Mum’s been unwell recently and he’s been there for her. I suppose I should go and see her,’ he added, feeling guilty. At least now he no longer lived there, she wouldn’t be able to bang on at him about clearing up after himself. He sighed. He still wasn’t sure how the argument had escalated so quickly. She’d seemed furious with him, and he just didn’t get why. The medication, he supposed, looking back.
‘I could come with you if you like,’ Kim offered. ‘If you want some company, I mean.’
Josh glanced at her. ‘Maybe.’ He smiled. He wasn’t sure he was ready to take a girl home to meet his mother. He wasn’t even sure he and Kim were leading anywhere. ‘Like I say, she hasn’t been well. Things weren’t great between us when I left. I should probably meet up with her on my own, see how the land lies.’
‘Can you not just pop round?’ Kim asked, eyeing him curiously.
‘I could,’ Josh considered, and then decided against it. ‘It might be better to meet on neutral territory, though.’
‘Oh dear. It sounds as if things really are bad,’ Kim said sympathetically.
‘No.’ Josh shook his head. ‘Not really. I just don’t want to do anything to make the situation worse. She, er, gets a bit neurotic about mess in the house. Or she did. It was probably due to her illness, but…’
‘It caused a rift between you,’ Kim surmised.
‘And some,’ Josh sighed. ‘We’ll work it out.’ They might, if he acted like an adult and made an effort to get in touch.
‘You will. You love her.’ Kim gave his waist another squeeze.
‘She’s my mother.’ Josh smiled.
As they neared the middle of the bridge, Kim turned to look over the river. ‘Love’s a powerful thing,’ she said. ‘It can inspire us, drive us to create great works of art. It can also drive us to acts of despair when it’s the wrong kind. You know, obsessive love, or unrequited love.’
Josh arched an eyebrow, impressed. ‘Very poetic.’
Kim smiled. Holding her gaze, he saw the blush that came whenever she felt embarrassed. She was very pretty, particularly when she smiled. She seemed more relaxed, less… brittle. He wasn’t sure why that word sprang to mind; perhaps it was that she was someone who had to be handled carefully. He reprimanded himself. Of course she was. And he knew why.
‘It’s true, though,’ she went on, turning back to the water. ‘How many murders are committed by some spurned lover driven mad by despair? It happens, as I well know. I shudder to think how close I came to being a statistic.’
Anger tightened Josh’s chest. ‘He’s out of your life now,’ he said softly, reaching an arm around her shoulders and easing her closer. He would never get how some twisted individuals could do what that bastard had done to her.
Kim rested her head on his shoulder as they looked out across the water. The tide was high. The river was close to flooding, but it was beautiful, the lights from the buildings on the bank dancing on the water.
‘Romantic, isn’t it?’ she murmured.
‘Definitely.’
‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Anything,’ Josh assured her. He wasn’t sure, though, how truthfully he could answer if she wanted to know more about his former relationships.
She hesitated and then turned to face him. ‘Make love with me,’ she whispered, her mesmerising green eyes luminous in the light from the lantern above and filled with trepidation.
Josh’s heart missed a beat. He wasn’t sure whether it was with anticipation or panic. Both, he suspected. ‘Are you sure?’ he asked after a stunned second. He’d resigned himself to the fact that it wasn’t going to happen, at least not for a while. He wasn’t sure he even wanted it to – for her sake, given that his heart wasn’t fully invested. How could she not end up getting hurt? He liked her, but he didn’t love her. And he wasn’t that much of a saint that he would turn her down. But she wanted more than a casual relationship, he was sure. He needed to move on emotionally, he knew that, but could he deliver?
A whisper away from him, Kim scanned his eyes and then leant towards him, closing her mouth over his. And Josh was lost. Tentatively he kissed her back, gently at first, and then more boldly as her tongue found his, inviting him into her mouth. He wanted her, and she clearly felt the same way. Her kiss grew more urgent, her