Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 202638 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1013(@200wpm)___ 811(@250wpm)___ 675(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 202638 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1013(@200wpm)___ 811(@250wpm)___ 675(@300wpm)
I look down at the floor. I don’t want to get into a row in Harrods over this. I return my eyes to his. ‘Just buy me a dress for tonight. That would be acceptable to me.’
‘Just one dress?’ he asks unhappily. ‘Another five dresses and you’ve got a deal.’
I’m pleasantly surprised by this. ‘Two.’ I counter, anyway.
‘Five.’ he tosses back at me. ‘This wasn’t part of the deal.’
No it wasn’t, but I don’t care how old he is anymore, and I’ve done this meeting in the middle scenario before. I’ve learnt that while I maneuver, Jesse sticks exactly where he started.
I narrow my eyes on him. ‘I don’t care how old you are. Keep your silly little age secret.’
‘Okay, but it’s still five.’ he says acceptingly. I suspect he was never going to keep his end of the deal, anyway. ‘I’ve got to make a phone call.’ He drops a kiss on my lips. ‘You go and pick five dresses. Zoe has my card. My pin is one, nine, seven, four.’
I recoil. ‘I can’t believe you’ve just told me your pin number.’
‘No secrets, remember?’
No secrets? Is he kidding me? He strolls off, and I have a sudden, delighted moment of comprehension. I do a quick mental calculation. ‘You are thirty seven,’ I shout to his back. He stops. ‘Your pin number. You were born in seventy four.’ I can’t help the triumph in my voice. I’ve totally rumbled him. Men are so predictable. ‘You didn’t lie at all, did you?’
He slowly turns and flashes me his signature smile, reserved only for me, before blowing me a kiss and leaving me to go and pick my five dresses.
I walk out of the personal shopping area and find Jesse waiting for me. It didn’t take me long to select my five favourite dresses.
I hand him his card and plant a kiss on his cheek. ‘Thank you.’ I’m not sure whether I’m most grateful for the dresses or for his slip up in revealing that he is actually thirty seven. Either way, I’m a very happy girl.
‘You are more than welcome,’ He takes my bags from me. ‘Do I get another show?’ He raises his eyebrows.
‘Of course,’ I can’t deny him for how reasonable he’s being. ‘But you don’t get to see the gown.’
‘Which one did you pick?’ he asks curiously. He liked all of them, but he didn’t see the gown that is safely out of view in a suit bag.
‘You’ll find out later.’ I inhale him into me as he nestles his face in my neck. ‘So, my man really is knocking on forty.’ I rib.
He pulls away and rolls his eyes before taking my hand and leading me through the store. ‘Does it bother you?’ he asks casually, but I know he’s worried that it does.
It didn’t bother me before and it doesn’t bother me now. ‘Not at all, why does it bother you, though?’
‘Ava, do you remember one of the very first things you said to me?’ He looks down at me.
How could I forget? And I still don’t know where it came from. ‘Why did you lie?’
He shrugs. ‘Because you wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t a problem.’
I smile. ‘It doesn’t bother me in the slightest how old you are. Is that a grey hair?’ I ask dead pan as we board the Egyptian escalators.
He stands on the step below and turns around to face me. We’re pretty much at eye level. ‘Do you think you’re funny?’ he asks. He didn’t appreciate that referral. I shouldn’t tease him when he clearly has an issue.
I can’t keep a straight face and when he dips and tips me over his shoulder, I suppress a squeal. He can’t behave like this in Harrods! I correct myself. Jesse has no regard for public opinion on his behaviour. He’ll pick me up, ravish me, or even be blood boiling mad with me wherever he pleases. He doesn’t give a toss and, quite frankly, neither do I.
He carries me out of the store and on to Knightsbridge, setting me on my feet outside where I straighten my dress, take his offered hand and we start walking back towards the car. I don’t even tick him off. It’s fast becoming an everyday occurrence for him to hoof me about, whether it’s in private or in public.
‘We’ll grab some lunch at The Manor.’ he says as he puts my bags in the boot and then me in the car. He slides in beside me and gives me my smile before slipping his glasses on. ‘Enjoying your day so far?’
I was, until he reminded me about our need to go to The Manor. I’ve got to endure a whole night there too. ‘Absolutely.’ I can’t complain, though, as long as I’m with him.
‘Me too. Put your belt on.’ He starts the car and roars into the lunchtime traffic, cranking up the stereo and letting his window down so the whole of Knightsbridge gets a little listen of The Stereophonics, Dakota.