Sleeping with the Soldier. Charlotte Phillips

And a marginally more genuine one this time since he really didn’t have anything to gain from it. He wasn’t shut out on the landing half naked now, was he? In acknowledgement she curbed her angry tone a little.

      ‘According to the emergency plumber, the problem originated in the area of pipework attached to your radiator, so that would be a yes.’

      He made a move towards the kitchen and she followed him and watched from the doorway as he filled the kettle.

      ‘Hot drink?’ he said, eyebrows raised.

      She shook her head and he took a single mug from the drainer.

      ‘Any idea on timescale?’ he said. ‘How long do I have to live in a frou-frou bordello?’

      ‘Do you mind? My stuff is classy, not tarty,’ she snapped.

      He sighed. ‘Of course it is.’

      ‘The plumber did that thing where they suck in their breath and shake their head pityingly,’ she said. ‘I’m guessing at least a few days. Plus you have to factor in the weekend. He’s made it safe but he’s not going to actually do much else until Monday.’

      He thrust an enormous heaped spoonful of instant coffee into the mug and topped it up with hot water.

      ‘You’re really going to drink that now?’ she said, eyeing it. ‘You’ll be buzzing.’

      He glanced at her. She could see the dark circles beneath his eyes even from here. Why would anyone who looked that tired want a caffeine boost?

      ‘Yup.’

      He turned around to face her, leaning back against the worktop. Her heart rate upped its pace a notch at the intense look in the grey eyes. The last time she’d been this close to him he’d been asleep, his face relaxed. Now he looked drawn and tense. He looked as if he needed a good night’s sleep.

      ‘You mentioned some stock was damaged,’ he said.

      She nodded and sighed.

      ‘Some camisoles,’ she said and, seeing his questioning frown, added, ‘like vest tops, you know, with the stringtype shoulder straps. Also some silk knickers.’

      There was no denying it had been a setback. The water marks had ruined them.

      He shifted awkwardly on his feet, clearly not massively comfortable with discussing women’s underwear in the early hours of the morning.

      ‘Look, I know I can’t make up for the time you’ve lost but at least let me pay for the damage,’ he said, his hand sliding around to the back pocket of his jeans. He produced a wallet and opened it.

      She looked at him, surprised. An apology and an offer to make amends.

      ‘It’s fine,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘It’s enough that Poppy’s letting me stay here. That’s a massive help. I hadn’t a clue what I was going to do.’

      ‘That doesn’t help with your stock damage, though, does it?’ Completely ignoring her, he pulled a wad of notes free. She stared at them, a hundred different things running through her mind that she could do if she had an extra cash injection. She rejected them all.

      How easy it must be to just have access to that kind of money whenever you needed it, just paying off your problems when they arose. He probably had a massive trust fund at his disposal. She might have her back against the wall and no ready cash but what she had to show for it had never been handed to her on a plate. Everything she had was the result of hard graft. That was the way she wanted it. She didn’t want to feel beholden to anyone else, that way she knew any success was hers alone and couldn’t be snatched away. Yes, the pipes breaking might have been down to Alex but the whole pipe system was shot to hell as it was and there was no way she would be accepting his money. She would never have taken up Poppy’s offer if she hadn’t been desperate.

      ‘I don’t want your money,’ she said, holding a hand up to stop his outstretched handful of notes.

      He hesitated a moment, watching her face intently, and then put the money away.