Page 14 of It's Only Love

“Yes, I did too.”

As he bent his head, she sucked in a breath; their lips met in a gentle, sweet kiss. His lips were soft, the light pressure was nice, he wasn’t forcing his way in like she hated some men doing but before she knew it, the kiss was over.

“Would you like to go out again?” he asked, his voice even and unaffected.

“Yes, I would love to.”

“Great, I’ll call you.” He gave her hand a squeeze, she said goodnight and watched him leave, he waved as he drove off. As she got ready for bed, she analyzed the kiss. It had been nice, good but chaste. She knew he was a nice guy, had always been nice, not arrogant and overbearing. She didn’t need to worry about him stealing her money and going on the run like Alfiehad done.

It was a nice kiss but there wasn’t any heat. Beau seemed fairly unaffected by it, not exactly swept away with passion. She wasn’t swept away by the moment either. Calm down, it takes time to get to know someone, to learn what they like and to push their buttons. Just give it time, you’re not looking for ‘forever’ just a distraction until you leave again, she reminded herself. She got into bed feeling calmer and relaxed. But as usual, the nightmares plagued her. Except this time they were interspersed with dreams of a blond-haired, blue-eyed devil which left her panting and needy when she awoke in the morning.

*

Christy didn’t think the bar would have been busy on a Sunday at lunchtime, but she was wrong, the bar seemed to be packed all the time, which was great for Taylor. She met Justine and Taylor for lunch, they couldn’t really go anywhere else as it was Taylor’s shift and she was training a new girl.

“So...” Justine said when they were all seated in a booth. “Tell us how your date went and don’t spare any of the dirty details.” She waggled her eyebrows.

“Spare me the dirty details, I’m about to eat thank you,” Taylor replied dryly. “Actually you were out with Beau so nothing exciting would have happened anyway,” she added, Justine rolled her eyes.

“What is your deal with him?” Justine asked.

“Nothing,” Taylor shrugged, when she said nothing more, Justine turned back to Christy.

“Well, I want dirty details, I need them. You probably had sex this morning.” She nodded towards Taylor. Justine was still a virgin which was rare these days for someone of her age, but she believed in true love and wasn’t willing to settle for anything less. She was saving herself for Mr. Right. She’s probably the only person sitting in this booth who still believes in true love. Justine went on a lot of dates, determined to do her bit to find him but he was elusive and so far, nada. Taylor grinned at Justine,

“Oh, I had sex this morning, with myself,” she said, waving her fingers in Justine’s face.

“Gross,” Justine chuckled, batting Taylor’s hand away.

“Hey, you asked!” Taylor griped.

“No, I speculated. Correctly as it turns out,” Justine retorted, and they were laughing as the new barmaid, Kayleigh, appeared at the table with their food. After they had taken their plates, Kayleigh stayed in place, shuffling her feet nervously.

“Everything okay?” Taylor asked between clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but the oven is making that banging noise again,” Kayleigh replied softly.

“You remember what I told you? Open the door, bang the top three times in quick succession, kick the side twice and then close the door gently. That should stop it.”

“Okay, thank you,” Kayleigh replied, bobbing slightly and hurried away.

“You need a new oven,” Justine commented.

“Did she just curtsy?” Taylor asked.

“I think so,” Christy giggled. As they ate their food she told them about her date with Beau. Justine sighed periodically and gushed over everything Beau did while Taylor scoffed, tutted and criticized everything he did.

“He just gave you a quick kiss before leaving you all alone? Didn’t even put any effort into it? Lazy that’s what he is!” Taylor said heatedly. Christy looked at Justine who was smothering a laugh behind her napkin. When they finished their food, Taylor started gathering their plates together.

“Well chica’s, this was fun, but I’ve got to get back as I have a client,” Justine said, grabbing her purse.

“Is it the peeper?” Taylor joked.

Justine sighed “No, it’s his wife.”

“I’m going to hang here for a bit, I don’t really like being at the house on my own,” Christy said, and Justine gave her a sympathetic look. “I’ve got calls to make and a funeral to finish arranging anyway.”

Justine leaned over, kissed her cheek, and said, “If you need any help then I’m right here.” Christy thanked her and waved goodbye. When Justine had left, Taylor turned back to her.

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