Hate to Love You(73)

Peeping Paisley, my mind added snidely.

I was unable to stifle a small whimper. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t innocent at eighteen and I certainly wasn’t at twenty-five. But this was James I was ogling. And this was me, hot to the roots of my hair, eyes shut and body trembling—and therefore completely unprepared for when he yanked the wardrobe open and dragged me out by the arm.

James slammed me against the wall and all I could do was try to breathe through the stranglehold on my neck. His eyes widened when he recognised me and he loosened his hold.

“Shinto,” I croaked.

“Shinto?”

“Religion... Japan,” I wheezed.

James reared back and looked at me as if I belonged in an insane asylum. Then it looked as if he belonged in one—maximum security.

“Then you’d better say your prayers,” he said, low and hard. “Because I am this close to showing you what happens to people who break into my flat to stalk my son. This time you’ve gone too far.”

My attempts to twist free were pretty pathetic. I’ve never been a fitness buff and my eavesdropping exercise had left me weak-kneed. “I wasn’t stalking Ryan.”

I told him about the silver service job and how I’d ended up in his flat. “I was impatient, angry and desperate. Nothing I do or say makes any difference to you letting me see Ryan and I wanted Francesca’s help. I even risked jail so I could talk to her.”

His look was scathing. “And eavesdrop on private conversations.”

“I’m sorry.”

He grunted. “No doubt you’re also sorry to hear how my relationship with Caroline ended.”

I met his look, dead certain of my sentiments. “I’m sorry it turned ugly but Caroline would have made your life as miserable as she made mine. Whether you believe me or not I didn’t want that for you. Not after I met you and we—Well, the truth is I hoped that she wouldn’t hurt you.”

James braced his palms against the wall on either side of my head. His mouth was so close to mine I had the feeling that he was going to lean in and kiss me. The inexplicable current that always charged between us sizzled across my skin and my traitorous body arched in anticipation.

Naked, tanned pecs battled with James’s irate face for my attention. He seemed to be struggling with himself, as if there was an earthquake rumbling inside him, climbing up the anger scale and threatening to crack through.

“Let me go,” I said, hating how weak I sounded.

He braceleted my hands behind my back and yanked my hips against his. “Isn’t this your favourite position, up against the wall?” he growled.

If I’d had enough oxygen in my lungs I would have gasped. He was rigid, hot, and it felt as if my dress would melt off my body. Confused and unsure of James’s mood, I was suddenly afraid of his strength and his anger.

“I should have you arrested,” he said.

“Will you?”

James straightened and let go of me. I promptly put some distance between us, backing up towards the bedroom door. Did he have to study me like I was his prey, surveying me from head to toe and making me more jittery by the second?

James took a step forward and I stepped back. He paced a slow, deliberate circle around me and I rotated on the spot, mirroring his every step. I knew from watching the Discovery Channel that you should never turn your back on a predator, so I stood my ground. It was like facing a panther, with no fence between us.

“Take the wig off,” he said.

I touched it uneasily. “And why would I want to do that?”#p#分页标题#e#

“Because you’re in my bedroom uninvited and I said so.”

Fine! It would give me something to do other than stare at him.

“You’re not a very good stalker,” he mocked.

I lifted my chin. “I studied Crime TV.”

James smirked. “From the way you scrambled down our copper birch that night, we thought you’d hurt yourself. I bet Bonaparte twenty pounds you were limber enough to hit the ground running, and you were.”

I had landed hard on my hip and sprinted into the park, pursued halfway to the edge by the massive chauffeur. “I’m glad you found me amusing.”

“I don’t find breaking into my house and invading my privacy amusing.”

I let out an exasperated huff. “I didn’t break into the house. Like I said, I was hired by L’Amuse Bouche.”

“Hired to skulk in my wardrobe?”

Oh crap, he just had to bring that up. My face was a flame and my body a melting candle. “I’m sorry I watched you undress.”

James’s eyes gleamed like two unguarded gems, tempting me to delve deeper. Contrary to other times I’d tried to read him, his thoughts jumped out at me, crossing the space between us and striking me between the eyes.