Free The Passion Price by Miranda Lee Page B

he sounded calm. And sincere. That was all that mattered.
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    Angelina was sitting on the sofa and painting her toenails, her right foot propped up on the glass coffee-table, when the phone rang. The brush immediately zigzagged across her second toe onto her big toe, leaving a long streak of plum nail-polish on her skin.
    The swear-word she uttered was not one she wouldhave used if Alex had been home. Or if her father had been alive.
    By the time she replaced the brush in the bottle, poured some remover on a cotton-wool ball and wiped off the wayward polish, then leant over to snatch up the phone from the nearby side-table, it had been ringing for quite a while.
    â€˜Yes?’ she answered sharply. She hoped it wasn’t Wilomena with more advice. She was all adviced out. Besides, she’d already made up her mind what she was going to say to Jake when he finally rang.
    â€˜Angelina? It’s Jake. Have I rung at an awkward moment?’
    Jake. It was Jake!
    â€˜You weren’t supposed to ring till later in the week,’ she snapped, hating it that just the sound of his voice could make her stomach go all squishy.
    â€˜I couldn’t wait till then to apologise,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight.’
    â€˜Apologise for what?’ Her voice was still sharp.
    His, however, was soft and seductive.
    â€˜I was out of line today.’
    â€˜Were you really?’ Now her tone was dry, and sarcastic.
    No way was she going to be all sweetness and light. She was still seriously annoyed with him for turning up in her life at this particular point in time and making her make difficult decisions.
    â€˜I was pushy and presumptuous, as you said. My only excuse is that I didn’t want to let you get away from me a second time. I really liked you sixteenyears ago, Angelina, but I like the woman you’ve become even better.’
    She laughed. ‘Wow, you’ve really become the master of the polished line, haven’t you? But you can save the flattery for another occasion, Jake. I’ve already decided to have lunch with you on Saturday.’
    The dead silence on the other end of the line gave Angelina some satisfaction that she’d been able to knock him speechless. Unfortunately, now that she’d voiced her decision out loud to him, the reality of it shook her right down to her half-painted toes.
    But the die had been rolled. No going back.
    â€˜Great!’ he said, sounding much too happy for her liking. ‘I’m already looking forward to it. But does—er—Alex know?’
    â€˜I spoke to him earlier this evening. We talked about you.’
    â€˜What did you say? I’ll bet you didn’t tell him how we first met.’
    â€˜Alex already knows all about you, Jake. There are no secrets between us.’
    â€˜And he agreed to your going to lunch with me?’
    â€˜Why should he object to a platonic lunch between old friends?’
    â€˜Old flames , Angelina. Not old friends.’
    â€˜Whatever. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, Jake.’
    â€˜I’ll bet you didn’t tell him everything I said to you today.’
    What could she say to that?
    â€˜You didn’t, did you?’ Jake continued when sheremained silent. ‘No man—not even your pathetic Alex—would willingly let his girlfriend go to lunch with another man who’d declared his wish to make her his woman.’
    Angelina could not believe the passion in Jake’s words. And the power. How easy it would be to forget all common sense and tell him that she had changed her mind, that she would not only go to lunch with him on Saturday, but she would also stay at his place on the Saturday night.
    Dear heaven, she was going to make a fool of herself with him again. Or she might, if she went to lunch with him on Saturday as things stood. If he could do this to her over the phone, what could he do to her when she