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The party is on Saturday. This is his insurance policy.

      Kat felt like she was balanced over a canyon on a toothpick. How could she know for sure what his motives were? He had set his mind on getting her to that party. She would not be able to say no if she was officially engaged to him. It would look odd if she didn’t show. He was Richard’s legal advisor, a part of the family—a close friend to all the Ravensdales. ‘This seems rather...sudden...’

      His mouth did that rueful half-twist again. ‘I know, but once I make my mind up about something I have to act. Let’s not waste any more time pretending we don’t care for each other. We belong together, darling. We both felt it the first time we met.’

      Don’t do it.

      But I want to say yes!

      You need more time. What about your career? ‘Fools rush in’ and all that.

      The tender look on Flynn’s face overrode her doubts. ‘You love me?’

      His smile made her heart squeeze as tightly as a child’s hug. ‘How can you doubt it?’

      Kat stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at his adoring expression. How could this be happening? It was so much more than she’d expected. She hadn’t dared expect anything. She had tried to keep her heart out of reach but it had been impossible. Resisting Flynn Carlyon had been impossible. Stopping herself from falling in love with him had been impossible. ‘But I thought you were against marriage?’

      He cradled her face in one of his large hands. ‘Not when it involves you. I can’t think of anyone else I would want to spend the rest of my life bantering with. Can you?’

      Kat smiled. ‘No.’

      His black-coffee eyes twinkled. ‘So, is that a yes?’

      She brought her mouth up to meet his descending one. ‘Yes. A thousand, million, squillion times yes.’

      The kiss was getting a little more serious when Kat became aware of Flynn’s phone ringing. He had different tones for different people but she had never heard this ring tone before. She eased back to look up at him. ‘Are you going to answer it?’

      ‘It’s not important. It’s just Richard.’

      A cold handprint touched the back of her neck. ‘Why’s he calling you now?’

      ‘He calls me most days.’

      Kat searched his expression...for what, she wasn’t sure. Something didn’t feel right. She couldn’t explain it. It had been fine until that phone had started ringing. She couldn’t help feeling it was like the sounding of an alarm bell. She could see the rectangular outline of his phone inside his shirt pocket.

      She heard it ping with a left message.

      She reached for it at the same time Flynn did, his hand stilling hers. Warning hers.

      ‘I want to see that message,’ she said.

      ‘No.’

      Kat raised her brow at his intractable tone. ‘Why not?’

      ‘It’s private.’

      ‘But I’m your fiancée. You get to share everything with me.’

      Something hardened in his jaw. A muscle. A ligament. It travelled all the way to his mouth. ‘Not about my clients.’

      ‘He’s my father, so surely that’s different?’

      ‘It’s not.’

      Kat knew he was right to insist on client confidentiality but she couldn’t get rid of the cloud of doubt blurring her vision of the future. Their future. ‘So does that mean you won’t allow me access to your phone once we’re married?’

      The tension around his mouth tightened. ‘Trust is a huge part of being married.’

      ‘Does that mean I get to keep my phone and emails private too?’

      She could see the battle played out on his face. It was like a tug of war between logic and emotion. Push. Pull. Push. Pull. ‘If you insist.’

      ‘I do.’

      The phone rang again. Same tone. Same insistent clarion call. Flynn took it out of his pocket and, giving Kat an unreadable look, answered it. ‘Richard, I’m busy right now. I’ll call you ba—’

      ‘Did you get her to agree to come to the party?’ Richard’s voice carried like a foghorn.

      Kat’s spine went rigid. Ice-block rigid. Don’t-mess-with-me-rigid. She held out her hand for the phone. ‘I want to speak to him.’

      Flynn held the phone against his chest. ‘I don’t think that’s such a great idea.’

      She kept her hand out, her eyes locked on his, her determination on fire. ‘Give me the damn phone.’

      ‘Is that Kat I can hear in the background?’ The fabric of Flynn’s shirt only faintly muffled Richard’s theatre-trained voice. ‘Let me talk to her.’

      Flynn handed her the phone with a look that suggested he felt like he was handing over a live bomb.

      ‘This is Kat Winwood.’

      ‘Kat, my dear.’ Richard’s voice was all treacle, honey and sickly-sweet jam. ‘How lovely to hear your voice at last. Are you coming to the party? Did Flynn make it impossible for you to refuse, as I instructed him?’

      Kat’s hand tightened on the phone. She wanted to throw it at the wall. To smash it on the floor. To stomp on it until the screen shattered, like her dream had been shattered. ‘No,’ she said, casting Flynn a look that said, This includes you. ‘I’ve decided not to come to the party and my decision is final.’

      ‘But my sweet child,’ Richard said, ‘it won’t be the same without you there.’

      ‘You’ll get over it,’ Kat said and handed the phone back to Flynn.

      Flynn clicked off the call and put the phone back in his pocket without saying anything to Richard. ‘Come on, Kat. You surely don’t think I staged my proposal to get you to—?’

      ‘Why ask me today? Why not ask me after the weekend when the party is over?’

      A muscle worked like a hammer in his jaw. Tap. Tap. Tap. ‘How can you possibly think that? Haven’t the last few weeks shown you how much I care about you? What does it matter when I ask you? The important thing is that I ask you. I love you. Why would I wait?’

      Kat reached for her coat, shoving her arms through the sleeves so roughly the lining tore. How could she trust he was being genuine? She was torn; she wanted to believe he loved her but what if it was all a ruse to get her to meet her father in person? Flynn didn’t like losing. He had set himself a goal and he let nothing and no one get in his way of achieving it. There was a streak of ruthlessness in him. She had seen that from the first time she’d met him.

      But would he really go so far as to propose to her to achieve his mission?

      ‘I’m not going to ask you again,’ Flynn said in a hard, tight voice. ‘Take it or leave it.’

      Kat turned to look at him with an implacable set to her features. ‘You should know me well enough by now to know I don’t tolerate ultimatums.’

      His frown turned his eyebrows into a single intimidating line. ‘I’ll make arrangements for someone else to walk Cricket. You’re relieved from your responsibilities here as of now.’

      Kat kept her spine straight, her shoulders aligned, her resolve rimmed with steel. ‘You’re acting like a child who’s thrown its favourite toy out of the sandpit.’

      He gave a rough laugh. ‘I’m acting like a child? What about you? You won’t admit to your feelings about me because you’re frightened of allowing someone close in case they let you down.’

      ‘I’m

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