Нина Харрингтон – Call Me Cupid: The Guy to Be Seen With / The First Crush Is the Deepest / Too Close for Comfort (страница 24)

‘I asked you a question,’ he growled.

Chloe smoothed her T-shirt down with her free hand. ‘I was just dropping these off for—’

He made a dismissive gesture towards the bag in her hand but, unfortunately, the edge of his hand caught it and the bottles went flying. His first reaction was shock, but then his expression hardened again. ‘I don’t want anything you’ve got to give me.’

Unfortunately, since Chloe had bought Kelly some rather nice lotions, the bottles were glass not plastic. One bounced on the small lawn, but the other one hit the path and smashed.

‘Now look what you’ve done!’ she shouted.

She knew it was pointless, but she reached out to pick up the bits from amidst the fragrant, snowy white lotion now oozing into the dirt. She couldn’t leave it there. One of the boys might tread on it.

‘You really are unhinged, aren’t you?’ a superior voice said from above her. ‘I had no idea how bad it was.’

‘Listen, you egotistical jerk—ow!’ Chloe flinched away as her fingertip met glass. Instinctively, she stuck her finger in her mouth but instantly spat it out again. That lotion definitely did not taste as good as it smelled.

He let out a frustrated sigh. ‘I’m sorry you’ve hurt yourself, but this can’t continue...I don’t need any of your gifts. And I don’t want you hanging around outside my house.’

Chloe’s lips twitched, then a high-pitched laugh burst out of her mouth. And once she’d started she couldn’t stop. She clamped her good hand over her mouth to muffle the noise. This man was priceless! He actually thought she was stalking him? Just how vain could a man get?

She looked up at him, the look of twisted confusion on his features at her sudden outburst, and that just made her laugh all the harder.

When she could finally manage a sentence in one go, she said, ‘This wasn’t for you, Daniel. It was for Kelly.’

The look of astonishment on his face was almost worth the pain in her finger.

‘For Kelly...’ he repeated slowly.

‘Yes,’ said Chloe, feeling her hilarity subside and her temper rise again. ‘You know—tall, dark-haired female who lives with you and shares a gene pool, God help her.’

‘Why...?’ he said. ‘Why are you bringing presents for Kelly? It’s not her birthday.’

A week ago, if she’d seen Daniel Bradford rendered defenceless by confusion like this, she’d have thought it was sweet. Now Chloe just revelled in it. He was so full of himself, thought he knew who she was and what she was capable of, did he?

‘I heard you’d had to take leave because of Kelly,’ she said. ‘I thought she might be...well, you know, that she might have found out...’ She shoved the undamaged bottle in Daniel’s direction. ‘Look, I just thought she might need some girly pampering to cheer her up, okay? It’s hardly a crime.’

His mouth worked. ‘But I thought...’

‘Yes, I know what you thought,’ she said. ‘And, believe me, I’ve got much better things to do with my time than stalk you. You made it abundantly clear you’re not interested.’

Daniel’s gaze drifted to her finger. The blob of lotion on her hand was now looking like raspberry-ripple ice cream, with a swirl of red amongst the thick white. ‘You’d better come inside.’

Chloe shook her head. ‘Not likely. I’m not giving you any more ammunition than I have already. Next thing I know you’ll have the police down here.’

‘Don’t be idiotic,’ he said, regaining some of his usual charm.

Chloe started to laugh again, a dry, airless sound. ‘You’ve destroyed your sister’s gift and accused me of stalking you, and I’m the one who’s idiotic?’

He folded his arms again. ‘Well, after the other night...’

‘For goodness’ sake! All I did was get a little friendly with a man I thought was interested. And now I’m a stalker? Haven’t you ever made a pass at the wrong person before? It didn’t make you an evil monster, did it?’

His mouth moved, but Chloe was very satisfied to discover that he had no words to rebut her valid argument. It just spurred her on.

‘And, up until that moment, I didn’t hear you complaining one bit. Quite the reverse.’

He glared down at her. ‘Are you quite finished?’

Chloe sucked in air through her nostrils and let it out through her mouth. ‘Actually, I think I am.’ And she was feeling much better now.

Daniel was staring at her finger again. It was starting to drip.

‘I really think you’d better come inside,’ he said.

Looking at her finger, Chloe did too. ‘Okay. But as long as you understand that it’s only for medical attention and you will in no way be applying for a restraining order if I step foot over that threshold for a few minutes.’

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