for the second time, he said, ‘Ruby, please.’
And she said, ‘Yes.’
DAMON tried to slip back into his father’s apartment unnoticed. No chance of that with two older sisters sitting in wait for him as they watched whatever they were watching on the TV. That was the problem with sisters who’d done double duty as substitute mothers over the years—they saw everything. Especially those things he didn’t want them to see.
Poppy spotted him first as Lena was sitting with her back to the door, but Lena turned around and called him over and offered him a glass of wine.
No point trying to avoid them for they’d only follow him, so he anteed up and he sat his butt down.
Lena would take point, she always did, but only a fool would discount the effectiveness of Poppy when it came to stripping him bare.
Lena waited until he had his wineglass in hand and his thoughts in order before starting in on him, which meant she was either very tired or going soft.
‘So,’ she said, and fixed him with the mother stare. ‘You and Ruby Maguire?’
‘So?’ he said in turn. ‘Neither of us are in another relationship. Why shouldn’t we?’
‘You’ve known her for all of two days.’
‘Five.’
‘Does she know what you do?’ asked Lena caustically.
‘Well, she does now,’ he replied in kind. ‘Which part of later did you not understand?’
‘Which part of stop being so bloody secretive do you not understand?’
‘It’s just habit.’
‘No, it’s a convenient way of keeping people at a distance, is what it is. Your whole way of life is designed to keep people away. Even family. Even me. I won’t have it.’
‘I’m getting that.’
And all of a sudden Lena looked close to tears.
‘We failed you, didn’t we?’ she murmured. ‘Jared and Poppy, and me. We let you pull away, and stay away, for far too long and now you can hardly find your way home.’
‘I’m home,’ he said desperately. ‘I’m right here.’
But she shook her head and the smile she sent him was strained. ‘No more lies, Damon. Not when it comes to Jared and whatever you might find out about him. Promise me.’
He did not want to promise that. ‘Lena, I—’
‘Promise.’
‘All right.’ He shook his head. ‘All right, I promise. Satisfied?’
‘Not quite,’ she said as if moving on to the next insurmountable object. ‘What happened with Ruby?’
‘Nothing much.’ Give or take a momentous decision or two.
‘Can you trust her?’
‘Put it this way, if I can’t, I’m f—’
‘Got it,’ said Poppy primly and he and Lena shared a smile of amusement.
‘Good,’ he said blandly and set his wine down on the coffee table. ‘Is that it for the interrogation?’
‘Not quite,’ said Poppy and Damon sighed. Poppy’s turn.
‘How much do you like her, Damon? Maybe this unanticipated openness with Ruby can be a good thing. Room—if you want it—for a relationship to grow.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘What would I do with a relationship? Besides destroy it. Drag Ruby around the world with me? Pull her into the life? No.’ He stared broodingly at his wineglass. ‘Ruby started out as a distraction, nothing more. Now she’s even more of a distraction, but as for anything permanent? No.’
‘That’s three nos in a row,’ murmured Lena. ‘That’s a lot of nos.’
‘She’s coming to the beach house with me,’ he offered reluctantly. No point trying to hide it. They’d find out soon enough.
‘That’s interesting,’ said Lena. ‘Has Damon ever taken a woman to the beach house to your knowledge, Poppy?’
‘No.’
‘No. That’s two more nos, just in case anyone’s counting.’
‘I have to be able to trust her,’ he said grimly.
‘So how does that work?’ asked Lena. ‘You’re just going to keep her there until you do? Could take a lifetime, Damon. Knowing you.’
‘I think it’s a good idea,’ said Poppy. ‘Give them more time to adjust to Ruby knowing that little bit more about Damon than she should. Besides, the trust will come. I’m sure of it.’
Poppy was a sweetheart and an optimist. Damned if Damon knew how she’d come to be part of this family.
‘And maybe we can help. Maybe if we sat down with Ruby over a drink or two and some girl talk we could make it seem more … normal. Nothing to concern her. You never bring your work home. You never let us near it. You’re really very noble and protective where that’s concerned.’
‘I took her hacking with me,’ he said curtly.
‘You what?’ said Poppy incredulously. ‘You idiot,’ said Lena. And the conversation was mostly downhill from there.
A week and a half later Ruby made her way to Sydney and from there to Ballina near Damon’s house on the coast. Her work for Russell was done. She’d left the little cat in the care of her next-door neighbour’s six-year-old daughter in exchange for letting her neighbour’s parents use her apartment during their two-week holiday stay in Hong Kong. It was an arrangement that seemed to suit everyone, including one tiny standoffish cat.
Nothing to hold her in Hong Kong now and nothing planned except for a week or two of sand, sea and Damon, and she didn’t know what to expect from him, other than surprises. She didn’t know why she was here except that somewhere between meeting him and agreeing to this, she’d lost her brain.
What kind of woman flew halfway around the world to visit a man who’d enchanted her and then warned her not to expect anything from him? A man for whom secrets and hacking and blackmail were everyday events? Or at least regular events.
Why had she ever said yes to this?
You’re in love with him, said a little voice but Ruby rejected the notion outright.
I am not!
Then you’re besotted by him, said the little voice, and this
