Page 67 of Oar Than Friends

She laced her hands together and placed them in her lap, though I could see a sly grin peaking her lip. ‘Sounds perfect.’

I put the car into drive and eased off, almost immediately slamming on the brakes and the car back into park. ‘Fuck!’

‘What? What’s wrong?’ Her face shot to mine in panic.

Twisting around to her, I cupped the back of her head, and pulled her in. ‘I forgot this.’

Her perfect mouth melted into mine with a soft sigh which travelled straight to my dick as quickly as if it had been fired from an arrow. The faint taste of cherries from the balm coating her lips hit my tongue as it swiped along the seam of her mouth, desperate to reacquaint itself with its mate. Thrusting my fingers up the nape of her neck, I gripped her thick, damp strands of hair, pulling her in as close as I could get her, needing her closer, though it dawned on me that maybe I’d never get her as close as I wanted her to be.

Definitely not when we were on time constraints, anyway.

One more swipe around her mouth and I pulled away with a soft pop. Her lips were slightly swollen, considerably pinker and now glistening with my saliva instead of her balm. My dick thumped hard, and I found myself battling whether to scoop her up and take her back to her room – something I was sorely tempted to do – or continue with our dinner plans – something I should do.

The angel shouted the loudest and the latter won, but I allowed myself a final brush against her lips.

‘Now we can go.’

I might not have had her as close as I wanted, but I kept my hand on her thigh for the entire journey, her fingers laced in mine.

Thirty minutes later we were sitting at a table near to the roaring fire. I’d spent enough time in here to know that the oldish guy with the beard, and a Labrador sitting at the foot of his bar stool, was the local vet named Thomas. I also knew that the seven other people scattered about in one corner, plus the four at the table on the other side of the fire, was about as busy as the Red Fox was going to get for a Saturday evening.

I wasn’t kidding when I told her we wouldn’t bump into anyone.

The pub was situated on a hill at the top of a steep, unlit road, and unless you knew the path through the adjacent field, then it was unlikely you were going to visit. Which was just fine for the owners, Matthew and Emily. Olly and I had discovered it several years ago when I was trying to escape a random paparazzi who’d followed me from a race, and his scooter hadn’t been able to make it through the potholes. We’d stayed all day, and returned again the following weekend.

It was the perfect spot for us to hide.

She shucked off her raincoat and laid it over the spare chair next to her. ‘It’s so cute in here.’

Kate might have been looking around at the ornate carvings above the fireplace or the collection of eclecticornaments placed in every nook and cranny, but my eyes were glued to her, and only her.

The rain had smudged her mascara slightly and a grey smear ran under her lower lashes, but all it did was highlight how green and bright her eyes were. Her cheeks were glowing pink from the warmth of the fire, while her damp hair curled over her shoulders and down her back as it dried. My brain was flooded with images of wrapping it around my fist while I buried myself inside her, over and over again. I knew without checking that my heart rate was kicking up as I watched her; her eyes darting over random inscriptions dotted about the room, or smiling at a painting she found interesting.

But as far as I was concerned, she was the most interesting thing in here, and I couldn’t look away.

She floored me. I couldn’t even explain it because I wasn’t sure I understood enough to, but she’d knocked the air from my lungs.

She was the definition of breathtaking.

‘What? Why are you looking at me like that? Oh god, I bet I look like a drowned rat. I’ll be back.’ Before I could stop her she ran off, so quickly I didn’t get the chance to properly appreciate her in a pair of jeans which hugged her thighs like they’d been custom made. I knew it was too much to hope she’d have left the smudges or not flattened down her hair.

By the time she’d returned I’d ordered a bottle of sparkling water and poured it into the glasses on our table.

‘I had make-up all down my face!’ she hissed, sliding onto her chair.

‘You looked beautiful to me.’

Her face softened with a smile. ‘Thank you.’

I nodded to the glass of water. ‘I didn’t think you’d want to drink, but the wine list is on the wall if you would like anything. I can order a bottle.’

She ran her fingers around the top of her water glass. ‘I thought I might need something to take the edge off, but water is fine. I don’t need anything else.’

I studied her as she sipped her water and put the glass back down, ‘Are you nervous?’

‘A little … No. Maybe.’ The corner of her lip edged up, ‘I wasn’t expecting to go on a date today. We’ve only FaceTimed, and real life is different.’

‘What are you talking about? We’ve had two practice dates on the river.’ I winked.

---