He exhaled sharply, forced to admit that it was a reasonable question. And one he was having trouble answering. ‘I care. Let’s leave it at that.’
For a moment his eyes held hers and then she looked away. ‘He was never here. He left as soon as he found out about the baby.’
‘Honourable guy.’ He couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his voice and wanted to kick himself when he saw the pain in her eyes. ‘Damn, I’m sorry.’
‘It’s fine.’ She sounded so tired that he wanted to gather her up and hug her. Take her away from all this.
‘Miranda—’
‘It really doesn’t matter. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jake. Thanks for the lift.’ She walked through to the tiny kitchen. It was so small that she could barely turn in it and he decided that whoever had designed the flat should be made to live in it for a day.
‘You think I’m going to leave you here?’ He leaned against the doorframe and watched as she put the kettle on and pulled open the fridge—a fridge that was empty except for a box of eggs and one small carton of yoghurt. It was the final straw. ‘Go and pack your things.’ He said the words quietly and she turned with the yoghurt in her hand, her expression startled.
‘Pardon?’
He couldn’t blame her for looking surprised. He felt surprised, too. Wondering whether he’d gone mad, he folded his arms across his chest.
‘I said, go and pack your things. I’m taking you back to my house.’
She pushed the fridge door shut. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
He tried to lighten the atmosphere. ‘Sweetheart, you’re the only woman I’ve ever made that offer to, so think hard before you turn it down.’
The brief flash of laughter in her eyes assured him that she hadn’t lost her sense of humour.
‘I think you’re the one who probably needs to think hard. If it’s seduction on your mind, Mr Blackwell, I think you’ve chosen badly.’
What exactly was on his mind? He had absolutely no idea. He just knew that there was no way he could leave her in this place, any more than he could have left her on the mountain. ‘Come with me.’
She sighed and put the yoghurt down. ‘Are you always this stubborn?’
‘Yes.’ He watched her steadily. ‘On second thoughts, where’s your suitcase? I’ll pack for you.’
‘Jake—’
‘I’m not leaving here without you. It’s as simple as that.’
‘This is ridiculous.’
He smiled placidly, pleased by his decision. It felt right. ‘No. It’s just the way it is. Pack, Miranda, or I’ll carry you out of here wearing only the clothes you’re standing in, and we both know that my clothes are far too big for you.’
The reminder of the last time she’d worn his clothes brought a faint flush to her cheeks and he felt something stir inside him.
Never in his life had a woman posed so many questions. And never had he so badly wanted to discover the answers.
‘Has anyone ever told you you’re a bully?’
‘I’m not a bully. I just know what I want and I’m very good at getting it.’ In this case he knew what he wanted but he didn’t understand why he wanted it. He valued his personal space more than anything else in his life. No matter who he dated, no matter how hot the relationship, no woman had ever moved into his house.
‘I know what I want, too, and—’
‘You’re too exhausted to have the first clue what you want.’
She gave a weary smile. ‘You might be right about that. I just want to lie down for five minutes.’
He wondered whether he should point out that she looked as though she needed a lot longer than five minutes but decided against it. ‘Just pack, Miranda, and in under half an hour you’ll be lying in a deep bubble bath with a soft, comfy bed awaiting your arrival.’
Something close to longing flashed into her eyes. ‘You make it extremely hard to say no.’