Page 30 of All We Want for Christmas
‘He did. And, at the time, I was absolutely heartbroken, but now …’ She paused. ‘I should thank him, because without him being such a shit, I probably wouldn’t be here.’
It was also a role that Lara might never have dared to apply for while she was blinded by the stars in her eyes, working for Rob. She’d hoped – expected – to be runningthe manor as his partner, a prospect that now filled her with horror. She was more angry with herself for being duped and for somehow allowing her hopes, career and her future to rest in the hands of one person.
Rob had never considered her as a priority in his life – she’d come way down the list after the estate, his title and being seen to make a suitable marriage. Was it selfish to want to be the most important – or at least one of the most important – priorities in a future partner’s life?
‘For what it’s worth, Lara …’ At the use of her name in his soft Cornish accent, a frisson of desire rippled through her. ‘I’m glad you left Rancid Rob’s poxy little manor. If you hadn’t come to Ravendale, I’m not sure I’d be here either.’
Flynn abandoned his radio on the floor of the lift and moved closer. The warmth in the lift and his physical proximity made her flush with desire. She was a heartbeat away from flinging herself into his arms, yet she had to hold back.
‘You didn’t come here just for me …’ It was a statement and question in one.
‘You’re wrong. I did. I only booked in to the Halloween night because I’d heard about the possible job on the grapevine and I wanted to see it. The castle is great, the job is interesting, but I don’t think they would have been enough to change my mind withoutyoubeing here …youtipped the balance.’
‘No.’ Trembling inside, she forced herself to laugh off the comment. ‘You can’t make a decision like that based on someone you knew for less than a day.’
‘I’m just saying that sometimes life throws up these forks in the road. You have a plan and thenbam– you decide to take a risk.’
‘But I don’t take risks any more,’ Lara said. ‘I can’t afford to.’
‘Rancid Rob has done that. Whoa …’
The lift juddered sharply and, with a cry of shock, Lara grabbed his arm to steady herself. She quickly removed her hand, but Flynn took it in his and pulled her closer to him.
She could have backed away,shouldhave backed away, yet the adrenaline and desire surging through her made it impossible to act in any rational way. Instinct kicked in, and she tilted her chin up and met his mouth; his soft, warm, delicious mouth. It was her holding him around the waist and pressing even closer against his body. Her loving the sensation of his fingers brushing at the nape of her neck and tangling in her hair. Her loving what their proximity was doing to his body. It was Lara who kissed him harder and started to pull his shirt out of his work trousers.
‘Wow …’ he murmured, then started to kiss her back and unzip her fleece.
Rules and resolve didn’t exist while they were cocooned inside that capsule, suspended in space where no one could see them or what they were doing. But Lara’s thoughts were interrupted by the radio crackling from the corner. ‘Flynn. Come in. Over. Flynn, are you OK? Over.’
‘No. Not now …’ Flynn murmured against her mouth in exasperation.
Lara opened her eyes before reluctantly pulling away from him. Flynn let out a groan. ‘Sorry, I have to answer it in case they think something’s happened in here.’
Something has happened in here.
He scooped up the radio while Lara leaned against the lift wall, trying to steady her breathing and tame the fire that still burned inside her.
Flynn was nodding, saying ‘yes’ and ‘OK’ and ending with ‘Thanks, Carlos.’
Lara was coming down, slowly, reluctantly, when a familiar voice calling over the radio jolted her out of her post-kiss trance. It was Fiona.
‘Are you OK? This is awful. Don’t worry, we’ll have you out of there in a jiffy!’
Lara snapped to attention. ‘We’re fine. Don’t worry!’
‘We’re OK,’ Flynn reiterated.
The moment he’d turned off the radio, Lara said, ‘This can’t happen again.’
He frowned. ‘What? Ever? Or only until after Christmas?’
‘I – I don’t know, but I can’t do this. Not so soon, so fast. Not when I’m on my way again. I can’t lose everything again. I can’t get involved with another man again, not another colleague. Not someone I’d have to work with when it all goes … Please, respect that.’
‘I do respect it. I will respect it. But you can’t ask me to stop having feelings for you. Ask me to stop hoping to bump into you, fantasising about ways to bunk off work to see you.’
‘We hardly know each other,’ Lara scoffed, in an effort to hide the fact she had very similar fantasies about him.
He raised his eyebrows and smirked. ‘You could have fooled me after that kiss.’
