“A little,” she conceded.
The prosecco led to smooching and the smooching led to making out and before Vanessa could recollect her senses, she was deeply embroiled in love and desire, the alcoholic bubbles having temporarily erased last night’s trauma from her mind.
She lay on the sofa, her leg over Ben’s, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing the exposed area of his chest. His hands wandered up her top and into her bra. Their tongues pushed and probed inside each other’s mouths. There was some reason why she wasn’t meant to be doing this…some reason…but it felt so good.
And there was something she should have told him, but that proposal had derailed her intentions and made her want the evening unspoilt by the dirty shadow of Dafydd. She wanted things to be perfect and lovely, for Ben’s sake as much as hers.
But she was pretending. She knew she was only pretending.
She tried to sit up, determined to stop this before it went too far and tell Ben about what Dafydd had done.
The kiss broke and Ben’s hand moved to her scarf.
“No,” she cried, grabbing hold of his wrist, but he had undone it.
“What’s up, Ness?” he slurred, drawing the silk from her neck, uncovering her skin. “Oh.”
She felt him tense, felt him jerk back. She couldn’t look at him.
His finger prodded her love bite.
“What’s this? I didn’t do that. I wouldn’t do that. What is it?”
“He attacked me.”
“What? Who did? What are you saying?”
Ben was pale, his eyes appalled.
Vanessa reached out for him.
“I have to tell you…”
There was a bang at the door.
“Who the fuck’s that?” shouted Ben, sounding so unlike himself that Vanessa sobbed.
“Ben, listen to me ?”
“You’d better answer it. It’s probably whoever did that to you.”
“I don’t want to answer it. Whoever it is didn’t buzz—it’s probably just a neighbour. Ben, let me explain.”
“How do you explain a thing like that? What was it? Vampire attack?”
He was on his feet now, stumbling about the room as if he’d drunk way more than the two glasses of prosecco.
The bang at the door came again.
“Please, sit down,” Vanessa urged. “It was Dafydd. He attacked me.”
“What the fuck? Why wouldn’t you tell me that? You’d have told me. Why would you not tell me? I don’t understand.”
The door was hammered at a third time.
“Oh, fuck off!” he bellowed.
“I bet that’s him,” said Vanessa. “I was supposed to meet him and I didn’t.”