But she had an awful feeling that this affair was not going to turn out well for Laura. There was nothing to be gained by telling her that, either. She was damned if she did, and damned if she didn’t.
‘I just don’t like the thought of your agreeing to anything, Laura,’ she said instead. ‘Don’t lose your pride over the man, no matter how good he is in bed.’
‘A minute ago you were all for my having more sex with him!’ Laura exclaimed, sounding exasperated.
‘I am. Truly. Just … be careful.’
Suddenly, she wished she hadn’t encouraged Laura to go to bed with him.
‘I have to go, Alison. I can hear Ryan’s car coming up the drive.’
‘Ring me tonight, will you?’
‘Maybe not till tomorrow,’ Laura returned. ‘I might be busy tonight.’
Of course, Alison thought sourly. The lord and master of the bedroom will want another dose of what he’d obviously enjoyed last night. And Alison knew what that was—relative innocence. That was what intrigued him about Laura, came the sudden, highly intuitive realisation. She wasn’t like all the other Penthouse Pet types that playboys usually bedded. She was a lovely sincere girl with a warm heart who hadn’t slept around, and who was way too vulnerable for the likes of Ryan Armstrong.
Alison grimaced as she wished she could take back all the stupid advice she’d given Laura, both yesterday and today. She should have realised that her friend wasn’t cut out for strictly sexual flings. She was going to get hurt again and she, Alison, would be partly responsible. But it was too late now. The die had been cast and Laura would just have to roll with it. All Alison could do was be there when the end came.
But she wasn’t looking forward to it.
‘YOUR family’s not that bad, Laura,’ were Ryan’s first words as they drove away from the house.
Laura sighed. ‘They were greatly improved this weekend,’ she admitted. ‘But that was because of your influence. You had Gran eating out of your hand over lunch. What on earth did you say to her during that drive? She seemed much brighter than yesterday.’
‘I hardly said a word; she did most of the talking. Told me where to drive. I just followed orders. She showed me the village and the church, the one near the Hunter Valley gardens. By the way, she said to tell you that that was where she wanted her funeral service to be held.’
‘Oh, for pity’s sake!’
‘She wasn’t being maudlin, Laura. Just practical.’
‘But she won’t die now. Not for ages. What else did she say? She didn’t drop any hints about our getting engaged, did she?’
‘Not directly. Though she did point out that they use that church for a lot weddings as well.’
‘And what did you say to that?’
‘Nothing, that I recall.’
‘You must have said something to make her look so pleased with you.’
‘I did promise to come to her eightieth-birthday party in November.’
‘Oh no. Do you think that was a good idea?’
‘I don’t see why not.’
‘Well, I mean, we might not last that long.’ Laura’s conversation with Alison had made her determined not to get any silly female hopes up where Ryan was concerned.
His sharp sideways glance startled her. ‘My girlfriends usually last more than two months, Miss Cynical.’
Laura tried to remain looking cool but it was difficult when her heart had just turned over with a ridiculous burst of happiness. ‘You mean you want to make our relationship a public one?’
Now he looked quite annoyed. ‘Well, of course I do! What had you been envisaging? That I would keep you as some dirty little secret? Why on earth would I do that?’
Laura knew she couldn’t tell him the truth—that she’d been imagining just that. ‘I guess because I’m not the kind of gorgeous, glamorous female that you usually date,’ she said instead.
‘Good God, Laura, did you get a look at yourself last night? You are just as gorgeous and glamorous-looking as any of my previous girlfriends.’
‘But I don’t usually look like that on a day-to-day basis, as you well know.’
‘There’s no reason why you can’t. All you have to do is go shopping for some more new clothes and wear a bit of make-up occasionally.’
‘People at work will wonder what’s happened to me.’
‘So? Do you honestly care what they think?’
‘Yes, I do,’ she admitted. The end result of such a radical makeover was slowly sinking in. She didn’t want her colleagues laughing at her behind her back. She would look a complete fool if she went in there all glammed up and told them Ryan could no longer be her client because she was dating him. They all knew what he was like. The women there had often made caustic remarks about his being a serial ladykiller.
‘No, Ryan,’ she said firmly, surprising herself.
He slanted her a startled glance. ‘No what?’
‘No, I don’t want to buy a whole new wardrobe and, no, I don’t want to be your girlfriend.’
The sudden silence inside the car was electric with unspoken tension. She saw his knuckles go white as he gripped the steering wheel; saw his shoulders rise.
‘You don’t mean that,’ he said at last, his tone one of sheer disbelief.
‘But I do.’
‘You don’t want to sleep with me any more?’
‘I didn’t say that.’
His head whipped round, shock written all over his face. Laura was pretty shocked herself—at herself, for voicing out loud what had suddenly entered her head. That it was he she wanted to keep as her dirty little secret, not the other way round.
When his car drifted dangerously close to the lane next to them—and the truck which was rumbling along at high speed—Ryan quickly returned his attention to his driving, swearing volubly as he righted the car, slowing down appreciably before he spoke again.
‘You can’t be seriously suggesting what I think you’re suggesting,’ he bit out, obviously not happy with being cast in the role of her secret lover.
Now that the initial shock of her suggestion had worn off, Laura found herself quite taken with the idea. How better to protect herself from future hurt and humiliation
