‘I’m taking lessons.’ He walks over to his coffee table and picks up a book. An actual physical book, and not just any one: it’s a clothbound edition ofPride and Prejudice. ‘I don’t think Mr Darcy could go straight to bed before a real date, do you?’
‘Well, no. But then I doubt that Mr Darcy went to bed at all before marriage.’
Damn it. She’s broken the golden rule. Never,ever, pronounce or hint at the M word before a man does, lest you scare him off. Especially don’t let it leave your lips before you’ve even been on an actual date.
Lexi looks up at Sam from the piano stool, cringing. She’s probably ruined it all forever now, and she’ll have to go and live in Australia to get away from the embarrassment. But, to her shock, Sam is smiling, taking it all in his stride. ‘Well, if that’s what you want.’
He’s kidding. Lexi is pretty sure he’s kidding, but still. ‘Nope,’ she says, to put this notion to bed, even though they aren’t heading there themselves. ‘I mean...’
She’s realised too late that maybe it sounds like she doesn’t want marriage. And she does. It’s way too soon to say if she wants it withhim, of course, despite her frequent practice of their joint monograms.
He’s smiling wider now, knowing she has tied herself up in knots, knowing it’s going to be hard to untangle herself without saying some things that are definitely illegal to say to a guy you haven’t been on a date with, no matter how much you fancy the pants off him.
‘Marriage would be fine,’ she says. ‘I mean, potentially. Not necessarily to you.’ He raises an eyebrow. ‘Not necessarily–notto you...’
‘This enthusiasm is truly heart-warming.’
‘Oh, c’mon. Like Mr Womaniser over here is really into the idea of tying himself down.’
It was self-defence, really, bringing that accusation out. But Lexi feels bad about it now. It was unnecessarily mean. Still, even that doesn’t seem to faze him.
‘I’ve seen the error of my ways.’
Now that she thinks about it, it’s been a few weeks since Lexi last witnessed a break-up scene or a woman deservedly whacking him with her handbag. Could this be true? Could he be a Reformed Character?
‘Okay,’ she says, but she knows she sounds a little suspicious.
‘It’s true.’
Lexi doesn’t know what to say to that, so she plays F major again.
‘Excellent,’ Sam says. ‘Time to move on to D major.’
And then, instead of just telling her to find D, going through music theory and helping her work it out, he moves to stand behind her.
‘Let’s try a different approach,’ he says, thechhhhwhistling in her ear, his breath grazing her face. He puts his arms out to either side of her and shows her the scale by playing it himself. Lexi isn’t remotely concentrating, of course. Not on how many sharps are in the scale, not on where his thumb crosses under. She’s trying to hold herself together as the warmth of him radiates out and onto her. They’re not touching, but at the same time, they’re embracing.
Sam kisses the top of her head, almostfondly, almost chastely. Almost in the manner of someone who doesn’t go to bed till after marriage, or at least after dinner. The silence stretches out, and Lexi wants to stay in it, leaning on him, safe. Then he leans down and brushes her cheek with his lips. She spins around on the piano stool, and he touches her lips with his. There’s nothing chaste aboutthiskiss. It’s tender and full of promise.
‘Seriously,’ he says. They’re both a little breathless, like they’ve just engaged in a mammoth snogging session rather than exchanged one lovely kiss. ‘I don’t want to mess this up.’
‘Me neither,’ she says. She’s desperate for another kiss, a deeper one. Her whole body is making that much very clear.
‘Good,’ he says. ‘Then let’s do this the Darcy-approved way.’
‘Marriage first?’ That seems a little extreme. Lexi is panicking.
Sam laughs with just his breath. ‘No. But definitely dinner.’
‘Okay,’ she says, and she can hear the reluctance in her own voice. He does, too– it makes him laugh harder.
‘It’ll be worth the wait.’
‘I don’t doubt that,’ she says, and this time he lets her kiss him, another lingering meeting of their lips. Nothing more, and it doesn’t feel like anything close to enough. But it will have to be, for now.
Chapter Thirty-One
On the walk to their bookshops, Sam reaches for Lexi’s hand. It takes her by surprise, but she’s into it.People will talk if they see us,she thinks vaguely, and around the Hill there’s always someone who is going to see you. Lexi doubts that she and Sam are important enough to end up on the Overheard in DC Instagram account, but you never know. In a quiet week...
