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“No, never.”
“Really?”
“I’ve got news for you Carly: no matter how strange things get, most people don’t suspect their boss of being a vampire.” He laughs to himself but I fail to see the funny side. “Oh come on, don’t be so serious. I’m just playing with you. Show me that beautiful smile I love.”
I try desperately to remain stoney-faced but know I’m fighting a losing battle. Eventually, I have to crack a smile and Nick playfully pinches my cheek. He knows I can never stay mad at him for long.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Ravish
I open my eyes and for a moment, it’s like I’m seeing double. Slowly, I return to the current moment and focus on the car’s sleek black interior.
“Rise and shine, beautiful,” Nick smiles. “We’re here.”
“Where?”
“Tara’s.”
“Already?” Turning my head, I peer out the window at the dark street. We seem to be parked opposite a dead end.
Nick laughs softly. “Don’t worry, I haven’t bought you out to the middle of nowhere. Tara’s house is just behind us. You drifted off and you looked so cute sleeping, I didn’t want to wake you.”
Wordlessly, I reach into my bag and pull out my mirror to check that my make-up isn’t smudged. Goddammit, I look so washed out.I really need to start going to bed earlier.
Nick grins angelically. “Darling, stop that. You absolutely look gorgeous. There’s nothing to fix. Now come on, let’s get this over with so that I can get you home and ravish you.”
“Is there any chance we could skip the party and just go straight home?”
“Oh don’t be like that. Remember, you promised.” Still smiling, he reaches out and softly runs his fingers down my cheek. “Don’t worry, it won’t be all that bad. We’ll just say hi to everyone, have one drink and then go.”
My stomach tightens and I’m consumed by uncontrollable longing. “My God, I want you so much.”
“And you will have me. Once we’ve got this over with.”
Suddenly, I bolt forward, grab him around the neck and devour his lips with hot, hungry kisses. When he tries to loosen his grip, I continue to cling onto him, not wanting to let go. Finally, he manages to pull away. “You’re such a tease. I know exactly what you’re doing. You’re trying to get me so worked up I won’t want to go inside.”
“How did you guess?” I giggle.
“All I’ll say is this: when we get home, you’d better be ready for me, because right now I could eat you alive.”
I shoot him a smouldering look. “Oh, I think that can be arranged.” I lean over and give him a final, lingering kiss, then I unclip my seatbelt and step out onto the pavement. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Nick locks up the car and leads me across the street towards a pretty Victorian house with a contemporary exterior and large bay windows. Even before we reach the front door, I can hear the sound of muffled chatter and Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” playing at full blast.
I get a sudden rush of butterflies.Jesus,I hate meeting new people.
We ring the bell twice before a harassed-looking man answers. “You made it!” he grins, shaking Nick’s hand. “And you must be, Carly. Congratulations on your engagement. I’m Barry, Tara’s husband. Lovely to see you both! I hope you didn’t have any trouble finding the place this time?”
“No, no,” Nick laughs. “I remembered the way.”
Barry steps aside for us to enter. “Please, please come in. Rebecca and Liz have just arrived and everyone else is having drinks in the lounge.’
We wipe our shoes on the welcome mat and follow him through a dingy entry hall to a flight of stairs that lead to the first floor flats. Unlocking a scuffed blue door, he takes us into a large, brightly-coloured living room, where Tara is busy serving drinks to the other guests. She looks stunning in red lipstick and a black off-the-shoulder dress that compliments her figure perfectly. When she smiles her teeth are so white she looks like she’s wearing dental veneers.
“Oh Nick, you made it, how wonderful!” she trills.
She bounds over and embraces him warmly, and then gives me a little kiss on the cheek. “Wow, you look divine, Carly. That dress is so cute on you. Now…let me see this famous engagement ring.”
