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Last night had shown hienuinely worried about Bonnie goingin with her usual you-fix-it-it’s-not-my-problem manner but it was all bluff She had acted childishly under pressure but rather than ht out every protective instinct he possessed Getting to know her was proving to be theexperience of his life

What would it take for her to trust hih to show her true self? Or would he have to be satisfied with rare gli frustrated and manipulated and dissatisfied?

‘Is this for me?’ he asked

‘Iperfectly good food’

He pulled out a chair and sat opposite her ‘Stop scowling atmy appetite’

Her fingers fidgeted with the handle of her ers, with nails that were short but neatly ht hand were faintly bruised His chest felt strangely tight, as if so a spanner on each of the valves of his heart He hadn’t realised she’d hurt herself when she’d landed hiht She hadn’t said a word

So many layers

So many secrets

‘Is your hand OK? It looks bruised Did you—?’

She slipped her right hand beneath the table ‘It’s fine I bu’

‘Aiesha’

She gave him the sort of look an unrepentant delinquent did a correction officer ‘What?’

‘Give me your hand’

She looked as if she was going to refuse his command, but then she rolled her eyes and shoved her hand out to hi his thu ers shift inside the cup of his, a soft little treroin throbbed as he re hiht every instinct to explode She was blowing cold on hi before she switched back to sultry siren? She was so complex, so deeply layered, like a lake or a pond that had hidden caves and canyons below the surface

James released her hand and sat back and picked up his spoon ‘We need to get you a ring’

She blinked at him ‘What?’

He pointed to her left hand with his spoon ‘An engage’