Katy Carter Wants a Hero Read Online Free Page A

and pull my ponytail?
    No. Way.
    ‘It really is me,’ James laughed, dropping a kiss on to the corner of my mouth. ‘But I promise I won’t throw worms at you any more! You look amazing, Katy. Who’d ever have thought you’d grow up to be so beautiful?’
    Luckily for James the cliché police were off duty, not that I cared. Being five foot three and ginger, I know I’m not beautiful, but hey! A girl’s allowed to get swept off her feet once in a while, isn’t she?
    And sweep me off my feet is exactly what James did. He insisted on chauffeuring me to the party, where he was greeted with rapture by Jewell, but he never left my side or let go of my hand. That night he whisked me away to a beautiful hotel where… well, you can probably work that out for yourselves! Anyway, the rest is history and by the time Ollie came home I’d practically moved into James’s smart flat and was head over heels in love with my perfect romantic hero. And if Ollie was a bit narky and made snide comments, then it served him right for not paying the AA.
    So there you have it. James St Ellis is perfect. And I still can’t believe that somebody so perfect would be interested in dumpy little old me. OK, so at times he can be a bit bossy, but he’s only doing it for my own good. It’s because he loves me and wants the best for me that James sometimes comes across as a little bit insensitive. When I think about it, lots of the things he says make perfect sense: I do need to dress more smartly, lose a stone and think about the future if I’m to make the most of myself. And he’s right: my disrupted education isn’t as good as it could be — and is certainly no match for his Oxbridge one — so I do need to listen to him when it comes to finances, politics and career stuff. If he’s bossy it’s only because he cares, unlike my parents, who never gave a monkey’s what I did. My life with James is a million times removed from the haphazard one I had with them. I really have been rescued by a handsome prince and my own fairy tale has come true! So what if I’ve had to change a little and improve myself so that I’m good enough? James is worth it because he’s everything I ever dreamed about when I was growing up.
    He’s
my
romantic hero, and if I’m not exactly the perfect romantic heroine then I’m working on it, because I do love James. I’m sure I do. When he’s bossy or grumpy I remind myself how stressful it is working in the City, especially with all this credit-crunch stuff going on, and that he doesn’t mean the things he sometimes says to me. He’s on edge; who wouldn’t be seeing their colleagues and friends losing their jobs on a daily basis? I’m the one he comes home to, the one who listens and the one on whom he vents his bad temper. I can’t say I like it much, but nobody ever said relationships are easy; you have to work at them, don’t you?
    Although placating James’s bad moods has started to feel more like hard labour lately…
    But that’s what adult relationships are all about, working things through I mean, and loving the other person even when they’re not behaving in a particularly lovable manner. Real love deals with issues rather than quitting, which has always been my parents’ preferred method. They’d row, Dad would vanish off in his VW van and Mum would hook up with someone called Rain or Baggy for a few months until Dad came back full of tall tales and with his pockets packed with hash. Not quite the example I want to live my life by! My preferred method of rebellion has been becoming a total square, working as a slave to the system and subjugating myself to the patriarchy — my mother’s words, not mine — rather than exploring my inner goddess or trekking off to Marrakesh.
    I prefer to think I’m made of sterner stuff than my parents. This is just a bumpy patch. The economy will pick up, James will get his promotion and everything will go back to how it used to be. I just have to be