“Ouch.”
Tally winced when Cash pressed the homemade icepack to her face. The cold from the ice was worse than the pain.
“Keep it there for at least an hour.”
“An hour. I’ll get frostbite.”
“Stop bellyaching. If that cloth moves from your face, I’ll add ten minutes.”
“Bully,” she muttered.
Cash ignored her. He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a healthy slug of golden liquid in a glass tumbler. “Here, drink this. It’ll help with the shock.”
“I’m not in shock. Grouchy, yes. Shocked, no.”
“Humour me.”
She took the glass from him and sniffed. “I don’t like brandy.”
“I don’t care. Drink.”
She took a sip and swallowed then screwed her face up as the liquid burned her throat.
“Urgh.”
“Good girl.” He tucked the quilt around her and caressed her uninjured cheek with his knuckles. “I need to call my lawyer. Won’t be long.”
Tally nodded. Even though she was the injured party, she couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for Kinga. Underneath all the bitchiness, Kinga had to be a very sad and lonely woman, although the atmosphere would certainly be lighter without her around.
She pushed the covers aside, headed into the bathroom, and tipped the remains of the brandy down the sink. When she caught sight of her face in the mirror, she blanched. Wow, Kinga had really belted her. An angry welt had sprung up on her cheek, and the swelling made her face look lopsided. The cut on her lip wasn’t too bad, but it was bloody tender to touch. She’d have to use every make-up trick Em had shown her over the years if she was going to have any chance of hiding this. Unfortunately, it would look strange if she wore sunglasses and a scarf to an indoor tournament.
“Natalia?”
“In here.”
Cash appeared behind her, a grim twist to his mouth. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“Checking the damage.”
“I’ve never come so close to hitting a woman.”
“You would never have hit her.”
He shrugged. “You’re right. I wanted to, for what she did to you. But then that would have made me just as bad as her.”
“What did your lawyer say?”
“He bitched and moaned and wittered on about watertight contracts, so I told him if he wasn’t capable of sorting the issue, I’d find another lawyer. Funnily enough, he then decided the contract wasn’t quite so watertight after all.”
“What did he say about severance?”
Cash moved in close and wrapped his arms around her waist. Their eyes met in the mirror, hers beseeching while his held a steely determination.
He lightly touched her bruised face. “She gets nothing.”
Tally dipped her chin, breaking eye contact. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. Kinga was right. You’ve only known me ten minutes compared to her.”
His soft sigh blew warm air on the back of her neck. “Natalia, look at me.”
She slowly lifted her head.
“You didn’t cause trouble. Kinga did. And as for the ‘ten minutes,’ as she put it, time is irrelevant. The few weeks we’ve known each other have been some of the best of my life. I love spending time with you. You’re good for me.”
She smiled. “How so?”
He turned her slowly in his arms, his hands resting low on her hips. “Well, for one thing, you don’t let me get away with murder.” He laughed. “In fact, apart from my mother, you’re the only woman I’ve ever listened to.”
Her stomach fluttered with curiosity and anxiety in equal measure. She curved her arms around his neck, desperately trying to keep her voice even. “Tell me about her.”
Cash’s eyes filled with pain, hurt, and more than a hint of anger, and he stepped away. Tally’s arms fell to her side. He picked up the ice pack and pressed it gently to her face.
“It hasn’t been an hour yet. Keep this on,” he said softly. “For me.” And with that, he left her standing alone in the bathroom.
She silently cursed her inquisitiveness, which had nothing to do with being a journalist and everything to do with wanting to assuage the pain she’d seen in his eyes.
She kept the ice on her face for another fifteen minutes or so, until she couldn’t stand the burning cold any longer. She tossed the remains into the sink and wandered into the living room. The double doors to the balcony were open, and Cash was standing with his hands braced on the iron railings, his chin lowered to his chest. She found herself caught between two minds: give him space, or close the gap.
Before she could make up her mind, his phone rang. As he walked inside to pick it up, he spotted her and stopped for a second. When he smiled warmly, relief swam through her veins. He swiped his phone off the table, and his smile fell. Relief turned to dread.
Cash turned his back to her. “What’s up, Gracie?”
There was a pause before Cash turned around, flashed a nervous glance Tally’s way, and disappeared into the bedroom, firmly closing the door behind him. Tally sagged into a nearby chair, her mind working overtime. The sensible part of her desperately wanted to rationalise the situation. If Gracie was the other woman, surely Cash would ignore her calls while he was with Tally. And then a thought hit her. What if Gracie was an ex, and they had kids together? That could be why he so readily accepted her calls yet refused to explain who she was. Cash fiercely protected his privacy. It wouldn’t be beyond his capabilities to keep the fact that he was a father out of the press.
Her stomach rolled, and she crossed over to the minibar. Peering inside, she found a small bottle of Patron Silver Tequila, which was much more to her tastes, and this time, the drink was definitely for shock.
When the bedroom door opened, her eyes locked with his.
“Being with me turned you to hard liquor already?” he said, nodding at the empty tequila bottle on the coffee table.
“Who’s Gracie?”
Cash walked over to the kitchen and began opening cupboards. “Shall I make us something to eat, or order in? Unless you want to go out. Although––”
“Cash. Stop it. Who is she?”
He stopped moving but kept his back to her. The muscles of his shoulders and arms were bunched tight as he hunched over the kitchen worktop. The longer he remained silent, the more scared she became. Eventually, he turned around although he kept his eyes downcast.
“We’ve had this conversation, Natalia. I can’t tell you. Not yet.”
“Are you in love with her?”
His head snapped up. “Good God, no. That’s not it.”
“Is she an ex? Do you have kids together?”
His eyes widened, and then he chuckled. “Kids? No, sweetness, I don’t have any kids.”
“Then what is it? Cash, you’re scaring me.”
He strode over to her and gathered her into his arms. “Don’t be scared. There really is nothing to be worried about.”
“Then why won’t you tell me?”
He leaned back, studying her face. “Trust me, please. Gracie means nothing to me. At least, not in the way you think. I’ve told you this already.”
“If that’s true, then your reticence to tell me about her makes no sense.” She tugged out of his arms and grabbed her shoes.
“Where are you going?”
“For a walk. I need some fresh air.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No. I need space to think. Space from you.”
“Natalia, please.”
She inwardly acknowledged the panic leaching into his voice but refused to weaken. She always caved in, but not this time. She slung her bag diagonally over her shoulder and slammed the door behind her.