Thief of Hearts
Page 77

Could I let myself love again even though I knew the agony it might lead to? Having felt the sheer pain of losing a man I loved with all my heart, it felt foolish to put myself back in that position. I’d be vulnerable again, each day a minefield of possibilities that could steal him away at any moment.
But then, wasn’t that how life worked? Any one of us could see our time cut short at any second. And deep in my heart the idea of never being with Stu, of never telling him how I felt, was just as terrifying.
We stared at one another, locked in a moment. My skin felt too hot, my clothes too tight, and all of a sudden I wanted to climb onto his lap, wrap my arms around him and kiss him until we were both gasping for air. The urge must’ve shown on my face because Stu’s expression heated.
“Andrea . . .”
“Okay, everyone, I’d like to say a few words,” came Jamie’s voice as he stood at the head of the room, holding a microphone. I was relieved for the distraction. “First of all, I’d like thank you all for coming today. This event is the result of months of planning and I’m honoured to have you take part.”
Even as Jamie spoke, Stu continued to study me, and I came down with a case of restless leg syndrome. I also couldn’t stop fidgeting. Stu placed a hand on my knee, his voice hushed as he leaned in to whisper, “You nervous?”
“Yes,” I answered, though I wasn’t nervous for the game. I was nervous because I knew I couldn’t be without him. And I knew I had to tell him how I felt. The fact that he thought I didn’t love him made every organ in my body hurt. The man was incredible. Loyal, thoughtful, intelligent, and drop-dead gorgeous, and I wondered how many people in his life had told him they loved him. I had no doubt he knew his family loved him, because they were amazing. But had anyone else ever told him? I wanted to be that someone.
“You’ll be fine. It’s just a bit of fun, right?”
I nodded and inhaled sharply when his thumb brushed back and forth, sending tingles all the way between my thighs. It felt like forever since we’d been together physically, and now I was a fizzling bag of hormones and need.
“Yeah,” I managed, “just a bit of fun.”
“And now that we’ve taken care of the housekeeping, you can all take your places,” Jamie finished, but I’d barely heard a word, too distracted by Stu.
I stood and instantly mourned the loss of his touch. Stu rose with me, his gaze searing into mine as he moved my hair over my shoulders then bent and pressed a kiss on my lips. It wasn’t a peck like the one he’d given me yesterday. No, there was far more pressure this time. I made a weird sound of surprise, and he smirked as he stood back up to his full height. He fingered the hem of my blouse, his eyes on the V-shaped neckline. “This is a nice top. Good luck,” he said and then moved by me to take his place.
Breathe, Andie, breathe.
When I finally managed to calm down, I sat across from my first opponent, a curly haired woman in a yellow shirt. As luck would have it, I wasn’t eliminated from the game right away. In fact, I made it all the way through to lunch. Jamie stood on a chair, writing the scores on a whiteboard. I wasn’t surprised to see Stu was almost in the lead. There were just two other players ahead of him. When I checked to see who I’d be playing next my heart stuttered.
“Looks like we’re being pitted against one another,” said Stu, approaching me from behind. Even though he wasn’t even touching me I could feel his heat.
“Yeah, looks like it,” I breathed. I was so going to lose.
“You coming to lunch?” he asked hopefully.
Most everyone had retreated to the café next door for refreshments. Jamie had made a deal with the manager so we could eat there, since the bookshop didn’t have any catering facilities. It was Alfie’s favourite, the place where all the good-looking Swedes worked. The ones whose presence he claimed to find soothing. Though I wondered if he just enjoyed staring at tall, handsome, blond men while he got his regular caffeine fix.
“Yep. I’m coming,” I said and Stu’s expression heated. Was this what we’d come to? So starved of one another that even the most ambiguous innuendo turned us on. I certainly felt aroused by the way he was looking at me. Unable to take much more, I turned and headed outside.
I grabbed a sandwich and a cup of coffee before joining Jamie and Alfie at a table by the window. A minute later the chair beside mine moved and Stu sat down. I was blushing already and he hadn’t even said anything.
“Andie, are you okay?” Alfie enquired. “You’re looking a little flushed. Are you sure you aren’t coming down with something? You were feeling under the weather yesterday evening.”
“I’m fine. It’s just warm in here.”
Stu’s hand came to rest on my shoulder, his gaze concerned. “Want some ice water?”
I bit my lip. “Um, yeah, sure.”
As soon as he left the table both my cousin and Jamie eyed me with interest. I frowned at them. “What?”
“He’s a pleasant fellow,” said Jamie pointedly.
I scoffed. “I don’t think anyone’s ever described Stu Cross as a ‘pleasant fellow’ before.”
“Well, they should because he is. And he’s clearly besotted with you.”
I glanced to where Stu stood over by the service counter, making sure he was out of earshot. “Shut up.”
“I’m just saying. It’s pretty obvious.”
“You need to forgive him,” said Alfie. “He’s not the villain you’ve convinced yourself he is.”
“If you must know I’ve already forgiven him. We’re friends now.”
This time it was Alfie’s turn to scoff. “Oh, pull the other one.”
I couldn’t really argue with him because he was right. I was deluding myself if I thought Stu and I could ever just be friends. He’d affected me since the very first moment he’d stepped into my classroom. When I saw him making his way back over to the table I quickly changed the subject.
“So, Alfie tells me you two are off on a cruise of the Aegean. Fancy.”
The two exchanged a glance, and if I wasn’t mistaken Jamie looked like this was news to him. Maybe I was just imagining things. Finally, he replied, “Yes, that’s right. We’re going to drink gaudy cocktails with tiny umbrellas, and soak up the Mediterranean sun while making friends with all the pensioners we can find. It’s going to be a roaring good time.”