Page 56 of Do Opposites Attract?

The thought caused a sharp pain his heart. No. Damn it, she deserved someone far better than bloody Henry. Angrily he punched his hand against the door frame. This was crazy. He couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t simply sit the evening out in his own home wondering what she was doing. Snatching at his car keys, he slammed out of the house.

* * *

Two hours later, he was sitting in his car opposite her place feeling like a stalker, which effectively he was. Thank God common sense had prevailed enough for him to abandon his first idea, which had been to storm into the Ivy and sit down at their table. Yeah, he could just imagine how well that would have gone down. Henry might have been pissed, but Brianna would have been absolutely livid. So instead he’d parked up outside her house and sat and waited, not even daring to think about what he was going to do if she didn’t turn up.

Another hour passed. Mitch looked at his watch. It was half past eleven. Where the hell were they? His hands gripped thesteering wheel and with a muttered curse he sunk his head onto them. What on earth was he doing here? He was a total fool. He’d spent the best part of three days telling himself he had to cool things with Brianna and now he was sitting outside her place, waiting for her to come home like the jealous boyfriend he’d convinced himself he couldn’t be.

Just as he was about to turn the key and drive home, a sleek black Mercedes purred into view. Mitch watched as the car glided to a stop right outside her house. Screwing up his eyes he could see Henry at the wheel and Brianna sitting next to him, her hair pinned elegantly on the top of her head. She looked every inch the lady she was.

Aware he was still clenching the wheel, Mitch made himself relax and sit back in the seat. He’d just wait until she got out, until Henry drove round the corner, and then he’d drive off home. He didn’t need to ever admit to this shoddy little venture.

Inside the Mercedes Henry’s face bent towards Brianna’s.

Without thinking, Mitch yanked his door open and barged over to them, thumping on the passenger window.

A shocked Brianna opened the door. ‘Mitch! What on earth are you doing here?’

‘I came to check you were okay.’ He barely squeezed the words out, his jaw was so tight.

‘Why wouldn’t she be okay?’ Henry leaned across from the driver’s seat, his cheeks flushed with anger.

Mitch didn’t reply. He just stood and stared at them both, hands in fists at his side, muscles tense.

‘You knew I’d be okay with Henry. He’s an old friend.’ Brianna shook her head, as if she still couldn’t believe he was there.

Mitch sucked in a sharp breath, aware of an irrational stab of jealousy at her words and what they implied. The years she andHenry had already shared, even if it was only platonic. ‘I wanted to make sure he didn’t push for more than he’d paid for.’

Brianna flushed at his coarseness. ‘That was uncalled for.’

It was. He was being rude and overbearing. With a jerk of his head Mitch looked away, staring into the distance. He was fast losing his mind. Brianna was making him lose his mind. Why else had he driven all the way here, effectively to spy on her?

Simmering with anger at himself, he left them to it and walked back across the road to his car. He’d done exactly what he hadn’t wanted to do at the ball. He’d shown Brianna up in front of one of her friends. At this very moment Henry was no doubt looking down his long, aristocratic nose at him and Mitch couldn’t even blame him. He’d not only given him all the ammunition he needed, he’d practically loaded the damn gun and pulled off the safety catch. He’d shown no better manners than the louts he’d grown up with.

As he hunched over the wheel of his car, brooding into the night, Brianna slipped into the passenger seat.

‘What on earth are you playing at?’ she demanded, her green eyes blazing. ‘How dare you embarrass me like this, checking up on me as if I’m some sort of harlot? One you can’t trust out of your sight.’

There was nothing he could say in his defence.

‘And what if I’d wanted to invite him back?’ she continued, her voice softer now, but more deadly. ‘What would you have done then?’

He turned to glare at her. ‘Don’t play games with me, Brianna.’

‘Same goes, Mitch.’ She moved to slide back out of the car. ‘It’s been three days since the ball and you haven’t bothered to call. I never know where I stand with you from one day to the next. Either you want me in your life or you don’t. Which is it?’

This was his opportunity. The chance to do what any sane man would do in his position, once he’d grasped the woman he was falling for was too far out of his reach. He just had to say the word.

‘You know damn well which it is,’ he ground out, knowing he didn’t have the strength to do what he needed to do. If he couldn’t bear the thought of her on a platonic date with Henry, how was he expected to finish with her now, leaving the field open for all the other men he’d seen sniffing around, watching her with frankly lustful eyes.

‘Do I?’ she replied softly. ‘Maybe I need to hear you say it.’

‘I want you, Brianna. God knows, I want you.’ Just like he’d wanted to be part of a normal, happy loving family. He could want all he liked, but some things he just couldn’t have.

‘Then why are you still sitting in the car?’

She shut the passenger door and crossed the road, her beautiful body rippling under the silk of her dress. As he watched her, his heart was in danger of exploding in his chest. On the outside she was beauty and class personified. On the inside she was funny, warm-hearted and stronger than he’d realised. Once all he’d seen was a spoilt rich girl. Now he knew she was so much more. It was no wonder he couldn’t do without her.

With a shake of his head, he climbed out of the car and went to follow her.

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