‘Nope. I am a very warm person. In a good way, naturally.’
Georgie laughed. ‘Naturally.’
They wandered along the road, their arms bumping a little, not really talking, in a nice, companionable, eaten-a-lot-of-food kind of way.
Then Raf said, ‘I have a secret to tell you.’
Georgie nearly gasped out loud and did a massive eye swivel in the darkness. Did he mean… Had he…Pleaselet him not have opened hersecret. Please let it be something else.
‘What?’ she managed to ask.
‘I invented Clive.’
‘Clive?’ She had no idea what he was talking about. Oh, yes she did.Clive. ‘Which one? Or both?’
‘The neighbour. Because I’d booked the table for us and then worried that I’d been very overbearing and presumptuous, and didn’t want you to feel that youhadto go. So I came up with Clive.’
‘Is the cat at least called Clive?’
‘Yes. I would never lie twice about a Clive in one evening.’
Georgie laughed. ‘Of course you wouldn’t. That would be ridiculous.’
‘Exactly.’ They’d reached her car and as they came to a halt he turned to face her. ‘I’m glad I invented Clive. I wanted you to want to have dinner with me.’
Oh! Georgie bit her lip to try to stop herself from justbeaming.
‘The food was amazing and the company wasn’t too bad, either,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
‘My pleasure.’ He’d insisted on paying. He looked into her face for a long time and then reached down and took her hands and drew her closer to him. ‘I really enjoyed it.’
‘Me too,’ Georgie breathed. His gaze wassointense.
Very slowly, Raf drew her even closer until it was only their hands between their bodies that was stopping their chests from touching. He was going to kiss her, he definitely was, and if shewas being honest, she really, really wanted him to. So much that if he didn’t do it soon she might just reach up and kiss him herself.
Oh wow, oh goodness, he was lowering his head to hers now.
Georgie turned her face right up to his and parted her lips and justsighedinto his gorgeous,gorgeouskiss when it finally came.
Raf’s lips were warm and firm and almostdemanding, in a wonderfully exciting way. Georgie hadn’t experienced a kiss as good as thisever.
Raf’s hands left hers and reached around her waist and shoulders, and she pressed her hands up his solid chest and around his neck and into his hair.
They kissed for who knew how long until they stumbled off the kerb together and against her car.
‘Oops,’ Georgie said.
They were still holding each other.
‘Oops indeed.’ Raf tugged gently on her hair with the hand that he had on the back of her neck and placed another kiss on her lips before saying, ‘Would you like to come in for coffee?’
Georgie opened her mouth to say yes reflexively, and then paused, without speaking.
Because of course she’dliketo do more with him – if that’s what was on the cards; she hadn’t dated as an adult atallso she really wasn’t sure what she should expect to happen if she went inside – but that feeling was mingling with a little bit of ‘ooh I could maybe get my secret back but dammit I don’t have a replacement one; why didn’t I come prepared; hmm that’s weird because most people regret not bringing a condom, not not-bringing a replacement secret’ and awareness that soon she’d be finding out whether or not the secret was actually true and also just worry that it would feelhugeto dostuff with him plus he was famously a serial one-dater since he’d lost his wife – forwhom he was clearly still grieving – and she didn’t want to get hurt and basically it was all just too scary, and she’d definitely rather find out whether – if thishadtotally been a date – there would be any more before she went any further.
‘It’s late.’ She took a little step backwards, away from him. ‘I should get back. I mean, I’d love to have coffee, definitely, but I should get back now.’
‘Of course.’ Raf studied her face for a moment and she smiled at him, because it was hard not to smile at Raf, and he smiled too and then kissed her quickly on the lips again.
