Page 24 of The Plot Twist

‘Hard to forget meeting a bestselling author, especially when I saved her from a dark alley.’

Allie laughed.

‘Don’t mock,’ Will said, deadpan. ‘I felt like the hero in one of your books.’

For the second time in a day Allie felt genuine amazement that someone had read one of her books, before reminding herself that he didn’t necessarily mean that he’d actuallyreadone of her books, just that he understood the standard tropes of the romance genre.

‘Are you here to save me again?’ she asked, realising with a delicious thrill that maybe she was actually flirting with this man.

‘Do you need saving?’

Allie felt her cheeks turn red and nodded in what she hoped wasn’t too eager a manner. ‘I could do with an excuse not to go back into the party.’

‘Then I’d love to be your excuse,’ Will replied, ‘come with me?’

The way the invitation was issued made Allie exhale deeply. ‘Yes,’ she replied, embarrassingly breathily.

He led her round a corner to the back entrance of the bookshop and held the door open, ushering her inside and then leading her back into a small kitchen area. The penny dropped.

‘Oh, of course, you’re working tonight. Sorry, I shouldn’t interrupt.’ Allie began to back out of the doorway, mortified at believing that Will had been flirting with her. He caught her hand, stopping her. ‘It’s OK. I’d like the distraction. Stay with me while I plate these up?’ He gestured to some boxes of food laid out on the surface behind him. ‘It won’t take me long.’

Allie looked down at her hand held by his and then up into his eyes, feeling a wave of heat sweep through her body.

‘Erm, OK, sure.’ She allowed herself to be pulled back in.

‘Not many places to sit, sorry, but I won’t tell health and safety if you want to sit up here?’

Allie contemplated the brushed steel surface he was pointing at and before she could think through any complications she hopped up onto it and crossed her legs, realising this brought her almost eye level with Will. He smiled at her and rolled his sleeves up, giving her another tantalising glimpse of that tattoo. She cleared her throat, embarrassed by the way she was quite clearly ogling him and tried to think only pure thoughts as she watched him deftly unboxing the food and laying it out on the platters.

‘Hungry crowd tonight, this is the second round. My colleague dropped off the first round earlier.’

‘Leaving you in charge tonight?’

He turned and looked at her, his eyebrow raised in amusement. ‘Yes, I’m in chargetonight.’

Flummoxed by his inflection, she said nothing.

‘Here, try one of these.’ Will leaned over, holding what looked like a tiny goat’s cheese tart. She took it from him, their fingers brushing, and he watched as she ate it, not taking his eyes off her lips.

‘What do you think?’

Allie didn’t know how to respond. Was it appropriate to say that the tart was almost as delicious as the man who had handed it to her? It was all she could manage to say ‘mmm, good,’ without spraying crumbs everywhere.

Will bit back a smile as if well aware what was on her mind. ‘Do you want to try this?’ he said and for a split-second Allie was hoping he was pointing at himself. Rather disappointingly, it looked like he was offering a small puff of pastry. He walked over to her, so close now that her knees touched the fabric of his shirt, and she looked up at him, wondering if he felt that spark running through him every time they touched.

Knowing that she was staring, she quickly took the food, managing this time to rather more eloquently ask afterwards, ‘What was in that one?’

‘It’s choux pastry, filled with crab meat. Actually I probably should have checked first that you’re not allergic.’

Allie clutched at her throat.

‘Oh god, youareallergic!’

‘I’m joking!’ Allie laughed, grabbing his arm as she did so. ‘Sorry, that was mean. The look on your face though.’

Will’s face relaxed, and he placed a hand on his toned chest, causing Allie to once again look at the way his shirt stretched over it. ‘Thank god, because I have to confess my knight in shining armour routine doesn’t stretch to handling anaphylactic shock.’ He went back to his food prep and then looked back at her over his shoulder. ‘I’m glad I didn’t poison you, wouldn’t say much about my cooking.’

‘Wait, youmadethem?’ Allie looked at him in amazement. ‘I thought…’

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