you want to do this now?’ She put her hand on her hips. His eyes seemed to have gone a bit glassy. ‘Can’t it wait until I’ve had a shower and a coffee? I’ve spent the last twenty minutes on the phone to credit card companies.’
‘Good idea,’ his voice sounded suspiciously strangled and he turned his back on her, rather abruptly as if he’d definitely finished talking to her. How rude. What was wrong with him now?
With a sniff, she backed out of the bathroom, shutting the door with a bang, narrowly missing catching the hem of her nightie in … nom d’un chien! She looked down. She really needed to invest in some new nightwear.
Jason took a slug of milky coffee and leaned back against the draining board. Maybe he needed to go out and get laid; it had been a while since he’d had sex but Siena wandering around in that see-through thing wasn’t helping. At this rate, living with her, he was going to burst a blood vessel or set his stomach off again. Correct that. He wasn’t living with her. Her stay was strictly temporary and he needed to find out when she was going home. She couldn’t stay here; she’d drive him insane. Only one day and two nights and already she seemed to have spread a detritus of belongings about the house. Ankle boots, sexy high-heeled fuck-me numbers, now littered the hall. OK, so two pairs, but that was still two pairs too many. A scarf draped over the banister might not be much, but it was the start of things. Like the leather jacket slung over the back of the chair opposite him. As for the bathroom, he was surprised he could still get in there. A lorry load of Clarins products had staked their claim along every available surface. He liked things tidy. In their place. He liked … the image of her exquisitely perfect body popped into his head. Only two days and he’d already seen far too much of that too. He didn’t seem to be able to dislodge the image from the loop in his head.
‘Morning.’
And there she was, as if he’d conjured her up; her complexion glowing. He wasn’t prone to fancy imaginings but her skin did appear to have its own luminosity. Then again, hardly surprising given all those expensive lotions and potions upstairs.
Deciding to be on his best behaviour and follow her civilised lead, he said ‘Morning. Would you like a coffee?’
A smile lit up her face. Damn, it really did light it up. ‘I’d love one.’ She sank gracefully into the chair.
She certainly was easy on the eye. Last night’s gorgeous vamp had been replaced with this daisy-fresh dewy-skinned natural beauty. No doubt the simple lavender blue T-shirt which highlighted the clear tones of her blue eyes cost a fortune but with pristine white jeans hugging long legs and skimming very neat ankles, she looked like some supermodel in from a long country walk.
Dropping into the chair opposite he watched her take a cautious sip of coffee and wrinkle her nose. ‘Is this instant?’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh no, really?’
‘Seriously? You’re complaining about my coffee?’
‘I wasn’t exactly complaining.’ She shrugged her shoulders.
‘Sounded like it to me.’
‘I wasn’t. Surprised, perhaps. I didn’t think people really drank instant.’
‘They do, but feel free to buy your own fresh coffee.’
‘Sorry,’ her smile faltered and he felt as if he’d drop kicked a kitten. ‘I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. It’s a cultural thing. In France most people drink filter coffee or from a cafetière. I wasn’t complaining.’
Jason sighed. ‘Look. I’m sorry. We got off to a bad start. I haven’t had much sleep recently and I wasn’t expecting a houseguest. When Laurie asked me to pick you up, I’d driven back from Scotland. It’s further north than Yorkshire and takes at least six hours drive.’ Siena nodded and he was glad he’d explained. Her knowledge of British geography seemed to be rather sketchy. ‘I’m happy to agree a few house rules for the next couple of days. And then if I’m around I can take you back to the airport. But I’m not here to babysit you, you get that? I picked you up as a favour to Laurie. I’m not responsible for you. You’re on your own. Not my guest. Not my lodger. A temporary visitor.’
He needed to stress that. Temporary. Not like bloody Stacey who’d imperceptibly drifted into his flat like the whisper of a ghost, imprinting herself bit by bit, until one day she’d moved in. If he’d been more observant at the outset, he wouldn’t have had to be such a bastard at the end.
Siena leaned one forearm on the table and took another sip of coffee. He felt his nerve endings go on alert at her studied casualness.
‘House rules.’ She nodded at him, her smile dazzling. It did dazzle him too. He found it difficult to concentrate when she smiled like that, all attention on you. Distracting. Even so, why did he get the impression she was hiding something? That sunny smile certainly made it hard to remember that she was a royal princess pain in the butt. He’d already lost his dinner to her, parted with seventy quid on her behalf and driven several hundred miles on five hours sleep.
‘Do you know I’ve never shared a house with anyone before? Well, that’s not strictly true, obviously I live with my parents and the staff.’
‘We’re not sharing a house,’ he bit out. ‘You are a temporary guest. Temporary. Got it—’ He stopped. ‘You have staff?’ No wonder she was so clueless.
She stiffened. He held up his hand in apology, it had come out sounding rather judgemental. ‘Sorry, even Will’s family never had real staff. All sounds a bit Downton Abbey.’
‘Hardly, times have changed.’ The innocent smile belied her tart words. ‘We even give the staff holidays these days.’
‘Right. Back to the rules. I’m out of the house by eight most mornings. You can use the bathroom after then.’
‘Trop d’honneur, merci!’
‘I suggest you learn to knock on the bathroom door if you don’t want any more surprises. You’ve probably realised there’s no lock on the door. I don’t mind sharing my instant coffee for the next couple of days but you’ll need to pitch in and buy milk and your own food. I’m going to be away for a couple of days, so if you’re booking your flight home, I can take you to the airport before or after then. Anything you need to know?’
‘I was wondering when I might get some clean towels.’
‘About the same time you put the dirty ones in the washing machine, I guess.’
Siena coloured and he felt like the kitten-kicker again, so he swallowed down his next comment. ‘If you bring them down, I’ll show you how the washing machine works. And the dishwasher. If you fill it up, put it on. If it’s full, empty it. All the usual.’ Was that a dumb thing to say? What was usual for her?
She was nodding like one of those crazy dogs in cars, so he assumed she was following.
‘So,’ he stood up and rinsed out his coffee mug. ‘When do you think you’ll be leaving?’
There it was again, the evasive study of her fingernails and the slight tension in her jaw.
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Are
