‘Seriously? I thought you were kissing me out of pity? Because I was messed up over Henry?’
He lifts his chin. ‘I was following your lead.’ He steps back and throws his hands up. ‘For fuck’s sake. I think you’re gorgeous, Gertie.’
‘Gorgeous? You do?Me? You fancy me?’
He nods. ‘You. All of you. Every bit of you. I fancy your pretty face and your soft body and your hair and that backside. Christ, I fancy your eyebrows and your elbows and your higher than average lung capacity.’
‘Wow,’ I grin. ‘My elbows?’ I look down at my elbows, which look very much like any other set of elbows.
‘Gertie, you made my dick rock hard in a public pond. I’m a man who normally has a hell of a lot more self-control than that. But … this … us … I don’t want you to get hurt. The truth is youdon’thave my experience. I don’t want you to feel—’
‘That sounds a lot like you think you know what’s best for me,’ I cut in, taking immediate umbrage. I halt, surprised at how easily telling the truth is coming out lately. ‘Look, I may not be as “experienced” in meaningless flings as old heartbreaker River Oakley, but I’m telling you I won’t get attached. The reality is, I’m fresh off a break-up. Iknowyou’re leaving.Youknow you’re leaving. And, the thing is, this isn’t like me and Henry – you and I don’t have history – we barely know each other. Which means I’m not gonna fall apart when it’s finished.’ I take a deep breath. ‘And I do know it’s going to be finished. So if the only thing that’s in your way is the state of my soft heart when you leave? Then that’s pretty arrogant, River. I don’t need your worry. I don’t want it.’
I lift my chin, eyes latched on to his, unwavering.
River frowns ever so slightly then. ‘So what do you want, Gertie?’
‘I think you know what I want,’ I murmur, taking a step closer to him. ‘It’s all I’ve been thinking about since we kissed. I want to know what we feel like. Me and You. Just once. For—’
‘For curiosity’s sake,’ River finishes.
We stand there, less than an inch apart. When I inhale, it’s shaky.
River growls, suddenly colliding into me, done waiting, done checking, done attempting to be sensible on my behalf. He splays both hands on my lower back, pulls me against him and presses his lips down onto mine, hard and soft and exactly,exactlyright. My legs immediately start to tremble, my whole body leaning in, instantly desperate for more. He parts my lips with his and uses his tongue to stroke my tongue, the sensation of it making me moan helplessly into his mouth. He replies with a low grunt of desire, moving his hands to the back of my thighs and lifting me up so that my legs instinctively wrap around him like a koala bear clinging on to a tree. With one firm tread he has me pinned against the bathroom wall, chest pressed so close to mine I’m not sure whose heartbeat is whose. Keeping one hand around my backside, he uses the other to weave into my hair, fingers digging lightly into my scalp in a way that sends sparks down my spine. ‘Mmmm,’ I murmur into his mouth, running my tongue along his bottom lip, sucking it, the sensation of it even hotter, juicier than the fantasy that’s been playingon a loop in my head since we got back from Little Crumpet. I feel him hard against me and reach down my fingers, slip my hands into the waistband of his boxers.
And then, to my dismay, there’s an almighty bang on the front door.
‘Gertie! River! Open your door to me! I have a wonderful surprise!’
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Mrs Casablancas raps hard against the door again, her voice piercing through the keyhole.
‘Fuck,’ River moans as I drop down from his embrace. He runs a hand through his hair so that it sticks up madly. ‘Ignore it.’
‘Mrs Casablancas will not be ignored,’ I grumble. ‘You know that.’
Squish starts barking in response to Mrs Casablancas’ knocking, skittering across the floor and jumping up at the door as if he intends to let her in himself.
‘Fuuuuuuucccck,’ I mutter under my breath as I shuffle out of the bathroom and open the door to Mrs Casablancas. River follows close behind me, jeans now, sadly, back on.
The first thing I realise is that Mrs Casablancas is holding River’s newly repaired Stetson. The second thing I notice is that she seems to have … embellished it. There is now a thick green ribbon around the rim and that ribbon is covered in green sequins and orange rhinestones.
My jaw drops.
‘Sensational, isn’t it?’ she trills, bustling into the flat. She leans down to give Squish a pat, but he bolts back over to River instead. River puts his arms out and Squish jumps intothem on the first try. It occurs to me that they may have practised that. ‘Oh, you have a new favourite, do you, Squish?’ she says before turning back to River. ‘I fixed the tear.’ She proudly hands him the hat. ‘But I thought it could do with a little brightening up. A little zhuzh! What do you think, River? Do you love it? I can tell you love it.’
River holds up his beloved Stetson, now twinkling like a Christmas tree at a disco on the Fourth of July.
His jaw tenses, all previous horn now firmly evaporated.
Shit.
He swallows, nostrils flaring a little.
‘It’s real pretty, Mrs Casablancas,’ he says eventually, his voice wobbling a little bit. Oh God. Is he going to cry? Is this what it finally takes to bring down the great River Oakley? Mrs Casablancas’ unsolicited bedazzling? ‘I …’ He scratches the back of his head, lips pressing tightly together. ‘It’s …’
‘Stunning?’ I suggest, because he clearly needs a hand here. ‘Splendid?’
