His Irresistible Darling - Sarah Randall Page 0,57
try to clear it.
She breezed back into the room a few moments later wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Seemed it would be a casual night out.
“So you’re just leaving? What about…?” He motioned his hand between the two of them.
“Jumal, I can’t talk about this now. I promised Jake I’d have a quick drink with him before he leaves. He’s a friend, that’s all, and I already bailed out of a snowboarding trip to Dubai with him to look after you.” She threw her arms wide open.
He shook his head and raked his good hand through his hair. “You were going to do what with him? You know what, never mind. I don’t like him and I don’t think you should go out with him. He could have been the one who drugged you!” he announced, practically sulking.
“Yeah, well that’s not your decision. You’re not my father,” she lectured, “and there is absolutely no evidence that he spiked my drink.”
He studied his bare feet. “If you were my daughter I’d have you locked in your room by now,” he added under his breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Go then. I’ll save the dinner until you get back.” He sulked, pushing away from the counter top and storming past her to his office.
Jumal stood under the powerful jets of water in his shower, trying to relax his once-again tense shoulder muscles. It seemed the benefit of that massage had well and truly vanished. He let the water pound on the back of his neck; his head dropped forward, resting against the cool tiles. On the plus side, at least he could take his arm out of the sling for a shower now. The last couple of weeks had been hell trying to cover his arm and shoulder with some plastic contraption Pippa had bought.
He’d almost driven himself crazy, going over and over the kiss with Pippa. Had he got it completely wrong? She’d seemed to be as into it as him, but then she had more or less run out on him when another alternative had come along. And where the hell was she? She said quick drink and she’d been gone over an hour now.
He tilted his head to the side and out from under the torrent and then turned off the water altogether. His mobile phone was ringing but not with the usual factory setting tone. Pippa had got her hands on it a couple of days ago and ever since it was ringing out to the sounds of some prat called “Bruno Mars” who kept singing about loving some girl just the way she was… Apparently, Pippa loved him: the Mars chap, not Jumal.
He reached for a towel and tried unsuccessfully to wrap it around his waist one handed, wondering whether Pippa would be up for helping him in the shower from now on, as he finally gave up entirely on the towel and walked into his bedroom, dripping water as Mr Mars continued to warble about some woman’s hair. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table but didn’t recognise the number.
“Yeah?” He heard a woman sniff.
“Jumal. It’s me—” she started softly and sniffed again, like she’d been crying.
“Pippa. You okay?” If that idiot had harmed her in any way… He tried to relax his grip on the phone before he crushed it.
“I’m fine but I’ve had my bag stolen in the club. I had my car keys in my pocket but now I’ve broken down too,” she sobbed. “I managed to flag down a passing family and they let me use their phone to call you. Will you send a cab for me or something?”
“Where’s the kid?” he demanded.
“Who?”
“Jake,” he rushed. “Where’s Jake. Did he just leave you?” His grip was tightening again on the phone.
“No, he left at the same time as me. I told him I’d be fine and he grabbed a lift home with some of his work colleagues. I thought I’d be okay. I had my car keys and I reported the theft to the club. The car started fine and I drove off but then it just shuddered to a stop.” He heard her voice crack at the end as she sniffed.
“Okay, I’m coming to get you. Where are you exactly?”
Jumal dressed quickly and called for his chauffeur. He hadn’t used the service much over the last year and hadn’t actually wanted Pippa to know that he had ready access to a driver and car to ferry him around. He preferred her company,