David gave an awkward smile. ‘Eleven is fine.’
Bryony scowled, less than impressed that he hadn’t stood up to Jack. Surely he should have said that he’d bring her home when he was ready, or some such thing. She knew for sure that if someone had told Jack that he should bring a girl home by eleven he would have kept her out for the whole night just to prove a point.
But she’d promised herself that she wasn’t going to think about Jack, she reminded herself hastily, taking the flowers through to the kitchen and putting them in water.
When she arrived back at the door the two men were staring at each other. David looked mildly embarrassed and Jack was standing, feet planted firmly apart, very much the dominant male and not in the slightest bit embarrassed.
Deciding that Jack had definitely gone mad, Bryony held out a hand to David and smiled. ‘Shall we go?’
‘Jack.’ Lizzie tugged his arm and frowned at him. ‘You’re skipping bits.’
Jack shook himself and stared down at the book he was supposed to be reading. ‘Am I?’
‘Yes.’ Lizzie grabbed the book from him and went back two pages. ‘You didn’t read this page at all. And you’ve got a funny look on your face.’
‘Have I?’
Jack tried to concentrate on the pink fairy fl
ying across the page of the book but all he could see was Bryony in that dress. He hadn’t seen her legs since she’d been in the netball team at school and he and her brothers had gone to matches to cheer her on, but he now realised that his best friend had sensational legs.
And if she was going to start showing them, how the hell was he going to protect her?
And it wasn’t just her legs, of course…
He closed his eyes, trying to forget the shadowy dip between her full breasts revealed by the cut of her dress.
Right now they were in the restaurant and David was probably sitting opposite her, staring into paradise.
With a soft curse he stood up and the book fell to the floor.
‘You said a rude word, Jack,’ Lizzie said mildly, leaning over and retrieving the book.
‘Sorry.’ Suddenly seized by inspiration, he gave Lizzie a smile. ‘How would you like to call your mother and say goodnight?’
‘Now?’
‘Sure, why not?’ Before Dr Armstrong had time to get too hot and over-eager. Suddenly driven by an urgency that he couldn’t explain, Jack grabbed Lizzie’s hand and dragged her into the kitchen. ‘We’ll ring her mobile.’
Lizzie looked at him uncertainly. ‘Grandma says we only ring if there’s an emergency.’
Jack was already pressing the keys. ‘Trust me, this is an emergency,’ he assured her, his mind still mentally on Bryony’s creamy breasts. His mouth tightened. ‘A big emergency. Her baby girl wants to say goodnight.’
Trying to ignore the fact that Lizzie was looking at him as though he was slightly mad, Jack held the receiver and waited for Bryony to answer.
As the phone rang and rang, his heart started to thud in his chest.
Why the hell wasn’t she answering?
Unless she wasn’t at dinner after all. What if the rat had taken one look at that dress and whisked Bryony back to his flat?
‘Uncle Jack, you’re breathing really fast,’ Lizzie said, climbing onto a kitchen stool, her fairy wings still attached to her back. ‘And you look weird.’
He felt weird.
Why wasn’t she answering?
David sat back in his chair. ‘Is that your phone?’