Down London Road (On Dublin Street 2)

On top of that, I found myself playing referee with regard to Joss’s wedding plans. Ellie still hadn’t given up her hopes of turning Joss into a romantic, and Joss, in my effort to talk her out of homicidal thoughts, needed a reminder every now and then that she loved Ellie and would be greatly upset with herself if she ‘accidentally’ offed her maid of honour.

So, a little overwhelmed that week and unable to see Cam as much as I would have liked, I thought it was nice of him to keep in contact with me so much during the day, and even lovelier of him to stop by on Wednesday to take me for a long lunch.

I was seated behind the reception desk waiting for him when he strode into the estate agents office wearing his worn jeans, boots and ragged Def Leppard T-shirt, looking sexy and cool and utterly at home in his own skin. I watched my colleague Anna, who worked in admin with me, stop in the middle of her conversation with Ollie, one of our agents, to slaver over Cam as he strolled past her.

My face split into a big grin and I hurried around the desk to greet him. I should have been embarrassed by the long kiss he smacked on me, but I wasn’t. I was just so pleased to see him.

‘Hey, you,’ I murmured, pulling back to affectionately stroke his scruffy cheeks.

His eyes drifted down my body and were filled with more than a little appreciation when they returned to my face. ‘You look good, baby.’ I was wearing a black high-waist, calf-length pencil skirt with a sleeveless white silk blouse tucked into it. On my feet were four-inch black-and-white stilettos that took me a couple of inches above his head. He clearly didn’t care. ‘Very sexy secretary.’

‘My God, is this the boyfriend?’ Ryan, one of the younger estate agents, asked teasingly from behind Cam.

Cam turned with a raised eyebrow, taking in the good-looking guy in his well-cut suit. Ryan was exactly the kind of guy I would have dated pre-Cameron, and I think Cam knew it. I felt the instant tension in his body.

I pressed closer to Cam, understanding after my own recent bout of insecurity and jealousy (neither of which had completely gone away) how much it helped to be reassured by your partner. To make it clear that I was with Cam and Cam alone, I curled an arm around his waist. ‘Yes, this is Cameron.’

Cam nodded at Ryan, still appraising him.

Ryan grinned in response. ‘We all thought you were a phantom, mate.’ His eyes shot over Cam’s shoulder to me and a decidedly flirtatious spark flared to life in them. ‘We just thought Jo was pretending to have a boyfriend to keep us all off her back.’

Oh, God.

‘Pardon?’ Cam murmured, and I felt his hand slide down from my waist to cup my hip, pulling me even tighter against him.

Ryan laughed, holding up his hands. ‘Ah, don’t worry. We know she’s taken. You’re a lucky bloke.’

I heard Anna giggle nervously when Cam’s face remained intimidatingly impassive. I decided it was definitely time for lunch. ‘Well, we’re going now,’ I announced cheerily, reaching across my desk for my purse. ‘See you in a bit.’

With his arm still around my waist, Cam led me out of the office and we walked in silence up the hill past Queen Street Gardens. By the time we got to the restaurant, this delicious little place on Thistle Street, I’d received three grunts in response to the three questions I’d asked him about work.

When we had settled at our table, he sat and looked at me for a moment and then said quietly, ‘I must have counted at least five guys in there, all our age.’

Trying not to get pissed off at him, since I’d acted like a jealous shrew (at least inwardly) at the weekend, I nodded.

‘And I take it they all flirt with you like that wee git was.’

I shrugged. ‘You’ve seen guys flirt with me, Cam. They flirt at the bar all the time.’

‘That’s different. Friendly banter gets you tips there.’

‘I didn’t say I flirt back with these guys. That’s why Ryan cracked a joke about you being real. They’ve never seen you, but I talk about you all the time.’ I leaned forward. ‘You asked me to trust you. I’d appreciate it if you’d trust me back.’

After a moment, Cam relaxed and leaned an elbow on the table, running his hand through his hair in frustration. ‘I’m just tired. Sorry. Not in a great mood.’

I reached over and took his other hand. ‘It’s okay. You’re allowed to be in a shitty mood.’

‘Not today. We haven’t seen each other since Monday. I’m not going to spend our lunch together snapping your head off because you’re too f**king gorgeous for your own good.’

Pleased, I laughed, and the mood between us relaxed. By the time the food arrived we’d caught each other up on everything that had happened that week.

‘I think Cole has been missing judo,’ I said. Cam had been too busy to attend class, so Cole had missed out too. Consequently he’d seemed restless and bored all week. When Cam didn’t answer, I looked up from my salmon to find him texting. ‘Something wrong?’

He shook his head. ‘Nah, it’s just Blair.’

And just like that, a dark cloud rolled over our table and burst, drenching me in cold, wet miserableness. I waited a couple of seconds, but he continued to text. My patience snapped. ‘Can you text her later? We’re supposed to be spending time together.’

‘Sorry.’ He flashed me a look of concern before hitting SEND and tucking his phone back in his pocket. ‘She left her Kindle at my flat last night.’

I felt like he had just kicked me in the stomach. His casual announcement knocked the breath out of me and it took me a moment to pull myself together. ‘She was at your flat last night?’