Page 52 of The Couple Behind the Headlines

He let out a harsh, humourless laugh. ‘Oh, no. Don’t worry. It’s all been entirely my own fault. Everything from getting involved with you in the first place to the foolish hope that you might want to stick around.’

She flinched. ‘Did I ever give you the impression I would?’

‘No. It was stupid of me. Incredibly stupid. But then that’s nothing new when it comes to you.’

The bitterness in his voice stabbed at her chest and she went dizzy with a weird need to find out why he’d wanted her to change her mind about leaving.

‘Why do you want me to stay, Jack?’ she asked and held her breath as if everything hung on his answer, which was mystifying because it didn’t.

Or did it?

His eyes met hers and held them, the blue shimmering with something she couldn’t identify and wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to anyway.

‘For more.’

‘Of what?’ Her breath caught in her throat. ‘The same?’

Jack frowned and yanked his hands out of his pockets to rake them through his hair. ‘Well, yes. But on a more permanent basis.’

Her heart hammered. ‘How permanent?’

‘I don’t know,’ he muttered, a rare flash of uncertainty darting across his face.

Her heart then plummeted. ‘Well, that’s not good enough,’ she said with a shrug. It hadn’t mattered that much anyway.

‘Of course it isn’t.’

‘The university I’m going to is one of the top ten in the world,’ she said, ignoring the sarcasm. ‘They don’t dish out places to just anyone, and I’m not giving mine up for a fling that will last who knows how long.’

Jack stiffened, then gave her a horribly sardonic smile and arched an eyebrow. ‘So how many strings did Daddy have to pull to get you one of those extremely rare and highly sought-after places?’

For one long moment Imogen could do no more than stare at him as his words and the mocking tone with which they’d been delivered hung between them. She blinked, the shocked disbelief coursing through her gradually turning to deep outrage and excruciating hurt. To think that for one crazy second she’d actually considered suggesting he go with her.

‘Jack,’ she said, her voice cold and flat, ‘you’re a bastard.’

And with that she stood up, snatched her coat and bag and walked out.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

‘OK,’ said Luke, planting two pints of beer on the table a week later and throwing himself into the chair opposite Jack. ‘This time I know something’s up.’

Jack shot Luke the cool, brittle smile that seemed to be fixed to his face pretty much permanently these days. Given that inside he was as cold as ice, and had been ever since Imogen had stormed out of his office, it didn’t seem all that inappropriate. ‘Thanks for this,’ he said and took a large swallow.

Luke shrugged and grinned. ‘Winner’s obligation.’

‘Don’t get too used to it.’

‘So?’

‘Nothing’s up,’ said Jack, setting the glass down and calmly meeting Luke’s penetrating stare despite knowing that that couldn’t be further from the truth.

‘Right,’ said Luke, evidently knowing it, too.

Jack fought back a scowl and concentrated on keeping the smile on his face. ‘I lost. It’s no big deal.’

‘On the occasions you do lose you don’t usually do it quite so dismally.’

Jack shrugged as he mentally revisited the diabolical game of squash he’d just played. ‘So I’m having an off day. It happens.’

---