I roll my eyes. ‘Please don’t air that to the world. God, everyone is going to think I’m such an idiot.’
We start giggling quietly into each other’s shoulders.
‘I’ll try and find out what Porscha’s up to, but from what I have seen, you can more than hold your own out there. You’ve been brilliant so far.’
It’s exactly what I need to hear. Our bodies are pressed up against the wall. I can feel the firmness of his body against mine. My breasts are almost popping out of my dress. He hesitates and moves back slightly to give me more room. Our faces are an inchapart. I want to kiss him so badly. ‘You better go before someone notices you’re missing,’ he says breaking the spell. ‘By the way, you look beautiful in that dress.’
I warm at the compliment and bite my lip seductively, lost in his kind eyes, his gentle tone and his overall niceness. He feels like home. Like fun. Like nights lying on a fur rug in front of a roaring fire. Like a whole lifetime of joy just waiting for us to realise it.
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ he whispers in my ear, before pulling away to give me a look that suggests the exact opposite. He opens his mouth to say something but thinks better of it.
There’s an energy between us. He can feel it. His eyes search my face. ‘Christ, Libby,’ he pleads in a low voice. He steps closer and runs a hand lightly down my arm. ‘We shouldn’t.’
Yes, we fudging should. It’s the blind spot.
The seconds tick desperately by as my heart thumps in my chest.
Here we go again. Kissing moment take three.
I reach up and pull him to me.
He smiles and blinks slowly. ‘Are you sure about this?’
I can barely get the words out. ‘Never been surer.’
His warm lips touch mine, tentatively at first, gently caressing, then in the next breath, he surprises me by really going for it. I match his passion and arch into him.
This is everything I imagined and more. It’s like fire surging through me, liquid gold powering through my veins. He breaks off panting to give me a bewildered look.
He can feel it too.
He smiles at me before deftly switching on the microphone and disappearing into the darkness.
My heart is pounding. My lips are tingling. My head is in a complete spin. I lean back against the wall to recover. After a fewseconds, I clear my throat and make my way to the terrace all flustered.
I. AM. FALLING. FOR. HIM.
I climb the slippery stairs to the terrace very carefully. I try to clear my mind of what just happened with Cam. For all it was the best kiss of my entire life, maybe I should not have kissed him. I’m a terrible person. He is trying to help me while I am trying to seduce him. He will get sacked if we are discovered. My lust for him is overriding my ability to make sensible decisions. My heart is beginning to rule my head for the first time in my life and it scares me.
I shake the thoughts away. I must concentrate on what evil thing Porscha has in store for me next. I reach the terrace to see Giovanni is waiting with our drinks. He is lounging on a daybed scattered with giant brightly covered cushions. He has arranged himself as though he is posing for a men’s magazine shoot. I look at the two mocktails perched on the coffee table.
In hindsight, I’d wished we had picked a better codename than pineapple because while the fruit itself is pleasant enough, I’m not a fan of the juice. ‘Thank you,’ I say, sitting down on a cushion beside him. I tuck my legs underneath me and try to get into a position that is vaguely comfortable. Whoever designed this thing has obviously never had to sit on one.
Giovanni stares at me, grinning, while I wait for him to start the conversation. ‘After you,’ I say.
‘After me, what?’ he says as though I’m flirting with him.
‘After you as in you can go first to talk.’
‘What do you want me to say?’ he asks, still grinning as though there is some hidden meaning.
‘Whatever you want.’
He looks panic-stricken.
It’s as though the man has never before taken part in a conversation.
I roll my eyes. ‘Tell me about this novel you’re writing. Does it have a feisty protagonist with a tragic character arc? How many POVs are you writing in? Are you in first draft or is it polished and ready to go? I’m sure you’ll have no end of publisher offers at the end of this show.’
