Catch Me a Catch (9 page)

“I’d love to
see New York.” There was a wistful note in her voice. “I haven’t traveled at
all, apart from a brief holiday in France with a couple of friends. Steve and I
were going to go to Australia on our honeymoon.” She eased her hand away, and
picked up her glass. “He took Elaine instead. I think that’s the bit that hurt
most!”

Her smile hid
the truth he glimpsed in eyes suddenly lowered. It wasn’t just the stolen
honeymoon, but the stolen husband that hurt.

A rush of
jealous anger flooded him. He didn’t want to think of Annie with another man,
or mooning over one, either. “Do you still think of him?” The words ground out
of him before he realized it. She raised her eyes to his and her mouth gaped a
little.

He knew it
wasn’t any of his business. He didn’t have any right to question her about her
ex. She swallowed.

“I thought you
were in advertising, not therapy.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“You said you
hadn’t dated since him.”

“I’ve been out
with a couple of men in Dublin, but nothing serious.” She was silent for a
moment, and then pulled in a breath. “I don’t think of Steve anymore. For a
long time I wondered what I did wrong. I agonized over why he chose Elaine
instead of me. After a while, I decided we just wanted different things. I’m
better off without him. I just wish I didn’t have to deal with the fallout.”

“How long ago
was the
disaster
?”

She bit her
bottom lip.

“Two years.
You’d think our neighbors would have moved on, but it’s still talked about. Mum
got asked how I was coping just last week.” A bitter smile twisted her mouth.
“I guess they don’t know because I don’t live here anymore. I only come home
for Christmases, really.”

It was
inconceivable she’d let one bad experience drive her away from home and loving
family. Could she really not see what she had?

“What about
your family?”

She shrugged.
“I’m only a couple of hours away. If there’s a problem I can get here quickly.”
She changed the subject. “What about you, Jack? Is there anyone special waiting
for you back in New York?” Cool, calm, collected. Her fingers worried her
napkin. She carefully tore the flimsy paper into strips. Despite her cool
words, she cared what his answer would be.

“No. I’m
unattached. I wouldn’t have kissed you in the pub if I was seeing someone.”

She leant back
on the cane chair. “Was there anyone?” she whispered.

“There was. A
long time ago.” He’d probed her secrets, and owed her the truth. “We weren’t
engaged, but I’d been thinking about it. It didn’t work out.” He’d never told
anyone the full details of Sharon’s betrayal, but Annie had been so honest he
had to reciprocate. “I came home unexpectedly one day and found her in my bed
with someone else. That was the end of that.”

“I’m sorry.”
Her expressive eyes confirmed it.

“It was a long
time ago. I’m over it.”

Love brought
nothing but heartache. It was a hard lesson he’d learnt with his parents’
death. And he’d had it burned into him again when he found Sharon in bed with
another man. Annie must have learnt that lesson too, after being left at the
altar. Love wasn’t worth it. It was better to have a relationship where both
parties knew the score. Friends with benefits. No broken hearts involved.

The waiter
cleared their plates.

“I don’t want
anything else. I’m still full after that lunch you bought me.”

After he
settled the bill, she stood and pulled him to his feet. “Come on, let’s have a
look around.”

His yacht tied
up on the jetty was just visible from the brow of the hill. He pointed the
small white craft out to her in the sea washed silver by the moon’s light. The
muted hum of people and music drifted up to them from their vantage point above
the town.

“You had no
one to talk to for weeks at sea. How did you survive?”

Moonlight
painted the face tilted towards his with its silvery glow. Chestnut highlights
glistened in its light. She barely came up to his shoulder, and he resisted a
primitive urge to put a protective arm around her.

“I liked being
alone. Plenty of time to think.” The thoughts had come thick and fast on the
solitude of the water. Like the eddies in the yacht’s wake, they’d swirled
around him constantly. Thoughts of his grandmother, and what his future might
be when he found her.

“I would have
gone crazy, out there all alone.” She shivered.

“I didn’t feel
alone.” He was following in the watery wake of every sailor who had gone
before. The trivial worries of day-to-day living had faded away, replaced with
joy at the occasional sight of a school of fish, or the birds landing on deck,
catching a ride. It was a purer, alternative view of life. One where he felt
truly alive. The wonder of the voyage had permeated his psyche, changing him
forever.

A smile curved
his lips, remembering.

“It was a
wonderful experience, wasn’t it?” She didn’t press him for details, just
reached for his hand, squeezing it gently.

“Yes.”

She trailed a
finger across his cheek, and then reached up for him, teasing his lips with
hers briefly before pulling back.

“What was that
for?”

“Just because
I wanted to. Come on, I want to show you something.”

****

They walked
back toward the car. People were everywhere, holding hands, kissing. Taking a
chance on love. All day long she’d told people to open their hearts and be
brave. What a hypocrite. Jack climbed into the passenger seat next to her and
put on his seatbelt. She hadn’t felt this powerful attraction for two years,
hell, she was even more attracted than she’d ever been to Steve. And how had
she reacted? She’d done her best to push him away. It was time to stop running.

She turned off
the main road down a track that led to a hidden strand. Flecks of mica in the
sand glittered, lighting their way. Tufts of spiky grass sprouted from the
dunes, rustling secrets in the breeze. The waves were dark stripes in the
silver ebb and flow of the water. The engine’s sound faded to silence.

“It’s
beautiful.”

“I thought
you’d like it.” They climbed from the car and leant on the car’s hood. The warm
breeze teased her hair. The night air was infused with the scent of tangy salt
and seaweed. She licked her lips, tasting the salt on her tongue.

“I’m sorry
about earlier. In your room.”

“I was out of
line.” He crossed his arms.

“No. I was
just taken by surprise, that’s all.” She stepped in front of him. Slid a hand
up his chest. “Things escalated so quickly between us…”

His jaw was
set in a forbidding line. “What are you saying, Annie?”

“I’m saying I
feel this attraction between us, too.” Wind whispered through the grasses on
the dunes. His chest was hard under her hands. Unyielding.

“You were
right. I’m not going to be around. No matter how things go, I’ve a life in New
York. I’m not the settling down kind.”

“I never asked
you to settle down.” He’d somehow cast her in the role of needy spinster in
need of a husband. Anger bubbled. Erupted. “You’ve some cheek thinking I would
even want to settle down. I’ve only known you for a couple of days.”

“You’re not
the type for a quick fling.” It was the truth, and she was furious he’d read
her so easily.

“How do you
know that?” She shook her head. Didn’t he feel the heat between them? Wasn’t he
feeling out of control too? Her whole body was in uproar, yearning for his
touch. She was sick and tired of taking the safe option. Right now, a dangerous
fling with Jack was more than something she wanted. It was something she
needed, with every fiber of her body.

“I know you’re
not a woman to love and leave. A relationship between us would be a bad idea.”

“Why don’t you
stop thinking, and let me decide what’s good for me?” Love and leave would be a
hell of a lot more satisfying than just leave. She’d been left before. This
time was different. This time she was the one calling the shots.

“You’ve seen
one side of me, Jack. It’s the side my parents see. Small village Annie.
There’s a big city Venus you’ve yet to meet.”

She’d never
tried to seduce anyone before. Had always been the prey, rather than the
hunter. This time was different. She wanted him. In a slow slide, she moved
closer, liking the way his eyes darkened at her approach. She wound an arm
around the back of his neck, and dragged him down to her, kissing him hard.

His hands
slipped under the hem of her top and held her close. Warm lips kissed her back.
He muttered against her mouth. “This is not a good idea.” His fingers stroked
her skin under the soft cotton.

“I think it’s
an excellent idea.” She snuggled closer. The hard evidence of his arousal
nudged against her stomach. His lips trailed from mouth to neck. She shivered.
The sensation of his mouth on her skin was sending her body into uproar. He
worked his way up to her lips again, tongue tracing her bottom lip, before
plundering her mouth again. She arched into his kiss, heart hammering. Desperate
to get closer. His hands cupped her bottom pulling her against his hard
arousal.

“There’s a
blanket in the boot.” She barely recognized her husky voice. Hell, she barely
recognized the wanton siren as herself either, but somehow she’d managed to convince
Jack she was serious. There was no way she was going to slow things down now.

“I want to be
in a warm bed, with crisp white sheets, and you,” he murmured. “I don’t want
our first time to be here.”

“But it’s so
beautiful. It has everything. Moon, water, solitude…”

“Let’s not
forget sand and the possibility of being caught in the act,” he finished.
Easing his body away. His thumb brushed her bottom lip. “We need to slow things
down; take our time.” Like a thrown bucket of icy water, his words chilled her
to the bone. Her hands fell to her sides and she shivered.

“You’re cold.
We should get back.”

She couldn’t look
at him, couldn’t speak.
Couldn’t she do anything right?
Unskilled at
seduction, her brave attempt had gone horribly wrong. With a frozen heart she
climbed into the car. The moonlit beach bearing silent witness to her
humiliation.

Chapter Six

A rap on the
door jolted Annie from a fevered dream. In it, she stood shivering on the beach
naked in front of a fully dressed Jack. With a shuttered gaze, he’d climbed
into the car, and reversed away. Her heart was racing, and her body was sticky
with a thin layer of sweat. Her stomach pitched and rolled, churning with
nausea.

“Annie,
phone!” She forced bleary eyes open. Maeve loomed over her, brandishing the
phone like a weapon.

“Thanks Mum.”
It was only a dream. His rejection hadn’t been quite that brutal.

Maeve handed
over the phone and bustled out. Annie pulled in a shuddering breath to steady
her shredded nerves and clutched the phone in a death grip.

“Hello?”

“Anne Devine?”

“That’s me.”
Light bled in from the gap in the curtains. She blinked at the bedside clock.
Who on earth was phoning at half eight on a Saturday morning?

“This is Susan
Goff.” A pregnant pause. Was she supposed to know Susan Goff? “From the
Chocolate Oscars.”

Annie shot up
in bed with a gasp. Unbelievable. After two weeks totally focused on the
Artisan Chocolate competition, she’d forgotten the name of the head judge.

“Miss Goff, of
course. Good morning.” She regrouped. Pulled up the covers and crossed her
fingers. This was it. Was she in, or was her dream about to dissolve like a
sugar lump in hot tea? She clamped her eyes shut.

“I’m calling
to let you know we loved your Almond Praline Truffle, Miss Devine. You’re
through to the next stage.”

“The finals?”
She couldn’t breathe. Her eyes shot open, and her heart was pounding in her
chest as if it wanted to burst out and dance around the room.

“We’ll need
your entry in by Sunday evening.”

Through a haze
of delight, Annie squeaked her thanks to Susan Goff for the call. She hung up.
Euphoria fizzed like champagne in her veins.

At least
something’s going right.
She snuggled down in the bed and yanked the duvet
up to her chin, luxuriating in the warm glow of success. Determined to make the
moment last before she had to get up and greet the day.

****

The rapping on
Annie’s door shot Jack from sleep to full alertness. His eyes darted around the
unfamiliar room in panic and his muscles tensed ready for flight. In the grey
light, he reached over and switched on the bedside lamp.

A painting
hung above the worn chest of drawers: a thickly painted rocky outcrop with
tiny, fluffy pink flowers protruding from cracks in the stone. He was in
Ireland. Finally home in the country his parents had come from, the country
where his grandmother still lived.

His heartbeat
slowed as reality chased away the bad memories
. It was only a dream
. His
legs were tangled in the sheets and he tugged them free. Starved lungs pulled
in a deep breath of steadying air.
He was an adult now. An adult with
nothing to fear
. Not a kid scared of the dark anymore. He flung back the
bedding and strode to the window to pull back the faded curtain.

Annie was so
lucky. She had everything he’d always wanted, yet all she wanted was escape. If
he had a family like hers, he’d move heaven and earth to keep it.

The memory of
her face in the moonlight burned as he forced his hands through tousled hair.
He’d totally screwed up last night, pulling away. His heart had plummeted into
his shoes the minute she turned away from him. And afterwards, she couldn’t get
away from him quickly enough. Had darted upstairs and closed the door. Annie
wasn’t just any woman. Even though she’d told him she was a big City Venus, he
didn’t believe it for a moment. She was special. He didn’t want a quick moment
on the beach on a musty blanket; he wanted their lovemaking to be perfect.