Chapter Eighteen
The following morning Brianna was carefully watching a pan of spitting bacon when she heard a knock on the door. She looked up at the stairs, but there was no sound from the bedroom where she’d left Mitch half an hour ago, still sound asleep. Should she answer it? Or was that too personal a thing to do for a man she didn’t really know?
There was another knock.
‘Hello, Mitch. Are you there? It’s Edna.’
Hearing the old lady’s voice through the letter box, Brianna turned the gas down low and went to open the door.
‘Oh, hello dear. Sorry, I didn’t realise Mitch had a lady friend over.’
Brianna smiled down at the visitor. She was short, only reaching her shoulders and her hair was neatly scraped into a grey bun at the back of her head. Edna’s face carried the wrinkles of old age, but the blue eyes currently scrutinising every inch of Brianna were far from dull. They were lively and, at that moment, very interested.
‘I’m afraid Mitch is asleep,’ Brianna explained cautiously, well aware the old lady was putting two and two together and making more than a casual night spent in Mitch’s bed actually justified. ‘I’m Brianna. You must be the helpful neighbour he talks about. Pleased to meet you.’ Brianna went to shake the wizened old hand.
‘Well, it’s good to see he’s finally found somebody to look after him. I keep telling him, it’s not right for a man of his age to live alone. Especially with all the travelling he does. He needs someone to come home to.’ Edna didn’t wait to be invited in. She breezed past Brianna and into the kitchen where she settled herself down on one of the chairs.
‘Oh, it’s not like that. Mitch and I, we’re just . . .’ Brianna trailed off, feeling silly. What exactly were they? Lovers? Maybe, but could she really call them lovers after a few rounds of passion? And anyway, she couldn’t say that to Edna. Friends? She wasn’t even sure she could call them that. ‘We’re just work colleagues,’ she finished.
‘Really? Work colleagues never made bacon and eggs for each other in my day.’ Edna twinkled back at her. ‘I’ll leave you to it, my dear. If you want some advice from me, I would snap that young man up. If I were thirty years younger, I would do it myself. Sometimes I wonder where all the time went.’ She patted Brianna on her arm. ‘He can be a bit surly at times, but deep down he’s a good man. You look after him.’
* * *
Mitch had slept like the dead, but woke with a raging hunger. He thought back to the last twenty-four hours and realised it was hardly surprising, as he hadn’t eaten. He’d meant to eat before he went to bed, but he’d been distracted by Brianna. He smiled as he remembered last night. Definitely worth missing a meal for. Lazily he stretched and, grabbing a pair of jeans, padded down the stairs to find something to eat.
Two things struck him as he walked towards the kitchen. First was the smell of bacon, which had his digestive juices churning in his stomach. Second was the sound of female voices. The first delighted him, the second didn’t.
‘There you are, Mitch. I was just saying to your young lady, she needs to look after you.’
Much as he liked Edna, at that particular moment he could happily have throttled her. He didn’t bloody well need looking after. Not by any woman, and certainly not by Brianna. He was perfectly happy with his life as it was, thank you very much.
He must have telegraphed his annoyance because Brianna glanced warily over at him. ‘Edna just came round to check you were okay,’ she told him in a tone a zookeeper might use to calm a mean-looking lion.
Mitch nodded and battled to get his temper under control. Edna had his best interests at heart. He might not always want or need her help, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t show some gratitude for what she insisted on doing. When his temper was back on its leash, he walked over to the older woman and planted a quick kiss on her lined cheek. ‘Thanks for filling the fridge, Edna. And for coming over. As you can see, I’m still in one piece.’
Edna looked him up and down. ‘Only just. You look tired and too thin.’
He laughed briefly. ‘I’m going to sleep and eat for the next week. I promise.’
‘Well then, I’ll leave you to it. It looks like you’re in good hands.’ She smiled over at Brianna.
Mitch caught the glance and sighed. God save him from meddling women. Needing some space before he spoke to Brianna, he walked Edna to the door.
Having seen out the first of the two women, Mitch turned back and wondered what he was going to do about the second. Much as he’d enjoyed Brianna last night, he wasn’t comfortable with having her in his home this morning, cooking in his kitchen. It smacked of an intimacy he had no desire for. Women didn’t sleep in his bed. They didn’t stay over. Those were his rules. Rules he seemed to have totally forgotten last night during the grip of lust.
‘You don’t want me here, do you?’ Brianna noted as she leant back against the cooker.
Wearing yesterday’s clothes, her hair gloriously tangled and her face without make-up, she shouldn’t look more desirable than she had the day before. And he shouldn’t still want her.
‘I didn’t say that,’ he replied stiffly.
‘You didn’t have to. It was clear when you came down the stairs. It was there in your eyes, in your body language.’ She turned round to turn off the gas. ‘Well, you don’t have to worry. I’m on my way out.’
Mitch cast his eyes over to the work surface where she’d found a tray and put on it two pieces of buttered bread, a glass of orange juice and a mug. She’d obviously been intending to bring him breakfast in bed. Brianna, who had probably never cooked a meal in her rich little life. He glanced from the tray to her. The way she chewed at her bottom lip and stared at him with large, mutinous eyes. Moments ago he’d felt irritated at the sight of her in his kitchen, now he was inexplicably touched.
As she turned to leave, he caught her by her shoulders. ‘Stop, please. I’m not used to having women make me breakfast, that’s all.’
‘It’s not much of a breakfast,’ she muttered, tears hovering in her eyes. ‘I’m no good at cooking. The bacon is burnt, and the coffee looks so strong I think the teaspoon is standing up in it.’
Mitch laughed, long and deep. ‘Well, I appreciate the gesture, honestly.’ God, how could any man be safe around her? She was so damned gorgeous he ached. He bent to kiss those lovely full lips. A few minutes ago he’d wanted her gone. Now he couldn’t get enough of her.
Trying to claw back his control, he slowly drew back. ‘Much as I’d love to continue this, my stomach is screaming with hunger.’
He poked at the bacon in the pan and scooped some up to put between the bread. ‘Aren’t you having any?’
She shook her head. ‘I’ve had some toast.’ She watched as he took a swig of the coffee she’d made. ‘I’m impressed. You’re not pulling a face.’
‘I am inside.’ She gave him a sharp dig, enough to make him grunt.
‘So, what are you doing this weekend?’
Warily, he shrugged. ‘No real plans. Probably some windsurfing at some point.’
‘Good. You can teach me.’
‘Now wait a minute . . .’ He swallowed down another mouthful and stared at her. ‘That depends,’ he countered.
She raised an eyebrow. ‘On what?’
‘On whether we both know where we stand. We work together. I don’t want this getting messy. No strings, just a bit of fun.’
She smirked slightly and fished around in the pan for some bacon. ‘Umm, fun. I didn’t think you knew the meaning of the word.’
‘Maybe it’s about time I learnt.’ He abandoned his plate and reached for her. ‘Starting from now.’
With a laugh Brianna wriggled away from his grasp. ‘Much as I would love to stay, I’ve got a job to go to.’ She gave a self-deprecating chuckle. ‘Now those are words I didn’t think I’d ever utter. I’ll be here at eleven o’clock on Saturday.’
Before he had a chance to disagree she closed her lips firmly over his, giving him one final toe-curling kiss. When he was totally churned up, to the point of getting ready to drag her upstairs again, she spun out of his grasp and let herself out.
As the door closed behind her, he lifted his eyes to the ceiling and exhaled slowly. He must be going soft in the head. He didn’t do relationships. So why had he just allowed Brianna to make plans to see him at the weekend?
It could only be because he wanted to see her sexy little curves in a wetsuit.
With a resigned smile he went to clear up the mess she’d left behind her. The girl wasn’t kidding when she said she couldn’t cook. Debris from her attempt was littered all round his kitchen. Scraping the charred remains of the bacon into the bin, he reflected he was due some fun, and Brianna was certainly that. She was also so plainly out of his league, there wasn’t going to be any of the usual pressure for anything heavy.
She wanted to experience life outside her usual social circle for a change. He needed to relax and enjoy himself more. Both of them knew the score.