Free True Colours (The You Don't Know Me Trilogy Book 2) by Mandy Lee

his lip and claps me on the arm before edging his way out of bed.  ‘Fair enough.’  He bends down and grabs his jeans.  ‘I’ll give you the small talk and the big talk, but you can do it my way.’
    ‘Which is?’
    ‘Ever heard of fast-tracking?’
    ‘You can’t fast-track a relationship.’
    ‘Think outside the box, Miss Scotton.’
    ‘Think inside the box, Mr Foster.’
    He ruffles his hair.  ‘Never.’
    While he searches for his T-shirt and pulls it on, I chuckle to myself and close my eyes.  I let out a yawn, content to be back in his bed and back in his life.  The world is locked out and we’re locked in.  And right now I just don’t care.  Feeling the bed dip, I open my eyes to find him sitting next to me.  He draws a finger down my cheek. 
    ‘You’re tired.’
    ‘I didn’t sleep last night.’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘How?  Have you got Lucy spying on me?’
    The same finger runs lightly across my bottom lip.  He watches its progress.  ‘I asked Lucy how you were.  That’s not spying.’  Rain drops patter against the skylight.  It’s an age before he lifts his eyes to mine.  ‘I was worried about you yesterday.  When the storm broke, I just wanted to hold you.’
    ‘I wish you’d been with me.’
    ‘I’m with you now.’  He leans down and lands a gentle kiss on my mouth.  ‘Take a nap.  I’ll go and rustle up some dinner.’
    I’m smiling like a village idiot as I close my eyes again, brim-full with contentment, and before I know it, I’m back in a world of dreams.  But this time, there are no nightmares.  Instead, I’m in a kitchen garden, sitting on a bench beneath a shower of sweet peas.
    And Dan is by my side.
     

Chapter Six
    When I wake up, I find a crisp white shirt laid out on the bed next to me.  Taking the hint, I put it on, stumble into the bathroom and retrieve my toothbrush from the space age cabinet.  I’m half way through brushing my teeth when I notice a host of toiletries arranged next to the sink.  Swilling out my mouth, I leave the toothbrush on the side and the cabinet door wide open while I set about sorting through the bottles and tubes of shower crème, face wash, moisturiser and God knows what else.  It’s all brand new, distinctly expensive and definitely female.  And all part of the dastardly plan to move me in.  Grinning to myself, I survey the bathroom: the marbled floor, the vanity unit that stretches along the length of one wall, the sleek mirrors hanging above it and the huge walk-in shower that I’ve already experienced, Dan style.  But no bath, and that will never do.  Making a mental note to add it to my list of requirements, I wander back into the bedroom and take a look out of the window, watching as a cruiser makes its way downriver, an oasis of light against the black glass of the water.  The Houses of Parliament are glowing now against the darkness and according to Big Ben’s illuminated face, it’s just after eleven.  A strange time for dinner … but never mind, I’m ravenous.
    I find him in the living area.  With his back to me and his shoulders hunched, he’s looking out over the river, talking quietly.  For a split second, I wonder if he’s talking to himself, and then I quickly come to my senses.  That’s a mobile clasped to his ear.  A bloody mobile.  I’d love to ambush him, grab the mobile out of his hand and demand to know why he lied to me, but he’s listening intently to someone at the other end of the line, and I want to hear what he says next.
    ‘So, where is he now?’  He pauses.  ‘You don’t know?’  Another pause.  ‘Bank accounts.  Withdrawals.  Come on, you can get access to all that.’  He listens again.  ‘How can I be patient?’  Finally, he turns and spots me.  ‘Dig some more,’ he says coldly.  ‘Everything.  I need to go.’  He hangs up and throws the mobile onto a sofa.
    ‘So, I see you’ve got your phone.’
    ‘Oh, that.’  He prowls towards