She must have felt him because he saw her swallow, her cheeks flush. And when she spoke, her voice had turned husky. ‘You promised me a kiss.’
Instead of wasting any more precious moments talking, he angled his head and captured her mouth with his.
Instantly a zing of pleasure shot through him. Softer even than he’d imagined, her lips felt perfect against his and for a few moments he contented himself with simply exploring them, nibbling, licking, teasing. Soon the desire for more, for deeper, tore at him and he nudged her mouth with his tongue, letting out a groan when her lips parted. Had kissing ever felt this good? Over the years he’d done less and less of it, preferring to get to the main event, but now he realised what he’d been missing out on.
Or maybe it was Mia who made his body hum, his nerve endings fizzle, just from the feel of her lips, the dart of her tongue. The heat of her.
It was almost too good, because his hips started to shift restlessly, pushing up against her, needing more contact. More of her. Breath heaving, he had to drag his mouth away before he started something she might regret.
She looks as blindsided as you. That was his first thought as he took in her flushed cheeks, her bright eyes. The choppy puffs of breath.
‘So?’ he asked, smiling. ‘Worth doing again some time?’
She nodded, but as she eased off his lap and back onto the sofa, her quiet sigh made his stomach dip. She might be blindsided, but he had an awful feeling she was also conflicted.
‘I get the sense you’d have preferred it to have been rubbish.’
Her eyes met his and she gave him a dry smile. ‘It would have been easier.’
She had a point. Friends was cleaner, simpler, less messy than a relationship. Yet, even though his attraction to Mia was inconvenient, he didn’t care. What he was starting to feel for her was worth the risk, worth the mess. Then again, that’s because what he was gaining, for however long it lasted, was Mia, in all her gorgeous, natural, unconsciously sexy glory.
What was she gaining? A guy she didn’t trust, who owned a bar that was probably going bust. No wonder she was backing away.
Chapter Twenty
Days after her lock-in with Luke, and Mia couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. Whenever she closed her eyes, whenever her brain had nothing to focus on, it came slamming back to her.
Dynamite was exactly the right word for the way he kissed. It had been explosive.
‘Are you listening to me, or are you ogling that guy opposite again?’
Elle’s voice shattered Mia’s daydream. The one where Luke hadn’t pulled away. And she hadn’t dashed back to her flat feeling both turned on and terrified. ‘Sorry. I’m listening. The phone signal must have dipped.’
‘I’ll pretend to buy that dodgy excuse,’ Elle countered dryly. ‘I said we’re thinking of coming up to see you next weekend. Does that work?’
‘Does next weekend mean this weekend, or the following one? I never know.’
‘Next weekend always means next weekend. If I’d meant this weekend, I’d have flipping said this weekend, wouldn’t I?’ Elle let out a long sigh. ‘And I thought it was my post-pregnancy brain that was scrambled.’
‘Okay, okay, next weekend. Great.’
‘And if I’d meant this weekend?’
‘I might have a thing on Saturday.’ Mia screwed up her face, waiting for the onslaught of questions. Being evasive with Elle never worked, but she couldn’t help it. Since the kiss, planning to see Luke no longer sounded innocent.
‘A thing? You mean a date?’
‘No.’ It certainly wasn’t that, because they wouldn’t be alone. It was just that what he’d invited her to seemed more coupley – was that a word? – than a non-date.
Elle huffed. ‘God, come on Mia. I’ve got a saggy middle, leaking breasts, bags under my eyes from getting up seventy thousand times a night – only a slight exaggeration. All I do all day is feed, burp and wipe up poo. Throw me a bone. I need to live through you now.’
‘The feeding, burping and poo – is that you or the kids?’
‘Ha bloody ha. Gossip, Mia. That’s what I need.’ Her voice lowered. ‘Please tell me you’re shagging the man with the muscles.’
Mia groaned. ‘Of course I’m not. Friends don’t shag.’ They don’t kiss like they did the other day, either. ‘Luke invited his brother and a few friends out for lunch on Saturday.’
There was a pause down the line before Elle’s voice came back. ‘You’re going to lunch with Luke’s brother. And Luke’s friends.’
Mia swallowed, knowing very well what her sister was thinking. ‘Yes.’
‘So you’re doing the girlfriend thing, meeting his family and friends.’
‘No, absolutely not.’ But God, that was exactly what she’d thought when Luke had asked her after their kiss on Saturday night. Just before she’d fled to her flat. ‘He’s introducing me to some more locals. I thought you and Mum would be happy with that.’
‘Oh we are.’ Mia knew from her voice that Elle was grinning. ‘We’ll be even happier when you reciprocate and introduce Luke to your family next weekend.’
Mia raised her eyes to the ceiling. How had she walked into that one so easily? ‘Come on Elle, I’m only meeting his brother.’
‘As your sister, I’m only asking for the same courtesy. Plus Mum and Dad, obviously, or they’ll whine something rotten.’
It was easier to agree, or at least to pretend to agree. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’ Which had to be nothing, because introducing him to her parents wasn’t just dipping into girlfriend/boyfriend status. It was diving straight into it.
Saturday came around way too fast. All of a sudden, Mia was scrabbling in her wardrobe trying to find something to wear.
And God, this woman yanking clothes out and throwing them onto her bed Was Not Her. Since when did she care what people thought of her? If people didn’t like what they saw, it didn’t matter because they weren’t her sort of people. Yet here she was, dithering about putting on a dress, yep, a flaming dress. She couldn’t blame it on the venue either. Not after she’d messaged him last night:
Dress Code?
He’d messaged back:
You do code
* * *
I do cocktails
Okay, it had been witty, but it hadn’t helped. Neither had his second message, added a few seconds later:
Casual
* * *
Do I get to see
* * *
your legs?
Her usual self would have ignored his comment, but this giddy one had shaved her legs in the shower. And was now looking at her two summer dresses.
It was hot, she reasoned. A dress would be more comfortable than jeans or leggings. Taking a quick photo of them both, she sent it to Gill and Heather in their group chat.
Going to meet Luke’s brother and his friends. Which one? M x
Immediately Heather pinged back a message: