Page 55 of You Had Me At Pumpkin Patch
He raised his eyebrows at her. ‘I’ll do my best.’
It was hard enough being in a confined space with him. There was no way she could cope if he started removing outer garments and swishing his hair like that guy fromPoldark.
Ping, ping, ping. Ping, ping, ping.
Luckily, they were saved by the bell.
‘What on earth?’ Rosie rushed to her laptop and clicked the mousepad. ‘Oh...wow. I think there’s a bidding war.’
The Cotswolds was an affluent place. It seemed some people would remortgage their summer house to be seen at this sort of exclusive event. She tried to ignore the niggling worry that her mother and sister could be two of them. If they showed up, her cover might be seriously blown.
Zain’s arrival at her side swiftly distracted her. They leaned over the screen.
‘How much?’ Zain asked, blinking a few times and looking more closely. ‘People are bidding wild amounts for these tickets. Are you putting on a secret Take That concert? Or is the Duchess of Gloucester handing out canapés?’
‘Nope. Just you in your borrowed Queen of Cat Snacks apron. I guess you must be hot right now.’
‘You do know I’m not wearing this on the night?’ He gave her a nudge.
Their eyes stayed glued to the screen as the figures rose, the notifications chiming like an overenthusiastic fruit machine.
‘That must be all your extra promotional stuff this week. Well done,’ said Zain.
Since Agnes had agreed to get internet at the house, Rosie had been popping over to update social media and build excitement about the launch event and auction. Their following was rising, and local bloggers and media were taking an interest.
If it wasn’t for not wanting the Featherstones to track her down, Rosie would have considered contacting her sister, who with her huge Instagram tribe, could make anything go viral. But Rosie’s nerves had enough to deal with. And for once, she wanted to succeed at something her way, instead of feeling like the slightly rubbish relation.
‘Thank you,’ said Rosie. ‘Technology certainly has some uses. Although we’re definitely not getting Kimberkoo Chat to write our promo material. That wouldn’t fit in with our ethic of bringing people back to nature. And I’m sick of that thing nicking my job.’ She giggled and nudged him back, feeling almost dizzy at watching the numbers take off. Could they actually do this?
‘Hmm, yes. No chatbots,’ Zain replied, absently.
Though she guessed he didn’t know much about those, being a self-confessed hermit.
‘I think our luck is finally changing,’ said Rosie, straightening herself and taking a moment to breathe it in.
Zain stood too, and as he turned to face her, she noticed that in the excitement, he’d forgotten about the blob of chocolate on the end of his nose. She reached up and wiped it with her finger, trying her best to keep a straight face.
‘I was saving that.’ His hand encircled itself gently around her wrist and he drew her finger towards him, his mouth slowly opening.
She could have pulled away and made light of it. She could have smeared the chocolate onto his cheek or wiped it on his cat apron or even eaten it herself. Though as he moved her finger towards his lips, it was as though time stood still. Or perhaps that time couldn’t move quickly enough. So when he made to put her finger into his mouth, she let him.
He didn’t break eye contact as his tongue teased the chocolate from her fingertip. It shouldn’t have felt quite so sensual. It was just Zain, licking a bit of stray chocolate from her skin, for goodness’ sake. Yet the warmth and softness of his mouth mixed with that strange sense of longing deep in his eyes must have fired up a million nerve endings. She was probably glowing so brightly that she could be seen from outer space.
When his lips finally released her, it took all her willpower not to leap into his arms and kiss him. There were so many reasons not to, but the more time they spent together, the more those details seemed to melt away, like the chocolate in her bain-marie.
‘We make a great team, don’t we?’ she heard herself breathe.
He was nodding slowly, almost as if his head was moving against his will. And then his lips were travelling towards hers, and she was leaning into him, their mouths meeting in a way that caused fireworks. Rosie’s whole body felt like a launch party celebration, filled with sparks and joy and the hope of all things magical. She had no idea where this moment would lead to, whether her heart was about to be broken or fixed or taken on the ride of its life. But right then, she just wanted to sink into him. To be devoured by her own lust for him, and the emotions that were growing inside her. From the way he was cupping her face in his hands and whispering sweet, sensual words between his kisses, she sensed he was feeling them too.
35
Rosie spotted Zain sitting in one of his pumpkin patches, silhouetted against the indigo night sky, a solar lamp at his side. He looked peaceful under the stars, resting on the rugged earth between his vines. It was the field where he grew his Prizewinner pumpkins. The huge ones, like he’d been hulking on that first day she’d seen him. He’d since admitted that he’d always held back from fighting for life’s prizes. She hoped she was helping him to change that.
She took in the sight of him, leaning back on one hand, a bottle of beer in the other, facing away from her. She’d been taking an evening stroll as she often did, when the weather was gentle, and she had things on her mind. Though she’d guessed he might be somewhere out here.
Zain’s dark hair was tied scruffily, and Rosie had a craving to go over and set it free, run her hands through it, use it to pull his face towards hers...
Their kiss in Agnes’s back kitchen earlier had signalled a new shift in their relationship, although neither of them had suggested taking things further on their boss’s laminate worktops. And as mind-altering as the kiss had been, there had been something unspoken between them that they needed to retreat and think about their next actions, rather than getting swept up in the moment and going on to regret it.
