‘I just thought it might make a difference to you.’ She’d never treated Marshall as different, and he knew she’d have been as devastated as he was when Marshall died. At least, he assumed she knew of his death even though he’d tried to keep it quiet. But the furore afterwards as he’d lost control had been splashed over the newspapers.
‘But this?’
‘You wanted me to be honest, so hear me out. The kids in the choir are just like him. Excited, hopeful...special. They want to go to the national competition and be part of something that’s normal. And they’ve got a good chance of placing too. They just need a break.’
‘And me as a draw card.’
This was a game-changer. But he didn’t know if he could walk into a room full of kids like Marshall and not make a fool of himself by losing it. He’d ploughed thousands of dollars into research, donated anonymously to charities, but he was scared about coming face to face with a kid like his brother.
‘I never pegged you as a coward, Nate.’
‘I’m not a coward.’ Irritation tripped down his spine mixing with the other emotions she’d dredged up in him. ‘I just don’t need to go back there. I have nothing to prove.’
The laugh gushing from her throat was filled with passion. ‘Oh, yeah? The Nathan Munro I knew always had something to prove. You’ve spent the last ten years showing the world how good you can be despite your upbringing. But right now the only thing you’re proving is how much you’ve changed. And not for the better.’
Retrieving a card from her purse, she regained her composure. Which was a shame, because something about her all fired up connected with something deep in him. ‘If, by any kind of miracle, you change your mind here’s my contact details. And the school—well, you know where that is. Please just think about.’
He didn’t need to. He wasn’t doing it.
Crumpling the card into his fist, he frowned. ‘Sasha, I could find that school with my eyes closed. I just don’t want to.’
‘That’s okay. I understand. It was worth a try, though, eh?’ She pressed her lips together and shrugged. ‘Good to see you after all this time.’
‘Yeah, sure.’ Was it? He didn’t know. But one thing he was sure of: he didn’t want to see that school or her again. He just didn’t trust her or the weird and immediate effect she had on him.
Then she dashed out of the door and into the tube station. Leaving him with a distinct unease, accompanied by a determination not to let Sasha Sweet get to him.
But as he looked at the tatty bit of cardboard with her name on it, he got the feeling that was going to be very hard to do.
THREE
‘What is it with men?’ Sasha slumped into the deep cushions on her lumpy old sofa and shook her head. ‘I’ll never understand them.’
‘What you really mean is, what is it with Nate Munro?’ Cassie came through from the kitchenette, bearing mugs of thick creamy hot chocolate topped with marshmallows, and snuggled in next to her. Mainly because in Sasha’s cramped flat there was just no space for another piece of furniture.
‘Aaaargh. He’s so annoying.’ And so was her body’s reaction to him.
‘I can’t believe you rode in his limo, you lucky thing. I bet it was amazing.’
‘It wasn’t like I had a choice. It was tantamount to kidnapping. And I wasn’t looking at the interior décor.’ Technically she’d been tagged as a desperate groupie and bundled in like a piece of merchandise. But she doubted that would make it seem less glamorous in Cassie’s eyes.
Inhaling the chocolate aroma, Sasha tried to instill calm. Nothing was ever so bad that chocolate couldn’t help. Except...she breathed in again...nothing changed. Her pulse still jittered, her head pounded, and every time she closed her eyes she could see his lazy smile. Only instead of feeling angry with him she felt flustered and breathless and strangely confused. First time ever the chocolate magic hadn’t worked.
Cassie nudged her. ‘You can hardly blame him, sis, you knew he’d never come through. He’s too famous, too busy. Too darned hot to care about a school he was expelled from or an ex from years back.’
Hot for sure. Yes, yes, Sasha knew that, and she hated to admit it. Since the second she’d laid eyes on him again she’d been fighting to keep her hormones under control. And failing.
It had always been the same with him; he had a way of making her whole body light up with a touch. After he’d gone she’d thrown herself into forgetting him, and that had worked just fine. Until now.
‘And you can stop with the sighing too, Cassie. He might be beautiful, but he’s not kind if he can turn my lovely choir down like that. He’s selfish and brooding and...’ She stopped right there. Thoughts straying in his direction were not good for her mental health.
‘And you really are hooked on finding someone kind, aren’t you? You’re a lost cause.’ Cassie giggled. ‘Top of my list comes abs, eyes...ass. Rich helps. Sense of humour, definitely—’
Sasha sighed, grateful for Cassie’s never-ending sense of optimism and fun. Grateful too, that, with Suzy’s help, Sasha had shielded their adorable little sister from the fallout of their father’s death. At least one of the three sisters had survived intact.
‘I just can’t see me falling for anyone who doesn’t treat me as an equal. I want to feel safe, and cherished. I don’t want to live on an edge or spend my life worrying whether he loves me or not. I want boring. Old tatty slippers and cardigans. Holding hands for our sixtieth wedding anniversary like Granny and Gramps.’
After her father had died all ideas of being safe either emotionally or financially were ripped apart, leaving the whole family bereft. She didn’t want to invite more hurt into her life and the few less-than-successful experiences she’d had with men had proved her right. Loving someone could be unpredictable, based on lies that hurt like hell.
So when her Prince Charming arrived, he’d be driving a Volvo and wearing sensible brogues.
Immediately, her thoughts strayed to slim long legs and big biker boots, tiled toilet floors and flashy limousines.
She shuddered. Way too dangerous.
‘I know...’ Cassie sat up and squished her left leg underneath her bottom, eyes firing with excitement. ‘Do you want me to get Nate arrested? Then we can convince him to do it. Pat’s a great policeman—I’m sure he’d find something on him.’
Sasha eyed Cassie in the way only a big sister could—a look that said I love you, now shut up at the same time. ‘Will you stop with that? Ever since you started dating Pat the Plod you’ve been offering for him to arrest someone.’
‘I know. I can’t help it—the thought of him being all masculine and strong—ooh.’ Cassie clasped her mug to her chest and sighed. ‘Divine.’
‘Just as I thought, it has more to do with the idea of handcuffs than an inflated sense of civic duty.’ Sasha laughed and shook her head. ‘But if the papers are to be believed Nate’s been arrested way too many times already.’
‘I’m sure they make half of that stuff up.’
‘I dare say.’ But the one time it had mattered—the first time—she’d let him go.
No—she’d turned her back on him like the rest. And with due cause. The man had attacked someone and she’d had enough violence in her life to put up with it from a boyfriend too. Seeing Nathan’s aggressive reaction had sparked a deeply buried memory that she couldn’t bear to relive. So she’d walked away.
‘It’s probably a good thing, anyway. I just have to work