Page 44 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

‘Thank you.’ I checked the time and my eyes widened. ‘Shit! I have to get ready! I have a date with Fraser!’ I bolted from Archer’s home, Eva jogging at my heels. We ran all the way home and burst in the door panting.

Maddie was pacing the hallway. ‘You are cutting it fine, Beatrix Stonehaven! I can’t work miracles you know!’ She wrinkled her nose at my appearance. ‘Shower. Now!’

‘Yes, ma’am!’ I took the fastest shower of my life but still took the time to shave the parts that needed to be smooth. Maddie had set out my favourite black-lace underwear, and who was I to argue with her? I slipped them on and pulled on my dressing gown. ‘I’m decent,’ I hollered down.

‘Doubtful,’ she sassed back. She came out of her room with her arms piled high with clothes.

I suddenly realised that she’d done her own hair and makeup. ‘Where areyougoing?’

She flushed. ‘I have a date with Lestat. That’s why you need to hurry your red-haired ass up!’

‘My ass isn’t hairy!’ I shot back and started to paw through the clothes whilst she dried my hair.

In the end I picked a black denim skirt, some black knee-high boots and a pale-blue top that complemented my colouring. As I dressed, she swore at me for moving and when my hair was done, she did my makeup like a professional. ‘Wow,’ I admired the effect. ‘You should have been a makeup artist.’

She’d piled on a tonne of makeup but by the time she’d finished highlighting and blending it, it didn’t seem likeI was wearing any at all: my friend had made me into a natural beauty. ‘Thank you!’

‘You’re welcome! Now, I have to run. You be good – and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’

In unison we both said, ‘Which isn’t saying much!’

Maddie air-kissed me and skittered out of the house on her way to her own date. Things were looking up for the women of Stonehaven Cottage.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

‘I’m sorry I’m a little late,’ I said as Fraser opened the door. ‘I didn’t want to run and ruin all Maddie’s hard work.’

He smiled. ‘You do look stunning – but I’ll still dream about the kiss in the sea,’ he admitted. ‘You looked stunning then, too, without a hint of makeup.’

‘Thank you.’ I smiled shyly; I felt awkward receiving compliments.

He looked delectable as usual. He was out of his customary suit and was wearing washed-out jeans and a T-shirt; that touch of a surfer vibe made my insides a little hot. As usual, he was barefoot and he smelled divine. He was so delicious … and he was mine, if I wanted him. And boy, did I want him. I wanted him so much I was tempted to skip dinner and dive straight into dessert…

‘Follow me to thekitchen,’ he said, oblivious to my lecherous thoughts. ‘I’ve got a glass of Oyster Bay with your name on it.’

I needed a glass to calm me down, so I followed him. He reached into the huge American-style fridge and handed me a wine glass withBeatrixwritten on it in swirly black letters. A laugh burst out of me and my heart lifted. ‘Oh my gosh! It really does have my name on it! You must have searched everywhere to find it.’

‘It was worth it to hear that laugh.’ The smile faded from his lips and his eyes darkened. ‘I’d do almost anything to hear that laugh.’

We’d skated right into flirty territory. I bit my lip. ‘I make other sounds too,’ I admitted, my voice a shade breathier than I’d intended.

‘Do you, now?’ he asked and I nodded as he stepped closer. ‘Let’s see if we can coax a few of them out.’

His mouth found mine in a kiss that stole my every coherent thought. It started slow and teasing. Then he deepened it, one hand curling around the back of my neck, the other tugging me flush against him. The heat between us flared as I felt the hard lines of his body against me. I parted my lips, breath hitching, and when his tongue swept in, a soft moan escaped me. He smiled against mymouth like he’d won something, and I was too far gone to care.

He pulled back after a few breathless minutes. ‘We have dinner,’ he said regretfully. ‘We’re going to eat together, Beatrix, because I can see you’re running on empty.’

‘And when I’m refuelled?’

His smile sent a jolt of desire right through me. ‘And then,mo chridhe, I’ll tear some more of these sounds from your throat.’

My mouth went dry. ‘That sounds good,’ I squeaked, making him smile even more. I sucked at dirty talk.

‘Food first,’ he insisted.

I licked my lips and tried to remember how to make normal conversation. ‘What is it? The food, I mean?’

‘Home-made ravioli with burrata and truffle stuffing and Tuscan sauce, served with rosemary and garlic focaccia, followed by a crème brûlée.’

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