Engaged to Her Ravensdale Enemy

What had he done? He had sent Jaz from his room in an acute state of public humiliation only to fall into the hands of some creep who’d plied her with drink and drugs and God knew what else. Had that been her first experience of sex—being groped and manhandled by a drunken idiot? He couldn’t remember if she’d had a boyfriend back then. Miranda had been going out with Mark Redbank from a young age but Jaz had never seemed all that interested in boys. Not until she’d developed that crush on him.

He couldn’t bear the thought of her being touched in such a despicable way. Was that why she only ever dated men she could control? None of her ex-fiancés were what one would even loosely consider as alpha men. Was that deliberate or unconscious on her part?

Jake glanced at her sitting quietly in the passenger seat beside him. She was looking out at the rain-lashed street, her hands absently fiddling with the clasp on her evening bag. ‘You okay?’ he said.

She turned her head to look at him, a vacant smile on her face. ‘Sorry. I think I used up all my scintillating conversation at dinner.’

‘You did a great job,’ Jake said. ‘Bruce Parnell was quite taken with you. He was being cagey about signing up with me but you had him at hello.’

‘Did you know he fell in love with his late wife the very first time they met? And they married three months later and never spent more than two nights apart for the whole of their marriage? He would fly back by private jet if he had to just to be with her.’

He glanced at her again between gear changes. ‘He told you all that?’

‘And he’s still grieving her loss even though it’s been ten years. It reminded me of Miranda after Mark died.’

‘Luckily Leandro got her to change her mind,’ Jake said. ‘I was sure she was going to end up a spinster living with a hundred cats.’

Jaz gave a tinkling laugh. ‘I was worried too, but they’re perfect for each other. I’ve known it for ages. It was the way Leandro looked at her. He got this really soft look in his eyes.’

Jake grunted. ‘Another one bites the dust.’

‘What have you got against marriage? It doesn’t always end badly. Look at Mr Parnell.’

‘That sort of marriage is the exception,’ Jake said. ‘Look at my parents. They’re heading for another show-stopping divorce as far as I can tell. It was bad enough the first time.’

‘Clearly Julius doesn’t hold the same view as you,’ she said. ‘And yet he went through the same experience of your parents’ divorce.’

‘It was different for Julius,’ Jake said. ‘He found solace in studying and working hard. I found it hard to adjust to boarding school. I pushed against the boundaries. Rubbed the teachers up the wrong way. Wasted their time and my own.’

‘But you’ve done so well for yourself. Aren’t you happy with your achievements?’

Was he happy? Up until a few days ago he had been perfectly happy. But now there was a niggling doubt chewing at the edge of his conscience. He moved around so much it was hard to know where was home. He had a base in London but most of the time he lived out of hotel rooms. He never cooked at home. He ate out. He didn’t spend the night with anyone because he hated morning-after scenes. He didn’t do reruns. One night was enough to scratch the itch. But how long could he keep on moving? The fast lane was a lonely place at times. Not that he was going to admit that to Jaz—or to anyone, when it came to that.

But this recent drama with Emma Madden had got him thinking. Everyone saw him as shallow and self-serving. He hadn’t given a toss for anyone’s opinion before now but now it sat uncomfortably on him like an ill-fitting jacket. What if people thought he was like the man who had groped Jaz? That he was taking advantage of young women who were a little star-struck. It had never concerned him before. He had always enjoyed exploiting his parents’ fame. He had used it to open doors in business and in pleasure. But how long could he go on doing it? He was turning into a cliché. The busty blondes he attracted only wanted him because he was good looking and had famous parents. They didn’t know him as a person.

Jake pulled up outside Jaz’s flat above her boutique. ‘How long have you been living above the shop?’ he asked as he walked her to the door.

She gave him a wary look. ‘Is this another “how to run your business” lecture?’

‘It’s a nice place but pretty small. And the whole living and working in the same place can be a drag after a while.’

‘Yes, well, I was planning to move in with Myles but he put the brakes on that,’ she said, scowling. ‘His parents don’t like me. They think I’m too pushy and controlling. I think that’s the main reason he wanted a break.’