In the shower a few minutes later, he thought more about the unfamiliar situation he found himself in. Living on hisown for years, he wasn’t used to playing house. Perhaps the novelty of having company was making him sentimental. Perhaps seeing her breasts had gone to his head and made him giddy. Or more likely, gone to his cock and made him horny.But was there something more here?
‘Am I falling for her?’ he asked himself as he pushed shampoo through his hair. Real feelings? If so, he was in trouble tonight with alcohol and candlelight involved. Stepping out of the shower, he threw on a clean white t-shirt, buttoned a cobalt-blue shirt over the top, adding well-pressed chinos and black shoes. Straightening up his bed, he left the bedroom to give Aria a twenty-minute warning. She wasn’t in the kitchen. When he didn’t find her on the veranda or the garage, he made his way to the guest room. Knocking on the door, he listened against the wood before softly calling her name. When she didn’t reply he turned the handle.
‘God in heaven.’
Her hair lay scattered across two pillows and her bare shoulders in her pink floral dress were only outdone by her chest that rose and fell with her breathing. He felt himself getting hard once more against the seam of his jeans and his cock twitched further when she stretched out one arm and uncurled. He bent down beside her, aware this was her bedroom, he hadn’t been invited in, and she was not his to touch. He gently whispered her name, pushing a strand of her reddish-gold hair behind her ear. Her lips were slightly open as she inhaled and exhaled. With the lightest of touches, he traced a finger along the line of her jaw. They’d worked so hard to get to know each other this week, but he was stillkeen to know more about this beautiful and complex woman who hid from the world in a tiny wooden den. Remembering he had some detective work to do, he moved his nose to her neck and inhaled, exposing himself to a lungful of his own aftershave. Smelling it upon her skin was hot. He chuckled softly at the thought of her perusing his lotions and potions, and went in to confirm the anti-perspirant theft lower down.
‘Why are you sniffing my pits?’ she cried, waking in a panic.
He sprang back. ‘I…just came to…tell you it’s almost showtime,’ he said, his voice tight with embarrassment. The apron stunt may or may not have evened things out, but now he’d gone yet another step further into creepy. ‘Ready to pull off being the happiest couple in the Lakes?’
She spoiled that idea by grumpily handing out instructions. ‘Beef’s ready to go but needs putting in the dish that’s warming in the oven. The celeriac mash has been beaten to a pulp and needs to join it. I’ll cook off the julienne carrots after the starter, which is set out on platters in the fridge. Start poisoning her with the cheap wine immediately. And no sniffing anyone’s armpits during dinner, please.’
‘Yes ma’am. It’s like we are already married,’ he joked.
35
The doorbell sounded. Despite it being Nic’s business on the line tonight, Aria was a bag of nerves. How would she be able to carry off a fake romance with a man she hardly knew and who kept unbalancing her like this? Sophie’s mother was no pushover, and it would require some ingenuity to pull the wool over her eyes. Aria was still shaken from seeing him semi-naked and, while that private moment in her bed might have dampened the fire temporarily, his handsome face and confident manner were kindling to her desires. And what was he doing in her room just then?Thank God he hadn’t walked in any earlier. She checked her appearance in the mirror again, adding two coats of mascara, a dash of eyeshadow and some lip gloss. Then, hearing the doorbell, she adjusted her top, ran her finger over her teeth to check there was nothing stuck in them, and headed into the living room.
Donna was already seated at the dinner table, salivating at the cold meat nibbles Aria had prepared earlier and stabbing at olives with a toothpick. She was a small woman with big hair groomed into immovable waves around ears which borethe weight of clip-on chandeliers. Aria could see the resemblance to her daughter in her face and the way she held herself.
‘So, how did you two lovebirds meet?’ she asked, as they took their seats. Nic offered her the platter, and she picked up a prosciutto tulip Aria had carefully crafted. Nic pushed one into his mouth and masticated with gusto. Aria accepted a glass of red, downing it nervously while briefing herself not to overthink her answers. The wine was tart, but she wouldn’t know the difference between the finest wine in the land and a bargain-basement bottle. Nic left his own glass untouched and sipped on iced water while passing her the chilli jam. Having spent so much time with him recently, Aria could see he was nervous by the small tells he exhibited, like the way he kept clearing his throat before beginning a sentence. Mind you, who could blame him? Donna consumed salami daffodils and pried into their business with an equal amount of relish.
Nic easily fielded the first question ‘We had a few dates in London after connecting online, but it was nothing serious and both of us had other priorities at the time. We met again recently when Aria showed me this house. She works at the estate agents on the high street.’
‘Well, I’m freelance really,’ Aria interjected.
‘But I thought you built the house?’ Donna said.
Nic threw her a crooked smile. ‘I pretended to be a buyer to check she was marketing it correctly.’
‘Thorough.’ Donna was impressed. ‘And was she?’ She turned a beady eye on Aria as Nic laughed.
‘If you call making the garage door act like the shark fromJawswhile encouraging my electric toothbrush to do tumbling tricks on the bathroom floor, then yes, it was marketed with a certain kind of aplomb.’
Aria scowled at the control panel on the wall. ‘That box is high-tech black magic.’
‘It is a house that needs a careful hand. But then doors do seem to be a challenge for Aria,’ he teased her. ‘I mean, the bathroom door had a mind of its own tonight.’ Mortified he was going there, she took another slug of wine, not sure how to respond when he nudged her foot with his shoe under the table. Was he going to regale her friend’s mother with the whole towel tale? If so, she would kick him on the shin. She ran through the incident again in her mind, but all she could see was his sexy backside in that apron.
‘Have you been together long?’ Donna asked.
‘A few weeks?’ Aria guessed.
‘Some months, if you count the online stuff,’ Nic blurted at the same time.
‘Amazing how quickly an engagement can fly by!’ Donna chirruped.
Aria realised she had no ring on her finger and wondered if she’d noticed. ‘It helps that Tiger likes Nic. In fact, I think he prefers him to me sometimes,’ she said, looking around for her dog to slip him some meat.
‘Ach, he tolerates me,’ Nic said, as Tiger heard his name and came searching for the doggie buffet.
‘Why do you call him Tiger?’ Donna enquired.
‘He belonged to my dad. I imagine he was named ironically. He’s too sedentary to hunt and doesn’t exactly roar.’ Aria held out a little of the meat, which Tiger sniffed at.
Donna flashed big, uneven teeth and tucked into a slice of pastrami like a Neapolitan Mastiff. ‘I was sorry to hear about your father, Aria. We still miss him on the town council.’ She then spiked the last of the cheese with a cocktail stick and shoved it into her mouth. ‘I’m sure having Nic in your life brings you a great sense of happiness and comfort. Tell me, will you live here after you are married? When’s the big day?’
After the big planning meeting,Aria thought.Possibly a million years after it.
