‘OK, love, see you tomorrow.’
Then she left and it was just me and Brodie in the very dilapidated foyer. I turned to face him and folded my arms across my chest.
‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at?’ I didn’t even care that he really didn’t deserve that tone of voice. I was so aware of him it was mortifying and right then I hated him for having ever appeared in my life, because after years of protecting myself I’d fallen for the worst person possible, and the thought of having to be involved with him on any level for the forseeable future was excruciating.
Chapter 34
Brodie
Brodie wanted to drink Jess in. She looked amazing. Even just in her uniform of worn jeans and another T-shirt. This one said:Together We Make A Difference!
Her antagonism caught at him. He also saw...hurt? His gut clenched. He ran a hand through his hair. ‘I should have told you.’
Her entire demeanour changed. As if she’d just realised that she was reacting the wrong way. She unfolded her arms. ‘You know what? No, you owed me nothing. Your dealings are with Julia – by the time I’m working here, you’ll be well gone. Thanks for showing us this – it looks great. Best of luck with it.’
She turned around to walk out and Brodie said, ‘No, wait. You deserved to know.’ After all, she’d inspired him. And he couldn’t ignore the suspicion that he’d come up with the idea for this project to impress her. To try and show her that there was more to him. And... He had to admit, to bring her back into his orbit. Because he wasn’t done.
She turned around again and he saw the conflict on her face. ‘Why would I have deserved to know?’
‘Because... You helped me to see something I’d been avoiding looking at. A sense of dissatisfaction with my work. Some oldfriends had been hounding me to meet up; they wanted to talk about setting up a company together. So I decided to go for it.’
‘That’s really nice, I’m pleased for you.’ She’d folded her arms again. And her tone was not really all thatpleased.But she hadn’t left. Brodie went on.
‘So, we’ve bought this building and we’ve bought some more in the street. We want to develop them as a holistic project, showcasing this building and the charity. It’ll benefit the whole community. It’s called placemaking.’
Jess looked at him. ‘I’ve heard of that. But since when are you interested in creating community?’
That stung. The fact that her opinion mattered so much made alarm bells ring. He just wanted her... It was purely physical, not emotional. The fact that she’d precipitated a drastic change in his career – he told himself she’d just spurred him on. He’d been heading in this direction anyway. It just might have taken a little longer to arrive here.
‘Since always I think... But I forgot along the way. Seduced by ego projects and ridiculous bonuses.’
‘I’m sorry that wasn’t entirely fair. I’m happy for you, Brodie. It sounds good.’ This time she did sound a bit more genuine.
‘I thought it might meet your approval.’
‘Since when do you need my approval?’
‘Since your opinion matters to me because I think you have a lot of integrity.’
She flushed and Brodie’s cock twitched. Proof this was just physical. He’d woken almost every night for the past two weeks, sweating, dreaming of her. Dreaming of having her again, under him. Around him.
‘Well, that’s very nice, but I should go now.’ She turned to leave again, but this time Brodie reached out and caught her hand. Not tightly. She could pull away. But she didn’t. He felt the hum of electricity between them.
‘Brodie...?’
Chapter 35
Jess
Iknew I could pull my hand away from his, but, fatefully, I didn’t want to. He’d just told me that I’d influenced him in a major way. Because he thought I had integrity. And he cared about my opinion. He was looking at me so intensely and his eyes were so blue. My chest ached with a sense of pride that he had made this change. Damn him.
‘Brodie?’
‘I made a mistake when we got back to London.’
‘You did?’ My treacherous heart beat faster.
‘I thought I could let you go – that it would be for the best. That I’d move on. But I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I still want you, Jess.’
