me cry again. I’m already splotchy and pink and...’
‘Beautiful.’ Reaching out, he took a strand of her hair gently and lifted it so she could see it. ‘And this is beautiful. Don’t dye it, don’t tie it up, don’t hide it. Wear it loose and think of all your good memories of Imo.’
For a long moment she stared at him. Then she reached up and released her hair. And as he watched it cascade around her face, and catch the light so it glinted and sparkled with auburn tints, he drew in a breath.
Her glance at him held both shyness and doubt and he wanted to show her how beautiful she was.
The yearning to kiss her was so fierce he closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw desire spark in the gold flecks of her eyes and he couldn’t help himself. He leant across the table and covered her lips with his, burying his fingers in the glorious silken locks. Euphoria soared—a dizzying liberation of all the emotions they’d shared. She gave a small gasp and pulled him closer to her, deepening the kiss. Desire pulsed inside him as he kept the kiss deep, languorous, slow, whilst anticipation built and tugged and demanded more.
He let his hands sweep the straps from her shoulders, revelled in the feel of her silken skin. He groaned as her fingers tugged at the buttons of his shirt with greedy need.
A last vestige of reason forced him to pull away with a ragged groan. ‘I...’
Sarah’s eyes were wide, shell-shocked, and she shook her head. She put her finger on his lips. ‘No words. I want this. I want you.’
‘Are you sure?’ His voice rasped, edged with iron control and rough with desire.
‘I’m sure.’
He exhaled a sigh of relief. ‘Then come on.’
And quickly, hand in hand, they half-walked, half-ran to his bedroom.
* * *
Sarah opened her eyes, unsure what had awoken her from the depths of sleep. Memories surged through her brain and body. Passion and joy, laughter and desperation, sweetness and satisfaction such as she had never imagined to be possible. She lay still, encapsulated in the moment, and felt the warmth of Ben’s body next to hers...
And then she registered what had woken her up. It had been her phone—the beep of a text arriving.
Next to her Ben sat up, swung his legs out of bed and rose, walked towards the bathroom. For a second she was distracted by the absurd male beauty of his body. Then she reached for her phone, relieved that she had thought to retrieve it from the dining room at some point in the night.
She saw that the message was from Gemma’s mum.
Hi Sarah. Slight change of plan. The sleepover went really well and the girls would like to spend the day together if that’s OK? If so, Jodie would like to swing by to pick up some stuff. We are out and about so could be with you at about nine-thirty. Hope that’s OK. Let me know if not. Bella x
Nine-thirty. That gave her all of thirty-five minutes.
Ben re-entered the bedroom and saw her expression. ‘What’s wrong? Is Jodie all right?’
‘Yes. But she’ll be here at nine-thirty.’ Sarah pushed the duvet off her in a panic. ‘She can’t suspect—she can’t know what’s happened.’
Her thoughts swirled and tumbled and she forced herself to inhale a deep breath. There would be time for thinking later; now she needed to act.
‘Agreed.’ Ben’s voice was grim, his face shadowed as he tugged on his jeans, and Sarah knew he regretted the previous night. Pain jabbed at her chest.
Not now. There would be time for taking stock later.
She fired off a quick reply text and then scrambled out of bed and into a fever of activity.
A glance at her reflection made her groan. Her hair was dishevelled and she had swollen, thoroughly kissed lips. After the fastest of showers, she emerged to find Ben had started operation clear-up.
For the next half an hour they worked together in silence—though she was oh, so aware of the grim set of his lips.
By the time the doorbell pealed the house was set to rights. The dining table had been cleared, the dishwasher loaded, and all evidence of Sarah’s presence removed from Ben’s bedroom. Sarah had even rumpled her bed a little to look as though she had slept in it.
At the front door, Sarah forced herself into mum mode. ‘Hi, darling.’
‘Hey, Mum. I’ve had a fabulous time. Can I bring Gemma in to show her my room? Her mum is waiting in the car, so I said I’d be quick. I just need my hoodie and my wellies ’cos we’re going to a farm.’ She looked round. ‘Where’s Ben? I want to show him the slime we made. Also, if the farm is good, I thought we could go there with Ben.’