A Dangerous Affair

A Dangerous Affair Chapter 27

Tom ran himself a bath and tried to relax in its warmth, but he could smell Stephanie’s perfume and he was taunted by thoughts of her, so he gave up soaking in the water, got changed into some jogging bottoms and went back downstairs. He picked up their used coffee mugs and strolled into the kitchen, to find Stephanie making herself some hot chocolate.

“Will you wake me in the morning Steph? Or I’m likely to sleep in with no alarm.” He startled her as she hadn’t heard him approaching and she swung around to face him. He laughed. “Sorry, it’s just me.” He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, and her eyes widened slightly when she registered that he wasn’t wearing a top. He seemed to take over the room with his presence, even though he hadn’t yet entered it, and although she diverted her eyes and turned again to finish making the hot chocolate, she was acutely aware of his presence.

“Yes, I’ll set my alarm. Would you like a hot drink?” she asked, busying herself at the counter top.

He came up behind her, leaning over her to place the empty mugs on the counter. Her eyes darted to the muscular arm in front of her and he was close enough for her to feel his breath against her hair. She shied away from him and turned around suddenly, leaning backwards to put some more distance between them when he failed to move away. She folded her arms in front of her and glared at him.

“What?” he asked, noticing her expression.

“You, standing there like that.” Her eyes moved up and down his body.

He laughed. “Like what?”

“You know. Do you think that you could wear a bit more clothing when you are walking around my house?”

He shrugged. “Why? I never wear a top in bed. “ He grinned. “In fact I don’t normally wear this much.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” she said pushing him away. He went to move back towards her but she put her hands on his chest and kept him at arms length. “Look Tom, about tomorrow evening...” It was a swift change in conversation and it threw him for a moment. He took a step back and watched her run a hand through her hair. She looked agitated for some reason. He wondered why.

“What about tomorrow evening?” he asked.

“Well, err, I have something planned which I can’t get out of, so you get the evening off babysitting me,” she said, trying to make light of the situation.

A frown flickered across his face. “Oh yeah, what you got planned?”

“Well, it’s a family function,” she replied, not giving anymore away.

“Oh,” he sounded surprised. “A party?”

“Sort of.”

"So, don’t I get an invite then Steph?” he smiled, “Since I am your protector,” he added.

She looked uncomfortable. “It’s just for family Tom, sorry.”

“A party with just family?” he pushed. “You must have a huge family then.”

She turned around again then to avoid having to answer him. He took hold of her arms and turned her back. “So, is it only family going then?” he asked.

He stared at her and she stared back, not knowing how to answer. The silence stretched on, forcing her to eventually speak. “Not exactly.”

“Hey, you don’t want me to go, that’s fine. Just say so,” he said defensively.

“I’m going with my boyfriend,” she suddenly blurted out.

He frowned, and for a moment Stephanie saw raw emotion in his face, before his expression hardened and he shrugged. “You should have just said.”