Page 74 of Only for Christmas

They broke away from each other, both dazed and unwilling to let go.

‘Oh, it’s you two,’ Diana said, waving her fist about. ‘Like that, is it? Well, sorry to interrupt your canoodling, but my nebuliser ain’t working and me breathing’s not so good. I need you in here, Doctor.’

Lucas stared down into Sarah’s flushed face. ‘I’d better help her.’

Sarah swallowed awkwardly. ‘Of course. No problem. She needs you. I understand.’ She seemed unsteady on her feet.

‘You okay?’

‘Absolutely peachy. See you tomorrow.’

‘Night, Sarah.’

He kissed her again, and for a moment things threatened to reignite, until Mrs Kelsey shouted, ‘Are you going to leave me standing out here in the cold all night?’

Sarah stepped away. ‘You’d better go. Thanks for tonight.’

He watched her disappear up the steps and into the building.

With a heavy sigh, he headed down the steps in the opposite direction towards his neighbour. ‘Coming, Diana.’

It wasn’t the ending to the evening he’d hoped for.

Chapter Fifteen

Friday, 23rd December

When Lucas knocked on her door promptly at seven p.m., she knew the time for avoiding him was over. He’d been dealing with Mrs Kelsey today, so she’d gone to visit Harper this morning and they’d taken the boys out for a long walk with Fred. When she’d returned to the flat, she’d played loud music, indulged in a long hot bath and pretended not to hear the numerous knocks on her door throughout the day. It wasn’t very mature, but she’d needed time to recover from last night.

Slipping her feet into a pair of black court shoes, she checked her appearance one last time and headed into the hallway. The fundraising ball was listed as a black tie event, but she hadn’t felt much like dressing up. Still bruised from her fall and her horrible encounter with Stephen, she didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to herself. That said, she’d stand out more if she didn’t make the effort, so she’d opted for a knee-length, dark green dress, and jazzed it up with dangly gold earrings. With her hair loosely pinned up, she felt suitably dressed up for a night out.

Drawing in a deep breath, she opened the door, unsurprised to find Lucas standing on the other side smiling at her. If she’d briefly panicked that Stephen might show up, as he’d threatened to, her fears had vanished when Fred hadn’t started barking. The clever animal now knew when it was her friendly neighbour at the door.

‘Hi there.’ He looked suave and ridiculously good-looking in his evening suit, complete with black tie and silver cufflinks. ‘You look amazing,’ he said, leaning closer to kiss her cheek. ‘Nice perfume. What is it?’

‘Can’t remember. It’s a sample I picked up when I went shopping with Harper.’

‘It suits you.’ His gaze was appreciative and her nerves subsided a fraction. He had a way of complimenting her that didn’t freak her out. Unlike when Stephen checked her out and she felt violated.

‘Glad you like it.’ He smelt good too. His blonde hair was fashionably styled and she’d never known a man with such neat fingernails. ‘You look nice too.’

‘Thanks.’ He crouched down and rubbed Fred’s ears. ‘Ready to go?’

She picked up her clutch bag and coat. ‘I’d be lying if I said I was looking forward to tonight.’

‘It’d be a shame if you didn’t enjoy yourself. Think of me as your wingman. Fake date. Protector of your honour, and fetcher of drinks.’ He offered her his arm. ‘At your service, ma’am.’

Smiling, she closed the door behind her. ‘Stay close, okay?’

‘That’s the plan.’

Accepting the offer of his arm, they headed down to the waiting taxi outside.

‘You booked a black cab?’

He opened the door for her. ‘I didn’t want to go home without experiencing one last taxi ride.’

They climbed in the back seat together and settled in for the ride. Lucas slid closer and reached for her hand.

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