“I’m guessing you were counting on me living hours away so you could convince yourself nothing could happen between us?”
“I—”
“And that brings me to your third point. I don’t know if I want to start something with you or just have a little fun. Isn’t that the whole point of getting to know each other?” Again he doesn’t give me time to answer. “But in case it wasn’t obvious, I don’t want to limit us by agreeing to be friends and nothing more. There’s something between us, Sean. I know you feel it too.”
“I do.” I can’t lie to him, not when he’s being so fucking honest.
His smile is almost shy now. “Instead of listing all the things we can’t be and all the reasons we won’t work... why don’t we take each day at a time and just see what happens?”
The unguarded hope in his eyes flays me open, and I have to swallow before I can answer. “I’d like that.”
“Me too.” His smile widens, reaching all the way up to his eyes, and my heart stutters.
I can’t do anything other than smile back, and we sit there grinning at each other for what seems like forever until a yawn creeps up on me.
“Go to sleep,” he whispers. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I yawn again, but I can’t go to sleep just yet. “I’m really fucking sorry I was a twat.”
He chuckles, and it’s the best sound. “I forgive you.”
Relief sweeps through me. “Night, Vic.”
“Night, Sean.”
I end the call and slump against my pillows with the biggest smile on my face. Lucky chooses that moment to bound up the stairs and jump onto my bed, settling down beside me. I sink my fingers into his fur. “We’ll have company in the morning. Vic’ll be joining us.” Like he knows what I’m saying, Lucky wags his tail, the thump of it loud on the bed.
Yeah, if I had a tail, I’d be wagging it too.
VIC
I’m awake far tooearly Monday morning. As soon as my eyes open, I’m thinking about what the morning has in store for me, and there’s no way I can go back to sleep.
That doesn’t mean I want to get up at seven o’clock, especially when it’s still dark outside. The heating kicked in just after six, and my bedroom is warm, far warmer than my own house would be.
I lie there staring up at the ceiling and replay that kiss over and over again. I can’t adequately describe how hot it was. Sean Richmond is solid and strong, he could easily overpower me, yet he let me press him against the side of his car and kiss him like I wanted. Even with layers of clothing separating us, it was bone-meltingly good. Just thinking about it now is getting me hard and I have to reach down to adjust myself.
Fuck.
He was absolutely right when he said I’d have gone home with him if asked.
In a heartbeat.
I’m half tempted to drag him inside when he comes to pick me up. I can think of far more interesting ways to exercise than going for a walk.
But I get the feeling that I’d scare him off if I did that. I don’t remember details from our uni days, but I do remember that Sean was a talker. He wasn’t interested in a quick fuck and then going our separate ways. He actually wanted to get to know me. I think that was one of the reasons I fell so hard, so quickly. He made me feel like I was worth listening to.
Whatever else has changed, I don’t think that has. If I don’t want him to run off again like he did last night, then I need to let him set the pace. And going for a walk with his dog is obviously where we’re going to start.
And it’ll give me a chance to show him that I don’t look at his home with city-life-tinted glasses. I love the countryside. I have no fucking clue why he assumed I’d stayed in London. It was fun for a few years, but I crave trees and greenery as much as he does.
And as for the rest of it?
I have no idea what might happen between us. We might well end up as just friends, and that’s absolutely fine. I’ll take that if that’s how things play out, but I don’t want to rule anything else out point blank. Maybe Joe’s words hit closer to home than I realised at the time—I’m not as young as I like to think I am. I’m notold... but I am lonely sometimes. And I’d be lying if I ignore how this feels awfully like a second chance for us.
The least I can do is see where it leads.
I spend so much time pondering things in bed, that I end up having to rush to get ready. I’m just putting my walking boots on as Sean pulls up outside the lodge. I glance up to give him a wave and see he’s not the only one on their way to see me.
