Page 124 of Never Too Late to Date

‘Was it?’

The pillow hit his bottom fair and square.

‘Ow!’

Sure enough, he was back in seconds with a carved wooden tray and two large Limoncellos, ice, and a selection of snacks.

Suzie tried her best to focus on finishing her drink, but his fingers had started to wander insistently over her body, causing her to give involuntary yelps of pleasure. She placed the half-drunk glass firmly on the bedside table and turned to kiss him. Goodness knows what the dawn would bring, but, as Scarlett O’Hara famously said, tomorrow is another day.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Waking up to a wall of tanned muscle was something that hadn’t happened to Suzie for a very long time. Christian’s back was about an inch away from her nose, but at least he was fast asleep, if the snoring was anything to go by. There definitely hadn’t been any snoring forty years ago.

She crept out of bed and staggered to the bathroom, the water from the cold tap eventually slaking her considerable thirst. Her head pounded, and her stomach was doing somersaults at the mere thought of all that beer mixed with Limoncello. What it had led to crowded her brain as the pictures ran through on a loop. Deep down, she knew she couldn’t blame the alcohol. She’d wanted it as much as he had, maybe more.

When she tried to sneak back into bed, a hand reached out and grabbed her by the ankle.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’

Christian’s sleepy blue eyes, the eyes that had caused all the trouble, crinkled at the corners.

‘I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been drinking water from the tap like a street cat.’

‘Bad head?’

‘Yep.’

‘Me too. We never had hangovers back in the day, did we?’

‘Not that I can recall. We were straight up and back at it.’

Christian smiled.

‘That sounds like a plan.’

A glance at her phone made Suzie leap off the bed.

‘Oh, my God. It’s already midday!’

‘And?’

‘I’ve got my friend Vicky coming round to the flat at one. She’s bringing me lunch.’

Christian pulled back the covers and beckoned her in.

‘Can’t you cancel? We’ve got some unfinished business.’

Tempting though it was, Suzie didn’t want to let down her friend. Vicky had seemed particularly keen to chat. Christian could wait. She didn’t want to give him the impression he was the centre of her world.

‘I can’t just drop everything. Maybe you could come round to the flat for a drink later?’

‘What time?’

‘Around five?’

‘Can’t do five. Got a big Zoom call with the band and our manager about a new proposition.’

Her stomach muscles clenched tight.