Page 117 of Love ad Lib
She squeaked and lost her grip on the bowl. He caught it before it smashed on the ground.
‘Shit! Thank you, I, er, thank you.’
He smiled. ‘I’ve decided that making you flustered is my second favourite thing to do.’
‘Oh.’ She licked her lips. ‘And, er, what’s your, erm, first favourite thing to do?’
He paused, holding her gaze. ‘Making you come.’
Libby chatteredthe entire way to the field of flowers. Very little input was required from Henry. All he had to do was catch her eye during a lull in her monologue, raise an eyebrow and imagine all the different ways he wanted to pleasure her body.
Without fail, her mouth would open and a new stream of delightful commentary would burst forth. He hoped this was confirmation that she liked him. He’d decided to ask her to stay with him when they got back to London. It may have seemed a crazy decision to anyone looking dispassionately at how long they’d known each other, but to him, it was crazier still for Libby to live with Claire and Ritchie and their new baby when she didn’t even have her own room.
The thought of her struggling made him feel ill. At his, she could have her own space if she wished and come and go as she pleased. And he wanted to have her around. Libby brought light and joy to everything in his life, even his bonkers family.
But how would she react to this suggestion? Would she even want to see him again when they got back to London? Was this weekend simply ‘faking with benefits’ for her?
‘Henry, is everything okay? You look unhappy.’
He managed a smile. ‘I’m fine. Gram-Gram wants us to visit, so once we’ve got the bowl in place, we could wander over there? If that’s okay with you?’
‘Yes, sure. I’m going to cover it with a muslin cloth so we can leave it outside overnight. You promise you won’t leave me alone with your grandmother?’
He shook his head. ‘Never.’
23
‘But where’s Marie? Why can’t she go?’ Henry demanded.
Libby’s stomach knotted as Gram-Gram’s lips thinned.
‘My dear boy, she can’t be expected to be on call any hour of the day or night.’
‘Yes, she can. That’sexactlyher job. And when she takes time off, the agency supplies cover for her.’
Gram-Gram waved her hand dismissively. ‘I never know what I’m going to get with temporary staff and I knew you were coming. I don’t quite see what the problem is.’
Libby perched stock still on the edge of a chintz sofa. This visit was not going according to plan. They’d been in the drawing room of the Dower House less than a minute, and Henry’s grandmother was asking her grandson to leave.
‘Gram-Gram, forgive me, but I don’t understand why Marie has left it until the last possible moment to collect your prescription. Surely a nurse would ensure you had at least a couple of weeks in reserve?’
‘Oh, don’t blame Marie, it’s not her fault. There was a mix-up at the surgery.’
Henry ran his hands over his face as he looked at Libby.
‘Can it wait until later? Tomorrow?’
His grandmother peered at him over the top of her glasses. ‘No, it cannot.’
‘Okay, we’ll nip into the village now.’
Gram-Gram extended her cane across Libby’s lap, like a bar locking her into the seat of a roller coaster. ‘Elizabeth will remain here.’
‘But—’
‘It’s okay, Henry,’ Libby interrupted. ‘I’m sure you won’t be long, and I promise to be on my best behaviour.’
He glanced from her to his grandmother as Gram-Gram’s eyes glinted with the light of victory. All three of them knew it wasn’t Libby who was at risk of behaving badly.
