Page 137 of One for the Road
Wasn’t that what a partner was supposed to do?
Bloody hell. I couldn’t believe I was actually considering this.
Any of it.
“Hey, Jess . . . If I win the Cairn & Crust on Saturday, five thousand will be enough for a few months’ rent.”
Grinning, she bumped her shoulder against mine. “Then yer’d better win.”
37
Alistair
“You look nervous.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re really pale,” Isla pointed out.
Shit. “I just—” I scrubbed a shaking hand over the back of my neck. “Is it me, or is that a lot of people?”
We were standing with the other Cairn & Crust contestants behind the temporary stage. Food stalls were set up on the village green for the occasion, along with the very ancient-looking Ferris wheel that was dragged out for every major village event. A crowd of at least one hundred had gathered and, right in the centre, I spotted my family clustered in a group. My mum, Heather and the twins were spread out on a blanket. April sat on a deck chair, accepting a small handheld fan that Mal had pulled from a backpack. I knew Juniper had to work this morning, but Callum was already there, holding Teddy on his shoulders so she could wave a glittery sign that read: “Mummy and Ali are pie-fect!”
My heart thumped. Stomach twisted.
Isla took in the crowd. “Looks about right. It’ll pick uplater. The competition takes about three hours from start to finish. Some people just come down for the results.”
Shit.
She looked really fucking pretty today. Bare-faced and wearing that pink dress I’d last seen crumpled on my bedroom floor. When she’d greeted me this morning and suggested it might be easier if we drive to the contest together, she’d smiled at me, so big, so wide. And I couldn’t even fully appreciate it because I was so terrified of screwing this up for her, I hadn’t slept a wink the night before.
“Bakers, this is your five-minute warning; I repeat, your five-minute warning,” Duncan, the competition host, called, and those nerves shot through me again.
Like this morning couldn’t get any worse, Annabelle appeared, clipboard in hand. Cameron, looking sullen, trailed behind her. When he caught sight of us, his scowl melted into a full-on glower.
“Do you think he even told her he was begging you to take him back only a week ago?” I said, glaring right back at the slimy fucker.
“I don’t care about them.” Isla grabbed my arm, turning me to face her. Before I could speak, she pressed up onto her toes to rest her hands on my cheeks. “I need you to focus. Are you good? Can you do this?”
Her eyes were so full of determination, my mouth dried. I managed a nod. “I can do this. I’ll give the judges a fucking lap dance if that’s what it takes for you to win.”
She laughed.God, I’d missed that sound. Missed her and Teddy like a limb had been severed. “Aiming for anotherGazettearticle?” she asked. And she was still holding me, her thumbs dragging down to my jaw and meeting at the point of my chin.
What was happening?
Wild hope lit up my insides. A shot of adrenaline straight into my bloodstream. This wasn’t the time but – “Why are you looking at me like that, Lang?”
Her lips twitched. “We should talk about this after the contest—”
“Now,” I interrupted, and caught her waist. It’s funny how you could push feelings aside for weeks, yet the moment you knew exactly how you wanted your life to go, waiting another minute for it to begin suddenly felt unbearable. “You’re looking at me like you want to kiss me, honey. Right here in front of everyone. And I need to know if it’s for Cameron or—”For me.
I didn’t get to finish because her lips were on mine. Firm. All-consuming.
I pulled her into me, stumbling to press her against the back wall of the stage. The plywood was rough between my fingers, splinters biting as I caged her in. I didn’t care. Her hands curled into my shoulders, moaning needily into my mouth as I eased her feet from the floor.
Fuck. A pathetic part of me didn’t even care about the answer. Didn’t care if this was a pity kiss or a goodbye kiss. I couldn’t get enough.
Never would.
