Ryan eyes Archie’s glass, and Archie places it down on the table between us.
He is at work, I suppose. I never noticed before but he’s really young looking. Way younger than Pierce and Frankie. Maybe even younger than me.
‘This is incredible.’ Victoria raises her voice to be heard over the noise as she scans the crowd below, an awe-filled look on her face.
She isn’t wrong.
Raucous children queue outside a cute looking wooden grotto to see Santa, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement. Others squeal as they venture up a daunting slide made of ice nearby. A Santa train chugs by, transporting tiny waving toddlers clutching candy-floss and gingerbread men. Chubby grinning faces press against the steamy glass of the windows.
What’s truly incredible though is the god-like creature next to me. His face. His lips. That mouth.
Despite the freezing cold afternoon, a promising heat emanates from Ryan’s eager pupils as they roam my face before meeting mine.
Oh I’m in trouble. It might be safer if this damn thing does plummet from the sky, because I’m well on my way to falling again anyway. And I’m not sure which prospect is more dangerous.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
RYAN
‘Ok, who’s for the ice slide?’ Victoria squeals as we step out of the Ferris wheel carriage.
‘You’ve got to be joking.’ Sasha shakes her head firmly. ‘I’ve had enough excitement for one day.’
That’s what she thinks.
If I get my way, she’ll see a lot more excitement before the day is over. Spending time with her, being with her, it’s addictive. Years have passed, yet I still feel that pull, that innate connection like we’re tethered together with some sort of invisible string.
This whole emotional awakening is turning me into a fucking pussy because as much as I am desperate to get my hands all over her ridiculously enticing body, I’m also desperate to spoon her all night, to wake up next to her – something we never got to do as kids.
‘I’ll bring you on the ice slide,’ Archie offers before turning to me. ‘If that’s ok with you, boss?’
It’s perfect with me. It means I get Sasha alone. Something I’ve craved from the second I laid eyes on her again.
‘Sure. Do you want to go for a drink?’ I point out the Fire Pit, the perfect place to soak up the atmosphere.
Sasha’s shoulders sag in visible relief and she nods.
‘We’ll get a table and wait for you there.’ I turn to Archie. ‘Guard her with your life.’
Archie nods solemnly and links Victoria’s arm again. ‘We’ll come straight back to you when we’re done.’
Pierce and Frankie lead the way through the throng of Christmas revellers to the Fire Pit. Pierce locates a high table with two bar stools tucked in the corner of the bar area.
‘Sit here. Back to the wall. Eyes peeled. Me and Frankie will be at the bar keeping an eye out. Keep the hat on. It’s one thing walking around and people getting a fleeting glance, but with you sitting still, someone might recognise you.’
I nod in reluctant acceptance and hand over my credit card to pay for the drinks he’ll have to order. If anyone had any suspicion who I am, my accent would only confirm it.
Sasha glides onto one of the high stools and slips the little satchel bag off her shoulders, placing it on the table between us.
Scanning the surroundings, a comfortable quiet settles between us. When her gaze finally returns to me, I meet her keen stare evenly, memorising every inch of her perfect face.
Jayden’s wrong. It’s not because we were forced to separate prematurely. It’s because she’s so fucking beautiful. She has a heart the size of Africa, a quick mind, and even quicker tongue. Plus, she oozes a type of sublime class I’ve never come across since. It’s safe to say Sasha Sexton is one of a kind.
Though she’s given me access to her lips and her hands in the last twenty-four hours, I get the distinct impression her heart, big as it is, is still off limits. To me, at least.
An image of her sitting on the kitchen worktop beaming at Conor bursts to the forefront of my mind, generating a queasiness in my stomach. She trusts him, there’s no doubt about it. And as much as I hate to admit it, the two of them definitely have some sort of chemistry.
Not like what we have though.
