Page 82 of Under A Sicilian Sky
He nodded. ‘Okay, I’ll walk you.’
Ruby waved a dismissive hand. ‘No, stay and have fun. I don’t want to spoil your evening.’
He shook his head. ‘You’re not. I’m ready for off now anyway. I don’t remember you having a coat.’
She cringed. ‘No, that was rather silly of me. It wasn’t too chilly outside when we came down.’
He held up a finger. ‘One sec.’ He disappeared from view down the corridor that led to the exit, reappearing moments later with his own jacket. ‘Here you go. Stick that on.’
She glanced at the jacket but said, ‘No, it’s fine, you’ll be cold, if—’
‘I insist.’ He slipped the jacket around her shoulders. ‘Ready?’ He held open his elbow and she linked her arm through it.
They left and stepped out into the chilled mid-April air. The moon was bright in the star-filled sky above and no one else was around. The music from inside the hall could still be heard, Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ echoed around them.
Mitch stopped and turned to face Ruby. ‘Hey, I never got a slow dance with you at the end of the night.’
She crinkled her nose. ‘No, that’s a shame.’
He held out his hand. ‘Shall we make the most of the rest of this song?’ he asked, nodding towards the hall.
She laughed lightly. ‘But… aren’t you cold?’
He simply shook his head and smiled as he slipped his arms around her waist. She moved her hands up his arms and rested them around his neck, and they swayed to the music. Out of the blue, he took her hands from where they rested and spun her around, releasing her to the length of his arm and reeling her back in again. She giggled as she twirled. Once she was in his arms again, she smiled up at him as he gazed down at her and quietly sang the lyrics. She found herself wishing he meant them.
She could feel the alcohol in her system having the usual effect. She was feeling brave and determined, strong even. There were so many things she wanted to say to him. But, instead, she slipped her hands into his hair and slowly pulled his face towards hers until their lips were almost touching. His warm breath feathered her lips, light and slightly faster than normal. She locked her eyes on him, willing him to take the next step. He seemed reluctant and a frown graced his handsome features. She knew what he was thinking; she was leaving soon, and they could never make it work, but for this one night, she didn’t want to think about that. She didn’t want to be reminded of her real life. She simply wanted to be kissed in a way that stole her breath, that made her whole body hum with delight.
When he didn’t move, she pushed up onto her tiptoes and gently touched her lips to his. A gentle, undemanding kiss to test the water. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, she waited for him to push her away, ask her what the hell she was thinking. Instead, he crashed his mouth into hers, inhaling deeply, gripping her body and holding her so close she could feel every ridge and dip of his torso. He slipped one hand into her hair and one inside her coat, the expanse of his large hand almost covering her back, fingers splayed and then scrunching the fabric of her dress. It was the kind of kiss you saw in movies but never experienced in real life – well, she certainly hadn’t until now.
Eventually, he pulled away and they stood there panting, out of breath, searching each other’s eyes. He silently gazed down at her and she up at him, both unsure of what to say. She didn’t want to break the spell and was terrified he would.
His eyes widened. ‘I’m so sorry, I don’t know what—’
She placed a finger on his lips. ‘Please. Please don’t say anything else, okay? That was probably the best kiss I’ve experienced in my whole life, so please don’t ruin it by saying it can’t happen again.’ She pleaded at him with her eyes as well as her words. ‘Let’s just go home.’
She turned and dashed off towards the house, leaving him in her wake, tears stinging at her eyes and the cold air biting at her skin. She reached the front door and waited, out of breath, for him to catch up, unable to lift her gaze to meet his in case she saw what she expected in his expression.
‘Hey, why did you go running off?’
She turned and glared at him. ‘Because I knew what you were thinking.’
He frowned. ‘And what might that be?’ he asked as he unlocked the door.
She fought back tears as she stepped inside and removed his jacket, before hanging it on the hook and turning to face him again. ‘That I’ll be leaving soon, and that you can’t be with me because you’d hate to be famous so you couldn’t live in my world.’
He stepped closer, a look of deep sadness in his eyes. ‘That’s all true, Ruby. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t want you. I just don’t want to hurt you in the long term. I can’t ever see myself living how you live, everyone knowing who I am, everything I do being pored over and scrutinised.’ He inhaled deeply. ‘But let me tell you this, I’ve wanted you from the moment I set eyes on you back in Palermo. You were so incredibly sexy and feisty. And I’ve never known someone make me laugh like you do, whether on purpose or not. God you drove me mad, and you still do, but I’m so drawn to you. I wanted to punch Clark, because of how he treated you, but more than that, because he got to kiss you and hold you in his arms while he danced with you. I wanted that, I wanted you… I stilldo, Ruby.’
Even though she knew this was never going to be anything permanent, even though she wasn’t the type to have a one-night stand, Ruby couldn’t bear the thought of never kissing him again. She knew that her attraction to him had been there from the start. She’d simply fought it; good-looking men were all self-serving and extremely dangerous to her heart.
Except Mitch wasn’t.
He was kind-hearted, protective and warm. His looks were just a bonus really.
Her heart ached again as she thought about the temporary nature of this whole situation, of her time in Glentorrin, of never actually being able to call Mitch hers. But in spite of all those worries and regrets dancing around in her mind, she closed the gap between them and kissed him again. His lips were firm yet yielding and the desperation he had for her was evident in his kiss. Bravely, she took his hand and led him up the stairs to her room. He followed silently but willingly, desire clear and unfaltering in his eyes.
Once inside the room and the door closed behind them, she turned for him to unzip her dress. His fingers traced the skin of her back as he lowered the fastening. He placed gentle, sensual kisses along her shoulder and up her neck until he reached the sensitive spot behind her ear, sending shivers over every inch of her skin. She closed her eyes and sighed as pleasure radiated through her veins. She let the dress fall to the ground and stepped out of it, then turned in his arms and began to unbutton his shirt.
His chest was muscular with a light smattering of dark hair. A silvery scar was visible on his shoulder from his accident, and she placed a gentle kiss on it. She traced the outline of his pectoral muscles and watched as his Adam’s apple moved in his throat. His eyes closed. His racing pulse visible in his neck.
