Page 21 of The Price of Love
‘So if we’re only talking about ten thousand pounds, then I could get it for you tomorrow.’ I paused. ‘Or, at least, as soon as the bank can transfer it.’
‘No.’ Luke shook his head. ‘I can’t let you, Willow. It’s not fair. James and I already owe our dad fifteen thousand for money he’s put in. We’ve got round that by making him a silent partner in the business, which means he gets a share of the profits, when we make any, but—’
‘Then make me one,’ I said quickly. ‘A sleeping partner, or whatever. Then I know I’ll get my money back eventually. It’ll be like investing it. Oh, go on, Luke. Please.’
‘Well.’ Luke ran a hand through his hair. ‘I don’t know, Will. It’s a lot to ask and you realise you’ve got no guarantee of getting the money back if the whole thing goes under?’
‘It’s only money.’ I grinned. ‘I didn’t have any before. If I haven’t got any afterwards, then at least I will have had fun in the meantime.’
‘You’ — Luke kissed the side of my neck — ‘are a very special woman, do you know that?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘And I know we’ve only been together a few weeks but I’m very afraid . . .’ his lips trailed down and his fingers releasedbuttons on the way, ‘that I’m going to have . . .’ my groan nearly drowned out his final words, ‘. . . to marry you.’
I pretended not to have heard. I didn’t react. Not to his words, anyway. My body I couldn’t control so well and we slid together on the sand under the cover of his jacket. Cold, salty skin, lips tasting of the sea and pounding pleasure like the waves on the rocks. I was given the added edge, of course, the reassurance that Luke wanted more than this. He was thinking of the future, a future which included me.
* * *
‘And we had sex on the beach and I’ve never done that before.’
Jazz rolled his eyes and Katie gave me an arch look. ‘Next you’ll be telling us that you’ve never had sex on the backseat of a Vauxhall Nova, and I know for afactthat you did with Darren Simmonds, after Heather’s party during Freshers’ week.’
‘No. ’S true. Never on the beach.’
Jazz grunted. ‘Might as well rub your knob with glasspaper,’ he said getting up to buy another round. ‘How about you, Kate? You ever done the sand ’n shag?’
‘Two words, Jazz, Blackpool and twins. It’s not an experience I’m in any hurry to repeat. But yours sounds absolutelyincredible, Will! Did he really propose?’
I lowered my voice. ‘I’m not sure. I mean, he never mentioned it again, so maybe it was just something that slipped out.’
Jazz gave a smutty guffaw.
‘In the heat of the moment. Don’t get me another, Jazz. I’d better go.’
Katie made a face. ‘Oh, why? I thought we were going to sit here and analyse your sadly unexperimental sex life.’
‘Fascinating as the topic is, I’ve got a brother at home having a nervous breakdown in the attic, another one that’s gone missing completely, a sister who spends hours on the phone every evening trying to persuade me to bring Luke for dinner again, no doubt so that she can recount the cute story of how I poohed in the bath when I was three. And if that isn’t enough, I’ve got Ash’s boyfriend ringing me up and being professionally weird.’
‘And a boyfriend of your own who might want to marry you, you think. Unless you misheard.’
I wondered, on my way home, what Luke could have said that I might have misinterpreted. I’m going to have to — carry you? Bury you? In any event, I wouldn’t have been human if I hadn’t popped into WH Smith and picked up, quite casually you understand, the latest copy ofBridesmagazine. Oh, andYour Wedding. And a marriage special from one of the glossy monthlies and, to my consternation,Horse and Hound, because there was an article in it about hiring carriages. Cut me some slack here, please. I’m thirty-two and this is the nearest I’ve ever got to a wedding. Oh, apart from when Katie and Dan got married and I was the hideous bridesmaid. So leave me alone for a bit with my fantasies of Vera Wang silk sheath dresses and the veil-versus-tiara debate, all right?
I read all the magazines, carefully, and then put them in a heap under my bed where they wouldn’t be found by any rogue brothers. Although, come to think of it, Flint hadn’t come down from the attic for a couple of days, and all I’d heard from Ash was a postcard from Prague where he was, even now, roaming the streets ‘conducting an in-depth body-piercing survey’. I bet. I wonder if Cal knew?
* * *
It took a few days but I arranged for ten thousand pounds to be paid into Luke’s account, at which he was grateful, but not pathetically so. ‘When I get the rest of the money from Ganda’s invention, I can always put some more into the company, if you want,’ I said as we left the bank.
‘Well, only ifyouwant to.’ Luke took my hand. ‘I don’t want it to be said that I’m trying to part you from your cash. I hope you’ve told everyone that you’re doing this of your own free will.’
‘Of course.’ I smiled pertly.
Chapter Eleven
Katie had raised eyebrows. ‘Are you sure he’s not just after your money, Will?’
‘How could he be? We’ve been going out together since way before I had any, since before I even knew I wasgoingto have any.’
