I nod. ‘Deal. Although at this rate, we’ll still be stuck in this store until the end of the trip.’
‘Tell me. What’s going on with the Dollz?’ he whispers.
‘Good question.’ I snuggle into him and prepare to spill all the gossip. ‘Tash is toying with the idea of conceiving a child named Elvis while she’s here. Big Mand and Big Sue are clearly enjoying their new relationship as a couple. And Liberty… Well, Liberty is Liberty. Who knows what is going on there. Today, she’s into huge murderer’s moustaches and toothpicks. Yesterday, it was classical opera singers. Tomorrow, it’ll be something else. She likes to take charge.’
Matteo seems pensive before he whispers, ‘That’s the same as Birdie. Things ended between us years ago, but she seems annoyed that it was me who ended it rather than her.’
‘I think Luke is kind of being pressured into an arranged marriage and I think he sees me as a way out.’ I can’t help raising a tiny smile. ‘Like a fake marriage to get out of a fake marriage. Who would be that crazy?’
‘Who knew you’d be in such high demand for fake marriages? Is this two proposals in as many weeks?’
I nod.
He’s so nice it’s making me swoon. ‘What? Why are you looking at me like that?’
I’m undressing him with my eyes.
‘I’m, erm…’ I pause.
A small puff of air escapes his lips. ‘Disgraceful. I know exactly what you’re doing.’
I give him an innocent flick of my lashes and lick my top lip slowly. ‘Whatever do you mean?’
His eyes rake over my face and dip down to my boobs. ‘I can assure you. I’m doing exactly the same.’
* * *
Eventually, after much keeping our hands to ourselves, Big Mand and Big Sue move away from the jewellery section empty-handed and drift off to the bridal bikinis section forBeach Weddings. I see the assistant who accosted us earlier make a beeline for them. Meanwhile, Tash and Sister Kevin are making a run for the stairs. I notice she has bags. Lots of large white paper bags.
Once we think the coast is clear, Matteo and I make a run for it too. He jabs at the buttons on the lift while I do a continuous sweep to make sure we aren’t spotted. We fall into the lift slightly out of breath and immediately burst out laughing.
‘Oh my God,’ says Matteo, trying not to laugh. ‘Nothing is ever straightforward with you, is it?’
‘I have no idea what you mean.’
‘Since you burst into my life it’s been one crazy thing after another. And it doesn’t seem to make a difference what side of the planet we’re on.’
His eyes are twinkling.
‘Your point?’
He steps towards me. His breathing still ragged. ‘My point is that I’ve not had this much fun with anyone, ever.’
Oh.
‘That can’t be true,’ I say, suddenly feeling shy.What about the French girls? His cheating ex-fiancée? The supermodels and professors with Nobel prizes?
He reaches for me. ‘It’s true.’ A spark of electricity shoots through me the moment he touches my arm, causing my lips to part and every fibre of my being to scream at him to kiss me. He strokes his thumb over my lower lip and rips his gaze from it to look me dead in the eye. ‘I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.’
I couldn’t have scripted this moment any better myself. I reach for him, placing my hand at the back of his neck, and gently pull him down. Our lips slide perfectly together, creating blooms of lust with every slow and deliberate touch. Only a crowd of people waiting to pile in alerts us that the lift doors have opened and we have reached the ground floor. We spring apart and race out of the store onto the street, bags swinging, hands clasped tightly together and a lightness in our step.
‘How long have we got until you do the next show?’ he says huskily.
‘How long do you need?’ I answer, twirling my hair and batting my lashes. I bite my bottom lip for good measure. I want him. I want him real good.
He visibly swallows, clearly unravelled. ‘Taxi!’ he yells, thrusting out an arm at the oncoming traffic.
Ged messages while we are in the cab to say that he and Liam have spent the entire afternoon out and about because they have heard Harry Styles is doing a secret show somewhere in the centre of Las Vegas. They have narrowed their search to twenty-seven hotels in the vicinity. They are suggesting that we all go to Tao nightclub at The Venetian after our show, as any celebrity worth their salt shows their face there. He’s suggesting a Barbie-costume-and-wig-free night.
