Page 20 of Hooked On The One That Got Away
As if drawn by the force of her indignation, the man turned. He was wearing a faded T-shirt and cargo pants, and his hair was a shaggy light brown. And he was gazing at her with a desperate, naked longing.
All thoughts of cookies vanished, along with any lingering doubts. Willow ran right to him, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him as hard as she could. And Charlie grabbed and held her and kissed her right back.
Chapter Fifteen
After a million years of fierce, hungry kissing, Charlie paused, and against Willow’s mouth, murmured, ‘I think we might be breaching a few bylaws. Ones relating to public indecency.’
Willow glanced around and saw several tut-tutting glares. Mainly from older folk who made a hobby of tut-tutting, but still, Charlie had a point. She released him and stepped back a fraction. To her surprise, the bunch of irises was still in her hand and still intact.
‘Nice flowers,’ said Charlie. He was holding the cake stall paper bag in front of his groin. Casually trying to conceal evidence of what had been serious hard-on, Willow noted with a smile. She also noted that the bag was somewhat – squashed.
Charlie glanced down. ‘Yes, it seems we flattened my brownie. And now it’s forced to become my modesty shield. It deserves better.’
‘Was it the peanut-butter stuffed brownie?’ Willow asked, though she already knew the answer.
‘I couldn’t decide between it and the banoffee slice,’ Charlie said. ‘But I could sense people getting antsy behind me, so I went for the brownie even though it’swaytoo big for one person.’
‘We could share it?’ Willow suggested. ‘Back at my place?’
‘Oh, god.’ Charlie threw her a helpless look. ‘Willow, are you sure?’
‘No …’ Willow admitted. It wasn’t right to lie, no matter how much she wanted him. She didn’t want there to be any secrets between them ever again.
‘No,’ Charlie confirmed, softly.
He bent his head and touched his forehead to hers. ‘Let’s go take a walk. Somewhere, anywhere. We don’t even have to talk to each other. Let’s just – be together for a while.’
Willow slipped her hand in his. ‘I still want some of that brownie.’
‘Goes without saying,’ said Charlie. ‘Come on, let’s wander.’
It wasn’t far from the market to the river path. It was extra busy today – there was some kind of ultra-marathon on, and runners who looked as if they had regrets were slogging up from the north end. Charlie and Willow spotted a cheery sign that said,Only eight miles to go!
‘Poor bastards,’ said Charlie. ‘Those last eight miles are going to feel like eight hundred.’
‘That sounds like the voice of experience,’ Willow said, curious. Charlie before had played weekend football and ridden his bicycle. He’d hated running.
He screwed up his mouth in a wry smile. ‘It was the easiest way to keep fit,’ he told her. ‘And I turned out to be good at it. Who knew?’
That explained his present leanness, thought Willow. It didn’t explainanythingelse, like where he’d been, how he’d lived, who he’d livedwith, why he’d come back and the million-dollar question – why he’d left in the first place. But Willow was strangely content to let that unfold in its own good time. Strolling along beside the river, Charlie’s warm hand in hers, their bodies close, was all she needed right now.
She smiled up at him, and as he smiled back, she saw there were still hollows in his cheeks and dark rings under his eyes. He noticed her frown of concern.
‘I’m okay,’ he said. ‘I’mexhausted, but I’m okay.’
And before she could protest or interrogate, he kissed her again, softly this time. Met her questioning gaze with another wry smile.
‘I promised I’d tell you everything soon,’ he said. ‘But how about I tell you what I can now? Or I could just get down on my knees and grovel?’
‘Maeve said you owed me a Kohinoor Diamond-sized apology,’ Willow told him. ‘That’s alotof grovelling. Hope your knees are up for it.’
‘HowisMaeve?’ said Charlie, with a grin. ‘Or do I not want to know?’
‘Pursuing a barman with attitude and possibly demonic powers.’
‘Well, she sold her soul when she joined the advertising agency,’ said Charlie. ‘Sounds like they’re perfectly suited.’
Another group of runners sweated and puffed past them.
