Beneath This Man

‘Very.’ I say around my mouthful of delicious, ripe strawberry. I’m definitely hungry for these.

He starts grazing on his lip. Oh no. What’s he thinking? My chews slow down as I watch his eyes dart around a bit.

He finally speaks. ‘You didn’t mean it, did you? When you said you didn’t live here?’

I pause mid-chew and look at the worried face in front of me. His frown line is slowly creeping across his brow. ‘You want me to live with you, but you won’t even tell me how old you are.’ I raise my eyebrows. He has got to see the weirdness in this. There’s a whole lot of other stuff as well, stuff that I’m trying my hardest to ignore – and failing – but I’ll stick to this minor detail for now.

‘What difference does my age make?’ he asks as he pops a strawberry into his own mouth.

I shake my head, watching him chew. ‘Okay,’ I swallow. ‘What do I tell my parents when they ask? In fact, what do I tell my family when they enquire about your profession?’

Profession? Is there a professional name for Jesse?

The cogs commence and he shrugs, slipping another strawberry past my lips. ‘Tell them I own a hotel.’

I accept his offering, but keep talking. I’m not going down easily here. ‘What if they would like to see this hotel?’ I mumble around my munching.

‘Then they can see it.’ He smiles. ‘You thought it was a hotel.’

I scowl at him. ‘You had me escorted around the premises by staff and locked me up in your office so no one could talk to me. Are you going to do the same with my Mum and Dad?’

‘I’ll show them around on a quiet day.’ he answers swiftly.

Has he thought about this already? I can’t believe I’m talking about the possibility of him meeting my parents. I can’t even begin to think about how my Mum and Dad will take to Jesse. Yes, he can turn the charm on, but I’m supposed to be young, free and single after seven years and two shitty relationships, and I doubt very much that he’ll be able to control his trampling behaviour, even with my parents.

‘What if they want to stay at this hotel?’ I fire back. ‘They live in Newquay, so they’ll be staying in a hotel if they come to visit.’

He starts laughing. ‘Should I put them in the communal room?’

I jab him in the stomach, which only serves to increase his amusement. I’m irritated that he’s finding my predicament so funny, but I’m also beginning to see snippets of this easygoing Jesse who everyone keeps telling me about. I don’t like him very much at the moment, though. ‘I’m glad you find my turmoil so funny, and you still haven’t answered the age issue.’ I grab a strawberry and shove it in my mouth.

He recovers from his laughing fit and turns serious eyes onto mine. ‘Ava, it would seem you’re looking for any excuse to get out of this.’ He reaches over and drags his finger across my bottom lip. ‘If your parents ask how old I am, then make an age up, however old you want me to be, I’ll be that. If they come to visit, then they will stay here. There are four spare bedrooms, all with bathrooms. Stop fighting it. Now, is that all?’ He arches an expectant brow at me.

Damn you Jesse Ward. ‘Are you going to trample my parents?’

‘If they get in my way.’ he says seriously.

I have a mental meltdown on the spot. My Mum is not slow in expressing her opinion, and my Dad, while a gentle giant, can be fierce when it comes to his children. This is not good news. I need to avoid the meeting my parent’s scenario for as long as possible – maybe even never.

‘Why were the police at The Manor?’ I shoot at him. This is another thing that’s playing on my mind.

He rolls his eyes. ‘I told you, some idiot is playing silly games.’

‘What sort of silly games?’

‘Ava, it’s nothing for you to worry about. End of.’ He presents me with another strawberry, and I reluctantly take it. He’s trying to stop me from asking irritating questions by keeping my mouth full.

It doesn’t stop me, though. ‘What about this mystery woman?’

‘She’s still a mystery.’ he answers swiftly and shortly.

‘So you asked Clive?’ I’m aggravating him now.

‘No, Ava, I haven’t had time.’ He’s very annoyed. He bloody has asked Clive, and he’s also asked him to keep his mouth shut. I need to be cute here, too. I’ll speak to security. I scowl at him, but he continues. ‘When can I take you shopping?’

What?

He must catch my alarmed face because his irritated expression softens immediately. ‘I owe you a dress and with the anniversary party coming up, I thought we could kill two birds with one stone.’

‘I have plenty of dresses.’ I grumble. A shopping trip with Jesse is at the top of my avoid to do list. I’ll walk out of the store looking like an Eskimo.

‘Are you going to defy me at every turn today, lady?’ He narrows his greens on me, and I give him my own little scowl in return, but I’m too exhausted to quarrel. Instead, I move myself into his chest and snuggle up to him. He might be an arrogant, challenging arse, but I’m completely in love with him and there is nothing I can do about it.

Chapter 10

I peel my eyes open and find myself tucked closely into Jesse’s chest. It’s not quite daylight, which means it’s very early, and Jesse isn’t awake, so it’s definitely before five. My brain snaps awake immediately and I begin the meticulous task of freeing myself from his body without disturbing him. It’s hard. He seems to hold onto me as tight in his sleep as he does when he’s awake.