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‘That’s not an answer. Do you want to come back? Ava’s staying over with my parents, she always does after bridge nights.’
‘For coffee?’
‘Yeah, for coffee.’ He leaned in close again. ‘My coffee’s not only fair trade, it’s also made completely without expectations.’
The choice of whether this evening would finish in his bed or whether they’d remain old acquaintances, catching up on lost time, was clearly hers. And perhaps they were old enough friends to be able to do that and not face the consequences.
‘Okay, then. Let’s find out what expectation-free coffee tastes like.’
He chuckled quietly, circling back towards the open door of the car. ‘Yeah. Let’s find out.’
CHAPTER NINE
THEY SAT ON the patio, separated by two glasses of champagne and a large bowl of strawberries. Thea pulled the stalk from one, and dropped it into her glass, and Lucas winced.
‘You always did know how to ruin a good glass of champagne.’
She laughed. ‘I like way it makes the bubbles smell. And the contents of your fridge have definitely improved over the years.’
‘More spare cash. And having a teenager in the house. When Ava’s friends come over, it’s like being invaded by locusts.’
‘And they have strawberries and champagne?’ Thea was teasing, but she wanted to know who else Lucas might have had in mind when he’d bought the bottle tha
t he’d drawn out from under the kitchen counter and put to chill.
He chuckled and provided the answer she was looking for. ‘The champagne’s left over from the party we threw when my dad retired, two years ago.’
‘He retired? He always seemed so involved with his law practice.’
‘It was his baby. He founded it and built it up, and he loved the law. But when Sam died and Mum got sick, he changed. When sixty came round, he said that he wanted to concentrate on the family.’
‘I can understand that. The decision worked for him?’
‘Yeah. It worked for him.’
They sat for a while in companionable silence. Thea slipped off her shoes, brushing her toes across the rough paving stones, shivering as the cool kiss of the evening air touched her arms.
‘Cold? I’ll fetch you a sweater.’
It was now or never, and suddenly never again seemed too hard to contemplate. Her gaze found his, and they were locked together, each understanding what the other wanted.
‘Or you could come here. I’ll keep you warm.’ His lips curved into a smile, and when Thea rounded the table to stand between his outstretched legs, he reached for her, pulling her down onto his lap.
‘That’s better.’ She curled up in his arms.
‘Much.’ He reached for her champagne. ‘Drink?’
‘Yes.’ Thea grinned and tapped her mouth with one finger. ‘Right there.’
‘Your wish…’ He left the sentence unfinished but there was no doubt that whatever she wanted was his command right now. He held the glass to her lips, and she took a sip.
‘Thank you. Strawberry?’
‘Thought you’d never ask.’
She leaned forward, finding the best in the bowl and hulling it carefully, letting him watch and wait. He took a bite and she caught the juice that dribbled down his chin with her finger. She brushed the remainder of the fruit against his lips, snatching it away when he opened his mouth, and popping it into her own.
‘Oh! So that’s the way it goes, eh?’ He caught her wrist, pulling her hand back to his mouth and sucking the last remains of the juice from her fingers. ‘You taste sweet.’
