For the next few weeks Jake spent as much time as he could in Kent. He was actually enjoying the simplicity of life in the hotel. It had been remarkably easy to run his office remotely although Lauren was threatening to decamp down there to see what was keeping him there. If there was one thing he didn't need right now it was people intruding even Lauren.

Jules had moved back in with Laura to share an office so he had taken over hers. He would have been quite happy to sit gazing at Laura all day but she had flatly refused to do that so he had given in quietly. He also realised that he would get no work done if they had shared an office. So with hindsight it was a good decision.

XXXXXXXXX

Walking into the office that morning he had fully intended to tell her everything. He didn't want to harbour secrets, he didn't want to hide anything from Laura. But, she had been pretty furious about what he had shared at dinner. There was just no way to bring up Will, Emma, Charlie and come out it with a clean sheet. So he had said nothing and instead had begged forgiveness on not being honest about he was the first day they met. He still got the feeling she didn't completely trust him. There were moments when he caught her studying him intently and it was clear she was in turmoil over the situation. So how could he even bring up Charlie's parentage. He knew he was being a coward and he didn't like that facet of his personality. But, for the first time in his life he had found someone who made him feel genuinely happy and he didn't want anything to spoil it. So he followed a well worn recipe and used his charm offensive right now it seemed to be working.

He didn't understand how it had happened, Laura had quietly infiltrated his life and he didn't mind that one bit. He realised he didn't need fancy dinners and eating at the best restaurants. He liked the life Laura led it was family orientated and everything she did was to make a better life for her and Charlie. He admired her for her work ethics, how she inspired her team and personally for taking on someone else's child and having her own life turned upside down. She had had a family life forced on her with no opportunity to back out and she had taken it. There were a lot of sides to Laura and he was enjoying getting to know them. Protecting Charlie was her priority which scared and thrilled him but that overriding fear he had that it was going to be his undoing one day. But, he had gone too far now.

They were having a good time together. She made him laugh and it was rare for people to genuinely entertain him. They had fallen into a pattern most evenings. She would leave work and he would follow along later. Laura loved to cook and he definitely could feel his suits getting tighter at the wholesome food she was providing. She didn't believe in packets or microwave food she was old fashioned she told him. She made everything from scratch and looking at the array of cookery books it was obviously something she enjoyed. He would hear her singing to herself as she prepared a meal. His Mother didn't cook she had always had staff to take care of her every whim, he couldn't even remember her preparing a sandwich for them when he was a kid. His Father was the opposite. He had loved to cook his Mother had been Italian so it came easy to him. There had been many an evening with Will, him and his Father throwing together a meal with much merriment. His Mother out at Bridge or some other event with her friends.

Charlie was delighted to have a man around who was interested in him. He was able to spend time with Jake building lego models, having him read to him or discussing the latest painting from school. The more time Jake spent with him the more attached he became and it was hard not to talk about Will. Charlie had mentioned his Dad a few times but nothing significant and Jake did not want to push and appear over zealous for information. He had a wall in the office at the hotel adorned with Charlie's artwork. He had even take a few up to London and stuck them on cupboard doors in the kitchen.

Once he had got to grips with the fact that Laura was not going to let him win her around easily he made sure he played the dutiful suitor. Stolen glances, tempting touches when Charlie had gone to bed. Kisses that questioned his sanity and everything tested his self will. He was pretty sure Laura was feeling the same judging by the way she looked at him sometimes.

He was rather enjoying the old fashioned courting routine. Walking into a florist one morning he had spent over an hour hand picking out flowers for a bouquet for her. It was not something he had done before normally Lauren took care of flowers or gifts for people in his life. The weekend of the wedding he had just lucked out with the florist delivering for the event. Buying what she had left in her van had left her somewhat bemused. But Laura seemed to appreciate the little things he did. Appearing in her office mid afternoon with a cup of tea and chocolate was a trick Jules had shared with him. He also liked knowing she was close by and he was still productive even if his box of an office was the size of the closet in his London office.

Sitting on the sofa one night watching some Hugh Grant movie had tested him to the limit. Laura had ooh'd and aah'd all the way through. Laughing and crying in equal measure. He had watched it because she wanted to watch and she enjoyed it. For him it was an excuse to stretch out on the sofa and have her snuggled into him. It was so far removed from his normal world but he enjoyed this quiet life. He realised that for millions of people around the world this was what being part of a couple was all about. It was not fancy outings to some premiere or going to restaurants every night. It was just being part of a team you didn't have to impress each other you just had to want to be part of that team. He was not sure yet how this was going to be okay long term but, right now he was definitely happy being part of this team and Laura seemed to be happy with how things were going.

They had agreed this weekend for her and Charlie to come to London. He was feeling some trepidation she would see his home for the first time. He worried she wouldn't like it but also it displayed his wealth and whilst that was important in some aspects of his life he didn't want to impress her with his wealth or possessions. He wanted to impress for who he was and who he could be. She made him want to be a better person. Which made it all the worse knowing he was keeping a secret….

XXXXXXXX

Laura sat quietly in the car listening to Jake and Charlie talk about all the things they were going to do this weekend. She was nervous about being in Jake's home. In her house she felt in control most of the time but this was a whole different ball game. She was definitely feeling out of her depth.

She gazed at Jake's profile he was concentrating on driving through the busy city traffic whilst maintaining the very important conversation about the speed of the London Eye with Charlie. She was not sure why she had agreed to this weekend she blamed Jules. For some reason Jules seemed to be in the background of everything recently. She almost felt as though Jake and Jules were in cahoots to get her to say yes when he had first suggested the weekend in London.

They drove underground to a car park when they reached Jake's flat. He parked next to an Aston Martin and had reluctantly admitted it was another car he owned; having made the mistake of flicking something off it as he walked towards the lift. Laura had stopped to admire it muttering to herself as she followed him. Jake keyed in a code and the lift doors slid open, Charlie was very excited. It was every boys dream gadget city she thought to herself. Jake hoisted Charlie up and he pressed the one button 'P' to take them straight up to Jakes flat. As the doors opened and she stepped out, she stopped and turned to look at him.

She raised an eyebrow as she gazed around her. 'Wow! So when you said flat you really meant something else didn't you?'

Laura stood still taking in the wide open space in front of her. Floor to ceiling glass meant no view was obscured. There were huge sofa's that seemed to be completely dwarfed by the sheer size of the space they sat in. Her eyes widened as she looked towards the kitchen area and swung back to Jake. He was watching her bemused as she tried to take in her surroundings.

Charlie was skipping around the apartment in his element at having so much space to play in. He was running to and fro looking at the views over the river and the bridge. Jake opened the doors onto the terrace and Laura followed him stepping out into the cool air. Her breath caught as she looked up and down the river. This was magnificent, she turned to catch Charlie as she heard him giggling and wanted to run through do's & don'ts. But, Jake had him thrown over his shoulder as Charlie screamed and began laughing as Jake tickled him whilst he walked along the terrace. He dropped Charlie down and knelt down talking to him quietly. She watched him pointing out landmarks and then ensuring that Charlie knew this was a no running zone and to be careful. His gaze shifted from Charlie to Laura and she smiled feeling self conscious as he stood to stand next to her.

'So you approve Miss Jones?'

'Whats not to like? River check, bridge check, Tower of London check. I cant believe you live somewhere like this?'

Jake followed Laura's gaze as she looked back into the apartment. 'You have a lovely home Jake its quite breathtaking. I guess its nice for erm entertaining and stuff.'

Jake reached for her hand and pulled it up to his lips kissing it softly. He didn't break eye contact with her as he leaned down to whisper. 'I don't entertain here Laura this is my home. If you are worried about a trail of women in and out don't.'

Laura lowered her eyes and moved away from him. She needed to catch her breath, needed to calm herself. What did that speech mean? How significant was that? This was a time for Jules and her input. Why was he always doing stuff like that to throw her off balance. The man was a walking enigma.

Ten minutes later and Jake had shown them to the guest rooms. Charlie was delighted to find his bed was covered by a kite motif duvet. Touching it as she walked into the room Laura could see it was new and smiled at Jake gratefully as he dropped Charlie onto the bed. Laura was next door to Charlie. There was a part of her disappointed that he had followed her instructions about no funny business so literally the last few weeks. Something must have shown in her face as Jake had given her a puzzled look as he placed her bag on the bed.

Dinner was in a local restaurant and then a walk alongside the river so Charlie could see the Tower of London. Jake was taking him there the next day and after much discussion in the last week Laura had agreed to spend Saturday morning in a local spa. Jake had said it was his treat and when she had tried to argue he had dispatched Jules to sort her out. She had backed down quickly there was no winning that fight.

Charlie was asleep by the time they got back to Jake's apartment Laura put him to bed quickly. His eyes flickering open as she tucked him. 'Love you and Jake La La.'

She had laughed quietly. 'Okay buddy am pretty sure we both love you too. So back to sleep big day tomorrow okay.' He had closed his eyes and was asleep before she reached the door.

Walking back towards the main area she had found Jake on the terrace. He jumped up to pull a chair out for her and handed her a glass of wine. There was a throw on the table and she wrapped it around her the chilly evening air making her shiver.

'This is a pretty cool place to live Jake.' She looked up and down the river before turning back to him, the view was just as spectacular at night. 'Yeah I know I love sitting out here. There is something about living by water it calms me.'

'I can understand that, don't think I could live in London though. There are too many people, too much traffic. But up here looking out you almost forget that.'

He stood up reaching for her hand. 'Want the 50 cent tour?' She grinned and jumped up letting him lead her inside.

The apartment was breathtaking she lost count of the additional terraces leading off rooms. The number of rooms it was like a tardis. She was sure she counted had counted three staircases. In Jakes study she walked along the bookcases reading the titles housed carefully row by row. She pulled one out and turned to face him. 'Pride & Prejudice?'

He grinned back at her raised eyebrow he put his hands up in a surrender motion. 'So I like Jane Austen shoot me.'

'I guess I didn't see you as an Austen fan my favourite is Persuasion.' He reached past her pulling out a copy. 'Mine too.' She could see it was a well worn book she took it out of his hands thumbing through the pages. There was an inscription inside:

Jake, Read & learn. Dad x

'Your Dad read Austen too?' He laughed quietly. 'My Dad read everything and insisted we did too. I read a lot of the classics. He wanted us to know as much about life as we could. He didn't want us making mistakes.'

'Did it work?'

'I'm a work in progress lets leave it at that.' Laura caught his eye as he finished the sentence. His face clouding over as he processed what he had said. She took his hand in hers and gave him a bright smile he looked down at her and for a split second she thought he was going to say something but the moment passed.

Jake turned to leave the room quickly and she followed him down some stairs. He stopped suddenly and she collided with him as she kept walking. She was in his bedroom. He said nothing his eyes darkening as they fixed on her face. Her eyes immediately being drawn to the bed dominating the room. Another wall of glass in front of her drew her attention and she wandered over to it looking out over the river. Her heart was thumping, she should get out of this room it was too dangerous being alone in here with him. He came up behind her pulling her towards him. His hands around her waist as he held her firm against his body.

'I'm glad you're here.' He spoke quietly into her ear.

'What in your bedroom?' She laughed nervously not daring too move knowing his grip would only tighten. His fingers dug into her waist as he dropped his head onto her shoulder. 'Well, there is that, I didn't think I'd get you in here so quickly.'

'Ha ha well I think I should remind you don't get any funny idea's.'

He nuzzled into her neck and chuckled quietly. 'Hmmmm but you're here now so thats good enough for me.'

'I'm glad to be here too. But, its been a long day and I think its time for bed.' She went to move out of his hold. She felt him stiffen as she moved away from him but he released her and took her hand as they left his room.

Walking her back through the apartment she stopped as they reached the kitchen. Charlie's school artwork covered several cupboards. She hadn't seen it earlier. She looked up at him not sure what to say. 'Jake thats, well it's lovely you never cease to surprise me.'

'Is that a good thing?' She nodded and looked up at him smiling shyly. 'Yes, it's a very good thing. He will be chuffed when he see's those tomorrow. Be prepared for more now.'

Reaching the door of her room he pulled her into his arms to kiss her letting her know as he held her close that his body wanted a lot more than kisses. He growled into her ear. 'It's not right you sleeping over here and me in that big bed on my own. It takes the whole walking your date home to a different level.'

Laura gently pushed him away and reached for the handle of Charlie's room to look in. 'Hmmmm well I don't want Charlie looking for me in the night it's a strange new place.' She lowered her voice to a whisper as she closed his door. 'He wakes up sometimes he has bad dreams so I wake up to find him snuggled in my bed.'

'Shit Laura stop talking; snuggling, bed, you in your polka dot pyjamas. I cant take anymore seriously. Look at me I'm a wreck.' She smiled softly looking up at him. 'How do you know I wear polka dot pyjamas?' He chuckled softly as he pushed her into the room. 'I snooped saw them on your bed one day.' Smiling at her indignant face he brushed his lips over hers in the lightest of kisses whispered goodnight and closed the door.

She heard him sign heavily as he slowly walked away. Whispering she mouthed. 'I know how you feel.'

She climbed into bed falling asleep quickly and dreaming of Jake lying on the other side of the apartment alone in his bed.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Laura woke just after 8 am and jumped in the shower. She couldn't believe she had slept so late and with no disturbance from Charlie. Dressing casually in preparation for her spa morning she walked across the hallway to Charlie's room. The door was open and for a split second a wave of panic washed over her upon seeing the empty bedroom. But hearing laughter and singing coming from another part of the apartment had her walking quickly to discover what was going on.

Charlie was standing on top of the very large kitchen island holding a wooden spoon which was obviously doubling as his microphone. He was singing Happy as he danced. He was dressed and ready for his day out. She was impressed Jake had obviously helped him get dressed. Jake was also dancing but seemed to be preparing breakfast at the same time. She stood watching the pair of them oblivious to her. As the song finished Jake leaned over to high five Charlie and the pair of them leaned in close. Laura felt something tighten across her chest as she looked at the two of them laughing but walked forward clapping as she moved into view.

Charlie turned quickly losing his balance and plopping down on the counter dizzy from dancing. He looked at Jake and the two of them burst out laughing again. Laura almost felt she was intruding on this boys only moment. Sensing something Jake came over and cupping her chin he reached down to plant a light kiss on her lips.

'Well, morning sleepy head I am making breakfast you hungry?'

Laura nodded bemused Jake making breakfast. He was wearing those jeans again and a teeshirt. She watched him walking as he sauntered back to the hob. Her heart skipping a beat as she went to sit down. How could he look good in anything he wore?

'So what delights are you preparing? Cornflakes, toast?'

'Ha ha very funny I am making pancakes actually.'

'Blimey that's impressive we love pancakes don't we Charlie?' He nodded out of breath. Jake passed Charlie a glass of water and told him to take some sips as he got his breath back. Laura was stunned at how sensible he seemed to be around a child. Where did that come from? She hadn't found it this easy when Charlie had moved in with her.

Jake poured a cup of tea out of a Cath Kidston teapot and handed it to her. 'Cath Kidston?' He smiled. 'Hmmmm Lauren gave it to me for Christmas I think she hoped I'd give it back but I kinda like it.'

'This Lauren sounds quite a girl, hope I get to meet her one day.'

'Oh you will don't worry on that score. She will want to vet you see if you make the grade.'

Laura stopped drinking her tea looking panic stricken. Jake jogged around the counter and hugged her. 'I'm joking she doesn't do that.'

'Phew I almost fell off the stool.'

'Yeah Lauren leaves my Mum to vet, now she is a piece of work. Get past her and well jackpot!'

'Jackpot?'

'Yeah look at me I am the jackpot.' Jake threw his arms out throwing his head back to laugh as Laura rolled her eyes at him.

Charlie had remained sitting down on the counter top and was looking from one to the other as they bantered back and forth.

He slid over to Laura and reached out his arms obviously feeling left out. She pulled him over to her and onto her lap he wrapped his arms around her nuzzling in for a hug.

She spoke quietly to him as he sat there suddenly worn out from his exertions of the morning. Looking up she caught Jake standing quite still starring at them a look so intense across his face it made her shiver. He snapped out of it quickly when he realised she was watching him. A smile quickly replacing the dark look.

Three plates of banana pancakes were duly prepared and they all sat down to eat. Charlie wanted to sit on the terrace but it was decided that it was not warm enough yet. Jake cleared up afterwards loading the dishwasher.

'I had no idea you were so domesticated, loading a dishwasher and cooking.' Laura was leaning on the counter near Jake as he finished tidying up. He looked over his shoulder to see where Charlie was and once happy he was engrossed in the activities outside the window he slowly walked over to her. His hands snuck around her waist and his head lowered as his lips dropped onto hers. The kiss soft and warm. His fingers pushed under her shirt to trail along her skin. Her body relaxed and she leaned into him as his tongue began probing.

'Bloody hell get a room Jake there are kids here.'

Jake jumped back looking over his shoulder at the intruder. He looked down at Laura grinning like a naughty school boy. He ran his thumb gently over her lips and reached down for her hand as he walked towards the woman who had appeared.

'Laura this is Lauren. PA, friend, worst present buyer ever and your buddy for the spa this morning. She also never rings the bell to be let in.'

'Ha funny. Hi Laura its nice to finally meet you. Now I know you actually exist I was beginning to think he had run off to the circus instead of the hotel.'

Laura tried to step forward to shake Lauren's hand but Jake had moved his arm around her waist holding her close to him so she had to stay put. Charlie ran over to see who this new person was. Lauren dropped down to say hello to him and he put out his hand to shake hers.

'I have no idea where he gets that from. He suddenly started doing it a few months ago. I guess he saw someone do it once. It was a bit much in Tesco's the other week when he introduced himself to the guy in the bakery area.'

A pained look flew across Jakes face as Laura looked up at him. Lauren had seen it too and quickly started talking about the spa to lighten the mood.

Laura dashed to her room to get ready for the morning out. Lauren seemed nice and certainly had the measure of Jake. She knew from her internet search she was married but she didn't know the history of how they met and how she came to work for him. So hopefully she would glean that info today and another piece of the complicated Jake Harrison puzzle would fall into place.