‘Where do you want to eat it?’ He followed the direction of her pointing spoon, and smiled. ‘Good idea.’
He opened the doors of the conservatory, picking up a rug from one of the chairs and spreading it on the lawn, at the place where the lights from the house met the dark shadows at the end of the garden. Kate almost danced after him, holding the two dishes.
‘So, you’re not one of those doctors who gives a girl a hard time over dessert.’ She plonked herself down on the rug, tucking her bare legs underneath her. The front of her dress gaped a little, giving him a view of one more delicious inch of flesh above her knee.
‘Actually, I might be. Tonight I’ll make an exception.’
She laughed, leaning towards him. ‘Three-point-four.’
‘Three-point-four, what?’
‘My cholesterol level. Three-point-four.’
‘Not bad.’ Ethan chuckled at her outraged look. ‘All right, then, it’s pretty good. That’s not all there is to it, though. But there’s nothing wrong with something sweet from time to time, as long as you don’t overdo it.’
She giggled, and Ethan’s heart began to thump in his chest. Surely he could believe his own judgement. A little of Kate’s sweetness...?
* * *
Ethan had ignored all her protests and insisted on driving her home. Kate hurried up her front path, aware that Ethan was watching her from his car, and waved to him before closing the front door. This evening had been lovely and she hadn’t wanted it to end.
But all good things did come to an end. Maybe that was what made them good, leaving while you still wanted more and before the inevitable disappointment of real life set in. She automatically walked to the back door, hardly looking at it before she turned away to make her way upstairs, still lost in the dream that centred around Ethan.
The doorbell rang with pause between the ‘ding’ and the ‘dong’ as if someone had kept their finger on the bell for a little too long. Kate walked back downstairs, taking her phone from her bag as she went and stood in the hallway, staring at the front door.
‘It’s Ethan.’
His voice sounded muffled by the wooden barrier between them.
‘Oh! What...what do you want?’ She knew exactly what he wanted. Or rather she hoped she knew.
Kate opened the door and found him leaning against the entrance to the porch.
‘I’d really like to come in.’ His eyes were dark, his blond hair highlighted by the light from the hallway.
‘I’d really like you to come in.’
For a moment they both hesitated and then Ethan stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind him. One of his hands drifted to her waist, his fingers brushing the fabric of her dress, and Kate felt her heart thump in her chest.
‘Ethan, I... You know I get frightened at night sometimes. That’s not why I want you here and—’
He put his finger across her lips. ‘And I get lonely. That’s not why I want to be here with you.’
‘Why do you want to be here?’
He pulled her close in a sudden, powerful movement that left no room for doubt. Ethan wanted her and she wanted him back.
Kate pushed him back against the door in her eagerness to kiss him. Felt his chest move in a low sigh which sounded like the sudden release of everything that had kept them apart.
They were both trembling, with arousal and...something else that wasn’t quite fear and wasn’t quite shyness. It was the hesitancy of having been wounded. But Ethan’s hands, his lips, gave her courage. Everything around them began to blur, leaving only him in sharp focus.
She broke away from him, backing towards the stairs, her finger crooked in an invitation to follow. ‘Come upstairs...’
He moved fast, but not fast enough. Kate eluded his outstretched hand and ran up the stairs. He caught her at the top, backing her towards the bathroom.
‘Wrong way.’
He grinned as Kate pulled him towards the bedroom door.