She looked away from him. ‘I’m not used to confiding in people.’
‘Giving me your address counts as confiding?’ His tone was mild and she turned back to look at him.
‘All right, you can take me home. But then I want you to leave. I’m not prepared to answer questions and I don’t owe you any explanations.’
* * *
Jake pulled up outside the dimly lit block of flats and felt a shiver pass through him. In the darkness the whole area was threatening and unsavoury, and he knew from experience that daylight didn’t improve it at all.
It was rough and dangerous and left him with one burning question that needed answering.
What on earth was Miranda doing, living in a place like this?
It seemed that the longer he spent with her, the less he knew about her life.
‘Thanks for the lift.’ She undid her seat belt but his hand closed over hers before she could open the door.
‘Not so fast.’ Her hand was slender and cold and he felt it tremble slightly under the pressure of his. Suddenly he knew she was hiding something. Something big. ‘I’ll see you to your door.’
‘There’s really no need. I can—’
‘I’ll see you to your door.’ His mouth set in a grim line, Jake released her hand, opened his own door and walked round the car to help her out. ‘Or are you afraid that your partner is going to give me a black eye?’
He was testing her reaction because he’d come to the conclusion the previous night that she didn’t have a partner, and his suspicions were proved correct as she hesitated fractionally and then her slim shoulders sagged.
‘I’m on my own.’ Her voice was so soft he could barely hear her. ‘No one is going to give you a black eye. But I still don’t need you to walk me to the door.’
‘Indulge me.’ In fact, she looked so exhausted he wondered whether he should carry her, but he managed to stand aside as she walked towards the steps and led him up two flights.
‘This is where I live.’ She took a key out of her pocket. ‘Thanks for bringing me home. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
She pushed open the door and he caught a brief glimpse of damp patches and threadbare carpet.
It was enough to make up his mind. There was no way he was leaving her here without at least understanding what was going on.
He followed her into the room, resisting her feeble attempts to close the door on him with a gentle push of his shoulders. Once inside, his gaze bordered on the incredulous as he glanced around the gloomy room. ‘What are you doing, living in a place like this?’ He winced suddenly, aware that his words were insulting, but then he decided that there was absolutely no way that she could possibly think that her living conditions were anything other than awful.
It explained a great deal. It explained why she’d hesitated over using the word ‘home’. No one in their right mind would refer to this flat as ‘home’.
She lifted her chin. ‘It’s fine.’
He eyed the huge damp patch on the wall. ‘Miranda, it’s miserable.’
‘I’m saving my money. And now I’d like you to leave, please, because—’
‘I’m not going anywhere.’ He pushed the door shut behind him and noticed that it made very little difference to the freezing temperature. The place bordered on the uninhabitable.
‘Jake—’
‘I can’t believe you’re living here. And I’m not leaving until you tell me why.’
She sighed. ‘It’s cheap.’
‘I can believe it.’ His expression was grim as he stared at the carpet. ‘Is that the most important factor? Why do you need to save your money? Why isn’t he supporting you?’
‘Who?’