His entire life was about holding things back until they had the most advantage.
‘My days are packed out from dawn until dusk.’
Georgia shrugged. ‘I have a job, too, so they’re going to be evening and weekend things anyway, I imagine.’
It was hard not to admire her for sticking to her guns. Not too many people made a habit of saying no to him these days. He had them all too scared.
‘I have things I like to do on my weekends,’ he argued. But not very convincingly. Hard-to-get was all part of the game.
One dark, well-shaped eyebrow lifted. ‘How badly do you want these ratings?’
A stain of colour came to her cheeks. Either she was shocked at her own audacity or she was enjoying giving him some stick. He used the time she thought he was thinking about her offer to study her features instead. She had a right-hand-side dimple that totally belied the determination of those set lips, and she had a chin built for protesting.
That was probably long enough. He hissed as if he hadn’t made his decision sixty seconds ago. ‘Fine. I’ll do it.’
Her triumph was so brief. It only took her a heartbeat to realise that his commitment had fully sealed hers. And her next twelve months.
‘One more condition,’ she hurried as a pair of drink menus arrived. It was his turn to lift a brow. ‘No one mentions Dan. No one. You will leave him completely alone.’
Loyalty blazed from her chocolate eyes.
Somewhere down deep where constancy used to live in him, he admired her for continuing to protect the man she’d injured. A man she still cared for even though he’d also hurt her horribly. It said she might have been impetuous and naïve but she was faithful. And that was a rare commodity in his world. Her hurt and anger were very clearly directed at herself. In fact, the most notable thing about her manner was the absence of the flat, lifeless lack of interest that he associated so closely with heartbreak—and knew so intimately.
He wondered if she’d even realised yet that her heart wasn’t broken.
‘OK, Daniel is out of it.’
‘And get the media to lay off him.’
He snorted. Whoever taught Georgia about manners forgot to teach her about pushing her luck. ‘No one can halt that train now that it’s moving, Georgia. I can promise EROS won’t use him, but there’s nothing I can do about him being London’s most wanted. He’s a big boy. He’ll be fine.’
Besides, judging by what he heard on the broadcast, Daniel Bradford could look after himself.
He leaned forward and locked his eyes on hers. ‘You’ve played this well—’ for a civilian ‘—but I’ve bent about as far as I’m going to go. I’ll have an amendment to the contract drawn up and ready for your signature next week.’
She nodded and sank back in her side of the booth.
‘How about some dinner?’
She just blinked at him.
‘You do eat dinner?’
‘Um, yes. Though not usually out. Except for special occasions.’
She truly hadn’t begun to imagine ways of spending her huge windfall? He tried one last time to prove that she was like everyone else. ‘Don’t tell me you’re another mad-keen home chef?’
Her laugh was automatic. ‘No, definitely not.’
‘You don’t cook?’
‘I prepare food. But it’s not really cooking. The latest in a number of reasons it was probably just as well Dan declined my proposal.’
She certainly was taking her failed marriage-bid a hell of a lot better than he’d taken his. Did that say more about her or Bradford?
Or him?
He fired up his tablet and tapped a few keys. ‘I think we just found your first official Year of Georgia idea.’
‘Eating out in every restaurant in London?’
‘Culinary school.’ He chuckled.
She stared. ‘I hated home economics at school. What makes you think I’ll enjoy it now?’
‘Half the women on my staff are right into those social cooking classes. Wine, conversation, cooking techniques from the experts. The sessions must have something going for them.’
Her lips tightened. ‘I’m not sure I’d want to go where your staff—’
‘God, no.’ He pushed his chair back and stood. ‘That’s the last thing I want, too.’
‘You?’
‘I’ll be coming along. Or have you changed your mind?’
Her delicate brows folded closer together. ‘It’s not me doing it for me if I’m doing it with you. The dynamic would be all wrong.’
Dynamic. That sounded almost credible. What was she really worried about?
‘I need to be there to record your progress, but...you have a point. We’ll do it together, but separate. Like we don’t know each other. I’ll just shadow you. Watch.’
A streak of colour ran up her jaw. ‘Won’t that be weird?’
He pushed his glass away and leaned in closer. ‘Georgia, I’m going to have a solution for any hurdle you put up. You’ve signed the contract. How about working with me on this instead of against?’
She sighed. Stared at him with those unreadable eyes. ‘OK. Sorry.’ She took a sip of white wine. ‘What did you have in mind?’
* * *
‘That’s a long list.’ Georgia stretched and read the upside-down sheet in front of Zander.
‘A year is a long time. But we don’t have to go with all of these. Plus things might come up along the way so we need to leave room for those. If you had to shortlist, which ones would you enjoy the most?’
He spun the paper around to her and passed her his fancy pen. She asterisked Wimbledon, cooking classes—which she agreed to because he’d indicated his listeners would love it, not because she actually wanted to know the difference between flambé and sauté—cocktail-making class, truffle-making, and a makeover. That last one because she got the sense he really thought it was important. She tugged her sensible shirt down further over her sensible trousers.
‘I really want to do this one.’ She circled one down near the bottom, taking a risk. It wasn’t what he’d be expecting at all. And unlike some of the others this one actually did interest and intrigue her.
‘Ice carving?’
‘How amazing would that be? Ooh, and this one...’ Another asterisk.
‘Spy school?’
She lifted excited eyes. ‘Can you imagine?’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t need to imagine. I’m going to find out.’
She sipped her wine.
‘What about travel?’ he asked.
‘What about it?’
‘Not interested in the thought of a holiday?’
Flying to a whole other country seemed a lot to ask. Besides, she didn’t have a passport. Just the idea of applying for one got her blood thrumming.
‘Where could I go?’ she breathed.
His smile was almost indulgent. If it weren’t also so confused. Had he never met anyone whose gratification went so far beyond delayed it was non-existent?
‘Anywhere you want,’ he said.
As