Bridesmaid with Attitude

She snorted and crossed her arms. ‘I don’t need your money. Not with the job I have.’

‘What job is that?’ he asked, leaning back against the counter.

‘You really don’t recognise me? Emily Applegate from Treasure Trail? It’s one of the most popular shows on TV at the minute.’

At least it was on the second-rate channel it ran on—but, to be fair, it was soon to be promoted to the big league. There was no need to mention the small hiccup of the threat of being dropped from the show to him, though. It would only complicate matters, and they’d agreed to keep their stories simple.

He scowled. ‘Never heard of it. I don’t watch television.’

‘You don’t watch television?’ She took an exaggerated step back and threw out her hands in mock shock.

He grunted in response and turned away to pour them both a mug of coffee. ‘I have better things to do with my time,’ he said over his shoulder.

‘Like tinkering with your tools?’

He turned back and handed her a mug, which she took gratefully, inhaling the wonderful aroma deep into her lungs.

‘Like making equipment for people with mobility issues to help give them some freedom,’ he said.

That brought her up short. ‘Impressive.’

He shrugged the compliment off as if it meant nothing and gestured for them both to sit down at the large oak table in the middle of the room.

‘So what led you to the business of making mobility aids?’ she asked, once they were settled.

‘I had an older brother who had severe mobility issues. I used to invent things to help him get around and carry out what we think of as easy day-to-day tasks so he didn’t feel so trapped and frustrated. I found I was good at it, and I enjoyed it, so I went on to study engineering at university.’

‘And your mother was okay with that?’ she asked, blowing across the top of her drink to cool it down before taking a sip.

‘Not really. She wanted me to go into politics. But I studied at Cambridge, and appeared to be rubbing shoulders with the right people, so she let it slide.’

‘Where’s your brother now?’

‘He died when I was twenty. He had a lot of health issues so it was always on the cards.’

‘Sorry to hear that.’

He shrugged and looked down at his coffee. ‘Life can be cruel.’

‘But you’re actively doing something to make a difference to people who’ve caught a bad break—that’s admirable.’

He took a long sip of his drink, his brow furrowed as if he was thinking about what she’d said. ‘I’d like to do more but it’s a long game, building up a business in this tough financial environment. I do a lot of work pro bono, because the people who need help the most are usually the ones that can’t afford it. They often need things custom-made to suit the ergonomics of their house. Everyone’s needs are different. Occupational therapists do a wonderful job, but there’s only so much they can achieve with their limited funding.’

‘Is that why you’ve been hiring this place out for weddings?’

‘Yeah—in an attempt to keep up with the running costs of this place, and my living expenses, until the business starts making money. And also because I like to see the place full of life. It seems perverse for me to be rattling around in it on my own all the time.’

‘If you’re so worried about it being too big and expensive for you why don’t you move out to somewhere smaller?’ she asked, taking another gulp of coffee, enjoying the smoky taste of it on her tongue.

He looked at her as though she was mad. ‘Because this is my ancestral home. It’s been in the Berkeley family for four hundred years. My mother’s not interested in living here any more, and if I wasn’t here she’d probably sell it to the highest bidder. I’m not about to let some money-focused developer get their grubby hands on it and turn it into apartments or a golfing hotel.’ He pulled his face into a grimace.

‘Not a big fan of golfing?’

‘No.’

‘Balls too small?’ She couldn’t stop a wide grin from spreading across her face.

He gave her a warning frown. ‘You’re going to have to watch your mouth around my mother—she’s pretty uptight.’

‘Don’t sweat it. I will,’ she said, draining the last drop of her drink and managing to spill a bit on her top.

‘And you’re going to have to scrub up your appearance in order to impress her,’ he said, indicating her torn jeans, biker boots and the wide-necked T-shirt hanging off one shoulder, flashing her bra strap.

Emily waved a breezy hand in the air. ‘Not a problem. Don’t worry, I’ll have her wrapped around my little finger in half a day, max.’

‘You’re very sure of yourself.’

‘Why, yes I am.’

An expression of approval flashed across his face. ‘I like it.’

She leant forward, narrowing her eyes and forcing her lips into a soft pout. ‘I know you do.’

His approval was quickly replaced with a frown. ‘I’m not going to sleep with you, Emily.’

She let her mouth fall open in exaggerated shock, hoping like mad that he hadn’t caught on to the mortified disappointment that had flashed through her at his abrupt rejection.

‘Why ever not? Surely that’s one of the perks of our arrangement?’

He leant back in his chair and crossed his arms. ‘I don’t make it a habit to sleep with women I’ve just met.’

She gave him a scrutinising look, brazening it out despite the unfamiliar turmoil she was struggling to deal with. Surely she hadn’t lost her touch when it came to charming men? It had never deserted her before. Sex was the one area of her life where she felt she had absolute control, and she wasn’t about to let him chip into it.

‘You mean with women you don’t trust?’

His expression didn’t flicker, but she could tell he was holding something in. It was there in the rigidity of his jaw.

‘What happened to you?’ she asked.

‘Nothing I want to talk to you about.’ He got up and dumped his coffee mug in the sink.

She stood up too and followed him over to the sink, putting her mug next to his and standing a little closer than was absolutely necessary, just to see if she could get another rise out of him. She was having some trouble holding her nerve in the face of his steely resistance, but there was no way she was backing down from it.

Looking up into his face, she gave him a wry smile. ‘Women, huh? We’re nothing but a bunch of harpies and hangers-on.’

The corner of his mouth twitched—she was sure of it.

Score.

‘What are you afraid of?’ she asked, putting her hand on his arm and feeling his tricep tense.

‘I’m not afraid of anything. I just prefer to get to know someone before I have sex with them. It’s a matter of principle.’

She gave a mock teasing pout. ‘Damn your principles.’

He fixed her with a long, hard stare that made her quiver inside.

‘I’m sure you’ll be able to control yourself. And, while we’re discussing it, I want you to agree not to get involved with anyone else while we’re doing this thing.’

‘What?’

‘If you’re on TV there’s a chance the papers might report on any hook-ups you have. I don’t want my mother to hear about them. It would ruin what we’re trying to do here.’

‘So I have to promise to be celibate till this thing is over?’

‘Yes.’

‘And you seriously won’t help me out?’

The impulse to push him into submission was too strong to ignore. She needed to win this now, for the sake of her pride. She ran her fingers gently up and down his arm, feeling him tense even more under her touch.

‘You’re going to leave me in a state of sexual frustration? So cruel!’

He grabbed her arm, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pushing it against her own body, imposing a barrier between them. ‘I’m sure you can find some other way to satisfy your carnal urges. There are tools for every job. Be creative.’

‘It’s not the same.’

‘You’ll survive.’

She huffed out a sigh, hoping he couldn’t feel the tremble in her hand. ‘Okay, but you have to promise to be celibate too … until this thing is over.’

‘That won’t be a problem.’

She shook her head in disbelief. ‘Are you made of stone or something?’

‘It has been suggested,’ he said, releasing her arm and walking back to the table to push the chairs back under it.

‘Look, if you’re worried this is actually some elaborate plot to trap you into marriage and steal all your money, then don’t be. I have plenty of my own money. I don’t need to steal someone else’s.’

‘It never crossed my mind,’ he said, his back to her.

She couldn’t tell if he was being serious. His tone was so dry it almost cracked the air.

He turned back, his expression closed. ‘We’ve probably got enough information to go on for now,’ he said, ‘and I have things I need to deal with before my mother comes back.’ He pointed a finger at her in a commanding manner, as if she was a naughty puppy. ‘Wait here.’

She watched him stride out of the room, wondering what he was going to fetch. A horse whip, perhaps? Or a pair of shackles? The mere thought of it only intensified the low hum of erotic tension that had plagued her all afternoon.

How could he be immune to the heat between them?

Perhaps she’d pushed him too hard, too fast? Normally it wouldn’t bother her if she made a man uncomfortable with her brazenness, but she didn’t want to jeopardise this thing with Theo.

Truth be told, she was flabbergasted by his assertion that he wouldn’t sleep with her. No one had ever turned her down before, and the challenge of getting him to change his mind had now embedded itself firmly in her mind.

She really wasn’t looking for anything serious, so why the heck shouldn’t they have some fun together? There was clearly a spark of attraction between them, even if he was refusing to acknowledge it.

It wasn’t as if she was under any illusions about where she fitted in the grand theatre of life. She saw herself as the ruthless ex-lover that sweet, wholesome women saved their damaged alpha conquests from. In fact it amused her to think of herself as the facilitator of other people’s Happy-Ever-Afters.

According to the gutter press she had loose morals, but she didn’t cheat or mess around with men already in relationships—that was where she drew the line. She didn’t need undying love from a man; she needed hot sex, excitement and new experiences. The men she dated usually served that requirement, but unfortunately they tended to be self-absorbed and rather vacuous.

Theo was a whole other proposition. Smart, philanthropic and attractive. It was a heady mixture. One she was keen to have a lick of.

He returned a moment later, pen and paper in hand.

‘Write your phone number down on here and I’ll call you later to confirm the details about tomorrow,’ he said, dropping them onto the table.

She dipped into a low curtsey. ‘Yes, M’Lord.’

He flashed her a disparaging look, clearly not in the mood for any more teasing. ‘Let yourself out.’

Swivelling on the spot, he marched away, his feet making a heavy slapping sound on the flagstone floor.

‘You’ve been a great audience,’ she called after him, making sure sarcasm dripped from every syllable.

When she got home to London, the first thing Emily did was call Lula to tell her that she’d ninety-nine per cent sorted out the wedding reception venue problem.

‘Just give me a couple more days and I’ll have it all wrapped up and reconfirmed. Don’t worry, it’ll happen—I’ll make sure of it.’

‘How the heck did you swing it, Em?’ Lula asked, her husky DJ’s voice light with relief.

‘I used my feminine wiles,’ she replied, experiencing a surge of relief to hear her friend sounding so happy again.

‘Please tell me you didn’t sleep with him.’ Lula’s tone was jokey, but there was just a hint of expectancy in it.

‘Of course not. I just made a very good case. He is rather gorgeous, though. In fact he’s asked me out on a date. I’m going over for Sunday lunch tomorrow.’

‘Jeeze, Em, you’re a fast worker.’

‘What can I say? Zee guys, zay luurve me!’

‘So they should. You are a total goddess.’

‘Why, thank you, my darling. Anyway, I’d better scoot—got to get my beauty sleep if I’m going to impress His Lordship tomorrow.’

‘Okay—night, babe.’

‘Nighty-night.’

Emily had just ended the call when another number flashed up on the screen.

‘Hello?’

‘Emily, it’s Theo.’

Her chest did a strange squeezy thing at the sound of his voice. ‘Hi. So we’re on?’

‘I told my mother about you. I said I’d been keeping you quiet because I wanted to be sure about committing to you before introducing you to her.’

‘And?’

‘As predicted, she wants to meet you. I think she’s a little suspicious about how I’ve suddenly produced you out of thin air and wants to make sure she’s not being taken for a ride.’

‘Smart woman.’

‘That she is.’

‘So should I come for lunch?’

‘Yes. Get here for midday tomorrow and be ready to turn on the charm.’

She pinched her nose to make her voice sound nasal. ‘Wilco, My Lord. Coming through, loud and clear.’

‘Emily?’

‘Yes, my darling?’

‘You’re starting to worry me.’

She laughed. ‘Chill out, Your Earlness, it’s going to be fine.’

CHAPTER THREE

THEO WAS FINISHING up a job in his workshop before lunch the following day when Emily strolled in, looking for all the world like a demure, rich debutante in a strait-laced knee-length skirt, smart high-heeled shoes and a soft pink blouse which was buttoned up nearly to her neck. She’d tamed her wild curls into a sleek-looking knot on top of her head and her make-up was subtle and sparing.

She’d tied her personality down tight.

He felt oddly disconcerted by it.

Frustratingly, he’d not stopped thinking about her since he’d left her in his kitchen the day before, forcing himself to walk away from the bone-rattling sexual tension between them before he did something stupid like acting on it.

‘You’re early,’ he said, glancing at his watch to confirm it was only eleven-thirty.

She shrugged. ‘I didn’t want to be late and get off on the wrong foot with your mother.’ She picked up a pair of his goggles from the workbench next to her. ‘I guessed you might be in here, playing with your tools,’ she said, holding the goggles up to her eyes and making a ridiculous-looking face at him.

He rolled his eyes and walked over to grab them from her, dumping them back onto the workbench.

He liked it that she was comfortable enough with her looks to know she could get away with making herself look stupid and not lose any of her appeal, but he didn’t want to encourage her in case she did it in front of his mother. She liked ladies to be just that—ladies—and she wouldn’t see the funny side of any larking about.

The goggles had left a smudge of dirt on Emily’s nose, where they’d pressed against her skin, and without thinking he swiped his thumb gently over it, wiping it away.

She stared up at him with those striking eyes of hers and for a second he couldn’t move. It was as if she’d caught him in a tractor beam.

‘Where’s your mother?’ she asked, her voice low and seductive.

They were standing so close he felt her breath on his skin.

A tug of longing pulled hard, deep inside him. ‘In the house.’

She smelt amazing—like a spring garden in full bloom.

‘We should probably get into character now, then, so we’re comfortable walking in there together,’ she said, and without warning she leaned up and forward on her toes, aiming her mouth to connect with his.

This time he reacted quickly, moving his head away from hers and putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her at a distance.

‘What are you doing, Emily?’

‘I’m greeting you in the manner of a devoted lover.’

‘I don’t kiss women I don’t care about.’ He refrained from adding any more.

Her brow pinched in jokey frustration. ‘You and your crazy rules.’

He couldn’t stop a snort of mirth from escaping. ‘You’re very forward.’

She gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘I like sex and I’m not afraid to ask for what I want.’

‘That much I already know.’

She let out a low sigh and took a step backwards, breaking the connection of his hand on her shoulder. ‘I don’t get it. I’m single, you’re single—what’s the problem?’

‘I told you: this is a business relationship. I’m not looking for it to develop into anything more.’

‘You know, usually the only time men act as if they don’t like me is when they want me but think they’re not allowed to have me.’

He folded his arms in front of his chest. ‘You really believe I think I’m not allowed to have you?’

‘Perhaps. There has to be some deep-seated angst simmering away under that tough outer shell of yours.’

‘Maybe I don’t find you attractive.’

She narrowed her eyes and gave him a discerning smile. ‘Maybe.’

‘Why do you want to sleep with me so badly?’

‘Because you won’t let me.’ Her grin was wide and authentic. ‘I’m just messing with you, Theo,’ she said, slapping him gently on the arm.

He huffed out a laugh and tried to ignore the way his body had hardened in response to her teasing. No way was he letting her get into his head, and he definitely wasn’t interested in allowing her to flatter her way into his bed. He’d been burned like that before.

‘Although I haven’t had sex for months,’ she continued, giving him that coy look she’d tried on him when they’d first met. ‘I’ve been too busy at work to have any kind of fun outside it.’

The heat in his body seemed to increase tenfold. He pushed away the feeling. ‘Speaking of life outside, I checked you out online. You have quite a presence in the gutter press.’

She shrugged and glanced away. ‘I used to. I haven’t done anything outrageous recently, so they’ve grown a little bored with me.’

‘Cleaning up your image?’

Her gaze met his again, square in the eyes. ‘I just haven’t found anyone interesting enough to play with.’

The underlying suggestion of until now hung heavily in the air between them.

He shrugged it off.

‘It might be a sticking point for my mother if she checks up on you and sees the sort of exposure you’ve had in the past.’

‘Surely the fact you’ve tamed the wild child in me will be a plus point? It’s one of those fantasies, isn’t it? A strong alpha male showing a fallen woman that she’s worth more than she thinks she is? Usually by being spectacular in bed,’ she said pointedly, waggling an eyebrow at him.

He snorted and shook his head. ‘What kind of books have you been reading?’

‘Actually, I don’t read as much as I used to. I never seem to have the time, what with my job being so all-consuming. But I have a vivid

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