Page 112 of Christmas at Sturcombe Bay
“I was a bit scared when you let him off the lead down on the beach. Weren’t you worried he might run away?”
He shook his head. “The beach is quite safe for him to run around, and he’s not brave enough to run away yet. The trick is to start straight away, while he’s still feeling insecure. We’re safety to him — and food! Show him that coming when he’s called is more exciting than anything else — your tone of voice, a big fuss and a bag full of treats.”
“Ah, of course. You’re used to having dogs.” She rose to her feet and began to clear the table.
“Here, let me,” he insisted, taking the plates from her. “I’ll put them straight in the dishwasher.”
“Oh . . . right.”
The table cleared, he smiled at her. “Fancy a movie?”
She hesitated, but temptation got the better of common sense. “What do you have?”
There were half a dozen DVDs on the shelf under the television. They settled on theDambusters.
“You must have seen it before,” Shelley objected when he suggested it.
“I have — about a dozen times — but I’ll enjoy seeing it again. Those old black-and-white war movies are great.” He took the DVD from the shelf and slotted it into the player. “You didn’t bring the wine out with the fish and chips.”
“No . . .”
“Fancy a glass now?”
“Okay.”
As they settled on the sofa with their wine, Tyler tried to climb up with them.
“No!” Alex was laughing. “Get down. You’re much too big to be a lapdog.”
The big dog whined, looking sad. “Ah, you’ve hurt his feelings,” Shelley protested.
“And you’d spoil him rotten.”
He managed to persuade the giant pup to climb down. He circled around for a moment, then with a huff laid down — on their feet.
Alex laughed. “Ah well, that’ll do.” He picked up the remote and flicked it to start the film.
* * *
It felt good to be sitting here like this, his dog sleeping at his feet, Shelley close at his side. She was leaning against his shoulder, the subtle fragrance of her hair drifting on his breath.
Very carefully he eased his arm out from between them and laid it along the back of the sofa. He thought he heard her make a soft sound as she nestled closer, though maybe she was just laughing at the indignant chicken farmer writing his letter of complaint about the low-flying planes over his poultry sheds.
But when he let his arm slip down around her shoulders, the soft sound was definitely one of contentment. He wanted to tell her that he was in love with her, but he had a feeling that she wouldn’t trust that word.
Very slowly he let one finger trail into a blonde curl that feathered over her ear. She didn’t pull away, so he twirled his finger into the curl again.
Tilting her head back against his shoulder, she looked up at him, those pretty blue eyes uncertain. But when he smiled, she smiled back, that little dimple appearing in her cheek. And he knew that no words were needed — they both knew.
He slid his hand round to cradle her head as he dusted kisses over her trembling eyelids and across her temple, then down to the delicate shell of her ear, finding the tiny sensitive spot behind her lobe that made her sigh with pleasure.
* * *
Shelley felt Alex’s breath warm against her cheek. And then at last his mouth met hers, light as a butterfly’s wing. His sinuous tongue lapped along her lips, then stole between to swirl into the deep, secret corners within.
The kiss deepened — slow, quiet and achingly tender. A warmth was spreading through her, melting her bones like liquid honey, and she put up her hands to tangle her fingers in his hair, kissing him back.
It could have been moments, it could have been a thousand years before he lifted his head.“Do you think Tyler would mindif we went into the bedroom?” he murmured softly, close to her ear.
