Page 62 of A Recipe for Romance in Brambleton

‘I want you, too,’ Lauren breathed. ‘But we can take things slowly.’ Lauren moved her hand to the nape of his neck. ‘Any time you want to, we can stop.’

‘Isn’t that normally the guy’s line?’ Marc gave a nervous laugh.

‘Hey,’ Lauren teased. ‘It’s the twenty-first century. Everyone has the right to say no.’

‘That’s not a word I’ll be using tonight.’ Marc leaned forward, and as their lips touched, Lauren’s eyes closed in relief and excitement. They’d been dancing around this: now, they were both ready.

Marc’s mouth was warm and tasted of coffee laced with brandy. She was grateful to Marc’s somewhat bratty younger brother for bringing over such a good quality bottle for Christmas. It had certainly helped to steady her nerves.

The kiss grew deeper and they stretched out on the soft sheepskin rug by the fireside.

‘It feels odd, not worrying about the boys,’ Marc said. ‘But also… brilliant!’ He gave a low laugh that rumbled against Lauren’s lips. ‘Thank goodness for Aunt Bella and Uncle Noah’s fabulous Christmas present.’

‘It was such a great idea.’ Lauren smiled. ‘I mean, Minecraft onstage? They’ll love it.’

‘And we get this place to ourselves for the night.’

Lauren felt a jolt of desire throbbing like an electrical current through her body. She’d thought about this for so long; she couldn’t quite believe everything had worked out so well.

‘That’s if you want to stay.’ Marc was looking adorably uncertain again. ‘I mean… you don’t have to…’

In response, Lauren wrapped her arms around his neck. This time, the kiss was deeper, more passionate and loaded with promise. Knowing they weren’t about to be interrupted by Liam and Luca was all the impetus they needed to take that final step.

‘It’s been a while,’ Marc breathed as Lauren pulled his white shirt out of his jeans. ‘I hope I can still remember how it goes.’

Lauren laughed. ‘I don’t think it’s something that you necessarily forget!’ It had been a little while for her, too. Her last boyfriend had left for pastures new about a year back, and even then, things had been casual. This felt anything but. She slid her hands up under Marc’s shirt, luxuriating in the sensation of his warm skin against her palms, and flattered by the shiver that her touch evoked. Although she knew they had all night, she desperately wanted to see what she was feeling, so removing her hands from underneath, she began to unbutton his shirt. A honed chest, and a slightly ribby torso greeted her eyes. She immediately had the urge to feed him up with as many sweet treats as he would tolerate. His light olive skin was smooth to the touch, and a smattering of dark hair on his chest led tantalisingly downwards to his belt buckle.

‘Do I get to see you, too?’

Lauren, suddenly nervous, nodded. ‘Of course.’ She went to untie the bow on her wrap dress, but Marc’s hands got there first. ‘Allow me.’ Letting him pull the bow, she was reassured by the gasp of pleasure she heard as his hands ran over her hips, her waist and the sides of her breasts, encased in a pastel pink bra.

‘You. Are. Gorgeous.’ His verdict, between kisses, made her insides melt. And as he kissed his way from her lips to her neck, caressing the tender spot behind her ear, she let out a long, breathy sigh.

‘You’re pretty gorgeous yourself,’ she murmured.

‘I bet you say that to all your customers.’

‘Only the ones I want to sleep with!’

‘Then I promise not to make any jokes about delectable buns.’

‘Or buttering muffins…’

‘Or saucy tarts…’

‘Or well-risen loaves…’

The giggles and quips between kisses were relaxing them both.

‘You’re as daft as you are beautiful.’ Marc grinned at her. ‘And I’m glad.’

Lauren giggled. ‘I could say the same about you.’

The banter was helping, but as Lauren’s hands reached for the belt on Marc’s jeans, their expressions grew more serious.

‘Is this okay?’ Her hands hesitated on the brass buckle.

Marc nodded. ‘It’s okay.’ He glanced down at her hands, and then back up, to look her in the eye. ‘I, er, feel quite out of practice!’