense of direction, do you?” I struggled to keep a straight face.

  “It smells of water.”

  I wasn’t sure what water smelled of, but I wasn’t going to argue with her. “We’re near the Thames, just past Greenwich.”

  She had heels on, which gave me an excuse to take her hand as we walked along the path from the small car park to the banks of the Thames, where a boat waited for us.

  It was rare I used my dad’s connections to book anything, but for this I had. I’d wanted something special, something where we wouldn’t be disturbed, something that showed her I thought more of her than two stolen kisses.

  She stopped, pulling on my hand as she saw the boat.

  “We’re taking a cruise on the river?”

  She sounded excited and I felt the air that I’d been holding onto in my lungs leave and every muscle relax.

  “We are.”

  “Where’s the rest of the passengers?”

  “It’s just us.”

  She took her eyes off the boat and looked at me. I wanted to keep that expression on her face forever – happiness and delight and seeing me as something that was more than just t
he youngest brother in a big family.

  “You’ve hired a boat for us? You don’t own this, do you?”

  I laughed. “No. I don’t own a boat on the Thames.” But if she wanted one, I’d probably buy one for her. “It’s ours for the evening though.”

  “This is just a treat. Thank you.”

  “Anytime.”

  We boarded, the captain giving us a brief nod and grin, directing us to the indoor space saloon where there was champagne, and canapes laid out.

  It was a small cruiser, big enough for about twelve people and used for small corporate events. I’d been out on it a few times before with clients, showing them the sites of London from the water, sometimes docking at a couple of pubs and then having a meal on board, like we were tonight.

  “Evening, Joseph.” Phil Wicks oversaw the service, the food already prepared in a local restaurant when it was just a couple of people, and kept warm in the boat’s small galley. He was a proper cockney geezer, the accent exactly what you’d expect of someone who’d grown up in the East End of London within spitting distance of the Bow Bells. He was also discreet and excellent at his job.

  “Evening. How’re the grandkids?” He had three, all girls and all teenagers now. The last time I saw him, he’d told me about how they’d been driving their parents wild with their antics, mainly involving the eldest sneaking out to meet a boy. Phil had found it hilarious, thinking that it was revenge for how his daughter had been with him when she was that age.

  It had given me hope that Eliza would terrorise the shit out of Claire when she grew up.

  “Good. All good. The middle one’s in some dance show on Saturday so I’ve been told I’ve got to go.” He rolled his eyes and tried to look annoyed at it, but it was obvious he was as proud as anything.

  “You’ll enjoy it.”

  He shook his head. “West Ham are playing. I’m going to have to wear headphones so I can listen to the match.”

  I laughed. “You’ll love it really.”

  “Hmmm.” He looked at Georgia. “Let me pour you both a drink.”

  Georgia took a glass of champagne – I could manage a couple and be okay to drive, but I didn’t want to tonight. I was hoping she’d want to make the most of the evening too, and she wouldn’t want to rush back.

  Although I completely got that Rose was at home and I’d taken her mother away for a night. I felt kind of guilty about that.

  The boat was walled with glass, so the Thames was on full view, Greenwich Observatory still visible at this time. Lights danced in front of us, the water darkening with the sky as everything flicked to night.

  “This is incredible.” She settled down into a seat and sighed, as if this was the first time she’d been able to relax in a week. Maybe it was. She didn’t stop – either at work or at home – and if after tonight she decided she just wanted to be friends at least I’d have been able to give her a night off.

  I sat down next to her, trying to focus on the scenery but instead I kept looking at her. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “An ordinary restaurant would’ve been fine though. You know that. Not that I’m complaining.”

  I smiled. “I wanted something different.” I wanted to impress you. To show you I wasn’t just an idiot.

  “You managed that. What’s your favourite part of London?”

  She seemed to have edged closer to me. I took a risk and put my arm around her, the teenaged boy trick of making it seem like I was just stretching out. I’d resorted to teenage-boy tricks – younger me wanted to slap older me: he’d hoped he’d have been a bit more suave by now.

  “St Paul’s and the small streets around there that have the boutique shops coming off them. If I needed to clear my head, I’d sometimes go in the cathedral. What about you?”

  She thought for a moment. “I love the buzz of Leicester Square with the screens and the lights, but I like Clapham too. I lived there for a bit one summer when I was at university. I think Borough’s my favourite though, although it might just be because that’s where I’m based now.”

  “Does Rose like Borough?”

  “She loves the market and the flower stalls – they’re her favourite. I’m coming to terms that she’s going to grow up a Londoner.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  She shrugged. “She’ll be a city girl. I had dreams of her growing up in a big country house like Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Please tell me you’ve read that.”

  “No, but I was made to watch the whole TV thing of it.”

  “As you should. Who by? Cassie?”

  I wondered if she’d thought much about Cassie. Knowing my sisters, Georgia would’ve been told enough about her. “No. Payton. My sister has a thing for romances and that was her favourite. She lived with someone before Owen and when they split up she made me watch all of that – twice.”

  “I hope you didn’t moan too much.”

  “No. I know when to keep quiet. I have sisters.”

  “True. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?”

  I laughed. “What’s this? Twenty questions?”

  “Getting to know each other.”

  “I get to ask the next question.”

  “I’m just glad you’re joining in. Now answer mine.”

  “Bossy much. Too many places, but if I was picking just one, Nepal maybe. Or the Maldives. I’d pick the Maldives after spending an afternoon with Max and Jackson for sure. About three weeks there.”

  She laughed loudly this time. “They’re not that bad.”

  “You’ve not spent thirty-two years with them. Mr and Mr Workaholic.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that. If I didn’t have Rose, I’d probably be the same.”

  I wasn’t sure. Max and Jackson had barely done anything besides work until they met their wives. “You’d be nicer with it though.”

  “You haven’t seen me just before a big court case though.”

  “I’ll just keep bringing you coffee and cake. Where in the world would you go?” I wanted to keep the conversation away from work.

  “I’d love to take Rose to Italy when she’s a little older, to see Juliet’s balcony in Verona and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I’d really like to take her on one of those trips to visit Santa in Iceland too, now she’s really older enough to understand it all.”

  “Where would you like to go for you?”

  She looked blankly at me. “I have no idea. Seriously!” She shook her head. “Once you have a kid everything’s about them, especially when you don’t have anyone to share that load with you.”

  “So think now. Where would you go?”

  I pushed her.

  “Auschwitz. I know it’s not the happiest of breaks, but I’ve wanted to visit since I studied the Holocaust at school. After that, probably something beachy – like the Maldives.”

  We kept the questions coming, each one taking longer for us both to answer as we discussed and disagreed or asked more. Dinner came and went, and I succumbed to one glass of champagne.

  “Let’s go outside.” I stood up, food demolished, a scrap of strawberry meringue the only thing left.

  She led the way to the deck, the dimmed lights catching the glimmers of gold in her hair. I followed, pretty sure I’d have followed her into the dark waters of the Thames if she’d called me that way, with her siren song I was happy to be captured with.

  “I’ve never thought London pretty.”

  I stood behind her, watching the south back as we sailed past, allowing my hands to rest on her hips, feeling soft curves under tight denim.

  “It’s never been meant to be pretty.” Not like you.

  “It is tonight. Look at the lights on the water.”

  She was right. The lights from the buildings set next to the Thames reflected on the river, making it look ethereal. I could believe in mermaids and monsters right now.

  Maybe Cupid too.

  “Working here every day, living h
ere, you forget how amazing this place is.” She hadn’t lived in London as long as me, hadn’t spent as long having her senses dulled by the dust and the darkness of pavements and snickets.

  Seeing sites I hadn’t properly noticed for years, or maybe ever, through her eyes made me remember the history of the place and the magic it held for visitors and tourists.

  She rested her back against me, relaxing into my chest and I took the chance to wrap my arms around her waist, catching the scent of her perfume. I pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, moving an arm to shift her hair out of the way, and I felt her shiver.

  Her movement in my arms made me worry she wanted space, that I’d overstepped, but she turned to face me, her hands sliding up over my chest to my shoulders.

  “I like this sight best.”

  I knew my grin was half dirty and half smug.

  One of her hands moved up and she rubbed a thumb over my lips. “Thank you for the most amazing night, Joseph.”

  I leaned down and captured her lips with mine, feeling her respond with the grip she had on my shoulders and the way her mouth opened when I begged entry.

  Cool night air wrapped around us, but I didn’t feel it. I burned from the inside out, feeling something from having her next to me, closer than colleagues should be, more than friends. It was different than what I’d felt before, something seismic shifting beneath my feet.

  I swallowed hard when we eventually separated, desperate to know if she’d felt something different than usual too, but I couldn’t ask.

  “Hey.” She whispered the word.

  “Hey back.” I smoothed her hair away from her face.

  “Why don’t I plan our next date?” She punctuated the question with a kiss, one that had my dick harder than it’d ever been before and we were still both clothed and outside in a cold city night.

  “When will it be?”