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Chapter Eleven

He should be riding on a high.

The evening had been a total success. Diana had charmed everyone. Matt gave her a quick sideways glance. They were in a cab on the way back to her place. It was after midnight.

She was a beautiful woman, her makeup was subtle, her blond hair pulled back from her face but loose down her back. She wore a dark blue dress—the word tasteful came to mind. He also knew from the time he’d spent with her that she was a nice woman. Lulu got on well with her.

Right now, he should be thinking about how to persuade her to spend more time with him. To change their relationship to a personal one. Tonight was supposed to have been a run-up to that. He’d never wanted to marry. But there was no denying that a wife would make his life easier. How many people had told him that recently?

Was that reason enough to get married?

He supposed that if they both wanted the same things out of life, why not?

She must have sensed his gaze. She’d been staring out the window, and now she turned back to him and smiled. “I had a lovely time. Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“I don’t normally go out with clients.” She gave a small laugh. “Well, usually they’re married, so it’s not an option.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“I had a great time—it’s so…glamorous. All those uniforms. Like being in a movie.”

He’d never thought about it like that. But then, he usually avoided these sorts of affairs. He’d never really felt like he fitted in and had lacked the inclination to try. He’d come up from the ranks, though that had never bothered him. Truth was, he didn’t really give a toss what people thought about where he came from. He was good at his job. This part was just a necessary evil.

The cab pulled up outside her house. “Can you wait for me?” he asked the driver as he climbed out. He came around and opened the door for her, took her arm as he walked her up the driveway, and waited while she got her keys out of her bag. She put the key in the lock then hesitated and looked up at him.

He realized she was expecting a kiss…and that a kiss hadn’t even occurred to him. Hell, a few minutes ago, he’d been thinking about marriage, yet it hadn’t even occurred to him to kiss her? He lowered his head, taking her mouth with his. Her lips parted beneath his. She tasted sweet, and the kiss did absolutely nothing for him. He had an image of another mouth wrapped around his dick, and guilt made him take a step back.

It seemed like the height of bad manners to think about another woman at a time like this. But his dick jerked at the memory.

He took another step back.

“You could stay,” she said. “At least come in for a drink.”

He knew she was asking him for more than a drink. He’d even told Darcy that he might not be back. She’d given him a funny look but had just said not to do anything she wouldn’t. He wasn’t quite sure what that would entail.

“I’d better not. I told Darcy I wouldn’t be too late.”

Something flickered in her eyes. “Okay. Maybe another time.”

“Of course.”

He watched as she disappeared, and the door closed behind her. He returned to the cab and gave the driver his home address. Ten minutes later, he was opening the front door, a sense of anticipation filling him that he hadn’t felt all evening.

But the house was quiet and in darkness. Likely Darcy had taken herself off to the guest bedroom. And the anticipation vanished, leaving a void that he didn’t want to peer into.

Lucky escape.

He flicked on the light in the kitchen and stared at the scene of chaos that met his eyes. There was food everywhere.

She wouldn’t have gone to bed and left this mess. Would she? Something must have happened. It looked like a bomb had exploded. Or the two of them had had a food fight. Darcy must have ordered a take-away—Indian by the smell of spices and the half-empty plate of food. He hoped she hadn’t given Lulu curry, or likely they would both be sorry. How could she make so much mess in so little time? He’d only been gone five hours.

He went through into the lounge and found a similar scene of chaos. Just about every toy Lulu owned was strewn about the floor along with cushions, a pair of black boots, an empty beer bottle…

And Darcy.

He stopped short at the sight of her. She was lying on her stomach on the sofa, bare feet hanging over the end, her face buried in a cushion, her hand dangling down, clutching the baby monitoring device. Which was thankfully silent, though the green light glowed, showing it was activated.