know, if Ginny is your mother, aren’t you eligible for dual citizenship? ”
“I am, but right now she refuses to recognize me as her daughter, and I need her to petition me. She won’t even take my calls. I don’t want anything from her, except the right to be recognized as half American.”
“I would have thought she’d do it. She’s a tough old broad, but I’ve always got on with her really well.”
“Maybe you can have a word with her? God knows she refuses to talk to me.”
“I will. If you want me to. Hopefully, she’ll make it for the party, and I can pick her up from the airport and talk to her then.”
“Really? That would be amazing! ”
“I don’t mind at all.”
Annabel beams with delight at Adam, and then, without planning it, without even truly thinking about it, she leans across the table, and kisses him.
Lightly at first, a thank-you peck on the lips, pulling away to see Adam, his eyes closed, his lips parted slightly, then going back in to kiss him again, this time longer, sweeter, and the next, sweeter still.
“Oh God,” Adam groans, as they finally disengage. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“I know,” Annabel says. “Should I go? ”
“God, no! ” he says, and pulls her over to sit on his lap.
She could stay. She shouldn’t stay, but she could. And she wants to. But Kit is expecting her home, and how could she explain it? And isn’t this bad enough?
They move from the kitchen table to the living-room sofa, grappling around like lust-filled teenagers, clothes being torn off and thrown across the room.
“I’m not going to sleep with you,” Annabel says, as Adam licks his way down her body.
“I don’t think you should.” Adam stops to grin up at her. “Who said anything about sleeping? ”
“For an old man,” she says as she lies in his arms, still on the sofa, one leg draped over his, “you’ve got a pretty impressive amount of energy.”
“Old man? ” Adam laughs, exhausted, sated, happy. “Who are you calling an old man? ”
“You’re almost fifteen years older than me!” Annabel says, and Adam shivers with horror.
“That’s awful. Can you just stop already? ” he says, no longer smiling.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I think you’re gorgeous.”
“You do? ”
“I do.”
And Adam’s ego swells, for while he has made many conquests since splitting up with Kit, none has been quite so young, nor quite so beautiful, as Annabel.
Nor have any of them been quite so forbidden, but that is something he is trying hard not to think about. She’ll be gone soon, and this can never be anything more than a fling. They just have to keep it a secret for another three weeks.
And after the party no one will question the fact that they spent time together—people will assume they were spending hours planning the surprise.
It’s the perfect excuse.
Annabel leans over and fishes her BlackBerry out of her bag, quickly checking for messages.
“Am I boring you? ” Adam laughs, conscious of his own addiction, but his BlackBerry is safely upstairs, charging on his bedside table, and he cannot be bothered to go upstairs and check it.
“No.” Annabel kisses him gently. “Never. I was just seeing if Dad had called me back. I’ve left masses of messages and I’m starting to get worried. I really need to talk to him.”
“Is everything okay? ”
“Well, yes, everything’s fine, but I wanted him to send me some money. I didn’t expect everything to cost as much as it does, and I’m almost all out, so he’s going to have to wire me something pretty quickly or I’ll be completely stuck.”
“You mustn’t worry about that.” Adam smiles indulgently. “I can help you.”
“Really? ” She sits up. “Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, and that’s not why I said anything. I was going to ask Kit . . .” She stops, uneasy at bringing up Kit’s name so soon after she slept with her ex-husband.
“I can afford it, and I don’t want you to worry. How much do you need? ”
“I . . . look, I honestly don’t know when I can pay you back. I need to find some work and I feel awful about—”
“Don’t feel awful! ” Adam interrupts her. “I can afford it, and it would be my pleasure. Think of this as a gift. If you can pay me back at some point, that’s fine, and if not, that’s also fine. What do you