‘Ally.’ Tommy sighed my name as if it pained him to utter it out loud. But that was enough – it told me everything I needed to know. The subject of Elsa was off limits. It must have been serious between them.
‘Can I ask something else?’
His expression told me he thought it was about Elsa.
‘No, not abouther,’ I said with a shake of my head.
‘All right then.’
‘Just… considering everything that’s going on, there were times today when you seemed to be enjoying yourself –genuinely.’
‘That’s not a question,’ he said evenly.
‘Okay then,how? If you’re so worried about Julian and Aetheria andme, then how can you pretend everything’s right as rain?’
He stared at me. ‘I wasn’t pretending.’
‘Then what?’
‘I was momentarily distracted.’
Well, that wasn’t the answer I was expecting.
‘Distracted?’ I scoffed. ‘By what? A charming octogenarian and some fancy olive oil?’
‘No, Ally, by you.’
I wasn’t expectingthateither.
‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have said tha—’ He interrupted himself to expel a loud breath, then tossed back the rest of the brandy. And before I knew what was happening, he got up and strode towards the door.
‘What are you doing?’ I asked inanely. It was obvious he was leaving, but I didn’t want him to – not before he explained what he’d meant. ‘Tommy.’
He hesitated in the entry, and I dashed off the sofa, stopping just short of where he stood with his back to me.
‘What did you mean by that?’ I pleaded hoarsely.
Tension rippled across his shoulders and his head dropped, but he didn’t leave. I reached for him, lightly resting a hand on his broad back.
I’d never been the sort of woman to pursue a man who was in a relationship – that ethos was ingrained in me, a line I would never cross.
But this was Tommy. And if he was feeling even a fraction of what I was…
One day, I might hate myself for being complicit in his infidelity. But if Ididn’tpress him for an answer, I’d hate myself anyway for the lifetime ofwhat ifs?that would follow.
‘Tommy?’
He spun around so abruptly, I took half a step back. He peered down at me, his eyes almost black in the dim light. They searched mine and I felt the pull of his gaze so intensely, I closed the gap between us without realising it.
‘Fuck, Ally,’ he said and a heartbeat later, he dipped his head, his mouth crashing against mine.
His hands landed on my waist and he pulled me closer, pressing my body against his. I stood on tiptoes and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, my fingers entwining in his thick hair.
His kiss was hungry, as if he wanted to devour me, and every nerve ending in my body was alight with want. My tongue swirled inside his mouth, jockeying with his. He tasted of the Metaxa, like dried figs and honey and vanilla.
In a single movement, he hoisted me in the air – a move that was both familiar and thrilling – and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to the sofa. He lowered me onto it, bearing the weight of us both with one arm, our kiss still unbroken. His body hovered above mine for several aching seconds until I pulled him onto me, the weight of him almost too much, but also not enough. I wanted more. I wanted his bare skin against mine, I wanted his hand between my legs, I wanted his mouth on my nipples, I wanted him inside me.
But I’d also never been kissed like that before – not even by Tommy.
