“But what about Paris?”
She pulled a regretful face. “Maybe one day I’ll get there.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” he said, before he saw her face uplifted to his, her lips partly open.
“Kiss me,” she said.
It would have been rude to refuse, he thought, as he pressed his lips to hers. From the first touch, he knew that this would be nothing like he imagined. It was like ice touching fire. The movement of her lips against his, her tongue teasing his, inhaling her breath, broke down the final barriers around his hardened heart.
Eventually he pulled away and they pressed their foreheads to each other’s, breathing heavily.
“And there was me thinking you didn’t fancy me sexually.”
He lifted his head in surprise. “What?”
“I thought that perhaps you hadn’t made an advance to me… you know, a sexual advance, because you were a gentleman and weren’t like that.”
He grinned, and did what he’d been wanting to do ever since he’d met her, he pushed his fingers through her glorious hair. “Iama gentleman but I like sex as much as the next man. No, I want to be honest with you. I like it possibly more than the next man. And I’ve thought of nothing else since I saw you in the street that first day when I was running.”
“Hm,” she moaned lightly, and the sound did things to his body which there was no way he was going to act on. She rolled on to her tiptoes ready to kiss him again. But he took her hands and stepped away with a shake of the head. He needed to sort his business affairs out first.
“I’ve got things to sort out, Amber, before we can take this any further.” The doubt which flooded Amber’s face nearly undid his resolve. “Amber, believe me. I really like you. I really do. But—”
His words were robbed by her mouth on his and a kiss which made him forget his name. Then she heard a rap on the door which was followed by a few more, before they eventually parted.
Amber shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened and gave a shy smile. “I’d better get that.”
Amber opened the door and the lady from next door stood there with a big grin, holding a large, angry-looking ginger cat. “Look who I’ve found!”
“I told you he wouldn’t be far away.”
David stood in the shadows, hoping that the neighbor would disappear. Amber too, he noted, hadn’t opened the door very wide, but it seemed the neighbor had no intention of leaving. Instead she stepped confidently into the house, nodded at David, and sat down in a chair by the window which she obviously regarded as her personal space.
Before Amber could close the door, the neighbor on the other side greeted her heartily and, without waiting for an invitation, entered the room and greeted the woman seated with the cat. Neither seemed surprised to see the other. David couldn’t help wondering if it was a set up.
The man and the woman began talking between themselves. Amber shrugged and smiled at David. David shook his head, bemused. No one ever entered his central city apartment without an invitation. In fact, he rarely gave invitations. He was a private person and, if he wanted to socialize, he much preferred to do it away from his own home. The fact that people could treat Amber’s home with such familiarity baffled him.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” Amber asked the couple. The man had now taken a seat in the opposite chair and they were talking about the museum. It seemed the man worked at the museum as a volunteer. More community stuff. They both nodded eagerly and David followed Amber through the bright plastic streamers which marked the entrance to the minute kitchen.
Amber plucked some brightly colored mismatching mugs from a stand and held one up to him. “Like one?”
He shook his head. “I’ll get going. It looks like you’re busy.”
“It’s strange, they always seem to pop round exactly a quarter of an hour after someone who they don’t know comes to my house.”
David didn’t think it so strange. He suspected that Amber’s neighbors, like her family and friends, would do anything to make sure nothing untoward happened to her. Knowing Amber’s openness, there wouldn’t be many people unaware of what had happened to her.
She put the kettle on a hob—David did a double take before shaking his head in disbelief—and turned to face him. “I’ve enjoyed this afternoon. Shame it couldn’t have been longer.”
“I’ve enjoyed it too.” But David was grateful that the neighbors had stopped things from getting out of hand. It was too soon. He had things to remedy first. “Maybe… You’d like to come to dinner at my apartment next week?” He should be able to get things sorted by then.
She shook her head with a smile. “No thanks. I don’t go to men’s apartments.”
He closed his eyes briefly at his stupidity. Of course she wouldn’t. “Dinner then. At a restaurant. Not St Augustine’s. Somewhere more friendly.”
She laughed. “That would be lovely.”
“I’ll check my diary and get back to you.”
