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dross.’
    ‘You are such a bad liar. You do know that hiding it makes me want to read it even more? And I can buy it from the local store any time today. Or look it up on the internet.’ She took out her phone and began jabbing at it.
    ‘Okay, take it. But I’m warning you, it’s not pretty.’ He handed her the paper and shook his head. She was right’she’d see it anyway. Clearly she didn’t want saving. She’d fought some demons and come out stronger, that was for sure. But that relentless attempt at jovial sarcasm was testament to a woman who didn’t want to let anyone close. And yet, the message her eyes gave him, way too many times for him not to notice’the heat, the flash of reluctant desire’made him think she was fighting other demons too.
    His heart thudded as she took the newspaper and scanned down. Her fine features hardened, her shoulders tightened. One small move and he could have had her in his arms, stroking her cheek, trying to protect her, but he controlled himself.
    Protect her? Like he could. Like he’d be around long enough. Like he’d ever be fully available to give her what she needed.
    The last time he’d been supposed to look out for someone he’d failed miserably. Hopelessly. And he’d been paying for it ever since. So this urge to protect Dani sounded warning bells. Already things were getting too personal. For God’s sake, he hardly knew her.
    But something inside her connected with something in him. That hadn’t happened for a very long time.
    He needed to shake it loose. Close off the feelings she stoked in him. Usually physical distance worked, but stuck on a bus in the only available seat made that impossible. He edged to the corner of the banquette. And watched her do the same. So the feeling was mutual. That suited him fine.
    Outside, the crowds had thickened along the fan trail cheering the team bus along. Dotted along the route bands blasted out rousing tunes, stilt walkers and jugglers entertained the throngs. A flashmob dance troupe filled the road when the coach stopped at traffic lights. Flags with each team’s colours adorned every pole and post. Outside the coach, the world had come to party. Inside, the silence hung around them like a weight pressing on his shoulders.
    He scanned the players. Most of them had headphones on and seemed to be focusing on the beat. Occasionally one of them waved to the crowd. In a few minutes they’d be heading into what should be the most exciting thing to happen in his career to date and yet Zac’s head whirred with a whole host of other emotions. One of which was anger. At himself. At the press. At Dani for instilling these kind of feelings in him. One minute he’d decided he should be far away from her, the next he wanted to hold her, protect her. He was mixed up and then some.
    He kept his voice low as he pointed to the article. ‘I’m sorry I caused all this. It definitely won’t happen again.’
    ‘And I’m sorry you’ve been embarrassed by your association with me.’ She bristled. ‘I’m sorry your parents will be horrified.’
    He laughed ruefully. ‘I’m thirty-four. It’s been a long time since I cared what my parents think.’ Liar.
    ‘And yet when you say that you look away, as if you don’t believe it yourself.’ The light in her eyes, so clearly depicted in the photograph, had well and truly gone out.
    ‘What will your father think?’
    ‘Oh, yes. Of course, the most important issue for us all. Never mind how to deal with the gross invasion of privacy, conjecture and outright lies, but what will Davide think? He’ll be furious, probably because he hadn’t thought of it himself.’ Now the light was replaced with the kind of scorn equal only to his own father’s. The barriers he’d glimpsed last night were well and truly locked in place. Her head shook and she bit the corner of her lip. ‘But it’ll get you noticed. Which, I guess, is what you wanted all along.’
    She thought he wanted