To Be A Bridegroom. Carole Mortimer

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      CHAPTER THREE

      STAZY glanced across the room to where Jordan stood so still and quiet in front of her window. What on earth must he be thinking? She had just finished telling him of some of the ridiculous situations she had found herself in since her move here, and now she had some man calling up from downstairs asking if he could stay in her apartment with her! And Jordan had just offered her a job, too...!

      Damn Zak. He had no right to just turn up here uninvited like this. He—

      She jumped nervously as her doorbell rang. It was too much of a coincidence, too soon after Zak’s call from downstairs...

      How had he got into the apartment building? Because she didn’t doubt that it was him standing outside her front door. Or that he wouldn’t go away again until she had answered it!

      As Jordan turned around, dark brows raised questioningly, she knew he wasn’t going to leave just yet, either. Men!

      ‘Do you want me to answer it?’ Jordan offered smoothly. ‘I could always send him on his way for you,’ he offered.

      She didn’t doubt that he would try. Or that Zak would resist. Wonderful, just what she needed—a fight on her doorstep! Somehow she didn’t think so; she had come back to England in the first place to get away from all of that.

      She shook her head. ‘I’ll go. But I definitely think the security here needs looking into,’ she said before striding off to answer the door.

      This hadn’t been a good evening so far, and with Zak’s arrival it was deteriorating rapidly. Still, she supposed she and Jordan were about even in the complication stakes; that woman Stella had turned up in his life earlier—although his arrival here a short time ago seemed to imply she had been rapidly despatched again!—then there had been the man she’d recognised at his brother’s wedding, and now Zak had arrived! How had he found out where she was living...?

      Zak grinned at her confidently when she opened the door; tall, blond, with laughing blue eyes, he looked completely unabashed by his intrusion. ‘Stazy!’ His joyful cry was accompanied by his dropping his suitcase in order to pick her up in a bear-hug and swing her round in the hallway.

      It was very difficult to remain angry with someone who looked so pleased to see her, and who could lift her up in his arms so easily she might have been a child!

      Stazy gave him a rueful grin. ‘Put me down, you clown.’ She punched him playfully on the shoulder. ‘And then could you explain to me exactly how you got up here?’ she added reprovingly, sure that it hadn’t been done legitimately. ‘Please don’t say you used the elevator! ’ She was fully aware of just how aggravating this man could be.

      ‘Okay, Staze.’ He put her down, still grinning, his American accent much more noticeable than her own. ‘It was really easy.’ He bent down to pick up the suitcase. ‘I pressed the button for Apartment 4, told the lady that answered that I was the guy in Apartment 7, J. Hunter, and that I had forgotten my key to get into the building. It worked.’ He shrugged. ‘I saw it in a movie once.’ He grinned his satisfaction at his success, having followed Stazy through to the sitting room as he gave his explanation. ‘I didn’t—Ub-oh, am I interrupting something?’ He came to a halt as he spotted Jordan standing near the window, and the bottle of champagne and two glasses still on the table.

      Stazy could see exactly the thoughts that were going through Zak’s head—and probably so could Jordan. But Zak couldn’t have been further from the truth, no matter how damning the evidence!

      Jordan stepped forward, holding out his hand in greeting to Zak. ‘J. Hunter,’ he introduced dryly. ‘The “guy in Apartment 7”,’ he tacked on deliberately so that there would be no mistake on Zak’s part. ‘And the J stands for Jordan,’ he supplied.

      The two men were of similar age, similar height too, but there the similarity ended; Zak brimmed over with boyish good humour, while Jordan was much more reserved as the two men shook hands.

      ‘Sorry about that.’ Zak grinned unrepentantly. ‘But Stazy can be damned awkward when she wants to be,’ he said affectionately.

      ‘The word is private, Zak,’ she put in before Jordan could add anything to that—one way or the other! ‘Jordan Hunter, meet Zak Prince. And vice versa.’ She resented having to make this introduction at all. One—or both!—of these men had to leave! But one looked like being her employer for the foreseeable future, and the other one—! That suitcase Zak had brought in with him looked distinctly ominous!

      ‘Prince.’ Jordan repeated the name slowly, his expression thoughtful as he looked at Stazy.

      She watched him warily. What was he thinking? Did he know—? Had he realised—?

      He turned to Zak. ‘We were discussing the merits—or otherwise—of princes earlier,’ he explained. ‘The fairy-tale kind,’ he amended softly.

      Stazy had said she hadn’t kissed a prince yet that hadn’t turned into a frog! Well, it was true—literally—Zak was chief frog!

      ‘Need I say more?’ She looked irritatedly at the blond giant who had invaded her apartment so effectively.

      Jordan smiled at the joke. ‘I’m sure you have a lot more to say to this particular Prince,’ he drawled. ‘And that you would probably prefer to say it when I’m not around! Tomorrow is Sunday,’ he continued consideringly. ‘Will you be able to start work on Monday?’

      She blinked at his directness. Of course she could start on Monday—her diary wasn’t exactly overflowing with work, as she had already СКАЧАТЬ