Page 53 of A Touch of Magic at the Comfort Food Café
‘Yes. But we were reaching critical mass, and some kind of big row was probably inevitable had she stayed. I’ve always felt a bit… I don’t know, disjointed around my family. I’ve always felt like they didn’t really understand me.’
‘And now?’
I look up at him and fix his slightly wonky bow tie. ‘Now I think maybe she is more perceptive than I thought. Or maybe I’m not as mysterious as I thought.’
‘You, my darling Morticia, are the very definition of mysterious…’
He whisks me into his arms and back onto the dance floor. It’s a slow song, and I recognise it from the twins’ playlists– ‘Vampire’ by Olivia Rodrigo. The lyrics are dark, but the rhythm is a sensual mix of swirling crescendos and driving beats. I melt into him, my hands twined around his neck, my fingers touching his hair. I lean my face against his chest and lose myself in the moment. The music. The mood. The man.
All around me, I see other couples doing the same, as well as the younger crew singing along to the chorus as they sway. Laura has shed her sheet and is gazing up at Matt; Sam and Becca are shuffling around together, and Cal has actually lifted Zoe up mid-twirl, the Doc Marten boots inches from the floor. Cherie is sitting off to one side tapping her giant clown boots, and zombie Edie is fast asleep next to her.
I smile at my friends and at the sheer silly loveliness of them all. I remember how reluctant I felt when I first moved here. How convinced I was that I would remain an outlier, keeping a polite distance. Now, it’s hard to imagine life without them all. I suppose I’ve changed, impossible as that might have seemed.
And maybe, I think, as Aidan’s breath whispers against my skin and his hands caress my back, I can change some more. Maybe I can stop denying myself the pleasure that is very much right in front of me, mine for the taking.
As the song draws to its delicious close, I look up at Aidan. His green eyes hold mine, and I thrill at what I see in them. He wants me, and perhaps it’s time to stop wondering why and simply do what Sally suggested. Go with the flow.
‘Would you like to come home with me?’ I ask quietly. I feel the instant reaction in his body, the slight tightening of his arms around me, a quick intake of air making his chest rise and fall. He pauses, and for a second I worry that I have made a terrible mistake. That his flirting was just that– flirting.
‘No problem if not,’ I add quickly. ‘I just… um…’ OhGod. I wish the dance floor would open up and swallow me whole.
‘Of course I’d like to,’ he says, kissing my forehead. ‘One hundred per cent yes. It’s just… The dogs. I know they’d be fine– they have shelter and water and food– but… I’ve never left them alone overnight. I know I’m a sucker, but I wouldn’t want them to be distressed, you know?’
‘I know,’ I say, because it’s so obvious once he says it. His commitment to those beautiful animals is one of the things that makes me like him so much. ‘It’s okay.’
‘I suppose…’ he adds. ‘I suppose you’ll just have to come home with me instead…’
Chapter Twenty
One of the dogs howls as we drive into Hazelwell, the sound echoing from the tree line, eerie in the moonlight. I park up and watch as Aidan gets out and walks towards the door. All of them run towards him, a couple from the woods, one from the shelter, and Juno from the house. They swirl around him, tails wagging, shoving their magnificent heads under his hands.
I take my Morticia wig off and fluff up my real hair, glad of the cool night air against my skin as I quietly get out of the car. Juno runs straight over to me for love, and Argent follows a little later. The other two, Frost and Mabel, look up at me with twitching noses. I always feel a bit sorry for Mabel, because the others have such cool names. But as she’s a dog, I don’t suppose she’s bothered.
I walk slowly over towards them, and neither of them runs away back into the woods. This is a victory, and Aidan looks thrilled– even more so when all of the dogs follow us inside. This is the first time the whole pack has come into the house while I’ve been here, and I am also delighted. Maybe we’re all making progress in our own ways.
We spend a little time with the dogs, and Aidan puts on some music and pours me a glass of wine. He throws some logs on the fire, and basically lets me relax. I am, of course, nervous, but I allow myself that. This is a situation where nerves are entirely appropriate, and in their own way luscious– the tingling feeling in my tummy, the jittery dash of energy when our hands brush, the sense of anticipation.
After the dogs have fully settled, safe in the knowledge that their alpha is home, he stands up and holds out his hands. I place mine in his, and he pulls me effortlessly to my feet. I’ve shed my heels and slide comfortably into his embrace.
He puts his thumb beneath my chin and gently turns my face upwards to look into his eyes.
‘You’re trembling,’ he says softly, his other hand on my neck beneath my hair. ‘Are you scared?’
‘Yes,’ I murmur, leaning into him.
‘Don’t be. Nothing is going to happen here that you don’t want to happen.’
I nod and tentatively run my hands over his back. His jacket has been thrown on the couch, a plain white shirt beneath. ‘I know. But… if you leave this up to me, then nothing will happen. And I want it to, Aidan, I do. I’m just… unsure. It’s been a while.’
I expect a flippant comment, something along the lines of ‘Well it still works the same as ever’. But he just nods, and caresses my cheek with his palm. It’s not just that it’s been a while. It’s also that I’ve never, ever felt this way around a man before, and it is unravelling me in all kinds of ways. It feels dangerous and delicious all at the same time.
He takes my face between his hands and leans down to kiss me. It begins gently, slowly, almost delicately. Like he is giving me the chance to change my mind. When I don’t– when my fingers tug his shirt loose and slide onto his bare back– everything changes.
The kiss deepens, our lips dancing together in a way that starts a fire inside me. My hands explore his body, running over the soft skin and the steel muscle that lies beneath it. He twines his fingers into my hair, pulling me closer, kissing me with even more passion. I’m crushed against him, our bodies flush against each other, and I feel the hardness of him pressing against me. If I’d ever doubted that he wanted me, I no longer can.
I push my hands between us, fighting for enough space to undo the buttons of his shirt, desperate to see him and touch him. He shrugs it off, breaking our kiss long enough for us both to take a breath.
He smooths my hair back from my face and runs his hands over my back. He finds the zip of my dress, and pulls it down, pushing it from my shoulders. His eyes roam over me hungrily, and his expression makes me weak at the knees.
