After we’d swapped numbers, he left the room, leaving me dizzy with the possibility that we could work this out. Perhaps he had an explanation for what he’d done. We’d both grown up since then. Perhaps it had simply been a case of right person, wrong time, and now was our time.
But nothing could take away those things he’d said to me.
I sank into the closest armchair and dropped my head in my hands. I had no idea what I wanted, other than never to have come back to this house.
ALEX
Once up the stairs and out of sight of Nate and Charlie, Ella turned on me.
“I saw how you were watching Nate earlier, but Nate and Charlie are getting back together,” she told me fiercely. “You’re not to get in the way of that, or there’ll be trouble.”
The expression on Nate’s face when he’d seen Charlie suggested that getting back together would be news to him. He’d looked trapped, and if he’d glanced my way, I might have been inclined to help him out of the situation. But he hadn’t seemed able to do anything except stare into Chief Wanker’s admittedly very attractive face, so I’d left them to it. Bankers deserved one another.
“I’ve no intention of getting between them” I said truthfully, before fighting back a grin at the thought of doing precisely that. I might loathe Charlie for being an entitled, rude, arrogant prick, yet I couldn’t deny he was pretty. Gag him, and he might be fun in bed.
“Men!”she said disgustedly, and stalked away. I guessed she’d seen my expression and interpreted it correctly. Or perhaps it was simply time for another of her outbursts. She must be younger than she looked.
I went to my room and noodled about on my phone until lunchtime. I had nothing to pass on to Margaret, Nate was otherwise occupied, and I didn’t want to risk running into any of the distinctly unpleasant Fortescue family. I hoped Margaret and James would swiftly reach whatever agreement they were dancing around so I could get out of here and go home. Away from the sneers, the superiority complexes, and this house thatreekedof money.
Nate wasn’t at lunch, as I saw within an instant of entering the dining room. Ella, of course, asked where he was. “He’s gone for a walk,” her mother said. “He wanted to absorb the atmosphere of the city for his book.”
Both Charlie and Ella looked annoyed at the answer. I still couldn’t believe Nate’s idea for his book. It was the most outlandish concept I’d ever heard. And that’s from someone who reads so much sci-fi that I dream of rocket ships. And aliens. Sometimes, those aliens have tentacles, and then those dreams get interesting.
“Alexander.”
Oh, crap. Drifting off into a tentacle-porn fuelled daydream at the lunch table was not exhibiting the manners Margaret had demanded of us. She was looking sternly at me, and I wondered how many times she’d said my name.
“Do you want to come with us this afternoon? James and Anna will be accompanying us.”
In other words, the coast should be clear for an attempt at James’s study. “I’ve got some things to catch up on, if you don’t need me,” I said.
The group gathered in the hall after lunch, ready to leave for their private tour of the Roman Baths, where they’d meet the bulk of the Fortescue party. It appeared only I saw the bankers for what they were, because the youngsters, ranging in age from nineteen (Enyon) to twenty-three (Fiona), twittered with excitement. It was always possible there were some decent dragons among the extended Fortescue family, I supposed. In fact, the law of averages pretty much guaranteed it—something had to balance out the awfulness of the main Fortescue family.
This whole thing was like living in a Regency novel, with people shoved into an artificial atmosphere to pick a partner. Therehadto be a better, more natural way of doing this. The problem was, dragons were so territorial that casually coming and going on one another’s turf wasn’t an option, hence these excruciating arranged visits.
But this visit was different. The Teagues were so far outside the Fortescues’ usual circles that it was hilarious. There was something more behind the invitation. Once I was alone in the house, I’d be able to get into that study and find what it was.
Chapter Six
NATE
After wandering around Bath for a while, I was clear-headed enough to drop into a pub for lunch. Things between me and Charlie were incontrovertibly over. My judgement had been momentarily clouded by the shock of seeing him again and his astonishing suggestion of getting back together, that was all.
I headed back to the Fortescues’ in the overcast afternoon, wondering what my next move should be regarding Bim’s investigation. During my absence, a red Ferrari F12 had been parked outside their home. Charlie used to own an F12 before he wrote it off, driving too fast in the wet for even a Ferrari to make the corner he was trying to screw it around. How he hadn’t been badly hurt, I had no idea.
I turned my back on the car and the memories it evoked to head into the house.
“Is Charlie in?” I asked Taylor as he took my jacket. I wanted to avoid him and the feelings he still had the power to stir up in me.
“Mr Charlie and Ms Ella, together with Mr and Mrs Fortescue, have gone out with the Teagues,” he told me. “All except Mr Alex Teague.”
That provided me with an unexpected opportunity. I could scarcely believe I’d been this lucky two days in a row. I swiftly climbed the stairs to the first floor and saw Alex ahead of me, moving purposefully towards the study. My initial irritation turned to reluctant amusement—whatever he was up to, ofcoursehe’d take advantage of an empty house. We’d have to continue our unspoken pact not to give the other away.
He must have heard me as I lengthened my stride to catch him, because he turned around.
I still don’t know what it was, whether I caught a movement from the corner of my eye or if it was pure instinct, but I suddenly knew that someone was watching us.
“Alex,” I said loudly. “I’m flattered that you’re searching every room for me, but I’m right here.”
