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“Perhaps,” she said with a shake of her head. “But I can’t do that.”
He had another spoonful of soup, willing his temper to calm. “And why not?”
“Because it will become a matter of public record.” She reached across and put a hand on his, no longer surprised by the spark of electricity that travelled the length of her arm. “We have a child together. She’s only two now, but one day, she’ll be able to find all this out. How he and I conduct ourselves is going to matter to her. It’s going to form the four walls of her reality. I don’t want her to be able to Google all the sordid details.” Chloe shook her head. “Or whatever Google is replaced by in ten years time,” she amended with a wry smile.
Hendrix reached for some ciabatta and ran it around his now empty bowl. “I will do my best to put a suppression on the details.”
She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Hendrix. I know the way it works. William is a public figure. There’s going to be media interest. I experienced it first time around, when we got married. What I want is for this to go away.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I just want it to be done. I want to be able to go on with my life.”
Hendrix took in a steadying breath. He was supposed to be seducing her, not arguing with her. “Tell me about your life,” he invited, leaning back in his chair so that he could see her more clearly.
“For the divorce?” She asked, though she was thrilled to get off the prickly topic of the petition.
“If that’s what you’d prefer to think,” he drawled, his dark eyes scanning her face in a way that he knew she’d perceive as his interest in her.
Sure enough, a betraying blush crept up her neck. “Oh,” she said with a small nod. “Well, my life is pretty unspectacular,” she remarked. “Single mum, I work from home. Georgia’s my best friend. My parents live in the UK. And I found the perfect place for me and Ellie to move to, but I’m going to have to withdraw my offer because of that jackass William.” She laughed self-derisively. “I can say that to you. You’re not going to put it in the papers that I kind of hate him.”
“You do, huh?”
She stared at him, her eyes cool and direct. “What do you think?”
It pleased him far more than it should have. “Good. I’m glad.” He leaned forward, and beneath the table, their knees brushed. Chloe startled, her eyes wide as she met his gaze. The mocking amusement she saw there made her heart skitter. “You’re going to need to harden yourself to this process. Even with two people who are complete saints, it is very difficult to make it through a divorce without a little mud slinging. Think about it, Chloe. Is William likely to be as mature as you? Or is he going to try to sully your name?”
Her sigh was shaky. She was glad they were discussing something so emotional, so that she could pretend it was their conversation that was affecting her, and not the nearness of his body.
“I don’t know,” she said, finally. Though it was a lie. “That’s why I came to you. Or your firm,” she clarified.
“When you think about the future, and what your daughter might be able to discover on the internet, I want you to remember something.”
“What’s that?”
“That unless you play to win right now, in this battle, you may well lose custody of her. What does it matter what she discovers in ten years time if she has to spend those ten years living with a son of a bitch like Ansell-Johns?”
Chloe’s pulse splintered in her body. “You don’t really think that will happen do you?”
“No,” he agreed with a degree of calm she envied. “Not as long as you let me handle things.”
“God,” she dipped her head forward, into her palms. “This is going to get really messy, isn’t it?”
Oh, he hoped so. The messier he could make William Ansell-Johns’s life, the better. He kept the conversation light while she finished her dinner, but when the time came for him to end their evening, he was reluctant. He moved instead to the comfortable lounge, and continued to make her comfortable and engaged.
They talked easily. Surprisingly so, for two virtual strangers. Chloe stifled a yawn against the back of her hand. Her pale eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight, and Ellie would be unlikely to give her a sleep in the next morning. But she didn’t want him to go.
Hendrix was relaxed, sitting at the other end of the sofa. His body language had changed, as the night wore on, and Chloe could no longer deny that she liked spending time with him. That she liked him.
And the knowledge was both delicious and terrifying. So close to her divorce, she couldn’t afford to get involved with someone. Until that point, she’d found it easy to stay faithful to her marriage vows. Raising Ellie had left her with little spare time to get to know a man. Running her business had exhausted her meagre spare time, and so she’d never even missed that companionship. Until now. She could taste her freedom, it was so close at hand, and yet she didn’t even want to wait the few months it would take to formalise her divorce. Which meant what? That she wanted him? That she wanted to throw caution to the wind and pursue him, even though the consequences could be disastrous?
“You’re a long way away,” he drawled, his dark eyes studying her face.
She startled, drawing a guilty gaze to him. “Just thinking … how late it is.”
It was indeed. His date would definitely have moved on to someone else now. And he didn’t mind a bit. “I suppose I should leave you to get some sleep,” he said, his tone rich.
“That’s okay,” she was quick to demur. She inwardly groaned at her obvious eagerness. She shot him a small smile. “I haven’t spoken to a grown up other than Georgia in such a long time. It’s really nice just … talking with you.”
His expression showed that he understood exactly why she didn’t want him to leave. He hooked one ankle over his knee. “What do you do for work, Chloe?”
“Work?” She furrowed her brow.
