filling the night air around us as we head back to his cottage.
“You’re adorable when you’re drunk,” he says.
“I’m tipsy. And I want to be sexy.”
“Well, you’re definitely that.”
“In this dress?” I ask. “Do you like it?”
Xander stops walking. He spins me around, presses me up against a brick building, and pins his hips against mine.
“You tell me if I like it,” he says, dropping his mouth on mine.
I feel his hardness against me, yep, he likes the dress. His mouth seeks mine, and I taste mint on his tongue as he storms my mouth, kissing me thoroughly and deeply here against a building.
Oh. My.
I press my hips into his, wanting to feel more of him. I clash with him in this kiss, taking from him passionately. Then, against my will, he rips his mouth away from mine, leaving me breathless.
He sucks in a breath and then levels his gaze to mine. “This dress is hot. As are you.”
I smile triumphantly. “I adore you, Xander Wales. I could scream it from the rooftops!”
Xander kisses me again. I moan against his mouth, and he pulls away. “Let’s go home.”
“I really could scream it, you know,” I say. “I like you so much. Adore isn’t the right word for how I feel.”
Xander remains silent.
“This isn’t the gin talking. I have feelings for you, so muht. Much,” I correct. “My tongue feels thick. The words aren’t coming out right, but I feel you. No. Feel for you.”
He chuckles. “I feel for you, too, Sunshine.”
“Everything I’m saying I want you to know,” I insist. Yes. This is important. He must know how I feel.
“Right,” he says simply, and I see the beginning of a grin on his sexy mouth.
“Your mouth is beautiful. I think about it all the time.”
Xander guides me down the path. “Do you?”
“Yes, but not just what it does when it kisses me. Although, I would like you to kiss me lots of places tonight.”
He simply smiles.
“But the words you say,” I continue, as I must tell him everything. “You make me feel special. Your words make my heart feel loved.”
His smile fades. “What?”
“You know they do. Your heart loves mine. And mine loves yours. That’s why I’m going wedding dress shopping—they all said I needed to.”
Xander pauses and stops me by sliding his arms around my back, holding me to him.
“Explain this to me, if you can, Poppy. What is this about a wedding dress?”
I put my hands on his face. “You have such delicious scruff; I love how it burns against my skin when you kiss me hard.”
He nods. “Right. But back to the wedding dress. Why do you need a wedding dress?”
I’m so confused. “What? Why do I need a wedding dress?”
“Poppy, sweetheart, you just mentioned that you need a wedding dress.”
“Oh, no, you goose,” I say, bursting into a fit of laughter. He’s so perplexed; I have to reach up and tweak his nose, he’s so silly. “Not for me, good God, no! But Liz and Victoria said I’ll need a dress to wear to the wedding as your date. It’s all part of the game for me to go shopping with Bella and help her look beautiful so the press can eat their words and sod up. Off. Sod off. Yes, that’s what I meant to say.”
Xander quirks a brow. “So, you’re going dress shopping with her?”
I shake my head, but that makes Xander’s face swim. Egad! I stop moving and focus on his glorious face. Better. “I’ll try them on and put them back. I can’t afford those dresses. But I don’t want the press to know I bought mine off the rack, so I think I’ll stay home from the wedding. I don’t want you to be embarrassed by the chip shop girl. Oh, and I told them you might not invite me anyway. I don’t want to make your mother hate me more than she already will and she will hate it if I’m there, you know. They warned me. They told me she would invite me to tea and hate me, and I have to be strong if I want you.”
Xander looks sad. Oh, no, I don’t want him to be sad!
I put both my hands on his face and swivel it hard to face me. His neck makes a loud cracking sound, and he winces the second it makes that hideous noise.
“Oh my God, did I snap your neck?” I cry out in alarm. “Does it hurt? Is it stuck? Oh,