Page 88 of From Notting Hill with Love…Actually
“I guess I’d better head back to my room,” I said, although I didn’t really want to. That was the thing about Sean, he was such good company I never wanted our time together to end, wherever we were. “We’ve got an early flight in the morning, remember?” I knelt forward to reach for my shoes which I’d kicked off earlier when we’d flopped down on to the carpet together.
“Did you know your foot is as big as your arm from yourelbow to your wrist?” Sean said, grabbing hold of my right foot. “Let’s measure yours.”
“Hey, stop it,” I said, praying he wouldn’t start tickling me.
“Why, you’re not ticklish, are you, Red?”
“No,” I said, managing to flip myself back over. In an attempt to deflect him I decided to counteract his Julia Roberts foot quote fromPrettyWoman—although I was pretty sure Sean wouldn’t realize it was used in the film—with my own fromNottingHill. I pretended to inspect Sean’s sock-covered foot.
“Hmm, that’s an awfully big foot you’ve got there, Mr. Bond. You do know what they say about men with big feet.”
Sean raised his eyebrows at me.
“Big feet, big shoes,” I teased as I wriggled my foot away from him.
Sean laughed and moved nearer to me. “Please don’t go just yet, Scarlett. This weekend has been so much fun—well, most of it has—it seems a shame for it to end now.”
I smiled as I thought about everything that had happened since we had arrived in France together.
“What are you grinning at?” Sean asked.
“I was just remembering you in that Goofy suit—nowthatwas class.”
Sean rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. The things you make me do, Scarlett—no one else would have got me to do that.”
“You didn’t have much choice, if I remember rightly. It was that or walk back across the park soaking wet.”
“No, I mean you seem to uncover things about me that even I don’t know exist.”
Sean was lying close to me on the carpet, propped up on one elbow with his head resting in the palm of his hand. He pulled himself up, so his face was level with mine.
“I’m sure that’s not always a good thing,” I said jokily, while at the same time trying to persuade my stomach that it was supposed to be resting not performing today, as it began one of the complicated routines it did when Sean was this close. I attempted to stand up and move away from the dangerous feelings beginning to engulf me once more. But Sean caught hold of my hand and pulled me back down. We were even closer now.
“Itisa good thing, Scarlett,” he said, toying with a strand of my hair that had come loose from my ponytail. “Believe me—it is.”
Our faces were just millimeters apart now—but this time I didn’t try to get away. As Sean’s lips gently brushed mine with the lightest of kisses, I closed my eyes, allowing all the feelings I’d wanted to experience earlier but hadn’t allowed myself to surge through my body. Then there was a tiny pause as I felt Sean pull away. I was about to open my eyes to see what was wrong, but then I felt his lips on mine once more. This time, though, all his initial politeness had gone; his kisses were now more passionate, more urgent.
I felt his fingers firmly caress the nape of my neck as he tried to pull me closer. And I let him—I wanted this to happen—I’d wanted it since…
WhenhadI started to feel this way about Sean? A couple of weeks ago I’d thought the only reason I half liked him was because he happened to resemble a couple of my favorite movie stars, and now here we were virtually rolling about in a hotel room together. No, forget the virtual; we nowwereactuallyrolling about, as Sean moved onto his back and pulled me down on top of him.
Our lips parted for a moment.
“Scarlett,” Sean said breathlessly as he pushed my hair, which was fast becoming extremely tousled, back off my face. “I’ve been wanting this to happen for so long.”
“Have you?” I asked in a matter-of-fact way that was not in keeping with the passion of the moment at all.
Sean didn’t appear to notice. “Of course, even before we came to Paris, before the wedding, before David, before…”
I froze when he said David’s name.
What was I doing lying here on top of Sean? Hadn’t I just said earlier that I’d been stupid to take a chance on someone else when I’d already got a man who loved me waiting at home? And now look what I was doing. This had to stop—immediately.
I jumped up, hurriedly backing away from him across the room. “I’m sorry, that shouldn’t have happened. I…I shouldn’t have let it happen.”
Desperately I tried to smooth my wayward hair back into its band. At least I could control that if nothing else.
Sean propped himself up on his elbows. “But why…” he said, looking completely bewildered. “I thought you felt the same way about me as I feel about you. Isn’t that what the whole Eiffel Tower thing was about? I don’t understand—what’s wrong?”
