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“Did you now?”
“Not at all. But the last time you got a really bad fright, you ended up in my lap. I’m aiming for a reenactment,” he said, referring to a recent ski holiday they’d all taken together. He’d been telling a horror story when Rafe had gone outside and banged on the window, scaring them all.
Leah couldn’t help but laugh. “How about I guarantee to end up in your lap anyway, and we watch something else.”
“There’s a deal I can’t resist.”
Well, wasn’t this just so lovely? Just easy and light and fun. And natural. She’d never really flirted before. She was pleased to think she wasn’t too bad at it. Scrolling through the list, she asked, “Do you like old movies?”
“Sure.”
“Okay. What about Audrey Hepburn?”
“Sure,” he said again.
“Charade?”
“Sounds good.” He topped up their wine glasses then turned off the kitchen light, blew the candles out and moved into the lounge area. Leah was a bit unsure what to do as he turned the television on. She really wanted to sit close to him, but wasn’t sure if that would be too forward. He solved her dilemma by sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to him, pulling her against him and keeping his arm around her when she sat down.
Had she ever sat on a couch and just snuggled before? She tried to remember. No. Even in the early days of their marriage, Scott had never been into her in that way. As the opening credits rolled on screen, Leah settled back against Callum, stretched out as he was with his feet up on the coffee table, wine glass in his other hand.
About halfway through, Callum paused the movie. “Intermission. Popcorn and more wine?”
“Yeah, nice.” She watched him moving around the kitchen, putting the bag of popcorn in the microwave, pouring the wine. What she really wanted was for him to kiss her again. Wanted for him to touch her. Wanted to feel his hands on her bare skin. She slipped her shoes off and curled her legs under her, taking the wine he handed her with a smile when he came back. Sitting down, Callum lodged the bowl of popcorn between them, which meant Leah couldn’t snuggle in. Maybe she didn’t like popcorn after all.
As the movie restarted, Callum lay his arm across the back of the sofa, resting his fingers lightly on her shoulder. As they ate popcorn, drank wine and watched the movie, Leah felt Callum brush his fingers through her hair, then lightly down the side of her neck. She shivered as the sensation had goose bumps rising on her skin. Feeling his gaze on her, she turned her head to look at him and the breath stilled in her lungs.
He moved the bowl of popcorn aside and leaned in, cupping the back of her head in his hand, brushing a sweet, soft kiss over her lips. She opened them for him, reveling in the feel of his tongue against hers. She sighed as he deepened the kiss, shifting closer, feeling his arm close around her, pulling her closer still. Sensation swirled through her, heating her blood. She pushed her fingers into his hair, pressing herself against him, chest to chest as he turned on the sofa to face her more fully. He moved his hand down to her shoulder, pushing her cardigan aside, breaking away to press hot kisses along her jawline, down her neck to her shoulder. She slipped the cardigan all the way off, more desperate than ever to feel his touch against her bare skin, thrilling at the feel of him running his fingers along her back, down to her waist, resting his hand on her hip. Claiming her lips with his again, his kiss was hot and intoxicating and not enough. Just not enough. She kissed him back, allowing her need to dominate, twining her tongue with his, stifling a moan at how amazing it all felt. Then he was pushing her back without breaking the kiss. She was lying down, her head on the arm rest, the weight of him pressing her into the sofa cushions. It was glorious. She wanted it to go on forever. Wanting to feel his skin, she slid her hands down his back, to the hem of his shirt. Under, where she could press her palms to his warm skin, above the waist band of his jeans.
His kiss set her on fire as she felt his hand, moving over her torso, brushing over her breast. She felt her dress as an annoying barrier but didn’t know how to shift to get it off. Then his hand skimmed over her waist, gliding down to her knee, under her dress then up. She thought he was going to touch her there, between her legs, where she could feel the sweet ache of wanting him.
This was it, she thought. They were going to have sex. Here. On his couch. Tonight. She tensed at the idea as he pressed scorching kisses down her neck. Oh god, what if he didn’t like it? Thought she wasn’t good at it? She wasn’t good at it, she already knew that. It would be over, then. The sweet flirting, the lovely kissing, the connection. All would be gone. There was simply no way she was sexy enough for a man like Callum Sinclair. She was crazy to have let it go this far. Now they were both set up for crushing disappointment. Him, because she was going to let him down. Her, because all of this would be over.
She felt him pull his hand away, raising his head to look at her. “You know what we need?”
“What?”
“Chocolate mousse.”
“Oh,” she said in confusion as he lifted off her, pulling her to her feet with him. And just like that, it was over. He was walking into the kitchen, opening the fridge, taking out two bowls of chocolate mousse. She stared at him in bewilderment. He handed her a bowl and spoon, pressed a quick kiss to her lips and went back to sit on the couch. She followed him, curling her legs under her, keeping a bit more distance between them when she sat down.
She wasn’t really sure how to act now. Did he just not want to have sex with her? Was that it? Was she just too skinny and pale? Her breasts too small? She wasn’t even going to get the chance to let him down. She thought she might cry.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.” There was no way she could actually tell him.
“Bullshit. This is the best chocolate mousse I’ve ever made and you’re not eating it. Something’s up. Spit it out, Kaplan.”
There was something about the way he said it, so reminiscent of Mikayla, that eased some of the tension Leah was feeling. “It’s just…I thought…”
“You thought what?”
She took a spoonful of mousse to give herself some time. It really was very good. “I thought we were going to, you know…” she cleared her throat. If she couldn’t even say it, she could hardly do it, could she? “I thought we were going to have sex.” She couldn’t look at him.
“Not tonight.”
“Why not?”
