climbed back into the van with a very sleepy Nell and headed back to Norwich.
‘Are you all right?’ I asked Finn, who had been quiet on the drive home.
‘Yes,’ he said, throwing me a smile. ‘I’m fine.’
I really hated that word, because it always meant anything other than fine, but I didn’t push him further. Like me, he was most likely sad that our two days together had come to an end. At least, I hoped that was what had caused the dip in his mood.
Back in the square, he followed me into the house. By the time we’d unpacked the picnic basket, he was sporting the oddest expression and I realised there was something on his mind other than going back to work.
‘What?’ I said, as he closed the gap between us and my back was pressed against the wall. ‘Whatever is it?’
‘I know I shouldn’t be saying this,’ he swallowed, as he pulled off the woolly hat I was still wearing and released my curls.
‘Saying what?’ I breathed, drinking the scent of him deep into my lungs.
He was a heady cocktail of fresh sea air and aftershave. It sent my heart rate soaring and I could imagine my pupils dilating in response. His were wide and dark and I had no doubt that mine matched them. Surely whatever was on his mind couldn’t be bad, if he was looking at me like that?
‘We’ve only known each other for a few days,’ he said huskily.
‘It’s nearer six weeks actually,’ I whispered, thinking of the first time our paths had crossed. ‘I’ve been here since Hallowe’en and, in spite of all the ups and downs and misunderstandings, we’ve been in each other’s lives since then.’
‘That’s true,’ he said, leaning in so our bodies came together as he placed his hands on the wall either side of my head.
I gasped at the contact, feeling my body respond. We were the perfect fit.
‘And as it’s been that long,’ he sighed, resting his forehead against mine, ‘then it can’t be too soon to say I love you, Freya, can it?’
I felt my world shift on its axis.
‘No,’ I whispered, ‘it’s not too soon, because I—’
He didn’t give me the chance to say it back because he was kissing my lips and his hands were in my hair.
‘Don’t say it,’ he whispered urgently, ‘I don’t want you to say it just because I have.’
I was going to tell him that I was saying it because I meant it, not because he had gone first, but his hand slid under my shirt and his fingers began caressing my bare skin, making the words die in my throat.
‘Oh Finn,’ I gasped, as the seductive movement intensified.
After that I was speechless and remained so for the rest of the night.
Chapter 27
The middle and end of the week was in every conceivable way as perfect as the beginning. In fact, it was all so wonderful that if Richard Curtis happened to be looking to set a future romcom in the east of England – be it festive themed or otherwise – then I was in no doubt that Finn and I could have provided plenty of inspiration for the leading roles.
After that first exquisite night together, we knew we were going to struggle to keep our hands off each other and so settled on an agreement whereby we stayed apart during the day and kept after work and after dark strictly for each other. I still hadn’t told him I loved him, but given the passion and heat between us, I was pretty certain that he knew that his feelings were in every way reciprocated.
I hadn’t told any of my friends about the seismic shift in mine and Finn’s relationship, not even Chloe. Although, given my constantly happy demeanour and wide smile, along with the evidence of my former beard burn, I’m sure she must have had her suspicions.
‘Freya,’ Luke beamed, when he came into the garden after lunch on Thursday afternoon, ‘how on earth have you managed to do all this in just a day and a half?’
He was accompanied by Jacob and a few children from the school where he worked and who formed part of the new Bird and Wildlife Club they’d recently started. They had come to position some of the hedgehog homes Finn was so adept at making, as well as set up a few bird feeding stations. It was too late to get any hogs hibernating in the homes, but I had