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And she loved it. Loved the adrenaline rush that came from the speed and the sheer power of the engine, loved the whip of the wind as it tried to grab her hair.
With a laugh of sheer enjoyment, she released her hair from the clasp and let it blow around her head. She forgot to be self-conscious about the length of her skirt. She forgot that she was a single mother with responsibilities. All she thought about was the sheer pleasure of the moment. The wind, the sun, the sea and the spectacular man sitting next to her.
The road hugged the coastline and she saw the sun go down over the sea, watched the tiny yachts bobbing back into the safety of the harbour. Happiness sparkled though her veins like champagne and she couldn’t hold back her smile.
It was so beautiful.
Finally he took a tiny, winding road that dropped down to a little fishing village.
‘Oh…’ She stared at the natural harbour in fascination. ‘It’s gorgeous. I haven’t had time to explore the coast yet.’
‘Best fish restaurant in the area.’ Josh reversed the car into a space and turned to look at her. ‘I prefer your hair like that, by the way. Leave it down.’
Her hair! She’d completely forgotten what the journey must have done to it!
With a gasp she pulled down the vanity mirror and checked her reflection. Her hair fell in a soft, tangled mass around her shoulders. ‘Oops.’ She gave him a sheepish grin. ‘Maybe next time we’d better have the top up.’
And then she remembered that this was just a one-off and that this wasn’t a proper date, and she almost squirmed with embarrassment in case he thought she was expecting something more.
She tidied her hair with her fingers and then gave a mental shrug.
He obviously didn’t mind that it looked messy. Why should she?
He looked at her feet. ‘How far can you walk in those?’
‘I have no idea.’ She spoke without thinking. ‘I’ve never worn them before.’
‘You bought new shoes for our date?’
‘No!’ She grabbed her bag from the car, cross with herself for revealing the fact that she hadn’t worn the shoes before. ‘I bought them ages ago because I liked them, but then I never actually wore them anywhere because they were so impractical.’
He removed his sunglasses and his eyes glimmered with humour. ‘So this is the first impractical date you’ve had since you bought the shoes?’
It was the first date of any kind. ‘Something like that.’
She found it very hard to look away from that smile as she followed him into the restaurant and then out again onto a tiny terrace that overlooked the harbour.
‘How did you ever find this place?’ Her eyes scanned the pretty yachts and the piles of empty lobster pots. The evening sun branded the sea with fiery streaks of red and gold and the air smelt of the sea and sizzling garlic.
With an appreciative sniff, Kat turned her head towards the kitchen. ‘Something smells good.’
‘The food here is incredible. Sit down and I’ll order some drinks.’
A man emerged from the kitchen and a smile spread across his face. ‘Sullivan!’ He strode towards them and shook Josh’s hand. ‘How the devil are you?’
‘Good, thanks.’ Josh turned to Kat and introduced her. ‘This is Mark. He considers himself to be a chef.’
The man grinned and shook her hand. ‘Only from Josh would I allow that insult. I almost amputated my finger one night when I was working in the restaurant. Fortunately Josh was here and sorted me out. I’ve been feeding him ever since.’
Kat smiled. ‘Sounds like a good deal.’
‘I’ve saved you our best table, of course.’ Mark gestured to a waiter who was hovering with menus. ‘They don’t need those.’ He tucked the menus under his arm. ‘You’re going to have the scallops followed by the sea bream and then the chocolate crème brûlée.’
‘Mim.’ Kat’s mouth watered and Josh glanced at her, a question in his eyes.
‘Sound all right to you?’
‘Are you kidding? You’re talking to a girl who only had a glass of water for lunch.’
