Page 2 of The Forever Match

“Come on, wife-to-be.”

Victoria shook her head, then pouted. “I’m not going home yet!”

“No, you’re not,” Ash told her, as if she were disciplining a toddler. Which wasn’t far off.

She dragged her to the nearby toilet, and locked the door, as Victoria flattened herself against the back of it, then raised an eyebrow.

Another hiccup, which she chose to ignore.

“I see what’s going on here.” She licked her lips, then grabbed Ash’s fingers and pulled her close. “Is this a ruse to get me alone and fuck me in the bathroom?”

Victoria’s breasts pressed against Ash, and she gulped. “You know how I love sex against a door…”

Victoria grabbed the lapel of Ash’s shirt. But then, just as she was about to kiss her, a particularly aggressive hiccup exploded from her mouth, and Victoria headbutted Ash, plum in the eye. The crack of skull on skull made nausea swell inside Ash, as pain arrowed through her head.

“For fuck’s sake.” Ash staggered backwards towards the sink, hand over her face. She took her hand away and peered into the mirror. Her eye was red. If Victoria had given her a black eye two weeks before the wedding, she wasn’t sure how the Queen was going to react. Or her mum. She could only imagine trying to explain what happened to her wedding stylist.

“Are you okay?” Another hiccup, but this time, Victoria frowned. “Did I hurt you?” She sounded concerned, but also confused.

There was no point being annoyed with her.

“I’ll live,” Ash replied, massaging around her eye. Then she plonked Victoria on the loo, and squatted in front of her.

“I want you taking deep breaths, and then we’ll do the thing where you focus on my finger and try to forget your hiccups, okay?”

But Victoria simply grinned at her words and smoothed Ash’s blonde locks from her face. “Focusing on your fingers has never been a problem before, and I can’t see it being one now,” she told her, lips puckered and heading towards Ash’s.

But Ash wasn’t taking any chances. She pushed Victoria backwards. “I’m serious. I want you to focus. No kissing. Follow my finger.”

Victoria pouted, but did as she was told.

“Take a deep breath, and follow my finger. I’m going to count back from ten. Don’t take your eye off it.”

Victoria squinted as she trained her gaze on Ash’s index finger. Even though Ash’s eye was still smarting, Victoria looked so damn cute, it took all Ash’s effort not to kiss her. Even when she was a drunk, hiccupping mess, she was still perfect.

“Ten, nine, eight,” Ash started.

“My gorgeous Ash, and her gorgeous proposal.”

“Seven, six, five…”

“I was telling Astrid,” she slurred. “My baby is so romantic. Champagne, chocolates, flowers, the works.”

“Four, three.”

Hiccup.

“Stop talking. I’m starting again. Follow my finger.”

Victoria leaned forward and kissed the tip.

Ash felt it everywhere.

“Ten, nine, eight…”

“The way you got down on one knee,” Victoria continued. “I never even suspected it.”

“Seven, six, five…”