‘Josh is having a nap. We can discuss that now.’
‘He’s due to wake up any moment and I’d like to know more about you without distractions.’
That wasn’t happening either. Talking about himself wasn’t something he was particularly fond of doing at the best of times. Right now it was the last thing he wanted to do. And she was the distraction. ‘You know everything there is to know.’ Everything that was relevant, anyway.
‘OK, fine,’ she said with an exasperated huff. ‘You know what? Forget it. I do think we need to talk about the future, but really, I’d just like the company. It’s lonely up here on my own every evening. It’s quiet.’ She gave a careless shrug. ‘I dare say I’ll survive, though.’
Well, now, how was he to respond to that? Just when he thought he’d successfully shut her down, along came guilt to hit him in the gut like a ton of bricks. He had no excuse really, and to persist with pretending he did would simply be cruel. He wasn’t having her feeling lonely because he had an issue with self-control. He’d just have to cope. Because hadn’t he vowed to provide her with what she needed whenever she needed it?
‘All right,’ he muttered, nevertheless slightly wishing that he had less of a problem with breaking promises. ‘I’ll make some adjustments.’
‘Thank you,’ she said with a smile so dazzling that it blinded him to the realisation that she’d got up and was walking over to him.
By the time he did register what she was doing it was too late. Before he could brace himself, she’d come to a stop right in front of him and bent down, her scent and her warmth scrambling his senses. The world skidded to a halt and every inch of him froze. Then she reached out and touched her hand lightly to his head, threading her fingers through his hair, and for one heart-stopping, delirious moment he actually thought that she was going to lean in and kiss him.
‘What are you doing?’ he said hoarsely, his mouth dry and his body aching unbearably.
‘You have a piece of toast in your hair.’
She removed her hand and stepped back and he didn’t know whether to be gutted or relieved, what to think or what to do, although breathing would be a good start. Followed by getting the hell out of here before he completely gave in to temptation and turned some of his wilder imaginings into reality.
‘Where are you going?’ she called as he leapt to his feet and stalked back into the apartment as if he had the hounds of hell at his heels.
‘Meeting.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
EYEING FINN WARILY as he paced up and down his sitting room one evening several days later, Georgie frowned. Up until a few days ago she’d thought that everything was going really rather well. He seemed pleased with their civil partnership and, although it was a struggle, she was just about keeping a lid on the attraction that she felt for him. She’d had a slight blip when she’d discovered that he’d added tuna steak to the menu of dishes that continued to be sent up, and gone all breathless and gooey inside at the realisation he’d remembered what she’d told him at that lunch, but she’d recovered well enough. It hadn’t meant anything. She needed building up, he’d told her when she’d thanked him. She needed the protein. That was all.
Lately, however, Finn had become weirdly distracted, frequently grumpy and anything but friendly. Physically he was around as much as ever, more so now he spent the evenings with her, but spiritually and emotionally he seemed to be on a whole other planet. He volunteered little in the way of conversation and his answers to her questions were monosyllabic.
The tension that now radiated off him had to come from somewhere and she didn’t think it was caused by Josh, since being with him was the only time Finn didn’t seem stressed. So maybe it was her, she’d begun to think. Maybe he was more annoyed by her habit of leaving the milk out than she’d realised. Maybe she was doing something else wrong. It wouldn’t exactly be a first.
Whatever it was, though, Josh was picking up on it now and she’d had enough.
Closing the journal she filled in nightly, and setting both it and the pen she used on the ottoman, Georgie tracked his restless movements for a moment and then pulled her shoulders back and went for it. ‘OK, Finn, what’s wrong?’
‘Why would anything be wrong?’ he said, shooting her a glare, which did rather prove her point.
‘You’re wearing a permanent scowl these days and you’ve taken to prowling around the apartment like a caged animal.’
He stopped mid-pace and with what looked like a Herculean effort cleared his expression and shot her a tight smile. ‘Everything’s fine.’
‘Hmm,’ she said with a sceptical frown. ‘Is it work?’
‘No.’
‘Is it me and Josh?’
‘Why would it be you?’
‘I’m very aware that this has all been a huge upheaval for you. The noise and the mess, I mean. It would be completely understandable if you were finding it hard. Your life has changed immeasurably.’
‘That’s nothing new.’
Her eyebrows lifted. ‘Sorry?’
‘Nothing,’ he said curtly. ‘Everything’s fine.’