Catch Me a Catch Page 7

  Her smile hid the truth he glimpsed in eyes suddenly lowered. It wasn’t just the stolen honeymoon, but the stolen husband that hurt.

  A rush of jealous anger flooded him. He didn’t want to think of Annie with another man, or mooning over one, either. “Do you still think of him?” The words ground out of him before he realized it. She raised her eyes to his and her mouth gaped a little.

  He knew it wasn’t any of his business. He didn’t have any right to question her about her ex. She swallowed.

  “I thought you were in advertising, not therapy.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “You said you hadn’t dated since him.”

  “I’ve been out with a couple of men in Dublin, but nothing serious.” She was silent for a moment, and then pulled in a breath. “I don’t think of Steve anymore. For a long time I wondered what I did wrong. I agonized over why he chose Elaine instead of me. After a while, I decided we just wanted different things. I’m better off without him. I just wish I didn’t have to deal with the fallout.”

  “How long ago was the disaster?”

  She bit her bottom lip.

  “Two years. You’d think our neighbors would have moved on, but it’s still talked about. Mum got asked how I was coping just last week.” A bitter smile twisted her mouth. “I guess they don’t know because I don’t live here anymore. I only come home for Christmases, really.”

  It was inconceivable she’d let one bad experience drive her away from home and loving family. Could she really not see what she had?

  “What about your family?”

  She shrugged. “I’m only a couple of hours away. If there’s a problem I can get here quickly.” She changed the subject. “What about you, Jack? Is there anyone special waiting for you back in New York?” Cool, calm, collected. Her fingers worried her napkin. She carefully tore the flimsy paper into strips. Despite her cool words, she cared what his answer would be.

  “No. I’m unattached. I wouldn’t have kissed you in the pub if I was seeing someone.”

  She leant back on the cane chair. “Was there anyone?” she whispered.

  “There was. A long time ago.” He’d probed her secrets, and owed her the truth. “We weren’t engaged, but I’d been thinking about it. It didn’t work out.” He’d never told anyone the full details of Sharon’s betrayal, but Annie had been so honest he had to reciprocate. “I came home unexpectedly one day and found her in my bed with someone else. That was the end of that.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her expressive eyes confirmed it.

  “It was a long time ago. I’m over it.”

  Love brought nothing but heartache. It was a hard lesson he’d learnt with his parents’ death. And he’d had it burned into him again when he found Sharon in bed with another man. Annie must have learnt that lesson too, after being left at the altar. Love wasn’t worth it. It was better to have a relationship where both parties knew the score. Friends with benefits. No broken hearts involved.

  The waiter cleared their plates.

  “I don’t want anything else. I’m still full after that lunch you bought me.”

  After he settled the bill, she stood and pulled him to his feet. “Come on, let’s have a look around.”

  His yacht tied up on the jetty was just visible from the brow of the hill. He pointed the small white craft out to her in the sea washed silver by the moon’s light. The muted hum of people and music drifted up to them from their vantage point above the town.

  “You had no one to talk to for weeks at sea. How did you survive?”

  Moonlight painted the face tilted towards his with its silvery glow. Chestnut highlights glistened in its light. She barely came up to his shoulder, and he resisted a primitive urge to put a protective arm around her.

  “I liked being alone. Plenty of time to think.” The thoughts had come thick and fast on the solitude of the water. Like the eddies in the yacht’s wake, they’d swirled around him constantly. Thoughts of his grandmother, and what his future might be when he found her.

  “I would have gone crazy, out there all alone.” She shivered.

  “I didn’t feel alone.” He was following in the watery wake of every sailor who had gone before. The trivial worries of day-to-day living had faded away, replaced with joy at the occasional sight of a school of fish, or the birds landing on deck, catching a ride. It was a purer, alternative view of life. One where he felt truly alive. The wonder of the voyage had permeated his psyche, changing him forever.

  A smile curved his lips, remembering.

  “It was a wonderful experience, wasn’t it?” She didn’t press him for details, just reached for his hand, squeezing it gently.

  “Yes.”

  She trailed a finger across his cheek, and then reached up for him, teasing his lips with hers briefly before pulling back.

  “What was that for?”

  “Just because I wanted to. Come on, I want to show you something.”

  ****

  They walked back toward the car. People were everywhere, holding hands, kissing. Taking a chance on love. All day long she’d told people to open their hearts and be brave. What a hypocrite. Jack climbed into the passenger seat next to her and put on his seatbelt. She hadn’t felt this powerful attraction for two years, hell, she was even more attracted than she’d ever been to Steve. And how had she reacted? She’d done her best to push him away. It was time to stop running.

  She turned off the main road down a track that led to a hidden strand. Flecks of mica in the sand glittered, lighting their way. Tufts of spiky grass sprouted from the dunes, rustling secrets in the breeze. The waves were dark stripes in the silver ebb and flow of the water. The engine’s sound faded to silence.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “I thought you’d like it.” They climbed from the car and leant on the car’s hood. The warm breeze teased her hair. The night air was infused with the scent of tangy salt and seaweed. She licked her lips, tasting the salt on her tongue.

  “I’m sorry about earlier. In your room.”

  “I was out of line.” He crossed his arms.

  “No. I was just taken by surprise, that’s all.” She stepped in front of him. Slid a hand up his chest. “Things escalated so quickly between us…”

  His jaw was set in a forbidding line. “What are you saying, Annie?”

  “I’m saying I feel this attraction between us, too.” Wind whispered through the grasses on the dunes. His chest was hard under her hands. Unyielding.

  “You were right. I’m not going to be around. No matter how things go, I’ve a life in New York. I’m not the settling down kind.”

  “I never asked you to settle down.” He’d somehow cast her in the role of needy spinster in need of a husband. Anger bubbled. Erupted. “You’ve some cheek thinking I would even want to settle down. I’ve only known you for a couple of days.”

  “You’re not the type for a quick fling.” It was the truth, and she was furious he’d read her so easily.

  “How do you know that?” She shook her head. Didn’t he feel the heat between them? Wasn’t he feeling out of control too? Her whole body was in uproar, yearning for his touch. She was sick and tired of taking the safe option. Right now, a dangerous fling with Jack was more than something she wanted. It was something she needed, with every fiber of her body.

  “I know you’re not a woman to love and leave. A relationship between us would be a bad idea.”

  “Why don’t you stop thinking, and let me decide what’s good for me?” Love and leave would be a hell of a lot more satisfying than just leave. She’d been left before. This time was different. This time she was the one calling the shots.

  “You’ve seen one side of me, Jack. It’s the side my parents see. Small village Annie. There’s a big city Venus you’ve yet to meet.”

  She’d never tried to seduce anyone before. Had always been the prey, rather than the hunter. This time was different. She wanted him. In a slow slide, she moved closer, lik
ing the way his eyes darkened at her approach. She wound an arm around the back of his neck, and dragged him down to her, kissing him hard.

  His hands slipped under the hem of her top and held her close. Warm lips kissed her back. He muttered against her mouth. “This is not a good idea.” His fingers stroked her skin under the soft cotton.

  “I think it’s an excellent idea.” She snuggled closer. The hard evidence of his arousal nudged against her stomach. His lips trailed from mouth to neck. She shivered. The sensation of his mouth on her skin was sending her body into uproar. He worked his way up to her lips again, tongue tracing her bottom lip, before plundering her mouth again. She arched into his kiss, heart hammering. Desperate to get closer. His hands cupped her bottom pulling her against his hard arousal.

  “There’s a blanket in the boot.” She barely recognized her husky voice. Hell, she barely recognized the wanton siren as herself either, but somehow she’d managed to convince Jack she was serious. There was no way she was going to slow things down now.

  “I want to be in a warm bed, with crisp white sheets, and you,” he murmured. “I don’t want our first time to be here.”

  “But it’s so beautiful. It has everything. Moon, water, solitude…”

  “Let’s not forget sand and the possibility of being caught in the act,” he finished. Easing his body away. His thumb brushed her bottom lip. “We need to slow things down; take our time.” Like a thrown bucket of icy water, his words chilled her to the bone. Her hands fell to her sides and she shivered.

  “You’re cold. We should get back.”

  She couldn’t look at him, couldn’t speak. Couldn’t she do anything right? Unskilled at seduction, her brave attempt had gone horribly wrong. With a frozen heart she climbed into the car. The moonlit beach bearing silent witness to her humiliation.

  Chapter Six

  A rap on the door jolted Annie from a fevered dream. In it, she stood shivering on the beach naked in front of a fully dressed Jack. With a shuttered gaze, he’d climbed into the car, and reversed away. Her heart was racing, and her body was sticky with a thin layer of sweat. Her stomach pitched and rolled, churning with nausea.

  “Annie, phone!” She forced bleary eyes open. Maeve loomed over her, brandishing the phone like a weapon.

  “Thanks Mum.” It was only a dream. His rejection hadn’t been quite that brutal.

  Maeve handed over the phone and bustled out. Annie pulled in a shuddering breath to steady her shredded nerves and clutched the phone in a death grip.

  “Hello?”

  “Anne Devine?”

  “That’s me.” Light bled in from the gap in the curtains. She blinked at the bedside clock. Who on earth was phoning at half eight on a Saturday morning?

  “This is Susan Goff.” A pregnant pause. Was she supposed to know Susan Goff? “From the Chocolate Oscars.”

  Annie shot up in bed with a gasp. Unbelievable. After two weeks totally focused on the Artisan Chocolate competition, she’d forgotten the name of the head judge.

  “Miss Goff, of course. Good morning.” She regrouped. Pulled up the covers and crossed her fingers. This was it. Was she in, or was her dream about to dissolve like a sugar lump in hot tea? She clamped her eyes shut.

  “I’m calling to let you know we loved your Almond Praline Truffle, Miss Devine. You’re through to the next stage.”

  “The finals?” She couldn’t breathe. Her eyes shot open, and her heart was pounding in her chest as if it wanted to burst out and dance around the room.

  “We’ll need your entry in by Sunday evening.”

  Through a haze of delight, Annie squeaked her thanks to Susan Goff for the call. She hung up. Euphoria fizzed like champagne in her veins.

  At least something’s going right. She snuggled down in the bed and yanked the duvet up to her chin, luxuriating in the warm glow of success. Determined to make the moment last before she had to get up and greet the day.

  ****

  The rapping on Annie’s door shot Jack from sleep to full alertness. His eyes darted around the unfamiliar room in panic and his muscles tensed ready for flight. In the grey light, he reached over and switched on the bedside lamp.

  A painting hung above the worn chest of drawers: a thickly painted rocky outcrop with tiny, fluffy pink flowers protruding from cracks in the stone. He was in Ireland. Finally home in the country his parents had come from, the country where his grandmother still lived.

  His heartbeat slowed as reality chased away the bad memories. It was only a dream. His legs were tangled in the sheets and he tugged them free. Starved lungs pulled in a deep breath of steadying air. He was an adult now. An adult with nothing to fear. Not a kid scared of the dark anymore. He flung back the bedding and strode to the window to pull back the faded curtain.

  Annie was so lucky. She had everything he’d always wanted, yet all she wanted was escape. If he had a family like hers, he’d move heaven and earth to keep it.

  The memory of her face in the moonlight burned as he forced his hands through tousled hair. He’d totally screwed up last night, pulling away. His heart had plummeted into his shoes the minute she turned away from him. And afterwards, she couldn’t get away from him quickly enough. Had darted upstairs and closed the door. Annie wasn’t just any woman. Even though she’d told him she was a big City Venus, he didn’t believe it for a moment. She was special. He didn’t want a quick moment on the beach on a musty blanket; he wanted their lovemaking to be perfect.

  The house was not an option, with her parents in the next room. And his boat was a dirty mess after weeks at sea. He couldn’t make love to her there. She hadn’t understood; had thought he didn’t want her. He got that. But fixing it wasn’t going to be easy. He snagged his clothes from the chair and got dressed.

  There was a hell of a day ahead. He wanted to get into Galway and pick up the car, and then drive to the nursing home. He’d come to Ireland to find out why his grandmother had decided against offering him a home when his parents died. The need for the answer consumed him.

  Annie’s door creaked open, followed by the staccato tapping of steps running down the stairs. Last night had been a disaster, but today was a new day, with new opportunities. He’d start with coffee, and take it from there.

  ****

  Annie helped herself to two slices of warm soda bread then passed the plate to Jack. Her body buzzed with restless energy, and she could barely sit still. She buttered the slices carefully, watching the butter soften and melt in the scant moments before her mother sat down.

  “I’ve some news.” The room fell silent.

  “My chocolates have won the next stage. I made the finals!” The words tumbled into the void then the room exploded with excited chatter. Congratulations from her mother punctuated by a playful but hard thump on the arm by her father. “I have to get my entry in by tomorrow night.”

  “Divine?”

  “Yes, my pièce de résistance.” Her heart expanded with happiness. She grinned. “I’ll have to go back to the flat today and make them.”

  “But darling, the festival…” Maeve’s voice faltered mid-sentence. A myriad of emotions flickered across her face in rapid succession. Pride her daughter had won her dearest goal. Then worry, because her husband might regain his matchmaker role before he was completely better. She could read her mother like a book. Everyone could.

  “I can stand in for her, Maeve. I know what needs to be done,” Jack said.

  “I thought you were busy…” Hadn’t Jack said he had work to do this weekend? The presentation he’d crossed the world to make was on Monday. Worry gnawed at Annie’s gut.

  “I have the time.” He took her hand in his and squeezed. She didn’t want him touching her. Didn’t think she could take it, after the rejection of the night before. She tried to discreetly ease her hand away but he gripped tighter. Unwilling to make a scene, she capitulated and left it there. “You just concentrate on winning the competition.”

  He was the most confu
sing person she’d ever met. Hot, then cold. Maybe it was for the best if they kept things cool between them.

  Maeve’s face softened in relief.

  “I can do it,” Bull blustered. “It’s only for a few days and I’ve finished the antibiotics…”

  “Why not split it then?” Jack seemed to understand Bull’s need to be involved. It was his vocation after all. “What time do you have to be at the pub, Annie?”

  “Well, there’s a ‘get to know you’ session this morning at the café, and I’ve organized all the dates for that, so I wasn’t due to open up until five o’clock.”

  Jack released her hand to reach for his coffee. “I have to pick a car up in Galway. If you drop me on the way to Dublin, I’ll make my own way back by five. I can finish my work this evening and push my errand out till tomorrow.”

  “I can do tomorrow, then.” Bull happily filled his bread with a couple of rashers and bit in hungrily. All Annie’s problems were dissolving one by one. Damn, this day was just getting better and better.

  “It’ll just be the evening session anyway.” Annie smiled at her mother.

  “Right, that’s sorted,” Maeve agreed. “You’d better get yourself ready, Annie, if you’re heading back. Have you everything you need?”

  “I have all the ingredients and my equipment ready to go back at the flat. I got totally prepared just in case.” She swallowed the last fragment of sandwich and drained her teacup. “Can you be ready in half an hour, Jack?”

  “Make it fifteen minutes. Thanks for the breakfast, Maeve.”

  There was something new in Jack’s eyes as he pulled his lanky frame from the table. Something hot. It burned to her toes. He glanced away, breaking the spell.

  “We better get going.” Annie followed him upstairs, shamelessly taking advantage of the opportunity to check out his rear view in his faded jeans. It was only when he walked into his own room that the sensual fog began to clear.

  Clothes and shoes landed haphazardly into her overnight bag. Jack was talking on his mobile next door; the deep rumble of his voice audible through the wall. She should be concentrating on the Chocolate Oscar. The thought of winning had consumed her for months. Instead, thoughts of Jack filled her head.