Her shyness slipped away, as if she were acting a part in a play. She suddenly realized she could actually do this, behave as if she were someone else, someone so much more confident and worldly than she really was.
“I want to see the look on your face when you taste it,” she teased, pushing her dark thoughts away. “I dare say it’s aged to perfection, so it should be delicious.”
He shut his eyes as he placed it in his mouth and she waited, watching for his smile. It only took a few seconds before he was grinning at her, and in that moment she knew then that being involved with a high-ranking German wasn’t the worst move for a woman. If they were to stay? If he was right about the German army not leaving? She would have better rations and be kept safe from other soldiers who might otherwise lurk around two women living on their own. Many of her neighbors might hate her when they returned for accepting the enemy, but if Wolfgang was right and their government was going to announce defeat? What option would any single woman have other than to accept the presence of German troops? Than to take up with a German soldier?
“Adelaide?” Wolfgang asked.
She raised her chin, a piece of cheese touching her lips as she took a small bite, coyly looking up at him. He reached out and stroked her cheek, his calloused fingers brushing roughly against her skin, before one of his fingers crooked and he gently swept a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“May I kiss you?”
She swallowed, glancing at his lips and then nervously back to his eyes again. There was a hunger there that scared her, knowing what he wanted from her, even though he hadn’t been anything other than a gentleman to her so far. She wasn’t exactly experienced with men, no matter how much she’d tried to convince her sister and the others at the house that she was.
He seemed to take her silence as an invitation, because his hand cupped the back of her head then, tilting her face up ever so slightly as his lips slowly moved to hers. It was a warm, quiet kiss, just a simple, fleeting press of his lips over hers, before he pulled away.
She heard a series of pops, and Wolfgang’s hand covered hers protectively. He looked over his shoulder and she wondered if he had soldiers stationed right behind them, or whether he was looking to see if anyone was approaching. The meadow they were sitting in was pretty, with flowers dotted through the grass, although where he’d chosen for them was safely tucked away from sight by a cluster of trees.
“Was that fighting nearby?” she asked.
“Not close enough to worry about,” he said, but the moment he spoke there was a deep drone from the sky, and soon an enormous German Luftwaffe aircraft passed overhead, and Addy’s heart started to race with fear.
“How about we finish this food and then we pack up and get you home?” he suggested. “I don’t want your sister worrying for your safety, and perhaps it wasn’t the best day for a picnic. There are still small groups of insurgents we’re finding, hence the gunfire.”
Adelaide had suddenly lost her appetite, although she made herself graciously take the boiled egg he passed her, forcing little mouthfuls down. She’d learnt never to waste food, not now.
“Can I call on you again?” Wolfgang asked, touching her fingers.
Adelaide didn’t hide from his gaze this time, knowing she needed to draw on every ounce of confidence she had. “I would like that very much.”
He might have been capable of terrible things, but as she sat beside him, in that moment, she couldn’t help but wonder how many dreadful things Allied soldiers were capable of too, and if Wolfgang was really so different to the man her brother might have become if he were still alive.
Adelaide walked inside and shut the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment, eyes shut, remembering the kiss.He kissedme. And she’d liked it. More than liked it; her skin had tingled and she’d wanted to lean straight back in to feel those warm, full lips of his against hers.
“I take it the date went well?”
Her eyes flew open. Elise was sitting, a book in her lap, feet up on the little footstool that had been her father’s favorite.
“It was fine,” she stammered, righting herself and going straight past Elise and into the kitchen. But her sister followed her, and she knew there was no way she was going to avoid talking about Wolfgang. It was silly—for some reason she wanted to keep her time with him secret, to have something that was just for her. But he’d told her things that needed to be shared.
“Your cheeks are very flushed,” Elise said. “He didn’t do anything to—”
“He didn’t do anything,” Addy interrupted, embarrassed and wishing her face wasn’t so easy to read. “But I am seeing him again this week.”
“So soon?” Elise echoed. “You’ve already made plans with him again?”
“Well, it seemed like a better idea than waiting for him to turn up unannounced, given the circumstances.”
They stared at one another until someone whistled from upstairs, and Elise called back. Clearly they’d organized a signal while she was gone.
“All clear, come down!” Elise called.
Addy poured herself a glass of water for something to do, slowly drinking it and trying to clear her head. Being rude to her sister for no reason wasn’t acceptable, she knew that, but she just wanted time to relive what it had felt like to be kissed by a man. She’d had bumpy-teethed kisses with boys her own age when she’d been younger, but having a man like Wolfgang take charge andactually kiss her, knowing exactly what he was doing, had been something else entirely.
“How did it go?” Harry asked. “Anything worth sharing?”
Addy set her water down and turned, finding Harry standing staring at her, running his fingers through his hair. But Cate was absent, and so was Jack, who’d barely left the attic bedroom since he’d arrived.
“I think we should go upstairs, so I can tell everyone,” she said, not looking at Elise.
