One Night On The Virgin's Terms - Melanie Milburne Page 0,19

was calling to cancel? What if she had changed her mind because he hadn’t committed to her request? What if she’d decided to go with the stranger plan instead? Maybe someone else had already volunteered to take her virginity. Maybe she’d done it last night with a stranger she’d found online or even one of those male escort services.

He was ambushed by the host of unfamiliar emotions assailing him—disappointment right at the top of the list. He hadn’t realised how much he was looking forward to being with her tonight until the possibility of it being cancelled became possible. She’d cancelled lunch a couple of months ago, and even now he didn’t like admitting how disappointed he had been.

He snatched up his phone and answered it. ‘Ivy.’ He was pleased with how cool and collected he sounded when his heart was thumping as though he’d just consumed three energy drinks.

‘Hiya, Louis, I just wanted to know what type of clothes to wear. You didn’t say where we were going tonight. Do I need to dress in anything fancy?’

He hadn’t said because he hadn’t decided until that morning. But he’d managed to secure box-seat tickets to a popular musical he knew she’d always wanted to see. He wanted their ‘date’ to be special and memorable. There was a risk of drawing press attention by being in such a public place. While he’d thought of taking her to his house in Chelsea or his place in the Cotswolds to afford them more privacy, he knew it wouldn’t be wise to spend time completely alone with her. Tempting, yes, but definitely not wise. ‘I’ve booked tickets to a West End musical. We can have supper afterwards.’

‘Oh, what fun! I haven’t been to the West End in ages. Shall I meet you there or...?’

‘Ivy, when I date a woman I pick her up and I take her home. I’ll see you at seven.’

Ivy was putting the last touches to her make-up when the doorbell sounded, announcing Louis’ arrival. She pressed her lips together to set her lip-gloss, quickly snatched up her evening bag and went out of her bedroom to greet him. When she saw him standing there in a dark charcoal suit, with a crisp white shirt and blue-and-grey-striped tie, her breath caught and her heart did a funny little skip. He was the epitome of a handsome, successful male in his prime.

‘Hiya. Do you want to come in for a minute? No one else is home.’

‘Sure.’ He stepped over the threshold and she closed the door.

Suddenly her flat seemed too small to accommodate his six-foot-four frame. She could smell the citrus and woodsy notes of his aftershave and his eyes looked darker than normal—more pupil than iris. His gaze swept over her black cocktail dress and high heels and then back to her face.

‘You look stunning.’ His voice had a rusty edge that did strange swoopy things to her stomach.

Ivy smoothed her hands down her hips. ‘I bought it this afternoon. I thought I’d better treat myself since this is my first proper date in months.’

‘How many months?’

She could feel her cheeks warming and leaned down to pick up her bag from where she’d put it when she’d answered the door. ‘Ten.’ She cast him a sideways glance. ‘I’ve been out with girlfriends and stuff but not alone with a guy for close to a year.’ She twisted her mouth in a rueful grimace. ‘Kind of weird for an almost-thirty-year-old, huh?’

He came over to her and took one of her hands in his, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand, his eyes locking on hers. ‘It’s a little unusual but definitely not weird.’ He gave her hand a light squeeze and released it, slipping his hand in his suit pocket as if determined not to touch her.

Ivy was aware of the grey-blue intensity of his gaze, aware of the tightening of the air, aware of the faint tingling of her skin where his thumb had stroked. ‘So, how was your day?’ Nothing like a bit of inane conversation to recalibrate the atmosphere.

Louis glanced at her mouth and her stomach swooped and dived again. ‘Boring until now.’

She moistened her lips, her pulse fluttering. ‘Are you flirting with me?’

He stepped closer, his hands taking both of hers, his thumbs doing the spine-loosening, stroking motion again. ‘Isn’t that what a man does when he takes a woman out on a date?’

Ivy’s stomach fluttered and she couldn’t stop staring at his mouth. ‘If I