Gut Feeling Read Online Free PDF Page A

questions and create a plausible answer before she could even contemplate what she wanted to ask. After they argued he would make love to her in a way she had never experienced with anyone else; he made her believe she was unique and special to him, and then feel silly for not trusting him and she would then apologise for being jealous.
    Lee smiled at her. ‘It’s OK, babe. I know you trust me deep down. You just have to ignore these silly thoughts you have. It’s you I love.’ The words flowed like polluted water from his mouth.
    Ash took a quick deep breath. ‘I don’t regret staying in London, I loved you, still do in a way, but I trusted you. You broke that trust by sleeping with another woman.’
    Lee fidgeted slightly, sensing she had found a new strength, but this didn’t faze him as he knew she couldn’t resist his charm and the lifestyle he offered. In his arrogance he truly believed that she would not find a more eligible bachelor than himself. Ignoring what she had just said, he declared, ‘It was the biggest mistake of my life losing you—one silly, silly mistake.’ He looked at the floor, trying to convey his regret.
    ‘ One mistake it certainly wasn’t, Lee—more like the one I found out about.’
    ‘Ash, you know that’s not true.’
    ‘Do I? Most parties you took me to I always had a funny feeling that your ex girlfriends might not have been so ex.’
    ‘People like me, it’s not my fault. I have to mingle, and you just got jealous. It’s business, honey.’ He took a sip of coffee, sitting back in the sofa looking at her.
    ‘Like your client’s twenty-two-year-old Swedish niece was business, you mean.’
    Ash stood up, walking over to the window. He followed behind, standing close as she stared out the window.
    ‘I’m so, so sorry,’ he whispered.
    Ash didn’t move, steadying herself as she gripped the window ledge.
    ‘Ash, I wish I could go back and change the past, darling.’ He placed his hands on her shoulders.
    Ash missed the feel of his strong hands on her body. It still felt nice to have him touch her in this gentle protective way. He bent to smell her perfume, sending shivers down her body; she felt his mouth close to her skin.
    ‘She meant nothing.’
    His warm breath brushed against her neck. The words rang through her head like an air-raid siren in the blackouts, people running for shelter from the bombs about to drop, destroying life as they had known it. Only Ash had nowhere to run. He was in her house and she couldn’t run away from him, his words or her feelings for him.
    ‘Get out!’ She snapped turning to face him.
    He stared at her for what felt like ages, then slowly he walked away without a word, not even a single glance back, slamming the front door. She fought back the tears, pushing away the pain, the unwanted desires she had just felt. The sound of her house phone brought her back to reality; she let it ring for a while then hurried to answer before they rang off.
    It was Dave. A feeling of relief flooded her as she stood listening to his deep voice telling her of his trouble-free day without a care in the world. She didn’t feel the need to disclose her encounter with Lee to him as this time she knew things were going to be OK. She wasn’t going back. This time it was different: she had changed; she had managed without Lee in her life; she had moved on; life was fresh and it was a time for change.
    * * *
    It was nearing one o’clock after she put down the phone to Dave, realising she had to meet the others. She hurried round the flat getting ready and grabbing things before rushing off to the Harp, a pub in Victoria where her friends would often meet for lunch when their busy lives permitted them to.
    Surprisingly she arrived at the Harp with a good five minutes to spare. She found a table and sat drinking a glass of chardonnay. The door to the pub opened and she heard Rachel’s loud voice as she walked over towards Ash with Jules and Leon