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Lake’s head turned to the window to see what was holding Kirsty’s attention. Kirsty panicked. She grabbed Lake’s chin, turned his head back towards her and kissed him.
Lake was picking up mixed messages. One minute she was as scared as a cat in a box of dogs. The next she was kissing him like he was dinner and she was ravenous. He didn’t stop it. No matter what the reason, it was always good to have Kirsty’s lips on his. He pulled her hard against his chest. It wasn’t close enough. And when she made that little sighing noise deep in her throat, he wanted to lift her up and march to the bedroom. His muscles actually hurt from the effort it took to stop them. He growled when she pulled away, pleased to see that she looked flushed and disorientated. His hand curved down her waist and over her hip as she reached behind him. It took him a minute to realise that she was shutting the curtains.
“That’s better,” she said before taking her seat at the table.
Lake didn’t care whether the curtains were drawn or not; it wasn’t like there was anyone to look in. His flat was directly opposite and it was empty. Rainne was with Alastair. Betty was watching TV with a cardboard cut-out of him in a tux—one he couldn’t get back. He’d had to go buy another for the shop. And he was at Kirsty’s trying to figure out what was going on in her head.
“So,” she said with a lot more enthusiasm than the word deserved. “I’ve just realised that outside of Invertary and your plan for lingerie domination, I don’t know anything about you. Tell me about your life.”
She smiled a little too brightly as she cut her meat.
“My whole life?” he said.
“Only the interesting bits.” There was a clang outside. Kirsty jumped. She smiled, more flustered than before. “Tell me about being in the war. Men like to talk about war. Right?”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. It was as though she’d read some manual somewhere on the likes and dislikes of all men and he was reaping the benefits.
“Men like steak. Men like war. Men like beer and football and women,” he said. “How about we forget what ‘men’ like and concentrate on hanging out with each other?”
“Of course, of course.” She forked some mashed potato.
She was far more distracted than he wanted her to be. Something was going on in her head and he couldn’t figure out what it was. There was a loud curse from outside. Kirsty jumped to her feet.
“Music. I forgot music.” She marched to the stereo.
Lake narrowed his eyes at her as music blasted into the room. She looked at him and chewed her bottom lip.
“Too loud?” She adjusted the volume.
Lake still thought it was too loud, but he didn’t say anything. He was also beginning to think that Kirsty might be on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
“You were saying?” she said brightly.
Lake stared at her for a moment. Her cheeks were flushed and she had the same kind of panicked look that animals get in front of an approaching car.
“I was saying that you need to relax. This is only dinner.”
“Yes.” Her eyes went to the plate as though she’d forgotten it was there.
She stood up quickly.
“I need to get something, I mean do something, in the bedroom. I’ll be right back.”
And then she was gone.
Lake stared after her in astonishment. He honestly didn’t know what to think. So he flicked off the stereo and returned to his food, where he polished off the meat. A few seconds later he heard mumbling in the other room. He let his head drop with a sigh. Now she was talking to herself. With resignation, he went to find out what kind of crazy mess he’d gotten himself into this time.
“What the heck are you doing?” Kirsty hissed into her mobile phone as she looked out of her bedroom window.
Her mother stood in the middle of the street looking up at Kirsty as she talked back.
“We’re trying to break into the shop like you told us to,” said her mum.
“At the back of the building,” Kirsty said in exasperation. “You’re supposed to be at the back. No one breaks into a shop on
the high street. There are people. And lights. This is insane.”
“Don’t you call me insane, young lady,” her mother said in that tone mothers were gifted during childbirth. “You forget that we’re doing this for you.”
