Page 14 of When The Night Falls

I chuckled. ‘Spoken like a true solicitor.’

He gave me a vague smile. ‘Your turn, you said. What would you like to know?’

Where to begin? Glancing at Olivia and Andrew, I was reminded of his companion. They seemed like good friends, and that made me curious. ‘How long have you known Andy?’

‘My whole life. My turn.’ He grinned. ‘What are your interests, aside from medicine?’

That was a substantial question. ‘Er, I have eclectic tastes, so I find that question too vast to answer. You’ll have to filter it down.’

‘What do you spend your spare time doing?’

I scoffed. ‘Spare time? What spare time?’

‘Have you got a boyfriend?’ he suddenly tossed at me.

I stiffened. ‘That’s none of your business.’

A lascivious gleam entered his arresting eyes, and it captured me wholly. All I wanted was to explore the dancing blue depths. In so many ways, he seemed like a promise of pleasure. Given his level of self-assurance, I couldn’t imagine that he would disappoint between the sheets, so why did I deny myself the chance to explore his potential?

His smile turned crooked again. ‘I assure you, darling, it is.’

Unsure of what he meant, I looked briefly away. I had a vague idea, but I wanted to be certain. Frankly, I wanted to hear him confess it.

‘And how is that?’

‘Because I’d like to see you again.’ His smile faded. ‘So, if you’ve got a boyfriend, I’d prefer to know. I’ll have to reconsider my tactics, then.’

I gaped. ‘Reconsider your tactics?’ I echoed disbelievingly. ‘Are you trying to say that if I do have a boyfriend, you won’t respect it?’

‘No, I’ll respect it – physically.’ Glancing away, he murmured, ‘But I’ll try and tempt you to leave him.’

‘You’re ruthless,’ I said. Was he drunk?

‘Which you need,’ he claimed with a smirk.

I frowned. ‘You don’t even know me.’

‘No, I don’t, but I’ve got a vague idea of what I’m dealing with.’ He shrugged. ‘My intuition tends to serve me well.’

I blinked at his cockiness. ‘Are you drunk, Will?’

His brows furrowed. ‘What makes you think that? No. I’ve had two cocktails.’

‘Because your head is messed up.’

‘You’ve messed it up.’

I snorted. ‘That’s ridiculous. What a cheesy line.’

‘Better than “have we met?”, though.’

I glared at him, and he glared straight back. Eventually, he tilted his head and watched me as though he were trying to solve an enigma.

‘If you’d actually had a boyfriend,’ he said with narrowed eyes, ‘I doubt you’d allow me to keep my arm round you like this, much less let me pour your drink into your mouth. Then again, you could just be a partner prone to cheating, but I seriously doubt you’re the type. You seem too righteous.’

I leaned forward and grabbed my espresso martini. ‘I don’t see why we’re even entertaining this question. You said you’d prefer to know because you’d like to see me again, but in case you’ve already forgotten, I live in Edinburgh.’

‘Sure, but for now you’re still in London. How long are you staying?’

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