Page 134 of The One That I Want

‘Orwe call it drive and determination andindependence. Those are traits I value, that Iwantin a partner.’

‘Okay,’ I reply softly, my mind latching onto the meaning behind his words. Ewan wants me. Suddenly, it feels as if my heart has sprouted wings and is about to burst from my chest and take flight.

He runs his thumb along the back of my hand again, his eyes boring into mine. ‘So, will you accept my apology? For not telling you how I was feeling – and sooner?’

‘That depends.’

His face falls, his disappointment evident.

‘On,’ I say, hurrying to expound, ‘whether you’re willing to tell me now.’

‘Tell you— Ahh,’ he says, breaking into a smile. ‘Well, as previously mentioned, I’m smitten.’ He leans closer. ‘I also really want to see where this can go, Greta. I can picture a future with yousoclearly. I think we’d have a wonderful life together – whatever it brings.’

‘Even bizarre writing assignments?’

‘As long as they don’t require you to date other men.’

‘I’m sorry I lied to you about what I was writing.’

‘I know.’ He inhales a deep breath. ‘Just tell me, did you fall for any of those men – even a little bit?’

‘No. Just the opposite.’

‘Really? By all accounts, Harrison’s a dreamboat.’

‘Dreamboat? Where are you getting these words? Do you have a time machine or something? Are you frequenting the 1960s?’

‘I’m not sure what the latest lingo is. I’m older than you, remember.’

‘By six years!’

He shrugs, clearly unbothered by my teasing.

‘And no – to the question about Harrison. Not even the tiniest spark. In fact, it was after my date with him that I realised how I felt about you.’ I clock his expression and ask, ‘Why does that surprise you? You’re a catch too, you know.’

He dips his head in modesty. ‘Thank you.’ He meets my gaze again. ‘So, we’re really going to give this another go? And before you answer, keep in mind that Remy will murder me in my sleep if I don’t get a second chance with you.’

‘Well, we can’t have that. And yes, we really are going to give this another go.’

‘Then I’m going to kiss you now.’

We reach for each other, our lips meeting in a fervent kiss. One of his hands rest firmly on the back of my neck, the other around my waist, both pulling me closer as the kiss deepens. My hands close into fists as I grab the back of his T-shirt and lean into him.

It feels very much like a reunion, even though we were apart for less than a day.

Silly us. So much misunderstanding and hurt because we weren’t open and honest with each other.

A loud voice echoes through the atrium, breaking the spell of the kiss.

‘Thereyou are!’

Ewan and I leap apart, panting slightly, and I look for Tiggy. She’s standing just inside the door to the atrium, her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised like an exasperated mum from an American sitcom.

‘Hi, Tiggy,’ I say.

She strolls over, her eyes narrowing at me. ‘I went up to your office, butobviouslyyou weren’t there. I ended up having to ask the security guard out the front if they’d seen you.’

‘Sorry.’

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