‘We used to have fun, didn’t we?’ Mark said softly.
‘We did.…’
‘We still could.’
Her eyes flew to his face. He wasn’t joking. His expression was serious.
He said, ‘I meant it when I said we could start again.’
‘I know.’ She didn’t. Not for certain. But she wanted to believe him.
He held her gaze. The atmosphere had abruptly changed. It was charged, electric, like the air before a storm. She couldn’t breathe. He was close, coming closer, his eyes filling her vision, his breath warm on her face.
And then he kissed her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Beatrice’s eyes flew open. One second she’d been fast asleep, the next she was totally and utterly awake.What had she done?
‘It was a kiss, just a kiss,’ she muttered, but the dream she’d just woken from had been so much more.
Oh, boy…
Hot and flustered, she pushed the covers back and got out of bed, the soft darkness hiding her flaming cheeks. A cold shower might be in order before she woke the girls.
Padding quietly into the bathroom, she pulled the light cord and winced as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. From the glow on her face and the sparkle in her eyes, she looked like she’d done far more than kiss Mark. And in her dreams, shehad.
She hoped she hadn’t looked like this when she’d got in last night, because if so, her mother would be asking questions. Ones that Beatrice didn’t have any answers to.
Despite her intention to have a cold shower, Beatrice wimped out and turned the dial up. It was bloody freezing in here: the temperature had dropped overnight and she’dforgotten to set the heating to come on, and as she waited for the water to warm up, she asked herself again, what had she done?
Filled with equal measures of dismay and excitement, she couldn’t decide whether she’d been incredibly stupid or incredibly adventurous.
Maybe Lisa could enlighten her?
Shivering, Beatrice hurried to the bedroom to fetch her phone, the steamy warmth of the bathroom a welcome reprieve from the chill when she returned.
‘Are you up?’ she asked, when Lisa’s sleepy voice answered.
‘What time is it?’
‘Hang on, I’m putting you on speaker.’
‘What’s that noise?’
She stepped into the shower, the hot water cascading over her head, the thought of a cold one long gone. ‘I’m in the shower. It’s six-thirty-five.’
‘Why are you phoning me at half past six in the morn—?Mark!Did something happen?’
‘I woke you, didn’t I?’
‘Yes, but I have to be up in ten minutes anyway, to get the kids ready for school. Go back to sleep Robin, it’s only Bea,’ she said to her husband, then to Beatrice, ‘What happened last night?’
‘Mark kissed me.’
‘Bloody hell, Bea!’
‘Iknow.’ She lathered her hair, her eyes tight shut. ‘He said I’ve got under his skin, and he wants us to start again.’
