Her glare intensifies.
‘And secondly, where do you get off telling me who I should be with? What do you care?’
‘He’s not right for you.’
‘Stop saying that!’ She takes a gulp of her wine and slams the glass down so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t break. ‘Damn it, Theo, this is my life.’
I grind my teeth together. ‘You’re right.’ My voice is deep. ‘I’m sorry.’
Her eyes widen as she lifts her face to mine. Silence falls around us, prickly and laced with uncertainty. I look down at her face, so beautiful, and I take stock of this situation quickly. It’s one of the things I’m best at: summing up the facts and forming a plan of attack.
‘You want to meet someone,’ I say slowly, thoughtfully. ‘And I get that. I’m not going to stand in your way, Ash. We both know we’ve had a good run but we can’t do this for ever.’ I grin. ‘Well, I could, but we want different things and so, by all means, date. But not pretty boys like Angus.’
The ghost of a smile twitches on her lips and relief shifts through me. Happy Asha I like. ‘He’s actually really nice.’
I ignore her assertion. ‘Nice is fine for about three seconds. You need more than nice. And you sure as hell need more than some spoiled trust fund shit.’
She arches a brow. ‘I’m sorry, Mr Hart Dynasty?’
But she doesn’t mean it. We both know that my brothers and I, while born with a mass of wealth, have worked our asses off to strengthen our business interests. Trust fund brats we are not.
‘Let me help you find someone.’
She snorts and reaches for her wine to drink, shaking her head. When she can speak again, her smile is fully in place and I want to kiss her. Angry Asha is hot but happy Asha is the sexiest woman in the world. ‘Erm...no.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because that’s completely creepy.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we’ve been sleeping together for six months. It’s...weird for you to hook me up with someone.’
‘I disagree. I know you intimately. Who else is better placed to play Cupid?’
‘And you’d seriously be happy with that?’
I shrug, pleased with this development. There was a tiny part of me that had started to worry about where this was going. Six months of sleeping with one woman is a first for me. I’ve had lovers for a week or two, but not many. Usually, I’m more of a one-or two-night stand kind of guy. And while I know that nothing will ever shake my distaste for the institution of marriage, it’s hard not to worry that the longer we fuck, the more blurred the lines could become. So making this offer, knowing I could help Asha find long-term happiness while walking away whistling, proves to me that I don’t feel anything for her besides desire. Which is just the way I like it.
I smile to show her my sincerity. ‘Ash, we know what this is, right? I didn’t go to the Four Seasons tonight because I was jealous or whatever. I’m not trying to get in your way of dating Angus because I secretly want more with you.’ I scan her face for any sign of reaction to my words, but she shows me none. Even better. ‘I just think you can do so much better. And I want you to be happy. That matters to me.’ And it really does.
That’s a first for me too. I’ve never been with a woman I actually cared about. Don’t judge me—I’m following in my father’s footsteps, apparently, but at least I’m not stupid enough to marry any of them.
‘I just think...’
I lift a finger to her lips, silencing her. ‘Listen.’ She bites the pad of my finger so I drop my hand and flick one of her nipples. She draws in a shuddering breath. A rush of power shifts through me.
An idea shapes within me, almost perfect in its simplicity. We need to put
a stop point on what we’re doing. It has to end soon because, while I completely trust my own ability to stick to our rules, I worry sometimes that Asha could mistake what we’re doing for more, and I don’t want that. I don’t want to hurt her. It would kill me to do that.
‘My brother’s getting married in a month. Why don’t you come to the wedding? There’ll be a bunch of great guys there, friends of ours, any of whom would be a better fit for you than Angus Fienes.’
Her eyes narrow imperceptibly. ‘And you’d seriously be okay with that?’
I shrug. ‘Why not? This has to end some time.’
I can’t fathom her expression. Her eyes are the most magnificent shade of green but they darken so they’re almost grey when she looks at me, a hint of something in their depths, and then she smiles, a teasing smile. ‘No stalking at the Four Seasons?’