Ignite Me: Shards of Glass, Part One (30 page)

Jones glanced at me. “I know you are good for him, I can see that! If it was up to me, I would tell you who he was and what I know his game will be but I can't! Cameron wouldn't like it and it's up to him to tell you, he's never had to tell anyone anything before, so sharing things with you is new.” His face turned serious for a moment. “I fear Miss Watson he will learn the hard way, but most likely at your expense.” He turned around and faced the same way as me.

“Oh.” I was confused. I was convinced though that this Leopold was something to do with Cameron's family. Maybe they did think I was some cheap little gold digger, but what did that say about what they thought of Cameron?! That he would be stupid enough to fall for that?! He was smarter than any of that! He loved me, and I loved him and that was all we wanted! I wasn't easily scared off either. “What do you mean at my expense?! Is that meant to be a warning Jones?!” I crossed my arms across my chest feeling a little defensive.

“I shouldn't have said anything, you look upset. I am sorry.”

I shook my head at his reflection in the lift door. “You didn't upset me, don't worry!” It was true he hadn't. I was just kinda pissed off at it all. I just wanted Cameron to tell me things and to be level with me. It was true what Jones said, though he was new to it, he'd learn the hard way about sharing the information I just wished I understood the Leopold connection because if I did then I'd be forearmed.

“Almost at the bottom now! Do you need to go anywhere before I take you home?!” He seemed relieved that I wasn't upset and that I hadn't pushed him any further on the subject.

“No, but on the way back, I told Cameron I would pick up lunch, there is this bagel place down the road from mine!” I grinned.

“Ah, okay. That's fine, now you have parking don’t you?! Shall I ring ahead as we drive so they know you'll be using the spaces allocated to you?!” He stepped out as the lift doors rolled open. He was back to being Jones, Cameron's trusty right hand man.

“Oh yeah, I guess that's a good idea, Cameron said he'd sort my driver’s license out and refused to let me buy a Smart car!” I laughed, remembering his outrage.

Jones chuckled deeply. “Ah yes, he's not a fan of small cars! In London to be honest a small car is a blessing, but you have parking so he'll sort all that! He likes to feel like he's in control in some way or another, but I guess you'll have worked that much out by now!”

I raised a brow. “Yeah, he has a habit of just assuming you know what he's going on about, I think his mind works about 50% quicker than mine does!”

He smiled and seemed to find something funny. “Oh, I dunno, you seem pretty equal to me! I think you are rather challenging him!”

I laughed. “Yeah, he drives me totally nuts, I'm not gonna lie, but in a good way! He also looks after me which is new!” I didn't say anything else as the lift doors rolled open and we walked out.

“This way Miss Watson.” Jones walked out and in the direction of where me and Cameron had come the night before after we'd parked the motorbike up.

As we reached the slick SUV the lights flashed and Jones pulled open the back left hand passenger door for me.

“Am I not allowed to ride up front?!” I glance at the front passenger door.

He smiled politely. “It's better if you're in the back! I just prefer things that way!”

I shrugged and climbed in the open door and pulled the seat belt around and done it up. It wasn't an issue that I had to sit in the back it was just kinda weird. Maybe he thought Cameron wouldn't like it?!

CHAPTER 19

A while later and Jones rang my apartment building and told them I'd be needing my code to the underground parking area, he was pleased when they had asked to speak to me to confirm it was above board. I'd never even bothered to go and look at the car park so I had no idea what to expect.

I smiled as we drove over Tower Bridge. “I can see this from my lounge!” I hadn't spoken for a while now and I felt awkward. “Pretty immense really!” I didn't look at Jones as I spoke he was busy navigating the streets of London.

“Very good view to have! Not quite as nice as the view of mountains like back home! I miss that! Always made you feel like they were protecting you! Stunning place the Welsh valleys!” His accent slipped for a second and was much deeper than before.

I smiled. “Wow, sounds amazing! I might just pack a bag and go there one day, I like being spontaneous!” I recognized the streets now, we weren't that far from my building.

“Please don't do that without telling Cameron first he'll have a meltdown if he doesn't know where you are!” He shook his head.

I rolled my eyes. “He can't always know where I am! It's not normal!”

He raised a brow. “Well, I think you know as well as I do that Cameron doesn't do normal, so bare that in mind!”

I shook my head. He'd have to learn to except I wasn't going to always tell him where I was. It was bizarre to keep tabs on someone all day.

The car came to a smooth stop as we reached the entrance to the car park.

“Ah, okay so one touch panel, nice and easy, CCTV, good so far!” He leant out of the window and typed the code in.

558910.
I attempted to remember the code for future use.

“Here we go!” The lights above the gate flashed and the gates opened inwards to allow us to pass though.

“Okay, well they said you’re the second penthouse parking bay so I'll head for that! Lifts should be next to that since your penthouse means less walking because it's prime location!”

“Yeah, I have no clue, I've never even come down here before!” I pulled a face.

Jones pulled the SUV into a space and turned the engine off. “We have arrived, I can stay down here if you rather and wait for you!”

“Thought you wanted to check my security out?!” I didn't think it was right to leave him down here like some servant.

He smiled. “I did, I just wasn't going to invite myself in!”

I shook my head at him. “You'll prolly hate my coffee after tasting what Cameron had but you're welcome to make yourself a coffee while I go hunt out a shirt for Georgia, she's gonna love it, I want to wear one too so!” I smiled and pushed open the door and climbed down. The car park was all cement and concrete pillars, the door shutting behind myself made a bang which echoed around me making me jump. It smelt of car fumes and the lights threw shadows everywhere setting my imagination off.

“The lifts are this way Miss Watson!” Jones voice made me jump and my heart slammed in my chest.

“Jeez, it's creepy down here! Mole man land much!” I rubbed the back of my neck as I let him guide me towards the lifts. There were two sets of lifts, I rummaged for my keys to the resident lift and inserted the smallest key into the lock and twisted it round to allow us to call the lift down.

“It's because there is no natural light that you don't like it!” The lift doors rolled open with a ping and I stepped in glad to be heading upwards.

“Yeah, maybe! Or maybe it's just cause I don't like places that feel like a negative space!”

I pressed my floor button and the doors rolled closed and started to trundle upwards.

After an hour I had located the band shirts I wanted, Jones was going around making notes on his iPhone about what needed to be done security wise. I didn't see the issue with the type of locks that were on my external doors considering I was 6 floors up, but I let him get on with his task. I wandered off to the bathroom with the lipstick I found in the box of band shirts. I remembered I used to wear it lot it was a dark, rich red, I had bought a whole tonne of them at Halloween one year, it was a blood red mixed with black. I wore a lot of pinks these days, but I wanted to see if I could still pull it off now I was twenty and not a teenager with an attitude. I applied it in the mirror and smirked back at myself. I looked hot! It still worked for me, I wondered if Cameron would approve, he'd never mentioned my make up before so I assumed he didn't mind. I didn't wear a lot of makeup. I was too lazy to make too much effort.

“Miss Watson I've finished now, are you ready to head back?!” I heard Jones call from just outside the door. I slipped the lipstick into my bag and walked out to greet him. “I just need to go to the bagel place which is literally down the street, can I please meet you back outside where you dropped me off that day?! I'll be gone for twenty minutes if that!” I hoped he would agree and not have been tasked with making sure I was guarded all the time.

He smiled. “I am meant to go with you, but I won't! However, if you aren't back in 25 minutes I will come looking for you! Okay?!”

I grinned. “Deal! So you can let yourself out right?! Now you've mastered my security!”

He laughed. “I can, indeed, I'll be out the front!”

I nodded at him and headed for the door. “I'll see you soon then!”

I walked to the lifts and made my way out. I checked my phone as I walked along the wharf, there were various restaurants down this part of the Wharf. I smiled as I checked the texts and saw one from Cameron.

I miss you already Miss Watson! X CB
.

The smile spread across my face, making it ache. I found it funny how he always signed his name at the end, it was typical of Cameron. I tapped a reply.

I miss you too! X

I chuckled to myself as I pushed the phone back into my pocket. I pushed open the door to the bagel place and walked in. The scent attacked my senses as I waited to be served. I scanned the glass unit to see what fillings where available.

“I thought you'd been kidnapped by Mr. Moneybags! I've not seen you around!”

I laughed as I looked up to find Damon leaning casually against the counter waiting for his food.

“Oh trust me he can kidnap me any day of the week he desires!” I chewed my lip, it wasn't the best thing to say in hindsight.

“Yeah, well so how are you?! How's your ex?!” I smiled brightly at him, changing the subject was a good idea.

“You got time for a coffee?!” He looked hopeful.

“Can I help?!”

I glanced up at the young women behind the counter.

“Oh yeah, sorry, can I have one bacon and Bree bagel and one salami and Mozzarella bagel please, and two coffees to go, one skinny latte and one?!” I glanced at Damon.

His face broke out into a full megawatt smile. “Americana please.”

The girl smiled and nodded and wandered off to get the food order while another girl worked on the coffees.

“I don't have a massive amount of time, I gotta walk back home, though, so if you can talk and walk at the same time, then we got around 15 minutes!” I grinned.

He raised a brow. “Mr. Moneybags got you on a time limit?!”

I rolled my eyes. “Why do you call him that?! And no actually he's at work and I'm surprising him with lunch!” It was almost the truth, I just didn't tell him the whole truth.

He sighed. “Cause he's too rich that's why! Men like him they don't want to love anyone or anything cause they don't know how Evan, they just want to possess things! He wants to possess you I could see it in his eyes!” He took his food and his coffee from the outstretched hand of the server without even looking at her gaining me a dirty look.

I paid for my food and took my coffee. The food was in a container inside a brown paper bag. I blew into the hole in the lid of the take away coffee.

“He doesn't possess me - unless I want him to! He loves me!” I walked towards the door, I still had 15 minutes left.

Damon pushed open the door and walked alongside me.

“I wish he didn't.”

I wasn't sure how I was meant to answer him.
    

“What is that even meant to mean?!” I was confused.

“I wish he didn't love you because I love you too, can't you see that?!” He stopped walking. “I have done since I day we met!”

I turned around reeling at his confession. I knew he liked me, but I had no idea he'd developed feelings that deep. “You’re meant to be my friend, I should never have got drunk at the club that night, and I didn't think I'd ever see you again! Then when you ended up working where I lived... I like you in a different way than what I do Cameron!”

He put his coffee down on the floor with his bag of food. “Evan, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, that night we were both drunk! Both looking for something and who knows, maybe if I had acted sooner rather than leaving it because guys like me, we don't get girls like you! Then maybe I'd be the one you'd be surprising with lunch but I'm not!” He half smiled, half shrugged his eyes cast down.

My heart broke for him. I had never meant for any of this to happen. “It's just a drunken kiss!! Girls like me?! What do you mean?!”

He looked down for a second. “You’re beautiful, talented, cool and hot as hell, I'm just your average Joe, working to pay rent!”

I blushed, feeling embarrassed. “I'm just normal! I didn't ask to grow up in the spot light! I don't know if we would ever have worked! All I know is I love Cameron! He makes me feel safe and that has nothing to do with his wealth! You’re my only friend, if we can't be friends I understand that, but you’re not just some average Joe! You're funny, smart, warm hearted and them baby blues of yours are immense! Don't put yourself down because you grew up, different to me!” I propped my coffee on the railing.

He looked up at me shyly. “You still owe me a pizza!” He smirked at me and I knew he was okay.

“I do! You free Saturday night?! We could do pizza, then, friends, though right?!” I studied him.

He stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. “I am free that night! I'll text you! You’re probably the best friend that's a girl I've ever had!”

I smiled as I attempted to hug him back, if was hard with a large bag in my left hand. “Best friends I can live with! I need to go now! We can chat over pizza! Enjoy the coffee!”

He left me go from the hug. “Yeah, I will, enjoy your bagel!” He picked up his cup and food and lent against the metal railings with a smirk.