Instinctively, she moves closer, dissolving the space between us, and the guitar presses into my stomach. I tentatively reach out brush the exposed column of her elegant neck, and she takes it as an invitation to rise onto her toes.
Fuck.
I know I’m treading a dangerous line with her, but I can’t pull away now—not when I’m thisclose to her. She’s temptation, and I can’t resist.
I lower my head to meet hers and thread my fingers gently through her hair, tilting her head at just the right angle. She exhales softly, closing her eyes as I lean in. Her sweet gloss brushes against my lips when the door suddenly flies open, shattering the moment.
The heat evaporates like morning mist.
I drop my hand and turn towards the intruder with a jolt.
Tom stands in the doorway wearing a shit-eating grin. My pulse rages and bubbles to the surface, threatening to spill over and scorch everything in its path.
“Bloody hell, Tom. What is it?” I ask, irritated.
“Sorry, mate,” he says, wincing. “Oliver’s nearly done loading his drums into the van. I was going to offer a hand with your gear, but I’ll … come back later,” he says, gesturing over his shoulder.
“It’s fine, Tom,” April says, glancing at me. “I’ll leave you to finish packing up. You’ve had a long night.”
She swiftly removes the strap and hands me the guitar, which I place back in its case. She presses a quick kiss to my cheek, leaving a glossy mark, before heading out.
I shoot Tom a murderous glare.
He raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms and leaning against the door-frame. “Interrupting something, was I?”
Smart-ass.
“If you want to help”—I lean down and grab my tub, walking over to Tom and shoving it into his arms with more force than necessary—“you can start with this,” I say.
Chapter 24
April
Ifling open my front door, slip off my heels, and head straight for the sofa. I collapse onto it with a sigh. Gemma follows me in, barefoot, and flops onto the floor, stretching out her legs. Her beck leans against the arm of the sofa as she calls for Basil, who struts in, tail high. She extends her hand, and he nuzzles against it, purring contentedly.
Anna went home to Mason, so I told Gemma to stay with me.
“Tonight was so much fun,” she says.
“It was, but my feet are killing me.” I say, wincing.
“You had such a good time,” she replies with a smile. “It was lovely to see you let loose.”
I nod. “But I’m paying for it now.” I reach down to rub the ball of my foot, which has gone totally numb. I press my thumbs into the pad of my foot and groan, relieving some of the tension as I coax the circulation back.
My eyes narrow when I notice something stuck to her dress. “Gemma, what’s clipped to your chest?” I squint to read the text.
She looks down, bringing her hand up to inspect the badge pinned above her left boob.
“Does that sayDaniel?”
“Huh,” she says, surprised. “I think it’s a Tesco employee badge.”
“Where did you get that?”
“Probably from the twenty-one-year-old I made out with on the dance floor. Fuck if I know.” The shit this woman gets up to when I’m not looking. She shrugs. “Where did you disappear to, anyway? One minute you were at the bar, and the next, you were gone. You didn’t get the shits, did you? I told you not to eat those samosas before we left. I’m telling you, bubbles and curry don’t mix.”
I laugh. “Actually, if you must know, I bumped into James as I was coming out of the bathroom. He asked if I wanted to keep him company while he packed up his gear.”
