A Perfect Cornish Escape by Phillipa Ashley Page 0,51
I’d probably have tried to dig deeper.’
He breathed out his contempt.
‘Look, Dirk, I can’t apologise for a story I didn’t write. Why don’t you tell me more about the true version of events?’
‘So you can print it?’ he shot back.
‘No, so I can understand you better.’
His eyes narrowed briefly, he looked at her as if she’d turned into a frog, then he shook his head. ‘Now why the hell would you want to do that?’
‘Why not? We’ve got the rest of the day.’
He snatched up his empty plate and put it in the sink. Tiff flinched, certain she’d blown the moment. She was damned by association, but she refused to feel guilty for someone else’s article and certainly not Esther bloody Francois’ actions. Nor would she apologise for her job, per se.
She took her own plate to where Dirk was standing gripping the edge of the sink. She left the plate on the worktop next to him.
‘Tell me more about your side of things, please.’
‘Are you really interested in my side?’ he said. ‘Your friend clearly wasn’t interested in it.’
Tiff chose her words carefully, afraid to shatter the moment again.
‘Dirk, I am sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry that you split up with Amira, and I’m sorry you think the story in the Herald helped to tip her over the edge. Esther is definitely not … my friend. I don’t like her methods and I like to think I’d have handled it more sensitively, but I am not going to lie to you. I can’t say I wouldn’t have followed it up myself. Journalism is my job, same as fixing the boat is yours. Yours is just noble, that’s all.’
‘Noble?’ He laughed. ‘I got a transfer here to get away from London, not for noble reasons. I ran away.’
‘Then at least we have something in common,’ Tiff said lightly. ‘Along with let’s say … a compulsion to be honest.’
He laughed. ‘Honest? Us … yeah …’ He turned to look at her, an intensity burning in his eyes. ‘Well, if we’re being honest – totally honest – I’d tell you, in spite of everything, how much I want to take you to bed … but you must already know that?’
‘Oh … No. I … didn’t know that.’ Her voice was suddenly throaty. ‘My God, I absolutely didn’t know that.’
Even though she was irritated by his accusations, he’d stopped her dead in her tracks with his blunt declaration. She shivered, partly in surprise and partly in lust.
‘Are you shocked?’ he said.
‘Erm … shocked isn’t quite the word.’
‘So … I’ve made a mistake?’
‘No … I wouldn’t call it a mistake either …’ She floundered; floored by a directness that had hit her like a missile out of a clear blue sky and made her whole body grow hot and cold with desire.
‘Of course, it would be a bloody terrible idea,’ he went on, cutting the ground from under her yet again. ‘I do respect you being honest, but I just don’t trust you.’
Or can’t, she thought. ‘Wow. What a fantastic basis for a relationship,’ she said coolly. ‘You want to take me to bed but you don’t like me and you don’t trust me. How could I possibly resist?’
‘Easily. I’m a grumpy, rude, anti-social bloke who’s now insulted you.’
Tiff seethed with indignant anger and at his comments, but a part of her also wanted to rip his clothes off, and she couldn’t decide which of those feelings was winning. ‘Anyone would think you were deliberately trying to keep me away from you,’ she said, putting her finger on his lips. His eyes widened in shock at her touch. His mouth was warm under her fingertips and sent a thrill through her.
‘I think you’re doing a very good job of being Mr Darcy. Without the gigantic mansion and millions, of course.’
Reluctantly, she lowered her hand, furious with him but dying to feel her lips on his.
‘I always thought Darcy was an arse,’ Dirk said, holding her gaze. ‘Arrogantly jumping to conclusions about people when he didn’t know the facts.’
Was he even aware of the irony of his comment? ‘There you go, then,’ Tiff said sweetly, yet inwardly fuming and glad she hadn’t acted on her impulse to kiss him. ‘None of us is perfect. Thank you for the lunch and the most absolutely fecking terrifying experience of my life. I’ll write up the feature about the crew. Should be in the next month’s issue.’