A Modern Cinderella. Kate Hardy

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      ‘Will, you work with words every day.’ She kept her voice purposefully soft. ‘Can’t spell them—but you know how to use them…’

      ‘Very funny.’

      ‘Try. One ordinary thing about your life.’

      ‘Just the one and you’ll tell me about your life.’ He looked as if he doubted that.

      ‘Make it a truly mundane one and I’ll fill in the blanks.’ She lifted her spoon and made a cross in the air above her breasts. ‘Cross my heart.’

      The move apparently gave him an open invitation to drop his gaze and watch the increased rise and fall of her breasts as he looked at them. Then his thick lashes lifted and he chuckled at her look of accusation before informing her, ‘I don’t have a housekeeper. So I do all my own cleaning.’

      ‘Oh, no—your obsession with neatness doesn’t count.’ It was something that had never ceased to astound her, but he’d always seemed to get pleasure from an organised environment. Whereas Cassidy had always lived in the kind of chaos that was reflective of her life in general. In the end she’d put his borderline obsession down to control—the same kind of control that he’d exerted over so many areas of his life.

      Only in the bedroom had he ever fully lost that precious self-control. When he’d made love to her she’d never had any doubts about how he felt. But then neither had he about how she felt. They’d been stripped naked—emotionally as well as physically. Something Cassidy had never allowed herself to come close to experiencing with anyone else. Not that he would ever know that.

      Will shrugged and stole a spoonful of her ice cream. ‘Still counts as ordinary. Everyone does housework. It’s a universal equaliser.’

      Cassidy laughed. ‘I’ve made a valiant effort to avoid it wherever possible, believe me.’

      The corners of his mouth quirked. ‘I believe you. Now I’ve lived up to my end of the bargain it’s your turn. Tell me about this ordinary life of yours.’

      It was on the tip of her tongue to ask again why he wanted to know, but instead she dropped her chin and played some more with the ice cream. ‘I teach, so I work according to the school terms. In the summer I usually manage to find work at camps, or at places where working parents can leave their kids while they do their nine to fives. I have a flat. I have teacher friends I meet for lunches or coffees or whatever. I used to have a cat—’

      ‘What happened to it?’

      ‘It must have been about a hundred years old when I got it from the shelter, so it didn’t last long.’

      ‘Didn’t get another one?’

      ‘Nope.’ She smiled wryly at her ice cream. ‘Apparently I wasn’t ready to deal with another loss after my dad. I cried for weeks over that dumb cat.’

      When Will didn’t say anything she stole an upward glance at him from underneath a wave of lose hair. He was studying her again. But instead of asking What? that way she usually did, she took the opportunity to say, ‘Thank you. For the card and the flowers you sent.’

      He knew she didn’t mean after the cat had died. ‘I got your note. You don’t have to thank me again.’

      Cassidy dampened her lips and took a breath. ‘It meant a lot. I didn’t put that in the note. And I should have. That time is kind of a blur to me now.’

      ‘Grief can be like that.’ His gaze shifted to her loose hair, and Cassidy wondered if he was thinking of tucking it away again. ‘You had a lot to do to wrap everything up as well. At least you had your family to help you.’

      ‘I did.’ Unlike the eight-year-old Will, who’d had no one when his mother had passed away; it still killed Cassidy that he’d been left so alone.

      ‘You could have called me if you’d needed anything—you know that.’

      She did. Even if he hadn’t written it in the card he had sent. ‘Wasn’t that easy.’

      Taking a deep breath, he reached forward for the remote control of his ridiculously large widescreen TV and handed it to her. ‘I’ve decided we’re taking the night off. Pick a movie.’

      Cassidy blinked in surprise. ‘I thought you wanted to get this thing done?’

      ‘It’ll wait.’ He waved the remote in the air. ‘Pick a movie.’

      Setting the ice cream tub between her knees, Cassidy took the remote with one hand, leaning forward and resting the back of her other hand against his forehead. ‘Are you feeling sick? Do you have a temperature? Maybe you caught my cold…’

      He removed her hand. ‘You can’t spend an evening just sitting doing nothing with me, can you?’

      ‘Yes, I can.’ But she could feel her cheeks warming at the ‘doing nothing with me’ part. Because in the past sitting on a sofa watching a movie with him would have led to kissing. Kissing would have led to touching. Then—

      ‘Prove it. Pick a movie.’

      With an arched brow she lifted her chin and curled her legs underneath her, glaring sideways at him as she pointed the remote at the TV. ‘You’ll regret this.’

      Will toed off his shoes and lifted his feet to rest them on the coffee table, settling back into the large cushions. ‘No, I’m not.’

      ‘Oh, yes you are.’ She smirked as the screen jumped to life and she flicked through the channels to find what she was looking for. There it was. That would do, ‘Because it is now officially chick-flick night…’

      When the credits played at the end of the movie, Cassidy turned her head against the back of the sofa and found Will fast asleep, his face turned towards her. He was gorgeous. Strands of dark hair falling across his forehead, cheeks flushed with sleep, full lips parted as he breathed deep, even breaths. For a long while she just looked at him, drinking in the sight and memorising every detail. Then she gave in to temptation and brushed a single strand of rich hair off his forehead with her fingertips. Her voice was a whisper, as if she was reluctant to lose the stolen moment. ‘Will?’

      He didn’t react, so she smiled and tried again with a slightly stronger voice. ‘Will.’

      ‘Hmm…?’

      Still smiling, she watched as he slowly made his way into consciousness. How many times had she watched him waking up? Probably hundreds. Yet apparently, even after so many years, it was still one of her favourite things to do.

      Will blinked her into focus with heavy lashes. ‘Cass?’

      Though obviously still caught between sleeping and waking, he lifted a hand and gently brushed her hair back from her cheek. ‘Cass…’

      Cassidy froze when he leaned towards her. What was he—?

      Oh, no—no, no, no, no, no! This wasn’t happening! Why had he—? What did he think he was—? Was he seriously—? He was kissing her! Unscripted! No, wait—it was worse than that. He was kissing her, and it was…it was—well, it was…

      Oh, СКАЧАТЬ