Carol Marinelli – Christmas Bride For The Sheikh (страница 5)

‘Like that old nurse?’

‘Florence Nightingale?’ she checked, and he nodded. ‘Well, she wasn’t old in her day,’ Flo corrected him. ‘Do you perhaps mean that nurse from olden times?’

‘I do.’

She smiled.

Hazin was well schooled but English was his second language and occasionally he slipped. Anyway, language and its intricacies could hardly be expected to be at the forefront of his mind when in the presence of such loveliness.

He liked her matter-of-fact correction that had come with a smile. Hazin had been raised to know any deviation from perfection would not be tolerated.

Yes he was wild, but whether it was a misspelt birthday card to his father, a torrid fling, or being born second in line, the verdict was always the same.

Not good enough.

So he no longer tried and instead happily disappointed everyone.

His sins would never be forgiven so Hazin had long since stopped apologising for them.

It made no difference when he did.

‘So,’ he asked, wanting to know more of her, ‘why have you banned yourself?’

‘Because the people here are terribly shallow.’

‘Yes.’

‘And my ex comes here...’ Flo explained just a little.

‘Were you hoping to see him?’

‘God, no.’ Flo grimaced at the very thought. ‘I’m not just avoiding Dion’s, I’ve been staying home a lot of late.’

‘For how long?’

‘All this year.’

‘Why?’

‘I’m off men.’

He looked at Flo and he wondered, in a way that was unusual for him, what on earth had happened that she would hide her light away.

‘Why?’

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

Flo hadn’t told anyone.

Not a single soul.

Yet his eyes looked right into hers and his smile was non-judgmental and kind.

But, no, she would not be telling him.

‘So are you off all men?’

She swallowed because just a short while ago her response would have been an unequivocal yes.

Except he was ravishing.

And funny.

But mainly he was ravishing.

His eyes weren’t a uniform grey—this close she could see there were little flecks of green and amber.

‘I think so.’

‘Isn’t it a bit extreme?’ he asked. ‘To hide yourself away...?’

‘Perhaps,’ Flo said. ‘Yes.’

‘Would you like another drink?’ he offered.

‘No, thank you.’ She glanced at his empty glass. ‘Can I get you one?’

She was frantic to get some control here—to go and stand at the bar again so she could remind herself how to breathe, but Hazin would not let her get away that easily.

‘I don’t drink,’ he said. ‘I can have your friend’s soda water. It doesn’t look as if she’s going to show.’

‘No.’

She looked around the bar and wondered what to do. Perhaps Maggie had changed her mind about letting Ilyas know about the baby.

Flo felt a little lost without her phone.

And then she saw him.

Her ex.

The reason why she had been hiding for so long.

Bastard.

She flicked her eyes away from her past and back at Hazin.

At least this man didn’t pretend he wasn’t one.

‘Are you okay?’ Hazin asked, because he didn’t usually lose his audience.

‘My ex is here,’ Flo said, and she held her breath as out of the corner of her eye she saw him make his way over.

Hazin watched her very pretty face pale rather than flush and he knew she’d been badly hurt.

And then he knew why.

Hazin was a regular here and had watched this creep pick up someone on one night and bring his wife for a meal the next.

Hazin might be wild now, but he had been married once and he’d taken his vows seriously, so, when it was clear from her panicked silence that she could not deal with her ex, Hazin was more than happy to.

‘Flo’s busy,’ Hazin said in a surly tone. ‘Please leave.’

‘Now look here—’ the man started, but then Hazin stood up.

‘I did ask politely,’ Hazin said and Flo could not believe there was about to be a fight.

What the hell?

He was more than up for a fight, but instead he gestured with his head for Marcus.

‘I just want to speak to Flo,’ the man insisted.

‘Well, you can’t,’ Hazin said, ‘because, as of now, you are barred from this establishment.’

It was Marcus’s problem now because, as Flo’s ex loudly protested as he was steered away, Hazin took his seat again. ‘He shan’t trouble you again,’ Hazin said. ‘At least, not when you’re here.’

The shadow in the room was gone and she experienced the giddy feeling of some measure of retribution at last.