Morelli's Mistress

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But his mind was buzzing with questions. What in God’s name was Annabel doing, phoning him at this time of night and suggesting they should meet for a drink? Had she been drinking already? She hadn’t struck him as the kind of girl to go on a binge, but who knew?

He managed to park in a side road not far from his destination and he strode quickly along the street towards the wine bar. There were quite a few people in the vicinity, some of them just hanging about outside.

Having no idea where Annabel wanted to meet, Luke entered the wine bar, scanning the busy bar area for any sign of her. It didn’t look as if she was here yet, and he stopped at the bar and ordered a beer.

‘Hi.’

The voice came from close by and he turned to find Annabel hovering behind him. She looked as lovely as ever, but paler than he remembered. She was wearing a black coat, the collar tipped up around her ears, and her hair was in an untidy knot on top of her head. She was wearing very little make-up, and Luke wondered again what she’d been doing before she made that call.

‘Hi,’ he said, relieved at least to see she’d made it okay. ‘What would you like to drink?’

‘Oh—do you think we could go somewhere else?’ she asked, glancing behind her. ‘This place is awfully noisy, don’t you think?’

It was, but Luke was tempted to ask why she’d asked him to meet her here if she didn’t like it. So, ‘Where?’ he asked, paying the bartender for the bottle of beer he’d been handed. ‘It’s going to be noisy everywhere at this time of night.’ He paused. ‘Look, there’s an empty booth over there. Why don’t we sit down and talk about it?’

She shrugged, but he could tell she wasn’t happy. Still, she agreed to the glass of wine he suggested, and Luke commandeered the booth before anyone else could take it.

‘That’s better,’ he said, sliding onto the banquette beside her. His hip nudged hers and he thought she caught her breath.

She smelled incredible, a sensual, exotic scent that filled his nostrils and fired his blood. God, he wanted her, he thought unsteadily. What were the chances of him persuading her to come back to his apartment?

‘Why don’t you take off your coat?’ he suggested. ‘It’s warm in here.’

‘Oh, I...’ If anything, she wrapped the collar of the coat more closely about her, and Luke sighed.

‘It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, you know,’ he told her gently, bending to nuzzle his face against her soft cheek. ‘I can’t tell you how good it is to see you again. I was seriously thinking you’d decided to write me off.’

Annabel gave a husky laugh. ‘I wouldn’t do that.’

‘So—what? You’d let me know if I was wasting my time, right? Because I have to tell you, Annabel, I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before.’

‘You don’t mean that.’

‘I do.’ Luke cupped her chin in his hand and turned her face to his. ‘I’m not saying I’ve led a monk-like existence. What man has?’ He brushed her lips with his. ‘But this is different. You’re different.’ He kissed her again, more thoroughly this time. ‘How would you feel if I asked you to come back to my apartment?’

Annabel caught her breath. ‘Your apartment?’ she breathed, drawing back when he would have kissed her again, and as she did so the collar of her coat fell away, revealing an ugly bruise on her neck. ‘Where do you live?’

‘North London. Camden.’ But Luke was more interested in how she’d got that bruise on her neck. Although she drew back, he touched it with gentle fingers. ‘How did this happen?’

‘Oh...’ She pulled her collar up again, and shook her head. ‘I fell. In the bathroom. Stupid, huh?’ She changed the subject. ‘Do you live alone?’

‘Well, I don’t have a partner, if that’s what you’re asking,’ he said humorously. ‘Do you?’

‘Funny you should ask that.’

Two things happened in quick succession: the man who had spoken, a man Luke had never seen before, slid into the booth opposite them; and Annabel said, ‘Harry!’ in a shocked voice, and shifted away from Luke, proving she did know who the newcomer was.

He was a heavy man, not particularly tall, but broad and muscular, with the kind of self-satisfied confidence Luke encountered in the boardrooms of the companies he dealt with every day.

If he had to guess, and judging by the cut of the suit the guy was wearing, Luke would say he probably worked in the City. So who was he? Annabel’s boyfriend? Her partner? Surely not.

The guy cast Luke a contemptuous look. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce me to your companion, Abby?’

Abby?

Luke remembered his earlier suspicion that that might be her name.

Abby shifted a little nervously. ‘Um—this is Luke. Luke Morelli,’ she said, her voice barely audible. ‘He’s—he’s just a friend.’

‘With benefits, if I’m any judge,’ said Harry, his eyes not leaving Abby’s face. ‘Isn’t it lucky that I decided to come looking for you here?’

Abby took a steadying breath, or that was how it seemed to Luke, and seemed to gain some resolution. ‘You said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow,’ she exclaimed accusingly.

‘And you said you were going to have an early night.’ Harry arched a mocking brow. ‘What a lying little bitch you are!’

‘Take that back!’

Slamming his hands down on the table, Luke got to his feet and reached for the other man’s collar. Hauling him up out of his seat, he said savagely, ‘Who the hell do you think you are, speaking to her like that? I’ve a good mind to...’

‘No, Luke!’

Abby was on her feet now, reaching for his arm as he was thinking of ramming his fist into the other man’s face. And Harry, if that was his name, gave a harsh laugh.

‘Listen to her, Luke,’ he said, raising a hand to his throat and easing himself away. ‘Ask her what gives me the right to expect a certain measure of loyalty from her. I bet she hasn’t mentioned me, has she?’

Luke scowled. ‘Well, if you’re her boyfriend, you should show her more respect,’ he said harshly. He turned to Annabel—Abby—and waited for her to speak. ‘Who is this loser? Do you know him?’

Which even he knew was a stupid question in the circumstances. But, Goddammit, he felt as if he’d suddenly stepped into an alternative universe.

It was the man who answered, his expression as smug as the words he uttered.

‘She’s my wife, Luke. Has been for—let me see—three years. And if she wants a divorce, she only has to ask for one. Isn’t that right, Abby? Go on, Luke, ask her if she wants a divorce. But I think you’ll find she doesn’t. My wife has expensive tastes that I doubt you could satisfy. What do you say, Abby? Tell your—friend—that I’m right.’

Abby didn’t answer him and Luke felt the bottom drop out of his world. But he wouldn’t ask her if she wanted a divorce. It was obvious, he’d been a fool to believe her. She had no intention of leaving her husband. She’d played them both for fools.

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_c642aeba-784d-526a-ab21-6b4c8f9a1dff)

HARLEY SAW THE man coming towards them and raced excitedly towards him. Clearly, Luke didn’t inspire the same reaction in him as Greg Hughes. Considering the muddy ground, Abby hoped Luke wasn’t thinking of suing her for a new suit.

Harley’s paws could be lethal.

The dog fussed about the man, wagging his tail. Oh, Harley, you Judas, Abby intoned silently as Luke bent to scratch the retriever’s head.

She’d thought he might not have heard her approach, but, as if on cue, Luke straightened to face her. ‘Your dog?’ he asked as Harley bounded back to his mistress, and Abby nodded.

‘Mine,’ she agreed, half wishing she’d chosen another route for their walk.

‘He’s a beautiful animal.’ Luke came closer as she struggled to find the clasp of the leash. ‘Hey, don’t bother fastening him up on my account. I like dogs, and fortunately they usually like me.’

Why was she not surprised? Finding the catch, she fastened the leash to Harley’s collar, anyway. He whined a little plaintively, but she refused to be deterred. ‘I didn’t think anyone else was about or I wouldn’t have let him run free.’

Luke shrugged, glancing about him. ‘I was just familiarising myself with the area. It’s a beautiful part of the country.’

‘It is.’ What else could she say? That was why she’d moved here, for heaven’s sake. ‘Do you know it well?’

Luke shrugged again. ‘My father lives in Bath these days, but I don’t know Ashford-St-James very well.’

So how on earth had he found out about the properties? wondered Abby curiously. Or had he been searching the Internet and come upon them, much as she’d done herself four years ago?

As if reading her thoughts, he said, ‘It was my father who alerted me to the sale. He used to play golf with Charles Gifford, the father of the present owner.’

‘Yes. I know who Charles Gifford is—was,’ said Abby flatly.

‘So I guess you knew that I was involved before I walked into the café a few hours ago?’

Abby nodded. ‘I got a letter, the same as everybody else.’

‘And you’ve been cursing me ever since,’ remarked Luke cynically. ‘Don’t look like that. I can tell.’

Abby sighed. ‘As a matter of fact, my first thought was that you knew I owned one of the businesses, and you’d bought them as—as a kind of revenge,’ she said honestly.

Luke snorted. ‘You’re kidding me.’

‘No.’ Abby was defensive. ‘We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms, did we?’

‘No.’ Luke conceded the point. ‘But you must have quite an opinion of yourself if you think I’m still stressing over something that happened, what? Four years ago?’

‘Five,’ said Abby shortly, wondering if he’d really forgotten. ‘Anyway, I’m glad I left no lasting scar on your life.’

* * *

If she only knew, thought Luke grimly, looking down at the retriever again so she wouldn’t see the hostility in his eyes.

She’d only been responsible for his break-up with Ray Carpenter, who hadn’t been able to stand the bitter way Luke had come to regard his life.

And she’d also been the reason he’d married Sonia, the girl he’d been seeing in the weeks before Annabel—Abby—had come on the scene. The marriage had been a mistake from the outset and a year later, it had been over.

Now he made a dismissive gesture, amazed the lie came so easily. ‘I’d forgotten all about it,’ he said carelessly. ‘Like you, I’ve moved on with my life.’

‘Well, I’m glad.’ Abby gazed up at him, rather guiltily, he thought. ‘It was all my fault that—well, what happened, happened,’ she said.

That had been Luke’s take on it certainly. Nothing could alter the fact that she’d been married when she’d agreed to meet him. He should have felt sorry for her husband, instead of threatening to sock him on the jaw.

He knew he shouldn’t be having this conversation with her. As soon as he’d walked into the café and discovered who the owner of the business was, he should have left it there. Instead, he’d spent the last few hours hanging around Ashford, trying to think of a reason to go back.