Bedded at the Billionaire's Convenience(24)

‘Yes, but…don’t you think you were taking the performance a little too far?’

He shrugged and stepped back, allowing her to sweep past him into the sitting room where, he noticed, she made sure to take the only one seater in the room. He sat on the sofa and shook his head, patting the space next to him. When she tucked her legs under her, he sighed laboriously, stood up and went across to where she was looking at him nervously.

‘Won’t do.’

‘What won’t do?’

‘You sitting all on your own over there. Not really the right image of a couple madly in love, is it?’

He had leant down to speak to her and, in the half light in the room, Georgie shivered, realising conclusively what she had managed to get herself into. This man didn’t play by the rules.

‘B-but we’re not madly in love,’ Georgie stammered. Her lips still tasted of him. She almost couldn’t believe that he had done that, kissed her like that.

‘Oh, but we are, when we’re here.’ They both heard Didi returning and he pulled Georgie quickly to her feet so that they were still entwined when his mother entered the room.

He feathered a kiss lightly on the crown of her head and Georgie was tempted to poke him soundly in the back because she knew just what he was doing. He didn’t like her and he certainly didn’t much care for the position in which he now found himself, but, beast that he was, he wasn’t going to be the biddable force she wanted. He was going to make sure that she was hoist by her own petard. He ran a finger along her spine and she shivered and only managed to create a little distance between them when she accepted the glass of wine his mother was proffering to her, though not for long.

‘Tell me all about these wonderful meetings of yours,’ Didi encouraged as they sat on the sofa, Pierre’s arm casually draped over her shoulders so that she was pulled against him. She had brought in a large platter of bites, which she assured them would have to do for starters. Prawns, little salmon rolls, bread sticks and a salsa dip in the middle. It gave Georgie a few seconds worth of time putting some of the delicacies on her plate to gather her thoughts together.

For someone of whom she intrinsically disapproved, the man was having a ridiculous effect on her nervous system. Thank goodness she had dressed for the weather, lots of flowing layers, because she shuddered to think how her body might react if those arrogantly wandering hands of his came upon her bare flesh.

‘Why don’t you tell your mum all about it, darling?’ She smiled sweetly at him over her shoulder and then edged away so that she could tuck into the food, which tasted delicious. Didi had done precious little cooking of late, and even though the salmon and prawns were not a complicated affair they tellingly revealed the change in her state of mind.#p#分页标题#e##p#分页标题#e#

She looked encouragingly at Pierre. Safely out of range of physical contact, she felt her scattered nerves begin to haltingly regroup.

‘Oh, the usual.’ Pierre smiled at Didi’s eager expression and helped himself to a mountain of titbits. ‘Looks good, Didi. Have a lie-in in the morning. I’ll bring you a cup of tea and some toast.’ It would be a first for him, cooking breakfast for someone else, and it was hardly an invitation to fly to the moon, but he was awkwardly aware that he had delivered a mighty treat, judging from his mother’s radiant smile. It had never occurred to him that such a small gesture could evoke such a richly rewarding response. Normally he woke with the larks when he was in Devon so that he could download his emails and catch up on whatever he might have missed the night before while his mother snoozed. Often he would grab a slice of toast long before she had awakened and would keep her company in the kitchen while she ate, his mind half on whatever deal he happened to have on at the moment.

‘Goodness, Pierre! There’s no need to, although it would be lovely…’

‘You were about to tell your mum how we met…I haven’t exactly been forthcoming with details, have I, Didi?’ Georgie turned fully to Pierre and shot him a look implicit with meaning. ‘I thought you’d like to hear it from Pierre himself. I know he’s not terribly—hmm, now what’s the word?—open when it comes to expressing himself…but I just know how much he’s been dying to fill you in…’

Georgie wondered what he would say. They had not communicated during the week and she knew that he would have been simmering at the uncomfortable position in which he had unwittingly found himself. She could apologise until the cows came home and it would make no difference. He would still be angry with her. Even though he must surely see the beneficial effects of their little deception. Didi had blossomed. Once her strength and purpose had returned, then, yes, they could decide how to break it to her that their relationship was over. She would be able to cope.