Alex lowered his eyes, peering at her through longdark lashes. “I’m sorry, Ms Harris. Can you forgive me?”
She couldn’t answer him for the giggle that was now bubbling up in her throat, signalling for him to sit instead with the wooden spoon she brandished in her hand.
Staring at the plate of food she had placed in front of him, Alex struggled to differentiate what was meat or vegetable or whether there was actually any of either in front of him. Picking up his cutlery from the beautifully laid table he poked around at the offering, spearing what he hoped was a piece of beef.
“This looks lovely, Grace, thank you.” His mother had always insisted on good table manners. Sliding the fork out of his mouth, beginning to chew, he realised it was a charred carrot and not beef. Jeez, he was going to need that wine if he was ever going to finish this.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like carrots? It’s just chicken and veggies. Sasha gave me the recipe.” Grace eyed him suspiciously as he forced down the barely chewed vegetable. He was scared if he chewed it he may have to visit a dentist in the morning.
“Well, they’re not my favourite thing, no. But I like chicken. Shall I get us some water too? Don’t want to drink too much wine.” Excusing himself from the table he grabbed two glasses from the drainer, filling themwith tap water before returning to what he now recognised as a sacrificed carcass that sat on his plate. At least now he knew it was chicken. He just had to find a bit that wasn’t blackened. Not wanting to offend her he attacked the plate with gusto, sawing away at what he presumed was the breast before popping it in his mouth enthusiastically. Taking a large gulp of water he hoped to soften the meat enough to allow him to chew it. He watched smiling as Grace put a forkful in her mouth before almost gagging on her food.
“Okay, the take out menus are in the drawer. Go pick what you want while I clear this.” The giggle soon turned into an almighty laughing fit as she threw her head back in hysterics.
“Whoa! Careful, did you swallow that? Spit it out, Grace, you’re gonna choke laughing with that lump of chicken or whatever it is in your mouth!” His comment only fuelled their amusement leaving them both falling about laughing.
“If you ever speak of this again I swear I will hunt you down and poke your eyes out with a spoon, Alex!” She was horrified that he had even tried to eat her burnt offerings.
“I can see it now in black and white, my next meaningless interview: So, Alex tell us about the last date you went on:Well it was memorable to say theleast. I had to have three teeth repaired and the poor girl choked to death on a charred vegetable.” With lightning reflexes Alex caught the napkin that she threw across the table at him with renewed vigour before they both laughed uncontrollably again.
They sat on the lounge floor surrounded by Chinese takeout boxes from the veritable feast they had ordered in. Music drifted out from the little speakers positioned next to the old stereo situated in the corner of the room. “Shall I make some coffee?” Grace asked as she began collecting the rubbish.
“Why don’t I make it? It’s the least I can do after all the trouble you went to.” Alex leapt to his feet almost racing Grace to the kitchen, remembering the last one she made him. At least if he made it he knew he could drink it.
Alex clutched his cup as he stood pondering Grace’s music collection. Recognising one of his own album covers he turned to smirk at her as she stretched out on the couch. “Didn’t know you were a fan. Which track is your favourite?”
“Well I’m not really that big a fan but I kinda likeFallen. It’s more...haunting than a lot of the stuff you do.” Her cheeks flushed again at being caught in possession of his music. She was desperate not to come across as some fangirl.
“I wrote that one. Took me ages to get them to agree to record it for the album. Erm, if you’re not a big fan then why have you got all of our stuff? I think the lady does protest too much.” He chuckled as he ran his finger along the edge of all five of their CD covers.
“Busted. What can I say? It’s the drummer, Jez. He is the only man for me.”
Alex snorted. “It’s always Jez; everyone falls for him. I have no idea why though. If they shared a tour bus with him, man, the smell is atrocious! Do you wish it was him who came to do the interview instead of me?”
“Alex, I was messing with you. Come and sit down.” Grace shifted up patting the sofa next to her, motioning for him to join her. As he sat he pulled her legs over his, placing his hand firmly across her ankles, effectively holding her in place, forbidding her to move. Smiling up at her they both felt the atmosphere change, becoming more charged. Placing his cup down on the floor, Alex leant across to pull her into his lap. Seating her comfortably across his thighs he wrapped his arm around her back whilst stroking her leg with his other hand. She nestled her head into his shoulder sighing as she revelled in how at ease he made her feel.
“Comfy?” Alex rubbed his hand up and down her thigh, resting his chin atop her head.
Grace snuggled in tighter to him, her hand rested on his chest. “Mmm, very actually. Is this your signature move then? Sit them on your lap, make them feel special?” She chuckled as she teased him. Feeling his body tense beneath her, his breath hitching in his chest, she lifted her head to meet his stare. “What? What’s wrong? What did I do now?”
“You and drink just don’t go well together, do they? Grace, I can imagine what you’ve read about me but I can tell you it’s all rubbish. I don’t have a string of women in my past; in fact I have only ever had three girlfriends. One in high school, one in college and one whilst I have been in the band. I don’t have asignature moveand in answer to your question from the other night, I don’t get laid a lot! Yes, I have the opportunity handed to me most days but I don’t partake in the goods, why would I? They don’t want me they want the lead singer of Uni-Fi, the persona that has been drip fed to them for years by my PR team. I don’t want to have sex with someone who is gonna run straight to the media or plaster some story about me all over the internet.” Alex breathed out long and slowly. “I don’t know what I have to do to convince you otherwise. I am not that guy.”
Face flushed with embarrassment, she lifted herself from his lap to reposition herself on the sofa. “Sorry, I’ve done it again, haven’t I? I guess I’m just struggling with the whole fame thing. I just don’t know what it is you see in me. I have no idea why you’re here when you could have your pick of beautiful women. It’s a self-defence thing, I think.” She kept her face down, avoiding his gaze, unable to believe that she had let her mouth run away with her again but the truthwas that she really didn’t understand what was happening between them.
“Well, I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on. I also love the fact that you are completely embarrassed to be seen with me. I like that you make me work for your attention and I have to wait out of sight when I pick you up. I like spending time with you, Grace. I want to get to know you properly and just see what happens. If you’ll let me.” Alex placed his finger underneath her chin, lifting her face so he could see into her green eyes. Slowly he lowered his face to meet hers, never taking his gaze from her eyes. “Can I kiss you, Grace?”
The timid girl in front of him could only nod; she had lost the power of speech. Having him in such close proximity was overpowering. She lifted her mouth to meet his, gently sucking on his bottom lip. Alex reciprocated with fervour, nibbling at her top lip before he ran his tongue along her lips. Pulling her back onto his lap he held her tightly in place whilst he continued to kiss her, deepening it further as he caressed her tongue, tasting her mouth. The whimper that escaped her only served to boost his eagerness. He slid his hand underneath her top, drawing small circles across her back with his fingertips. Grace groaned at the feeling he was creating deep inside her. Reaching up she placed herhand on his face, holding him in the embrace, urging him to continue the gentle kisses.
Taking her lead Alex moved his hand around her torso making his way up to cup her breast in his large hand, caressing her nipple through the silky fabric, rubbing his thumb across the hard bud he had created. Grace lifted her hand, placing it on top of his, halting his movements. Taking note he moved down towards her stomach using feather light touches as he went, revelling in the goose bumps that danced across her skin in the wake of his touch. Moving lower, his fingers traced the waistband of her jeans, sliding his hand down the back of her clothing as he increased the grip on her bare behind. Holding her tightly in place, his hand slid lower while his other hand moved to work free the buttons on her top.
Grace broke free from the embrace, breathless and flushed. “Alex, don’t rush me.”
“Rush you? I wasn’t rushing you. I thought you wanted to. I asked if I could kiss you and you agreed.”
“To the kiss. I agreed to the kiss. I’m not going to sleep with you tonight. I’m not one of your groupies. It’s a big deal for me to have sex with someone.” Moving herself out of his lap once more she righted her clothing before leaning in to kiss his lips softly again.
“I just thought...well you know, everything was going alright and you said yes. It’s kind of the natural thing to do, isn’t it?” His voice stumbled across his words.
“Maybe for you but not for me. I don’t jump into bed with someone I hardly know, Alex. We’ve had a handful of dates. I don’t want to be another notch on your bedpost. If this is going to work then we need to take it slow.” She stared at him now earnestly.
