Page 75 of The Wisteria Tree Cottage

‘Here you go, if you turn to your left you’ll be facing your first kiss,’ Imogen said.

Meadow turned tentatively to the left, her eyes scanning the impenetrable darkness but she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face.

‘Don’t start kissing until you hear the bell ring.’

Meadow heard her move away and she thought she heard the sound of a curtain being pulled across a rail but she wasn’t sure why.

She wondered what the first man would be like to kiss and when she would get to kiss Bear. Would he recognise her? Would their kiss bring back memories for him? Would she recognise him? It had been several years since they had kissed.

Suddenly the bell rang and Meadow immediately moved forward.

She reached out tentatively and made contact with what felt like the man’s chest, she moved carefully forward, reaching out for his face and found his lips. She leaned up and kissed him. He let out a little moan of need against her lips and cupped her face and really started kissing her back.

Suddenly she knew without a doubt that she was kissing Bear. His kiss was so familiar, his scent surrounding her, it was him.

Had he recognised her? Did he know who he was kissing? This kiss was everything. Her heart soared. There was so much passion, need and desire in this kiss, like it could very easily lead to something much more if they weren’t in a room with fifty-eight other people. He moved his arms around her, pulling her close which was completely against the rules but she didn’t care. She slid her arms around his neck, pressing herself tight against him.

The bell rang to say their twenty seconds were up and Bear let out a moan of protest against her lips. She wasn’t done either, far from it. She clung onto him, continuing the kiss, and he shuffled her against the rear wall and into the furthest corner, removing them both from the kissing fest.

Her dress was low at the back and when he slid his hands up and stroked her skin she nearly exploded from a sheer desperation to be with him. She let out a groan that sounded like a roar, thankfully stifled by his lips. He cradled the back of her head in the sweetest way, tilting her head back, and he took advantage of that by pressing his mouth to her throat.

She was panting. There was no other way to describe the heavy breathing, the increased heart rate like she’d run a hundred miles. Her legs felt like jelly and the only thing holding her up was Bear’s weight pinning her to the wall. She heard the bell ring again to indicate the next kiss was over. They were getting through them way too quickly. He moved his mouth to her shoulder, running his hand down her arm as she stroked the hair at the back of his neck. This kiss was the most magnificent kiss of her entire life.

It was so much easier, kissing in the dark, hiding their identities, no talking or explanations, just kissing. What would he do if she stopped him now and told him who she was? Would he carry on kissing her regardless? Would he be appalled? He must know, there was no way he would kiss a stranger like this, he would be too respectful for that. This kiss was the kind you shared with someone you knew.

He returned his mouth to hers, pressing himself impossibly tighter against her. She hooked a leg around his hip. His greedy hands were devouring her, wanting her.

She had to put a stop to this because if she didn’t he’d soon be making love to her against the wall and she didn’t think she would have the willpower to stop him.

She pushed him back ever so slightly and he responded instantly, his breath heavy against her lips as he pulled away.

‘Sorry,’ his voice was croaky and no more than a whisper.

She leaned up to kiss him again, only this time she took it really slow and gentle and he understood, kissing her back with equal tenderness, his hands now were caressing, stroking, loving her.

She lost track of how many bells she heard, but she could have stood there kissing him all night and never have tired of it.

Suddenly a different kind of alarm went off.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, your kissing time is over. Ladies, if you can step away from your men and find the wall behind you and start following it out to your left. My assistants will be there to help you if you are having trouble. Men, if you could stay where you are for a moment until all the women are out and then we’ll help you out too.’

Bear pulled away slightly, both of them were breathing heavily. He kissed her on the forehead and then stepped back to let her go.

She took a moment or two to catch her breath, to make sure she could stand without her legs giving way beneath her, and then she moved towards the entrance along the wall. She paused as she heard other people shuffling around her to make sure she pressed the button on her wristband so she would match with him. After a kiss like that how could she not? It might be awkward if he had no idea he’d been kissing his best friend like his life depended on it but it was time things came to a head. Maybe it was time, once and for all, to find out whether he had feelings for her too. And if he didn’t maybe she could finally move on with her life. She pressed the button a few more times for good measure. She followed the wall back out into the waiting area, blinking at the bright lights as her eyes became accustomed to them.

Imogen was waiting at the front of the room and gave Meadow a knowing smirk. Christ, Meadow hoped she hadn’t seen too much of their kiss. Things had got a bit too heated for them to have an audience.

Meadow watched as Bear finally came out and he looked around the room, his eyes finding hers. He immediately walked over to her.

‘I have just had the best kiss of my entire life,’ Bear said.

She smiled. ‘Really?’

‘Oh god, it was insanely good,’ his eyes locked with hers and in that instant she knew he knew who he’d been kissing. ‘If she hadn’t slowed things down I would have made love to her right there and then in the corridor, the kiss was that good.’

She gasped at hearing him say that and tears filled her eyes, a huge smile spreading across her face.

He stepped closer and wiped the tears gently from her cheeks. ‘It’s OK,’ he whispered. ‘I think we both knew we would end up here eventually. It just took us a little time.’

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