‘You don’t know the half of it,’ he teased, changing gear smoothly as they slipped off the motorway.
‘How much longer?’
‘Another twenty minutes. Lisbon is easy to drive around apart from the hills, which in this car are not fun.’
He drove with speed and confidence, unlike her boy racer brothers who turned into speed demons the minute they got behind a wheel. She clenched her fist on her knee thinking about them. What would her life have been like if she’d had sisters? She looked down at her pale pink nails. Being around Ana, Katerina and Cristina was turning out to be so much fun. Dinner times were always entertaining, especially as the two younger girls’ teasing was far kinder– funny and irreverent and much less personal– than that of her brothers. They always managed to comment on any part of her body she was less confident about– her boobs, her weight, her nose. Anything they could pick on, they did, commenting on her make-up, her clothes, her appearance. After a while, she’d stopped making any effort because it was easier not to bother and draw attention to herself. In contrast, Felipe seemed so much nicer to his cousins, though he was outnumbered, so maybe that made a difference. Although he was clearly a spoiled prince, like her brothers, his manners and attitude were impeccable, not to mention he was hot.
Her skin flushed as she wondered if and how to make the first move. There’d been plenty of kissing and drinks and dinner but to date it had stopped at the end of the night.
‘So what are your plans?’ she asked, wondering if that might be an opening. What she really wanted to ask was,When are you taking me to bed?Instead, she said, ‘I’m quite happy doing my own thing, so you don’t need to babysit me.’ Which was a total lie. ‘You can give me all the hot tips.’ She glanced across at him, unable to help her eyes dancing with mischief.
He smiled back as if he could read her mind, which often he seemed to be able to do. ‘I’ve got plenty of hot tips,’ he said with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows.
She giggled. ‘I bet you say that to all the girls.’
‘Absolutely. But don’t worry, most of my plans in Lisbon involve getting a bit of privacy away from my cousins, who take far too much interest in my non-existent love life.’
‘Er, hello. Look at yourself and this car. Don’t try and tell me there’s no one interested in you.’
‘I didn’t say that. Just that I haven’t made time recently. But that might change.’
He glanced over at her and a frisson of excitement fired up her spine.
‘Might it?’ she asked, her voice husky without even trying because her insides were suddenly turning themselves inside out.
‘I think we both deserve a little fun in Lisbon. Don’t you?’
This is it, she thought. He was asking. She loved that he didn’t assume or push.
She put a hand on his thigh, pleased when he laid his hand on top of hers.
‘I think fun in Lisbon is definitely on the itinerary for this weekend.’
He glanced at her, his face serious. ‘Sure?’
In answer, she turned her hand palm up and gave his hand a squeeze.
‘Wow,’ said Rebecca, looking at the bright blue facade of the house with its big, solid double doors. She’d been admiring all the different ornate designs of the wooden doors as they’d walked up the very steep street to reach his apartment block.
Her senses hummed. Felipe took her hand in his and tugged her up the little flight of stairs to the front door.
‘Welcome. We’re up on the first floor and there’s no lift.’
‘A small workout, then,’ said Rebecca, hefting up her suitcase, glad she’d packed light– although, to be fair, she usually did. Felipe had even asked when he put it in the boot of the car, ‘Is that it?’
‘That’s Lisbon for you. All hills and stairs. Exploring is not for the faint-hearted. I should have reminded you to bring sturdy shoes.’
Rebecca laughed and looked down at her trainers. ‘Hello, have you met me?’
He paused, tilted her face up with his fingers and kissed her on the mouth, hard and fast, his hand sliding around the back of her head, his thumb stroking down the back of her neck. When he pulled away, he murmured, ‘I have, and I like you very much.’
‘Oh,’ she said, gazing up at him, her lips tingling in the aftermath of that possessive kiss.
He opened the door and urged her through before leading the way again and climbing the stairs. She followed, her breath suddenly tight in her chest, an ache at the apex of her jelly legs.
At the apartment entrance, he put his key into the lock, looked over his shoulder at her with a wicked smile and pushed open the door.
With a thud, his bag was dropped, hers was taken from her, tossed aside, and he pushed her up against the wall, his hands cradling her head.
