Page 63 of The Lucky Escape

And I didn’t until right when he said it.

‘Us?’ I asked.

He nodded again.

‘It’s there, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘It’s not just …’

‘Yeah,’ I replied, looking at him. ‘I think it is. But I don’t want you to feel bad about it.’

‘I feel bad that Idon’tfeel bad.’

That caught me by surprise. ‘I don’t know what to say to that.’

‘Me neither.’

Annie, take a chance,my inner voice gently said.It’s okay to want this.

‘Hey,’ I said. ‘Shall we robe up and explore these gardens? I promise this isn’t an elaborate ruse to get you in the naked sauna. But it could be nice?’

‘That does sound nice,’ he agreed, downing his glass and moving to help me out of the tub. ‘After you,’ he said, and he followed me, catching my hand as I walked away.

He spun me around.

‘Annie,’ he said, and tipped my chin up towards him. His lips met mine and softly, so tenderly it was almost imperceptible, he opened his mouth and his tongue moved against my own. He drew me in greedily. I reached my arms up around him and tugged straight back.

‘Hmmm,’ he said, smiling. ‘God, you’re hot.’

We strolled around the gardens holding hands and, after that last kiss in particular, clasping my hand around his was as intimate as anything we could have done naked. That kiss was like a key to a door where we could touch more freely than ever, and so through the gardens Patrick’s arm slung over myshoulder, and on the walk home his hand was in my back pocket. We passed a supermarket and popped in for some chocolate. We broke apart for a moment, getting the delicious rush of his fingertips brushing against mine in the queue to pay, searching for me so we could touch again.

Back at the suite we took turns showering and getting ready for bed, and I was lying in my hotel gown and slippers when Patrick appeared in the doorway.

‘Hey,’ I said, and I knew what was going to happen.

He came to me in his towel, and the only small gesture that betrayed his otherwise poised demeanour was the way he swallowed, as if he was nervous but still determined. I sat upright as he joined me on the bed and solemnly, he reached for my hand and kissed my palm.

‘Annie,’ he said, almost moaning my name it was so soft.

I tipped my head and said, ‘Yes?’

With all the gentleness he had in him, he took a breath, and still holding my hand to his lips turned to fully face me and deeply, with gravel in his throat, he said, ‘I wondered if I could see those magnificent boobs again.’

30

If I thought he was nervous as he’d walked into my room, it took less than ten seconds to ascertain that in fact he was hard, and horny, and our bodies moved up against each other very, very well.

He looked me dead in the eye as I unlaced my robe, then he buried himself in my chest, kissing my breasts and taking it in turns to put each one of my nipples in his mouth. I ran my fingers through his hair and revelled in the conviction of his touch. He wasn’t being gentle with me. I don’t know what I’d expected but he wasn’t shy about desiring me, about wanting me – and about telling me what to do.

He moved his mouth down over my stomach, issuing kisses as he went.

‘Open your legs for me,’ he commanded, and everything after that was a bit of a blur.

Afterwards we lay in bed eating the chocolate Tim Tams we’d bought earlier, my head on his chest so he could tickle my back.

‘Did you think this was going to happen?’ I asked.

‘You and me? No. Yes. I don’t know.’

‘Same. I can’t figure it out.’

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