“Right yes.” Confusion marked his expression. He looked past her down the street. “Come on. I need to get you home, and I need to be sure we’re not followed”
“Only if you tell me who Jackson is and why you both know him.”
“You’re like a dog with a bone.” He tried to urge her to speed up.
She resisted. “Who is he? If you don’t tell me you’ll have to drag me home;”
Rory’s jaw actually dropped.
Sky pressed her lips together to stop from laughing.
“An ex-associate,” he snapped.
“Associate? Hark at you.” She chuckled, but sped her paces to match his. “I’m guessing he’s the one who has wanted your kit all along.”
“Jesus, stay out of it! Not only have I got to sort my past mistakes, I’ve got you to worry about! I wish to god I hadn’t set eyes on you on that tube train.”
She jolted free of his hand.
When he turned back, she shook her head. “You don’t mean that.”
He stared at her silently for the longest time, and she thought he was just going to walk away.
Then he loped back to her, put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “No, I don’t mean it. In just a couple of days you’ve somehow got deep under my skin.”
Her heart fluttered. The crazy world around them stopped spinning, and there was only them, only this moment of honesty amongst the chaos. She stared up at him, longing filling her anew.
He put his fingers to her lips. “But right now I’ve got to make sure you’re safe, okay?”
She nodded, silently, and let him lead the way.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Pleasure and relief flooded through Sky when Rory arrived at the Coffee Hut the following evening. He’d been pretty annoyed with her the evening before, and she wasn’t willing to bet on him turning up to escort her to his place. No excuses were offered though. Instead he waited patiently for her to finish her shift then informed her he would be making her lasagna and he’d got a bottle of wine to go with it.
They traveled by tube and she stood against him in the corner of the compartment looking into his eyes, savoring every moment.
She took great interest in looking around when they alighted at Notting Hill tube station. It was a ten minute walk from there to his house and there was plenty to look at. She’d never been to this part of London. It was different to where she lived. There were proper houses, like families lived there.
The best part was Rory held her hand as they walked along the pavement and it made her bubble inside. She had to suppress her smile.
“What is it?” he asked when he noticed.
“You’re holding my hand. I can’t help smiling.”
“You’re easily pleased.”
His Irish brogue rolled through her, making her feel happy just at the sound of his voice. “That I am,” she replied.
He laughed, but let go her hand and put his arm around her waist, pulling her tighter against him. She laughed too. It was too much fun.
“Here we are,” he announced, a few minutes later.
It was a neat terraced house with a small garden laid to lawn. A brick wall and wooden gate fronted it. The gate squeaked when Rory opened it for her, ushering her in.
“It’s nice.” She stared up at the windows. It was lovely compared to where she lived. “Where do you keep your motorcycle?”
“There’s a lane at the back of the properties, and there’s a lock up out back. Four of us share and we all have bikes. The lock up was a major draw.”