AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I promised I’d take it slow tonight,” was the only warning I gave before I surged to my tiptoes and planted my lips on his. His hands caught my shoulders like it was their only purpose in the world and then his lips opened beneath mine. The perfect first-date kiss. It started sweet, open lips without tongue. And then his hand wrapped around my neck, thumb pressing my chin up, and it deepened.Oh, how it deepened. He sipped from my lips like it had been weeks not hours, backing me up to the island, half lifting me when the timer dinged again. I laughed, drawing back. He looked drunk.“Perhaps we should have gone to a restaurant,” I joked.
“Probably.” He released me long enough to place the flowers in a jug. I finished dishing up the pasta, adding the tomato sauce while he poured the wine, pausing over my glass and waiting for me to nod before topping it off.“This smells amazing,” he said when I placed the dish before him.
“Elsie taught me to cook. It helped keep her close when I moved away, even more so after she died.”
He nodded, twirling pasta on his fork.“I remember. She always used to make cherry chocolate cake on a Saturday and bring it down to the distillery. Best day of the week.”
“I’d forgotten about that! I’ll have to dig out her old recipe books, I’m sure it’s in there somewhere.”
He groaned around his mouthful, which I assumed was at the thought of my grandmother’s cake rather than the pasta.“Don’t let Jess know. Elsie made that cake for an Easter bake sale one time. It was so popular, Jess didn’t talk to anyone who bought it for a week.”
I shook my head, laughing around a mouthful.“How did I forget about their rivalry?”
He grinned, setting his fork down and reaching for his wine.“No idea, it was legendary. Every Christmas fair they tried to out-bake one another, the birth of baby Jesus all but forgotten in the face of the village bake contest. The corner store used to order in more chocolate just for them.”
My smile felt huge.“I’ve missed that. London can be so full-on sometimes, it makes you forget the little things.”
His eyes met mine then flitted away.“Do you like London?”
I shrugged.“Most of the time. I like that I can get a pint of chocolate brownie ice cream delivered to my door at three a.m. and hear twenty different languages in a single tube ride.” I swirled my pasta, feeling his attention.“I don’t like that I can’t see the stars from my window or hear the sea as I fall asleep. I don’t like how little I actually know the people I call friends.” The truth of it clogged my throat. I’d spoken only to Sydney and only a handful of times in the weeks I’d been here. Had anyone else even noticed my absence? I didn’t realise how alone I’d been until I came here.“And you? You never wanted to go somewhere else?”
He didn’t even think about it.“Never.”
“I envy that. If I could wish for anything, it would be contentment.” I knew I was revealing too much but I couldn’t seem to stop.“I always have this little voice in my head whispering I need to do more, achieve more, and if I can do that, then I’ll have succeeded.”
He chewed slowly and swallowed.“You don’t think you’re successful?”
“Some days yes, some no.” I had a split second to decide how honest I wanted to be. In the end, I figured it was better to lay it all out there.“Sometimes it feels like I’m constantly playing a part, an actress that never gets to hear the wordcut. So I keep trying to say the right thing and do the right thing, and the scene keeps on rolling.” He’d fallen so silent I cringed.“I’m not making any sense…”
“You are.” He’d grown still, jaw slightly ajar as though he were seeing me for the very first time.“I think everyone has that voice that says they aren’t enough. Some people just hear it louder than others.Youare a success, whatever the hell that even means.” His hand crossed the table to grasp mine.“Kier watched that dance show every single week with tears in his eyes. There wasn’t a single moment he wasn’t proud of you.” When he reached the end, his voice was thick. I recalled his nervousness as he approached me at the whisky tasting. His head between my thighs, grunting how he wanted me to teach him to dance.
I picked up my glass, swirling the contents.“You thought it was shallow,” I stated.
He sighed.“I didn’t. Ithoughtyou were using it as an excuse not to come home. Now I’m aware Kier didn’t even tell you he was sick, I know better.”
His words sunk in my stomach, turning the food bitter. I needed to tell him the truth, about Kier’s debt and the distillery. Then I thought of the single photograph on the shelf in his cottage. Him and Kier in the distillery, Kier’s arm around his shoulder. I couldn’t do that to him, couldn’t tarnish what they had. Not when business was finally on an upward curve. I’d looked over the numbers from last night, and they were promising. If I could get us out of this mess, he would never have to know.
When both of our plates were scraped clean, he rose tocollect them.
“I invited you, remember,” I said, pulling myself up to stand.
“Sit down, princess.” He topped off my drink, brushing a hand over the back of my neck as he passed.“You cooked, I’ll clean.”
Leaning back in my chair, I sipped my wine, enjoying the sight of him in the kitchen as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt past his elbows. The muscles in his forearms flexed and released as he rinsed the dishes and set them on the draining board. He was the hottest man I’d ever set eyes on, there was no contest. My stomach clenched, the promise I’d made that morning to take it slow filtering through my mind. Though, he’d also ground his erection into me against the kitchen island not an hour before, so that promise was pretty much moot. My legs shook as I stood.“I think I’m going to change into something more comfortable before dessert.”
He looked me over again, as though sad to see the skirt go.“More wine?”
“Please, just a little, though.” I’d already had two glasses. I raced up the stairs, pulling thepyjamas from my top drawer with two hands—the ones he requested and I washed especially. I brushed my hair and applied a small spray of perfume. Then, I was racing back down, excitement thrumming through me.
He had his back to me, head half in the fridge, putting away the leftovers. He must have heard my footsteps because he asked,“What did you plan for dessert?”
“Me,” I replied in a voice not my own. His entire body locked, like I’d pressed the pause button on the entire room, followed by double speed, because he spun so fast jars rattled in the fridge door. His eyes devoured me.Holy shit.“Is this what you wanted?”
He nodded, shaking himself from his stupor and clipped,“Come here.” I moved dutifully and when I got close enough, he ran his shaking index finger beneath the wide strap, barely grazing my skin until he reached the small cluster of freckles.“How are you even real? I spent the entire day convincing myself that last night was some kind of stress-related out-of-body experience.”
“Are you stressed?”
“Yes… No.” He came closer, the tips of his shoes skimming my bare toes.“I’ve never felt more at ease in my entire life while at the same time, I should probably get my blood pressure checked by a medical professional.”
