Love at the Little Wedding Shop by the Sea - Jane Linfoot Page 0,101
panicked the only voice I find is my squeaky hedgehog impression. ‘With so many people around?’ Knowing Phoebe’s feelings on PDA she’d be appalled.
Nic’s laugh is low and husky. ‘Don’t worry, our audience will be way smaller than the one we kissed in front of at the Valentine’s fireworks display. Anyway, aren’t wedding fairs all about the romance?’ His grin spreads wider. ‘We’re hardly likely to get thrown out when you’re the one in charge here.’
With each of Nic’s statements, Phoebe’s face is pinching tighter. My mistake is, I’m so busy watching the size of her final grimace that I take my eyes of Nic. So by the time I realise what’s happening, he’s already spun to face me, taken away my plate and balanced it on the little wall behind me.
As his arm slides around my back and his mouth dips towards me, I’m opening mine to protest but before the words come out his lips are melting into mine. And that’s the funny thing – it’s not jerky and awkward like it’s only our second ever time. It’s as smooth and natural and delicious as if we did it a hundred times a day. As my hips slide against his, the fit is perfect enough to leave me in no doubt how much he’s enjoying this and to confirm that the size of what he’s waved in front of me quite a few times already is totally genuine.
As every bit of breath leaves my body, I sag against him; the only thing that saves my collapsing knees is his arms tightening around me. And who knows how, but my hand’s already behind his head pulling him in further, my fingers entwined in his hair. Then there’s the heat of his body and his whole dark velvet cocoa taste making me bury myself deeper. And the thump of my heart, the rush in my ears as loud as the tide crashing up the beach on a stormy day, and warm rainbow shivers flowing all the way from my scalp to my toes.
When we finally break apart, I’m blinking away the X-rated images, and pressing my hand to my mouth to hide the fact that any all-day gloss I had left from this morning is probably smeared all over my face now. Then, as I catch Nic’s eye to warn him that the bad-boy behaviour has to stop here, I spot a smear of toffee-coloured gloss on his upper lip. I know I intended to stay away from him for the rest of time, but the only thing for it is to dive across with my hanky to wipe it off. And then I lean in for one last brush of his lips, simply because I can’t resist it.
As I leap away again, I grin at Phoebe. It’s not like I can hide what just happened, so the next best thing is to come out and own it. ‘As you can see, they’re quite good kissers in Cornwall.’
She snorts. ‘Well, I’ve just spent three months tied to a newborn; there’s no need to ask what you’ve been up to when you should have been holding the business together. And I know your geography’s abysmal, but even you should know this is Devon.’
Nic jumps in. ‘Milla’s been working her butt off for your company. And over the past three months I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect navigator.’
Thinking of the day I ended up driving into a field, we both know that’s not true.
Phoebe sniffs. ‘You really must be blinded by love if you think that, Nicolas.’
Nic holds up a finger. ‘If you insist on being formal, it’s Nicolson.’ His lips are twisting as he holds back his smile. ‘I also answer to Captain Kirk.
I flash him another look, this time to properly say shut the eff up. ‘And moving this on, how great that you’ve brought Ben too.’ As he’s doing his best to hide behind Phoebe and the pram, it’s especially pleasurable to give him a name check and watch him squirm. I’m also wondering how I ever actually looked at that blond stubble mixed with a touch of shaving rash every day for all those years without realising dark beards are so much sexier.
Phoebe’s purring like a cat who got a strawberry sponge cake as well as the cream. ‘This is a family outing; we have them all the time.’ She stretches out the fingers on her left hand and lets her huge engagement diamond catch the