Now it felt as if the Terminator had just invaded her comfortable living space. Except this terminator had an Irish accent that was almost musical to her ears.

Not that Reuben Tyler looked like Arnie. And with his black jeans and leather jacket he was maybe a little too stylish for a burglar. She was trying not to stare. She was trying not to look at him at all. What on earth was she going to do?

‘So, do you always dress like a giant teddy bear?’ he said as he flicked through the channels.

‘What?’ She stared down at her favourite nightwear. Oh, no. In all the chaos she’d forgotten how she was dressed. Hardly a good look for a first meeting.

She scowled at him and stuck her hands on her hips. ‘Well, it wasn’t like I was expecting guests, was I?’

The corner of his mouth turned upwards. ‘Evidently.’

Okay, this guy could make her blood boil but was he a tiny bit hunky? She stole another glance. When he wasn’t angry, he might be described as quite handsome in a rugged sort of way. His dark hair was thick and a little dishevelled. His white T-shirt showed off his tan—doubtless from his stay in the US since it had rained solidly for the last month in London. No wonder she was keeping her pale flesh covered. But it was those eyes that could probably melt the hearts of the female population of the city. Dark brown, like coffee or chocolate—both were her vices.

She gave a little shudder. What on earth was she thinking? She didn’t know a single thing about this man.

‘You can’t possibly stay here. Addison told me I’d have the place to myself for the next few days.’ She folded her arms across her chest. She was grasping at straws but Addison really hadn’t mentioned a word about having to share the place with one of Caleb’s friends. Which most likely meant that Addison hadn’t known that Reuben would be here...

Darn it. There went the little shudder again. All of a sudden he wasn’t so much a dangerous intruder as a slightly intriguing handsome stranger. But sharing the house with someone she didn’t know still made her feel uncomfortable.

Reuben seemed completely uninterested in her comments. He grabbed a bar of chocolate from the table and started eating it. ‘I think you should be more worried about smashing up Caleb’s trophy. He was very proud of that.’

The trophy. Her eyes went to the floor. It was broken into three solid parts. No super-strength glue in the world could put it back together. She sagged down into one of the armchairs. ‘I’ve no idea what to do about that,’ she murmured.

Reuben sat up a little straighter. He gave his head a little shake and winced. ‘Do you have any painkillers?’

She nodded. ‘Come through to the kitchen. There are some in the cupboard.’

She flashed her hand over the light for the hall and it came on, flooding the entranceway with light. Reuben frowned and bent down. ‘What on earth is that? I couldn’t find the light switch when I came in.’

She walked past. ‘It’s one of Caleb’s new inventions. Light switches you don’t touch. Just the motion of your hand switches it on. Do you know that light switches and doorhandles are the biggest places that harbour germs?’

She couldn’t believe she was having a normal conversation with a guy she’d thought was breaking into the house. It was all so surreal. Maybe this was a dream? Maybe she’d drunk a little too much wine and fallen asleep in front of the TV? Because, truth be told, Reuben Tyler did look a little like a dream.

She stubbed her toe on the way into the kitchen. ‘Youch!’ She definitely wasn’t dreaming. That had hurt too much.

She waved her hand over the switch to turn the light on and walked to the cupboard on the far wall to retrieve the tablets. Reuben sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island and gave a little sigh.

She grabbed a glass and filled it with water. ‘Here you go.’ She hesitated then added, ‘I’m sorry about your head.’

He looked up at her through lazy, tired eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah. I’m sure I’ll get over it.’

He was looking at her with those chocolate eyes. The stare was so intense it almost felt as if it was burrowing through her thick pink onesie. It was definitely heading for the bin after this. His gaze made her feel uneasy and she started to ramble. ‘There are a few free bedrooms upstairs. I’m on the second floor so I’d appreciate it if you could sleep on one of the other floors. Maybe the third? Since Addison, Caleb and Tristan all sleep on the first floor.’

‘You’re pushing me into the servants’ quarters?’ His voice was a lazy drawl.

‘What? I am not.’

‘Yes, you are. Don’t you remember that in all these Georgian houses the servants stayed in the attics?’

‘Did they?’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘I wasn’t much of a history buff, more a geography girl myself.’ She waved her hand. ‘Anyway the rooms upstairs are lovely. The biggest one has an en-suite bathroom, I’m sure you’ll be comfortable there.’

He was still watching her, almost as if he was trying to size her up. But what alarmed her most was the fact there was a twinkle in his eye. He swallowed the painkillers and took a gulp of the water. ‘Maybe I’ll just crash on the sofa—next to your midnight feast. Were you actually going to eat all that?’

Colour heated her cheeks. She was about to be offended, but from the twinkle in his eye it was almost as if he was trying to bait her. She’d recovered enough from the shock of earlier to play him at his own game.

‘I was going to eat all that. And you owe me. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you swiped one of my favourite chocolate bars.’ She wagged her finger at him. ‘Touch anything else and I’ll give you more than a sore head.’

He surprised her. He threw back his head and laughed, just as his stomach growled loudly. He shrugged his shoulders. ‘What can I say? I’m starving.’ He stood up and started prowling around the kitchen, staring at the uniform white cupboards as if he didn’t know which to open first. ‘Is there anything to eat around here?’

Lara watched him for a few seconds. That was definitely a pair of well-fitting jeans. They hugged every inch of his thighs and backside, even though she could see the waist was a little loose. His white T-shirt was rumpled and there was tiny hint of curling dark hairs and flat abs. It was all she could do to tear her eyes away.

She sighed. ‘As I was a late arrival too and Addison had run down most of the fresh food, there’s only what I bought tonight.’ She opened the fridge. ‘I have bread, bacon and baked beans.’

He was smiling again and counted off on his fingers, ‘And wine, and chocolate, and crisps, and some kind of cake I didn’t even recognise.’

She smiled and shook her head. ‘Don’t even think about it—all of those are out of bounds.’

He leaned against one of the cupboards. ‘Well, I’ve thought about it. I know how you can make it up to me.’

‘Make what up to you?’

‘The fact you assaulted me with one of Caleb’s trophies.’ He put his hand on his chin. ‘I’m thinking a bacon-and-baked-bean sandwich might just cut it.’

‘You don’t put bacon and baked beans in a sandwich.’ She shook her head in disgust. ‘Especially not at one in the morning.’

The glint remained in his eyes as they swept up and down her body and he lifted his hand to his head. ‘Ouch.’ He gave the back of his head an exaggerated rub. ‘I think one o’clock in the morning sounds a perfect time for a bacon-and-baked-bean sandwich. Hours past dinner and hours until breakfast.’

She pursed her lips. He was getting to her. He was definitely getting to her. She wasn’t quite sure if it was the guilt trip working or the rising tension she could feel in the air between them.

‘Fine.’ She turned around and flicked a few switches on the coffee machine. ‘What do you want to drink?’

He stared at the machine as his brow creased. She hid her smile. The first time she’d seen the coffee machine she had been bamboozled by it. It had taken a few attempts to finally get it right.

‘What does that do—make coffee or beam you up?’

‘Oh, if it could beam you up I’d press that button right away,’ she said smartly, as she walked back over to the fridge, pulled out the bacon and fired up the grill.

He folded his arms across his chest. He looked amused, maybe even intrigued by her sparky response. ‘So, now we’re getting to see the true you.’

‘As opposed to what?’

He laughed. ‘As opposed to the crazy ammunition-wielding giant pink teddy bear I met when I arrived.’

She glared at him as she put the bacon under the grill. ‘Let’s see.’ She counted off on her fingers. ‘You’ve ruined my night. It seems like you’re going to interrupt the two weeks of sanctuary I was expecting to have here. You’ve insulted my favourite nightwear. Scared me half to death. Stolen my chocolate and blackmailed me into making you something to eat.’ She folded her arms back at him. ‘Why, Reuben, you’re my favourite person in the world right now.’

He shook his head at her tone. ‘I hope you’re not serious.’

She opened the cupboard and pulled out a tin of baked beans. ‘About which part?’

His cheeky smile reached from ear to ear. ‘About the favourite nightwear part. I’m hoping you’ve got something much more appropriate than that.’

Had he really just said that? He must have because tiny electric sparks were currently shooting down her spine and making her toes curl.

She opened the tin of beans, poured them into a bowl and started to nuke them in the microwave. ‘Why do I think you’re going to be a pain in the neck to have around?’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘You seem to have been hit with a sass attack. Exactly how much wine did you drink?’

‘Obviously not enough.’

‘Wow.’ Reuben mocked being hit in the chest and fell against the wall. ‘What’s happened to you?’

She shrugged. ‘I had an adrenaline surge when I thought someone was breaking in. You know, the old fight-or-flight thing. Then when the police arrived I started to panic.’ She turned the bacon over in the grill pan. ‘Both those things have left me now. It’s late. I planned on being asleep around an hour ago. Instead, I’m playing hostess in a kitchen that isn’t mine and plotting an elaborate lie to tell Caleb about his award.’

She stuck some bread in the toaster and walked back over to the coffee machine. ‘Now, pick your poison or learn how to work this yourself.’

He laughed and walked over next to her. ‘You know, the giant pink teddy bear is losing her appeal.’

‘That’s fine. I never wanted to be a cuddly toy.’ She pressed some buttons and coffee and milk steamed out of the coffee maker.

‘I’ll have what you’re having,’ he said quickly. He obviously didn’t want to miss out on the chance of coffee and would drink anything.

She made another latte, put the bacon on a plate on the middle of the kitchen island and lifted the steaming-hot bowl of baked beans from the microwave. The toast popped and she took the butter from the fridge and put everything down in front of him, handing him a plate and some cutlery and sitting at the other side of the island.

She could feel the intense brown eyes on her again. Part of her wondered what he was thinking. Part of her was too scared to even think that far.

He started buttering his toast. ‘I thought I asked for a sandwich.’ He kept buttering.

She could feel her anger starting to smart. This guy was a royal pain in the neck. The tranquil time she’d expected to get here had been ruined. Two weeks to get her head together and make some plans for when she came back from her holidays—hopefully enough time to secure another tenancy somewhere.

‘I made an executive decision. Bread would be too squishy.’

The edges of his mouth turned upwards. He was trying to keep a straight face. He lifted the bacon onto his toast and grabbed a spoon for the beans. ‘Squishy.’

‘Squishy,’ she said again as she put her bacon in the middle of her toast and spooned some beans onto the side of her plate.

She lifted the toast towards her mouth. ‘Now I’m going to watch you eating that without getting beans all down the front of your white T-shirt.’

‘That sounds like a challenge.’

‘You bet it is.’

* * *

Things were beyond odd. He was beginning to like the pink teddy bear more and more—particularly now she was showing some added spark.

He could tell his mere presence annoyed her. Under normal circumstances he’d probably feel the same way. When Caleb had offered him somewhere to stay while his building work was done he’d been relieved. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have enough money to check into a hotel—he could have done that easily. But then he would have been constantly around people when what he really wanted was some peace and quiet in order to negotiate a deal with a troublesome sports star.

Even though Addison didn’t really approve of him, his days of being a bad boy were more or less over. He just didn’t have enough hours in the day any more.

He watched as Lara poked at her plate with a fork, trying to spear the baked beans individually.

‘Slippery little suckers,’ he said as he tried to hold his sandwich together. She glared at him as he took a bite. After a few seconds he spoke again. ‘Okay, you got me. I’ll admit it. It tastes great.’

She gave a hint of a smile. ‘It is pretty good.’

‘Better than chocolate and wine?’

‘Never.’

This girl was fun. Or she could be fun if she’d just let her guard down a little.

‘So, how did come to be working for Caleb and Addison?’

She sat back on her stool at little and sipped her coffee. ‘I met Addison through a mutual friend. She was looking for a nanny at short notice and I had just got back from Australia.’

‘What were you doing out there?’

She gave a little shrug. ‘I went to see the world but ended up only seeing Perth. I met someone when I got there and ended up working as a nanny for a family there for nearly ten months.’

‘Why did you come back?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘My visa was going to expire and I hadn’t met an Australian I could con into marrying me.’

The more she shot at him the more he liked her. ‘I don’t believe that for a second.’

She shook her head. ‘The guy I met, Josh, was English. Let’s just say I don’t have a good record with guys. If he’s a loser, I’m attracted to him. If he’s a cheat, I can’t spot it. If he’s bad for me in any way, shape or form I seem to fall for him hook, line and sinker.’

Now he was definitely curious. ‘You staying here—is this about a guy?’

She let out a sigh. ‘Let’s just say after today’s Sliding Doors moment it looks like I’m going my dream holiday on my own.’

‘Sliding Doors?’

‘Yes, as in the movie.’

‘Never seen it. What do you mean?’

‘You’ve never seen it?’ She shook her head. ‘Where have you been? The girl gets out of work early and runs to catch the tube. In one version she makes the train, in the other she doesn’t. In the version when she gets home early, she catches her boyfriend in bed with someone else.’

He sat back, bacon and beans forgotten. ‘And that happened to you?’ Maybe he should actually start watching these chick-flick movies.

She sighed again and nodded.

‘Ouch. Blooming fool. Who is he? Do you want me to go and sort him out?’

Her head shot up. She looked surprised. ‘Of course I don’t.’

He shook his head. ‘Oh, please. Don’t tell me you still love the guy?’

She leaned her head on her hands. ‘I’m not sure I ever really did. I just feel as if I’ve got “Mug” stamped across my forehead in big letters. I just shoved everything I could into a case and left.’

‘How long did you stay together?’

‘In London? Just the last six months. I met him when I went travelling to Australia and we rented the flat together when we came back.’ She toyed with her coffee cup. ‘Not that he actually paid any rent. He was...’ she lifted her fingers in the air ‘“...writing” apparently. I guess that wasn’t all he was doing.’

Reuben frowned. ‘And who was the other woman?’

She groaned. ‘The next-door neighbour. I couldn’t even punch her. She’s built like an Amazon and could probably squash me beneath one of her size-eight feet.’

He couldn’t help it. He let out a laugh.

She picked up the dishtowel and flicked it at him. ‘It’s not funny!’ His coffee cup tipped and few dark brown splashes splattered his white shirt.

He looked down. He’d been travelling for hours and was feeling grubby anyway. Perfect time to change.

He shook his head and started laughing as he undid the buttons. ‘Tell me there’s a washing machine around here somewhere?’ Every white kitchen door looked identical. He had no idea what lay behind any one of them.

Lara had started to laugh but it seemed to die somewhere in her throat. He looked up to see what was wrong. Her eyes were fixed firmly on his chest. It was an automatic reaction. He sucked in his abs—even though he had no need to. He hadn’t even thought twice about taking off his shirt. Maybe she was shyer than he’d thought?

‘Give me a second till I grab a T-shirt,’ he said quickly, walking back out and getting his bag from the hall. He rummaged around and grabbed a black T-shirt, pulling it over his head as he walked back in. ‘Now...’ he smiled ‘...where were we?’

Lara hadn’t moved. It was as if the words were stuck somewhere at the back of her throat. She gave a little shudder and fixed him with her eyes.

Her very blue eyes.

He hadn’t been paying enough attention.

He’d already noticed the hint of curves beneath her nightwear. While her blonde hair was currently piled on top of her head he could imagine it sitting in long waves past her shoulders.

He could also imagine her in a really sexy dress and heels.

He said the first thing that came into his head. ‘You didn’t have anyone else you could stay with?’

It was an innocent enough question. Trouble was, it made her insides curl up a little and made her feel a bit pathetic.

But he wasn’t finished. ‘Isn’t it a bit strange to come and stay with your boss?’

She should have stopped to think for a second. But thinking wasn’t really Lara’s style—particularly not when she’d just had a glimpse of mind-numbing abs. ‘I haven’t been in London that long. I originally came from Sheffield so all my friends are up there. And because of the job—looking after Tristan—I haven’t really had time to make any good friends since I got here.’ She bit the inside of her cheek. ‘To be honest, I’m not quite sure what I would have done if Addison had said I couldn’t stay.’

She could feel the rush of heat into her cheeks. She felt a bit embarrassed and was definitely squirming. This was rubbish. She wasn’t the person who had done anything wrong here. Not like Josh-gets-into-bed-with-the-wrong-woman or Reuben-breaks-into-houses-Tyler. It was time to turn the tables.

‘Reuben?’

‘Yeah?’ He was trying to appear casual as he finished his coffee.

‘How, exactly, do you know Caleb?’

She’d stood up to clear the plates away and started loading the dishwasher.

‘Why do you want to know?’

‘I guess I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to let you stay, or if I’m going to phone the police again.’

He rolled his eyes and gave a casual wave of his hand. ‘I knew him years ago.’

She banged the dishwasher closed and pressed a few buttons before sliding back onto the stool across from him. ‘Where did you know him?’

He sighed. ‘What’s with the interrogation? Isn’t it about time to go to bed?’ He didn’t mean it to come out that way but his voice just naturally inclined upwards as he spoke. It gave the sentence a hint of cheekiness.

Lara’s cheeks flushed with colour as she pointedly ignored his comment. ‘You asked me how I got the job. It’s only fair I ask you how you know Caleb—particularly when I’ve never seen you around here before.’

Reuben held onto the worktop and leaned back on the stool. His back was beginning to seize up. He really needed to lie down.

‘Caleb and I went to school together.’

‘Really? What school?’

He cringed. He knew exactly what came next. ‘Eton.’

Her mouth fell open. ‘Eton?’ He should feel insulted. The surprise wasn’t because Caleb had gone to Eton, the surprise was definitely directed at him.

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘What can I say? I was a posh boy.’

The colour was starting to die down in her cheeks. It was obvious she was curious. ‘It’s a long way from Ireland,’ she said. It was a natural thing to say but he barely blinked.

‘Yes, it is.’ It was almost as if he were drawing a line in the sand.

She put her elbows on the worktop and leaned towards him. ‘You said you just got back from the US on business. What is it that you do?’

‘A bit of this, a bit of that.’

She waggled her finger at him. ‘Oh, no. Don’t give me that. What is your job title exactly?’

‘I’m a businessman.’

She waved her hands. ‘And so says the entire population of London.’

‘I’m a sports agent.’ He said quickly, in the hope it would stop her asking questions.

Her eyes widened. ‘You mean you’re Jerry Maguire?’

He shook his head. ‘If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard that...’

She perched back up on the stool. ‘I like movies but I’m not what you’d call a sports fan. Well, truth be told, I hate sport, but will I know anyone you manage?’

He shrugged. ‘If you hate sport, probably not. A few footballers, a few cricketers. One tennis player. Also some basketball and baseball players. A few big-name American footballers.’

She gave him a curious stare. ‘So that’s why you jet around?’

He paused for a second. ‘Most of the time. I have clients in the US, Italy, Spain and England right now. And I’m always looking for the next big signing. Things get a bit crazy at times. It’s a mad world out there and sometimes the whole business of a team is based on who they sign—and more importantly how that person behaves. One stupid interview comment can make a team’s shares plummet. I sometimes have to do some troubleshooting or some collateral damage limitation. That can take me pretty much anywhere. The US this week, Spain last week. For the next two weeks I’m in London.’

‘Lucky me,’ she said quickly. He sucked in a breath. For a second he wasn’t sure if it had been sarcasm or wit, but then the edges of her mouth turned upwards.

She leaned her head on one of her hands. ‘So, if you and Caleb are such lifelong friends, how come you haven’t been to see him once in all the time I’ve worked here?’

He paused to swallow the last of his coffee. ‘While it’s true that Caleb and I go way back, it’s not the same with Addison. Though she’s far too polite to come out and say it, I have a strong suspicion that she might not like me very much.’

Lara frowned. Sure, Reuben was annoying, verging on arrogant, but what possible reason did Addison have to actively dislike the man enough to discourage his presence in her home? Should she be worried?

‘Why do you think it is exactly that Addison doesn’t like you?’ She strove to keep her tone neutral and the wobble out of her voice.

He took a few seconds before he answered. ‘Let’s just say I knew Caleb when we were relatively young guys—long before Addison came on the scene—and we might have been involved in a few...’ he paused to think of the right word ‘...boisterous activities.’

‘Boisterous activities? That’s it? That’s all you’re giving me?’

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