Together by Christmas by Karen Swan

Author:Karen Swan [Swan, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2020-10-28T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

‘It is unacceptable that you look better in a suit than I do,’ Bart muttered, pulling on his cuffs as they walked towards the bar’s steel door. It still had the three-armed entry wheel from when this had actually been a bank vault and her heart was pounding as hard as if she was staging a break-in. The adrenaline was pumping and she had to fight the urge to turn on her ridiculous heels and high-tail it out of here.

‘You didn’t see the dress I nearly wore,’ she murmured, checking her jacket was correctly positioned. Her ivory crepe blouse was plunging, with two neck ties dangling loose and providing minimal coverage should she twist slightly too far.

Bart arched an eyebrow. ‘Hot?’

‘Hotter than hell.’

His eyes widened. ‘So why didn’t you wear it then? This is the Hot List dinner.’

‘Yes, but I’m not on that list.’ She winked at him with a levity she didn’t feel. ‘We’re just staff, darling.’

They were running late; Mila had been apoplectic with her when she’d answered the door in her tux and there’d been a lot of explaining (lying) to do. Lee had given her the exact same spiel – it wasn’t ‘appropriate’ for her to dress as the femme fatale; tonight wasn’t about her – but the truth was, she needed a suit that doubled as armour. Sam’s yawning silence had left her in knots at the prospect of seeing him again tonight. With every passing day, every slow-turning hour that he didn’t call, he steadily filled the spaces in her mind; he was all she could think about now that it was becoming clear he had turned and walked away from her again – not like the first time, when he’d wanted more, but precisely because now he didn’t. He’d seen what lay at the heart of her; he’d glimpsed the ugliness and fear that hid beneath her tough, assertive demeanour and it had been enough. He didn’t want her.

And it wasn’t like she wanted to want him. This messy complication was exactly what she always tried so hard to avoid. She just had to get through tonight with some semblance of dignity.

Bart put his hand on the door and looked at her. ‘Ready?’

Her pulse spiked again. ‘Sure. Let’s get this over with and then we can get out of this hellhole,’ she quipped, sounding a lot more dry than she felt. It was what she and Cunningham always used to say to each other on assignment. Black humour definitely had its place.

Bart chuckled as he pushed the door open and they walked in, the babble of conversation rushing over them like warm water. Lee took in the cosy, rich interior in blinked snapshots – russet-toned rugs; low-slung, high-backed cream chairs; caramel-coloured wooden floors; intimate, flattering lighting. Almost every table was taken, women in silks and men in baratheas enjoying pre-show aperitifs before they went on to the opera or ballet or theatre; hotel guests relaxing before dinner. With the high prices the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.