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To my relief he ignored her completely. Alfie Tell was the most important person here, he wasn’t getting anyone’s drink. A server must have been following him around because a tray laden with full flutes was immediately under her nose. She sulked but had no choice but to take one.
“Miss O’Connell,” Alfie said coolly, “it’s good to see you again. I have something to discuss with you.” He de-tangled himself from Angie, who looked like she was about to throw her drink at me.
“I can’t, I?—”
“I’m sure yourdatecan spare you for a moment.” He spat the word like it was poison. “Our conversation ended so abruptly the last time we spoke. I’d rather we finished it in private, but if you’d prefer to do it here…”
I bit my lip, desperately trying to find a way out of this, but I couldn’t. He’d backed me into a corner and he knew it. Out ofthe corner of my eye, I spotted the board member of The Chelsea Flower Show I was so desperate to talk to. My gaze flitted from her to Alfie as I tried to decide which way to go.
I felt Bradley’s hand on my arm and I looked up. He was concerned and clearly willing to step in but I gave him a reassuring smile. I didn’t want to drag him into my drama.
Reluctantly, I took Alfie’s outstretched hand. As soon as my skin touched his, I was instantly alert, more awake, morealive.All thoughts of the board member disappeared.
He led me away through the sea of Rolex watches and red bottomed shoes, past the doors to the gardens where the bright red ribbon was still waiting to be cut, and on towards a side door that led out onto a small balcony. Two waiters were there already having a sneaky cigarette.
“Leave,” he snapped at them and I cringed as they shuffled off. He rounded on me, his eyes sharp. “What’re you doing here?”
“We were the suppliers on this project. Mark was supposed to be here but I’m filling in for him. Why areyouhere?”
“I’m a donor.”
My mind flitted back through the masses of paperwork I’d dealt with for the Serenity project and it suddenly clicked. His name was all over it, along with the list of other donors. I gave myself a mental slap for not remembering that.
“Oh.” I suddenly found myself exhausted, the roller coaster of the last two weeks catching up with me in a rush. I rubbed my forehead, trying to will away an impending headache. “What do you want, Alfie?”
“I want so much from you, O’Connell, I don’t even know where to start.” He paced in front of me, to the edge of the balcony, then back again.“I don’t know whether to kiss you gently or bend you over that balcony and fuck you raw.” My insides convulsed at his words. He paced back to me, toweringover me in that way that dominated my space, my very oxygen. “But first, I think I might start with asking why you brought another man here with you.” His words had me plummeting back to earth and stoked the fires in my belly. Anger was good. If I was angry with him I could keep him away. It was his tenderness, his sensuality, that undid me.Be angry, Lola. Be mad as hell.
“He’s a colleague, Alfie. The invitation had a plus one and Rosie made me bring him.”
“He was touching you.”
“So? You brought a date too,” I snapped, folding my arms over my chest.
“Angie? She’s my PA and not of any relevance.” His tone was dismissive but the double standard infuriated me.
“Right. What kind of PA asks their boss to get them a drink?”
He cocked his head and his mouth did that smug tilt that made me want to scream. “I like jealousy on you, O’Connell.”
“Oh fuck off, Alfie.” His brows raised, amused by me. “Why are you doing this? I told you last week that I didn’t want you?—”
“And I told you, you were a liar.”
“This is pointless. We both know that you’ll get bored of me, that the only reason you want me is because I’ve resisted you and as soon as you do, the shine will wear off.”
“That might be true,” he said, oblivious to the way his words had cracked my chest open. It was one thing to suspect this was a game he would get bored of, but it was another for him to acknowledge it out loud. “But then again, maybe not. I’ve never been jealous before, not over a woman anyway.”
“That’s not reassuring, Alfie. This is all just a game to you.”
“Isn’t every relationship a game? Whether we play for a night or a lifetime, it’s still just a game.” His gaze pierced mine but I refused to look away. I gulped and his eyes caught the bob in my throat. He knew he was affecting me.
“The stakes are too high in this one.” A pause stretched between us as I watched him study me, watched the cogs in his brain turn as he figured out how to get to me. He took a step closer, invading my space. I stood my ground, refusing to relinquish an inch.
“The stakes are irrelevant. Your fear is the problem. You’re afraid that my controlling nature is too much like Adam’s. That I’ll damage you the same way he did. You’re also afraid that I’m not like Adam and that you’ll fall for me, that I’ll leave you like your father did, and you don’t know if you can survive another loss.”
I shook my head. “How do you do that?”
“Reading people is my bread and butter. I especially enjoy reading women but I usually finish their book in a night or two. But you, you’re an endless sea of pages written in a language I don’t understand.” He took another step towards me and this time I did relinquish my space. I took a small step back. If he touched me, I’d be done for.