Page 11 of The Allotment on Willow Tree Lane

‘It would be a comfort, although she’d probably tell me not to lie on the grass in case I got a chill. She loved her garden, did my gran.’ He pointed towards the heavens. ‘I can see Mars, I think. I wish they’d turn the marquee’s lights out; it’s too bright to see anything else.’

‘Do you stargaze often?’ she asked.

‘Not often enough.’

‘Me, neither.’ She really should rectify that, she thought, especially now she no longer lived in a city. Nights in Foxmore were considerably darker than those in Cardiff, and more stars were usually visible. Foxmore was more peaceful too, she decided, as the last bars of something she didn’t recognise faded and she realised that the wedding reception was drawing to a close.

She should say goodnight to the happy couple, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Damon also seemed content to remain where he was.

‘Do you have to go?’ she asked, deciding she ought to check. She didn’t want him to feel obliged to keep her company.

‘Do you want me to?’ he countered.

‘No…’

‘Then I won’t.’

Ceri propped herself up on her elbows, watching guests trickle through the gate and onto the lane. Laughter and voices carried on the air, and she marvelled at how far noise travelled at night.

Keeping her voice low, she said, ‘Will anyone miss you?’ not realising she was fishing for information on whether he had come to the party with someone until she had uttered the words.

‘No.You?’

His reply didn’t address the question she wanted an answer to, but she could hardly ask him outright if he had a wife or girlfriend.

‘I doubt it,’ she said, lying down again and closing her eyes. ‘I think I’ve done my bit for today. It was fun and I had a blast, but I’m shattered now.’

‘You can’t sleep out here,’ he warned.

‘I wasn’t planning to. I’m just resting my eyes.’

‘I think you’ve had too much to drink.’ He got to his feet and leant over her.

Ceri opened one eye. ‘I most certainly have not.Youdrank most of that bottle.’ She opened the other eye. ‘You can go if you want. I’ll be fine.’

‘I’m not leaving you on your own in a field in the middle of the night,’ he protested. ‘Come on.’ He held out a hand.

Reluctantly she grasped it and allowed him to pull her upright, but as she got to her feet she stumbled into him, her body coming up against his, and she put a hand against his chest.

The night abruptly grew darker and more intimate as she froze, every cell tingling at the unexpected contact.

His hand was still holding hers; his other arm had encircled her waist to steady her.

She could feel the heat of his chest through his shirt, and the tension thrumming through him. The same tension that held her rigid and unmoving.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Ceri had no idea how it happened, but suddenly they were kissing, his mouth urgent and demanding as he pulled her closer.

Her lips parted and his tongue found hers, and desire tore through her. Knees beginning to buckle with the force of her unexpected lust, she clung to him, the kiss frenzied and all-consuming as it swept her away on a tide of longing.

Ceri thought she might have been the one to end their passionate clinch, but equally, Damon might have been the first to pull away. She couldn’t tell. All she knew was that it was over, leaving her breathless and wanting more, but too shocked to make any further move.

To be fair to Damon, he looked pretty dazed too, but whether it was from lust or the suddenness of the encounter, wasn’t clear.

What had got into her?

She didn’t normally kiss men less than an hour after meeting them. The intense emotion of the day must have affected her.

---