as opposed to just a few days. She couldn’t help smiling.
‘What?’ he said, smiling too.
‘This. It’s nice. You’re doing a good job so far at the romance stuff.’
He kissed her sweetly on the forehead, his tenderness was so endearing.
‘Well, Daisy has gone to the big mall in the next town with Anna for some last-minute Christmas shopping, so we could stay here all day if you want.’
‘That sounds lovely, but I’m meeting Maggie for lunch.’
‘Damn it. Well, Daisy’s staying over at Anna’s tonight, so… if you want you could… stay over with me.’
A million excuses and reasons ran through her mind. She wasn’t ready, she wouldn’t be very good, she’d disappoint him, her bikini line was probably a bit of a state.
He must have seen all of that running across her face. ‘I promise, we don’t have to do anything, we can just do this. I like this. I like the idea of falling asleep with you in my arms again. I get the impression there hasn’t been anyone for you since Chris?’
She flushed with embarrassment. ‘No, for one reason or another, there hasn’t been anyone for eight years. He was my first boyfriend too.’
She thought he might laugh at this. She was nearly thirty and had only ever been with one man, whereas Henry had probably been with lots of women, whether they were serious or not. But he didn’t laugh at all.
‘So we’re going to take this really slow, we won’t do anything until you’re ready. We can date and get to know each other and I promise I won’t try to take it any further. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to want lots of kisses though.’
She smiled with love for him. This wasn’t real, men weren’t patient when it came to sex, well, Chris never had been. Someone like Henry could have any woman he wanted, if the reactions of Jade, Beth and Clara had been anything to go by. So why would he waste his time waiting for her when he could have a quick shag with any single woman in the town, especially as when he arrived in White Cliff Bay he wasn’t even looking for a serious relationship.
‘I want this to work,’ he said softly, obviously having a knack for reading her mind.
She reached up and kissed him softly, hoping the mint had done a good enough job. He pulled her tighter against him, deepening the kiss.
He pulled back slightly, his eyes alight with mischief. ‘Or you know, if you didn’t want to wait, we could get down to the hot, passionate sex now.’
He quickly rolled on top of her, pinning her with his weight and tickled her.
‘NO!’ she squealed, trying to escape from his merciless hands.
‘Come on, give me all the sex.’
She laughed. ‘No, you’re not having it, never.’
She wriggled from his grasp, quickly climbed out of bed and ran laughing from the room but he was hot on her heels. He caught her by the waist and pinned her up against the wall, kissing her again as he tried to suppress his laughter. As he kissed her, his tongue sliding slowly into her mouth, his hands skimming her sides, her body humming at his touch, she wondered why she was holding back. Would it be so wrong to go back to bed with him now and discover how deep this spark between them actually ran? She barely knew him, but everything about this man, his kiss, his touch, just screamed that he was perfect for her in every single way. She was falling for him, she knew that. She just had to hope he felt the same.
He pulled back slightly and frowned. ‘What time are you meeting Maggie?’
‘Maggie?’
He smiled. ‘Your friend?’
‘Oh, erm, twelve.’
‘Pity, it’s half eleven now.’
Her eyes widened as the fog cleared. ‘What? How is it so late?’
‘Well, if you were anything like me, I spent most of the night lying awake thinking about our date.’
She smiled. ‘I did too.’
He pulled back, reluctantly. ‘Go and get ready and I’ll see you tonight. You’ll stay with me, right?’
She nodded and he walked down the stairs, leaving her alone. Her face was aching from smiling so much. Renting out the annexe was the best decision she had ever made.
* * *
Penny burst into the bakery and looked around. She was ten minutes late but it seemed she had still managed to beat Maggie. She walked up to the counter and joined the short queue. It seemed busier than usual for a Tuesday and