No Control | Holding Me Ransom (Book 2)

41 - Playing It Cool

"There's a cafe along here, if we keep walking this way," Harry said, pointing up ahead. "Do you want to stop there? I'll buy you lunch. Or we could go back home and I'll make us something if you're worried about being recognised."

"We seem to have got away with it so far," I shrugged. "We'll go for lunch if you like. But I'm paying."

He shook his head. "We'll argue about that in a minute. Are you sure you want to take the risk? I mean, being seen with you doesn't bother me, but I don't want it to ruin the day for you if someone gets a bit snap-happy."

"It took me by surprise the other day," I admitted. "I'm sorry for moaning about it on the phone. You have to deal with that every day so I have no right to complain about it."

He stopped and turned to me, causing me to stop too.

"Jess, you have every right to complain about it. I signed up for this, you didn't. You were right - the paps will always be there, looking for a story. Unfortunately that's part and parcel of being associated with me. I can't do anything about it, and I have to accept that it's something you find hard to deal with. That's why I'm giving you the option of going home now. I don't want anything to ruin today. I'm having a great time taking the piss out of you, and I'm not ready for that to end just yet."

I was listening to him intently until the last sentence sank in, and then I pulled a face of mock annoyance at him, causing him to lean back and laugh delightedly.

"You are so funny when you're wound up," he announced.

"Shut up and take me for lunch," I said, walking off. "I've changed my mind - you can definitely pay after the way you've bullied me this morning."

I heard him chuckling softly as he jogged a couple of steps to catch up with me, and then fell into step beside me.

We reached the cafe to find it fairly quiet, and ordered our food before sitting down at a table outside, at the end of the row. The waitress brought over our coffees and I poured a couple of sachets of sugar into mine and stirred it, squinting in the midday sunlight.

"So, you never answered my question about next weekend," he reminded me.

I thought for a moment. "It sounds lovely. I don't want to impose though. Shouldn't you check with your mum before you offer her spare room?"

"I'll check, but I know it'll be fine," he said. "So is that a yes?"

"As long as it's fine with your mum, then yes," I smiled.

"OK great," he smiled back. "Gemma will be chuffed. You can do girly stuff, like paint each other's nails and plait each other's hair."

"And she can tell me stories about you, and we can laugh at terrible pictures of you before you were famous," I teased, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

"There'll be none of that."

"There will be plenty of that," I argued. "And the best of it is, you won't be there to stop it. You'll be prancing around on stage while thousands of girls scream your name."

He shook his head, grinning, and I took a sip of my coffee.

We enjoyed a quiet hour eating our lunch and catching up, before the cafe started getting busier with families and we decided we should make tracks before anyone interrupted us. We strolled back leisurely along the footpath and back around the heath to the car, and then Harry drove us back to his house.

"Do you fancy a brew?" he asked as we pulled our shoes off in the hall.

"Yeah, I could murder a good cup of tea," I admitted.