“Oh, so we’re keeping more secrets,” he said, before tsking at her.
“Says the man who’s full of them.”
They had moved closer together as they had exchanged their barbs, Jonny noting how her chest was heaving, a pink blush spreading over the part of her neck that was exposed. At this point, he could count every one of those red freckles that covered her nose and the tops of her cheeks. He wondered how far down her body they extended.
“You’re not as tough as you think you are, are you, Ada?” he said softly, hearing the hoarseness of his words, hoping she didn’t notice.
“Oh, Jonny,” she said, her lips quirking up into a smile. “You have no idea.”
She sat backward suddenly, breaking this strange tension between them.
“Take this,” she said, shoving the ledger at him. “Do what you want with it. I have no need for it anymore.”
“Because it showed you the truth.”
“You’re reading things that aren’t there.”
“So you say,” he said with a shrug. “We should get back to the party.”
“So you can go lie to your friends a little more.”
He shrugged. “You lie to yourself every day, Ada,” he said. “What difference does telling a few more make?”
“What are you talking about?” she said, her eyes flashing as he stood from the table, taking the bagshe had brought the ledger in.
“Your David Carter,” he said, sliding the strap of the bag onto his shoulder. “You don’t love him. You don’t even want to marry him.”
Her mouth gaped. “How can you even say that?”
“Because,” he said, his lips curling into as close to a satisfied smile as he would get. “Through all that we have been through together, not once have you ever mentioned him. It’s as though he doesn’t even exist, until you conveniently need an excuse. And a woman who loves another man would never kiss me like you did. Trust me, if you weremywoman, you would never even consider kissing anyone else. Ever. Again.”
When he realized he had rendered her speechless, a true grin broke out on his face, and he walked through the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts — and his words.
Chapter Ten
Ada could admit that Jonny had won that last round.
He had so shocked her by determining the truth that no one else had considered — at least, not until she had shared it with them.
It took her a minute to calm down before she could rejoin her friends.
Lily had taken one look at her and asked her what was wrong, but she had brushed it off. Ada hoped she had been convincing enough, although she was uncertain if any of them truly believed her.
She had refused to even look at Jonny the rest of the evening, although when they had all said goodnight, she had seen the smug smile he sent her way.
She had managed to avoid him for the rest of the week — even avoid mention of him — and was equally glad she didn’t have to see David, although her parents had made a few comments about seeing the family again soon.
As they sat at dinner one evening, Ada had stolen a few glances at her father, wanting to ask him what she hadn’t been able to get off her mind — whether he was stillinvolved with Sharpe, and whether she should be expecting any late-night visits from Sharpe’s enforcers as they had been subjected to years earlier.
She hadn’t been able to bring herself to do so, likely because, deep within, she knew the truth.
She had debated whether to attend the latest Manchester Central game, but eventually, her wish to see her friends won out over her desire to avoid Jonny Tate.
Of course, he was impossible to ignore on the field. He was so fast, so powerful, so perfect for his position as half-back, moving the ball to where it needed to be, playing a mix of both defense and offense.
She’d had a taste of what it felt like to be out on a field like that and knew that it could become addictive.
“What has you so captivated?” Emmaline asked, leaning forward to look into her eyes.
