Page 33 of Kissing Games
Charlie opened the door and his smile made her heart ricochet around inside her. He waited for her to speak.
She swallowed. ‘I need a new suitcase,’ she began. She saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes but his smile didn’t waver. ‘And I don’t know where to get one.’
‘Two seconds,’ he said before disappearing into the room. He emerged with Bandit and his jacket in his hand. ‘I’ll drive you to Inverness. Kinloch’s too small.’
They walked down the corridor, Valentina’s fingers curling into Bandit’s fur.
‘Do you have a car?’ she asked.
He smiled and she imagined a flash of light on his perfect teeth like a toothpaste commercial. He was ridiculously good-looking.
‘For you,’ he replied, ‘I’m going all-in.’
12
‘Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.’ Valentina crossed her arms. She was standing outside the front of the castle, Bandit at her side, looking at Charlie as he parked in front of her.
He leaned out the driver’s window, a shit-eating grin on his face.
She shook her head. ‘A Rolls-Royce?’
‘Do you want me to dress up as a chauffeur? I look really good in uniform.’ He wiggled his eyebrows. Bandit barked in agreement.
‘Could this be any more—’ She uncrossed her arms, describing larger and larger circles with her hands.
‘Cool?’
‘Obvious. Ostentatious. Over the top,’ she replied, her hands coming to rest on her hips.
Charlie stroked his chin, his brow furrowing as if lost in thought. ‘All I heard there was oh, oh, ohhh. And that sounded good to me.’
Her insides combusted. ‘You are an obstinate, overgrown, oaf!’
He held her gaze. ‘Oh, oh, ohhh,’ he replied with a devilish smile.
There was a pause as energy hummed between them, then Valentina gave up and laughed. ‘You are impossible. Now please tell me why this is the only option?’
‘Rory’s grandfather bought it back in the fifties. Rory refuses to use it as he says only dickheads drive them, and his mum thinks it’s too big. Someone needs to keep it ticking over.’
‘But won’t everyone stare?’
‘I’ll park at the back of the Tesco car park and we can walk from there. It’s massive and half empty at the best of times. No one will notice, I promise.’ He got out and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door for her. Valentina’s cheeks heated as she passed him and sunk into the cream leather seats. ‘I’m just going to drop Bandit back with Rory. Back in a bit.’
She nodded and he strode off, whistling for Bandit to follow.
Valentina let out a sigh. The car was almost as big as her apartment in LA. She ran her fingers over the polished walnut dashboard and took photos to send to Isabella later. Before she knew it, Charlie was back and they eased out of the courtyard. Valentina wrung her hands and winced as he drove through the narrow streets of Kinloch, convinced he was about to scrape the car into another or bash into a building.
‘Have a little faith. It’s not my first time,’ he said with a smile.
She sat on her hands and looked straight ahead.
‘I’ve driven tanks through streets narrower than these.’
‘And did the streets survive?’
‘Most of the time. There was one incident involving a wall, but no one was hurt.’
She gave a harrumph in return and tried to relax. The car was luxurious but she felt like an undersized doll inside it. Stretching out her legs, they didn’t even reach the end of the footwell. She sneaked glances across at Charlie as he drove. He fitted in perfectly. He had the same size, looks and attitude as the car. He’d thrown his jacket on the back seat and was only wearing a T-shirt. Valentina’s mouth watered as she took in his arms. The corded muscles moving under the skin, the swirls of tattoos snaking up his biceps. She could see a pulse in his neck. She counted his heartbeats, feeling them deep inside her. He was too hot and now so was she. She’d dressed for Scottish weather, with a bobble hat and a big scarf. Now she couldn’t breathe. She ripped off her hat, unwound her scarf and ran her fingers through her hair.
