The Complete #LoveLondon Collection. Nikki Moore

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СКАЧАТЬ and speed. She couldn’t pull him back or untwist her fingers. She was being yanked toward the edge of the concrete area, towards some kind of lip she had a nasty feeling she was going to trip over. With only one eye, her depth perception was skewed.

      ‘Shit!’ she squeaked, careening towards the edge.

      A pair of warm hands grabbed her around the waist and lifted her slightly as she fell forward, her hand freeing at the last minute from the puppy’s collar, and she tumbled down onto the cold grassy slope, her saviour next to her.

      ‘Careful, you don’t want to roll down the hill. You might never get a chance to tell me your name,’ a deep, familiar voice joked.

      ‘Bloody dog!’ Flustered, George sat up and shot Buttons a filthy look while she gathered her composure.

      ‘I think he was excited by the children,’ smiling guy rolled closer and picked a leaf out of her wavy hair. ‘Are you okay?’

      Glancing over her left shoulder she saw a group of milling children and several stressed-looking adults trying to wrangle them into some kind of order. He was probably right. Buttons did seem to get excited by clusters of people, especially the type who might give him attention.

      Turning back to her rescuer, she straightened her eye patch with trembling fingers. It had been a long time since she’d been so close to a guy. Close enough to feel the heat of his broad shoulder and a muscular thigh against hers. Don’t humiliate yourself. ‘Uh-huh,’ she mumbled, pulling her hair forward around her face. It would probably be rude to pull her hood up mid-conversation. It would also be weird given how sunny it was. ‘I mean, yes, thank you.’

      ‘Good.’ He leapt to his feet. ‘Did you come to see the skyline?’ he asked as if she hadn’t just been embarrassed in front of goodness knew how many people.

      ‘Not really,’ she said awkwardly. If she talked to people they’d look at her. And if they did that…she ran a finger along the puckered skin of her scar.

      Ignoring the gesture, he grabbed George’s other hand, hauling her up easily. ‘Lark, Emily,’ he called.

      George twisted around and narrowed her eye. Two little heads popped up from among the group of children. The pair started to make their way over to them, one a blond boy of about eight who reminded George of the milky-bar kid, except with a white cane. He was smiling, totally at ease with the stick. The girl next to him was grinning, signing something with her hands at George’s rescuer. Smiling guy signed something back, moving his mouth at the same time.

      He turned back to George. ‘Hi, I’m Leo.’ He held out a large hand.

      After a brief hesitation George took it. He’d just saved her from probable injury, so it would be rude not to shake his hand. ‘Georgiana,’ she whispered. What she didn’t expect was the soothing heat of his palm, or how the texture of it against her own made something in her tummy quiver. Oh. A blush started to climb her throat. No, no, no.

      ‘Nice name. Good to meet you.’ He said as the children arrived next him and he directed them to stroke and make a fuss over Buttons, who’d panted over to George in search of a treat.

      George drew a couple of biscuits out of her pocket and gave them to the black and white puppy as Leo crouched down and placed his hand on the boy’s to show him where the animal was sat. Buttons obediently lay down and started crunching away at his snack while the kids petted him. He looked thrilled with the combination.

      ‘So, are you getting out more nowadays?’ Leo gazed up at her. ‘Instead of drooling over me through your lounge window?’

      It was so cheeky, a loud, ‘You wish!’ burst out.

      He grinned and straightened up, several inches taller than her. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t resist.’ A light breeze blew his tousled brown hair into bracken coloured eyes. ‘Look, I’m a teacher at St. Michael’s, one of the local schools. Why don’t you tag along?’ He turned to someone, and nodded before turning back. ‘I’m going to do the skyline.’ He looked down as the little girl abandoned lavishing attention on Buttons, and signed something at him. Nodding, he signed something back. ‘I agree,’ Leo said out loud. ‘She says you’re pretty,’ he explained.

      George shook her head automatically and drew her hair around her face. ‘No,’ she denied, gulping. ‘I need to go.’ Bending over to hide her anger and confusion, she clipped Buttons’ lead onto his collar and started walking away. ‘Bye,’ she called over one shoulder.

      ‘I’m sorry. We weren’t trying to offend you,’ Leo hollered. ‘Stay for the skyline talk. You might enjoy it.’

      ‘Not today,’ she yelled, picking up the pace, breaking into a jog as she went down the hill. It was things like this that made her reluctant to go out.

      She’d come too far to slide back into a black hole again, so she and Buttons carried on with their daily excursions. And the next time she saw Leo, on a walk she’d deliberately changed to late afternoon in order to try and avoid him (epic fail), the first thing he did was apologise.

      ‘Hi, Georgiana,’ he walked right up to her, touching her elbow as she stood halfway up the hill watching Buttons swoop across the grass in diagonal streaks chasing a bird, ears flapping.

      She jerked her arm away from him.

      ‘I’m sorry if I upset you the other day,’ Leo said, dropping his hand and stepping back to give her space. ‘I was just translating. I wasn’t trying to hit on you. It’s genuinely what Emily said.’

      Well, that was clear. He hadn’t been flirting with her. He was just being his pupil’s mouthpiece.

      ‘I thought it was Lark who was blind, not Emily,’ she flung back, hurt. ‘Didn’t she see the state of this?’ She pointed at her scar. Sucking in a shaky breath, she immediately felt awful for what she’d said about the children. ‘Sorry.’

      ‘Don’t worry about it. You are pretty though,’ he frowned.

      ‘I don’t need pity,’ George blinked, thinking furiously of the way she was going to get out of this conversation.

      ‘No pity. I’m just being honest. It’s the way I’m built. I’m also used to dealing with parents of children with special educational needs, where we have open conversations about their child’s challenges and the support they require to maximise their opportunities. So I say what I think. I’m sorry if that upsets you.’

      ‘Uh-huh.’ She nodded, pulling her hair forward.

      He grinned, ‘Careful, I may have to get ear protectors or ear muffs to block out your constant chatter. I’m not sure I can stand it.’

      Despite herself, George smiled.

      ‘No, don’t smile. The straight-faced look goes much better with the cool eye patch. Like a brooding, sexy, girl pirate.’

      ‘Are you for real?’ she blurted, looking around for Buttons. It might be a good idea to leave. Leo was either mocking her or flirting with her and she wasn’t sure how to handle either.

      ‘Buttons. Buttons!’ Darkness was falling and she couldn’t see him. She rattled the biscuit bag in her pocket and called the puppy again.

      ‘Last СКАЧАТЬ