Setting his jaw, he pulled himself together. He hadn’t begged for a date in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now.
‘Fine,’ he said, as if he couldn’t care one way or the other. ‘If that’s what you want, fine.’
‘Oh,’ she said, sounding faintly taken aback at his capitulation. Ha. As if he was going to put up a battle. ‘Well. Good. No hard feelings?’
His whole body tightened as the memory of exactly how hard she’d got him feeling smacked him around the head, and for a split second he wanted, no, yearned, to fight that battle. And then he ruthlessly stamped it all back down, because that kind of perverse way of thinking would lead to nothing but the sort of complications in his life that he really didn’t need. Nevertheless … ‘Bad choice of words, Bella.’
Another pause. ‘I see,’ she said. ‘Yes. Sorry … Well, then, goodbye.’
‘Goodbye,’ he said curtly, and hung up.
Maybe it was for the best, he thought, tossing his phone on the desk in frustration. If simply cancelling their date had this effect on his equilibrium, imagine what else she could achieve.
In fact, he ought to be glad that she’d put an end to their acquaintance. The last thing he needed right now was a woman playing havoc with his head. Not that they ever did, of course.
It was probably the fact that he’d been too busy to go out with a woman in the last couple of months that was messing with his mind. Yes, that was undoubtedly it, he thought, snatching his phone back up and scrolling through his list of contacts. What the hell. If he wanted a date he knew plenty of women who’d be only too pleased to hear he was back in the country and free on a Saturday night.
There was nothing special about Bella.
Absolutely nothing at all.
CHAPTER SEVEN
WILL had ruined her for ever, Bella thought morosely, taking a sip of champagne and resisting the temptation to down her glass in one. That was the only possible explanation.
Because Phoebe had been right. Alex’s friend, who’d turned out not to be Will of course, but Sam, was attractive, intelligent and witty. He was interesting, good company and he’d brought her to a restaurant she’d been dying to try out ever since she’d read about it in a magazine a week or so ago. He’d kept his eyes on her face, had ordered vintage champagne and had told her the evening was on him and that she was to have whatever she wanted.
He was absolutely perfect.
Except for one thing. One tiny weeny little thing that shouldn’t have bothered her in the slightest but now, apparently, did. A lot.
And that was the complete absence of any chemistry whatsoever.
Bella bit her lip as frustration clutched at her stomach. Up until a couple of days ago she’d been perfectly happy to sacrifice mind-blowing orgasms in favour of long-term commitment. Up until a couple of days ago chemistry hadn’t even featured on her wish list. Now, apparently, it had gone in at number two. Now, apparently, she wanted commitment and great sex, which was as irritating as it was scarily unattainable.
When she’d met Sam in the bar earlier she’d automatically checked him out. She’d looked into his eyes, studied his mouth, his smile and run her gaze over his body in the hope of feeling something.
But had she? No, she hadn’t. Not a spark. Not a tingle. Not a shudder. She’d dug around for even the tiniest flicker of lust, but it wasn’t there.
That it now seemed to matter was infuriating in the extreme. Particularly since it was, she knew, all down to Will and the lingering effect he seemed to have on her.
With hindsight she should have simply sent him a text instead of calling. At the time though, texting, after what they’d been up to, had somehow seemed a little cowardly. Now however, she wished she hadn’t been quite so principled.
The last forty-eight hours had been a nightmare. Ever since he’d abruptly hung up on her she’d barely slept. Barely been able to eat. And as for work, well, that had been a complete disaster.
Yesterday she’d been working on an emerald pendant, and without warning the fiercely intense expression on Will’s face as he thrust deep inside her had flown into her head. As desire had bolted through her her vision had blurred, her hand had trembled and the emerald had shattered.
After that Bella had stuck to paperwork. Which might have been safer for her profit margin, but still didn’t stop her mind wandering.
As much as she told herself that she’d done the right thing by terminating any further contact with Will, it hadn’t stopped her from thinking about him constantly. It hadn’t stopped her mentally adding thick dark hair, deep blue eyes and a firm muscled body, along with sizzling chemistry, to her wish list.
And it hadn’t stopped her from feeling ever so slightly put out that he’d given in quite so easily.
Which was so mind-bogglingly absurd it was certifiable. Because what had she expected after she’d bailed on him? That he’d beg her to go out with him? Huh. She doubted Will Cameron had ever begged for anything in his life. And even if he had, she still wouldn’t have gone out with him.
So why was she being so contrary? Why was he so hard to put out of her head? Why was she finding it so difficult to move on?
Sam’s phone call yesterday evening should have been the perfect chance. The invitation to dinner couldn’t have come at a better time and she’d fallen on it like a single female wedding guest landing on the bride’s bouquet, saying yes with such effervescent enthusiasm that he’d probably got completely the wrong idea.