Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(10)

Well, so long as no one recorded it on their phones, which, okay, was highly unlikely.

I went into the kitchen to grab a drink. To my delight, there was a whole selection of wines and spirits set out on the island, including two trays of tasty looking finger foods. I helped myself to a tiny pastry with onion chutney, and a cracker with cheese and salami, chomping away before I realised I had company. Julian grabbed a bottle of red wine and a glass.

Had he been here the whole time?

A tinge of embarrassment pinched me as I swallowed the final bite.

“Care for a glass?” Julian offered, his eyes warm with affection. It still felt surreal that this perfect specimen was showing me so much interest.

“Yes, thank you.”

He poured the wine for me while outside I heard the intro to David’s song start up. “You’re cruel to your friend.”

Julian’s mouth twitched. “I prefer to think of it as good-natured ribbing.”

“You do realise videos of him singing his own song on karaoke are going be on YouTube by the morning, right?”

“We all require a little something to keep us humble. No fifty-one-year-old man deserves to look as good as he does. Believe me, he needs to be brought back down to earth every once in a while,” Julian replied, mouth lifting at one end.

“And what if it backfires? The video could go viral and start a revival of his music.” I countered. “Just look how it happened for Craig David.”

Julian grinned and handed me the glass. “Ah, now that would be poetic.”

I took a sip of wine, absently noting that he hadn’t poured any for himself, and moved to walk by him. “I guess we should go out and witness his humiliation.”

He caught me softly by the elbow. “Stay and talk with me.”

I looked up into his eyes. “Why?”

He moved a tiny bit closer, holding my gaze with his hand still at my elbow. I was hyperaware of the contact, since it was the first time a man had touched me in who knew how long.

His reply was confident. “Because I find you incredibly sexy and interesting, and I’d very much like to get to know you better.”

I inhaled deeply. He was so…straight forward. I’d never been hit on like this before. And yes, okay, I could count the number of times I’d been flirted with on one hand, but still. There was something about Julian that drew me in.

He had stories behind those eyes.

I slowly moved away from him and sat down on a stool. “Well then, what would you like to talk about?”

Julian grabbed a bottle of water from the countertop, twisted open the lid and took a sip. “Where did you grow up?”

“In Devon.”

His brows rose. “I didn’t peg you for a country girl.”

“Seaside town, actually. I’ve been living in London for the last six years. I like to think all signs of my humble upbringing have been erased by now.”

“There’s no shame in humble beginnings. Some of the most incredible people in the world started with nothing.”

“Well, I didn’t exactly start with nothing. I had a normal middle-class childhood, no deprivation or anything quite so dramatic,” I replied. I couldn’t believe I was answering all of his questions honestly. With Suze, I made most things up. But Julian might as well have the lasso of truth wrapped around my neck.

“And did you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Two brothers. They’re twins.”

“Older or younger?”

“Older in age, younger in maturity.”

Julian gave a soft chuckle and I inwardly delighted at making him laugh. “How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t mind. I turn thirty in a couple of months.”

“That’s a big birthday. Got anything special planned?”

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the countertop. “I’ve been thinking of taking a trip to Italy, doing some vineyard tours, taking in the history.”

“Sounds a treat.”

“And how old are you?” I asked.

He tutted. “A gentleman never reveals his age.”

I laughed. “I think that was my line.”

“How old do you think I am?”

I studied him. “I’m not sure. You seem sort of ageless.”

“I hope that’s a compliment.”

“It is,” I assured. “You’ve got that whole immortal vampire thing going on. Like you’ve lived several lifetimes but haven’t aged a day.”

My candidness surprised me, and something about what I said gave Julian pause. “Very perceptive. Unfortunately, I’m quite mortal. I just turned thirty-two.”

I drank some more wine and fiddled with the stem of my glass. Thirty-two was a good age. Not too young and immature, but also not too old either. When I looked up, Julian was staring right at me.

“Has anyone ever told you you’ve got the most unusual coloured eyes? They’re so green.”

I sat back, my entire body tensing. If he kept looking at me this closely, he’d soon realise the truth. That what’s unusual about them is that they’re completely fake.

“I um, I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling very well. Please excuse me.” I stumbled off the stool ungracefully and headed for the living room.