I rolled my eyes. ‘Looks like you two don’t need me for this conversation,’ I said, turning away and setting off again to find Liv and Tessa. The last thing I needed right now was to be stuck in between Jake and Davis, and their pistols at dawn or penis-measuring competition or whatever the hell it was they were doing.

‘Freya!’ A hand reached out and touched my arm.

With a sigh, I paused and looked at Jake, who had hurried after me. ‘I don’t want to be some pawn in your rivalry with Davis. Leave me out of it.’

I looked at his hand on my arm and he quickly dropped it. It was the second time he’d deliberately touched me after helping me up off the floor at the airport, and I hated that I was counting the times.

‘You’re not; I just didn’t like how he was being with you,’ Jake said, moving closer to let someone pass by him. The room was crowded but when I returned his gaze, I wasn’t aware of anyone else but him.

‘What do you mean?’ I asked. He was looking at me like he wasn’t taking notice of anyone else either. It was intimidating but in a different way to how he had intimidated me in the past. This was more… disconcerting. Because I liked being his sole focus right now. And that was a startling thought.

‘He was coming on to you.’

‘With a crap line about showing me the darker side of life. And after slagging off romance books! Not really the best chat-up line I’ve ever heard,’ I scoffed.

‘Have you had quite a few then?’ Jake asked, one of his eyebrows raised.

‘Not many good ones,’ I admitted.

‘So, Mulberry’s charms weren’t working on you then?’

‘Why do you care?’ I asked in surprise.

Jake leaned just a little bit closer. ‘If you’re still trying to find a romantic man, he isn’t it. I’m looking out for you.’

‘Well, I didn’t ask you to,’ I said shortly. ‘I can handle myself. And why do you think I’m looking for a romantic man? Oh yeah, you heard me…’ I trailed off as my conversation on the phone flashed back to me. I felt my cheeks heat up because I knew what else he had heard then – the fact I hadn’t had sex for three years.

He shook his head. ‘I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop but you have a loud voice when you’re passionate about something, and the fact that men had been disappointing you for years was clearly a passionate topic for you. Davis Mulberry will use you. That’s what he does with women.’