‘I’ve been dealing with some stuff … and I’m not ready for … anything. I was hurt by someone, still am,’ she spluttered, shaking her head as if close to tears. She couldn’t think of any other excuse sufficient enough to put a stop to this, and so she purposely played it up, wanting him to believe that she was still getting over her ex.

It worked.

‘Oh. Oh, crap, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean …’ He immediately stepped back, putting the necessary distance between them, much to the relief of her trembling nerve endings. ‘I’m sorry, Hannah. I’m an idiot.’ Embarrassed now, he ran a hand through his hair. ‘I got it all wrong, I should never have … Christ, I’m a fucking idiot, I really thought that you—’

‘It’s OK.’

‘No, no it’s not. I shouldn’t have pushed or insisted.’ He walked back and forth along the bridge, agitated afresh. ‘I’m sorry if you felt pressurised, it’s just yeah, the champagne … and I was upset and my head was all over the place. Christ, what a fucking night …’ Then he dug out his phone. ‘Here, let me call you a taxi. What part of town do you live in, and oh crap I shouldn’t even be asking you something like that after …’

Hannah moved to catch up with Ward as he strode off the bridge and back onto the path out of the park, evidently believing he’d completely overstepped. She wanted to reassure him that wasn’t the case, and it was after all she who’d initially reached for him in that way. But she couldn’t do that, for fear that if he touched her again, this time she wouldn’t be able to help but follow through once and for all. And however much she wanted to, she couldn’t let that happen.

Ward was a client, and after tonight, he needed her more than ever.

It was a line they couldn’t and shouldn’t cross for a reason. As it was, she guessed that he was merely seeking a different form of comfort, a brief roll in the hay to block out what had happened at the event, a meaningless, distracting interlude before he figured out what to do next.

And that would be impossible if they crossed that boundary and went back to his place. Hannah would never be able to work with him again. Despite thinking that the announcement of his return to the Panthers meant this was all over and her job was more or less done, if anything, the work was only just beginning.

She couldn’t leave Ward to deal with the fallout on his own. Not with her insight and deeper understanding of his mindset and vulnerabilities, or the danger of falling back into old patterns if the pressure got too much. She cared about him too much to let that happen.