Page 93 of Under Your Spell

He chokes on a laugh, winces. ‘Oh God, sorry. I thought it would be Mum trying to not so subtly make the case for more grandchildren.’

‘It was actually in the context of a conversation about Ripp.’

‘Oof. Not sure that’s better.’ He picks up my hand, presses a kiss to my palm. I curl my fingers like I’m planning to hold on to it forever.

‘I’m having a nice time,’ I say. ‘I really like your family.’

‘They love you.’ Theo turns to me now, and his eyes glitter, stars there too. ‘Lisa’s already told me she’d choose you over me if we ever split up. Mum and Dad want to know if you’ll be coming for Christmas.’

My heart squeezes. ‘Christmas is almost six months away,’ I say.

‘I know,’ Theo sighs, sounding almost sad about it.

We’re quiet for a while.

‘I’ve never made plans with anyone before,’ Theo says softly, ‘but you make me want to buy a five-year diary just so I can write your name on every page.’

I laugh, the sound bright and scattered in the darkness. ‘I love you,’ I blurt, because at this point not saying it is a lot harder than saying it. I feel like I swallowed the sun and I’m trying to hide it from everyone, including myself.

Not anymore.

Theo exhales softly, a sound of relief. He pulls me across his lap, wraps his arms around me, presses a kiss next to my ear. ‘Clemmie, I am so in love with you,’ he whispers.

Then he kisses the pulse at my neck, the corner of my mouth, my eyebrow, my throat. Soft, sweet touches of his lips against my skin that make me feel cherished, even as they set my heart pounding. By the time our mouths meet, we’re both breathing heavily. My lips open under his and his hand cups my calf, moves up over my knee, all the way up to the top of the split in my skirt, his touch warm and heavy. I reach up, pull on his tie and it unravels in my fingers just the way I’d imagined.

‘Do you think Lisa will be upset if we miss the rest of the rehearsal dinner?’ I ask huskily.

‘She and Rob actually slipped away twenty minutes ago,’ he murmurs, his thumb brushing the inside of my thigh in a way that has me taking a sharp intake of breath. ‘And honestly, I think I deserve a medal for turning up at all, given the way you look in this dress.’

‘It’s a very nice dress,’ I pant, his fingers skating closer to the edge of my underwear.

‘It is,’ Theo agrees amiably. ‘Let’s go and take it off you.’

Chapter Thirty-Five

‘Come to LA,’ Theo says later when we are wrapped around each other in bed. My green dress is pooled on the floor, his tuxedo is scattered around the room at various interesting stopping places.

My heart stutters. ‘I can’t.’ I wiggle away from him. ‘I can’t just follow you around. I have to sort my life out. I need to get serious about job applications, contact anyone who might be able to help. Maybe take on some sessional teaching.’

‘You don’t have to come on Sunday,’ Theo says, pulling me back close. ‘Come in a week or two. For a visit.’

‘You’ll be recording then,’ I say against his chest.

‘I want you there.’

‘How can this possibly work?’ I whisper it, hardly wanting to say the words aloud. ‘When we live over five thousand miles apart?’

It’s one of the questions I’ve been too scared to ask, but we’ve run down the clock. There’s no time left. Theo leaves on a private flight in less than forty-eight hours. I feel like even asking the question is removing the pin from an emotional hand grenade, but he doesn’t flinch.

‘It will work because we’ll make it work,’ he says calmly. ‘We’ll see each other as much as we can and once you figure out what you want to do and where you’ll be based then I’ll be based there too.’

I prop myself up on my elbow. ‘What?’ I ask, startled.

‘Sorry, is it too soon to talk about getting a place together?’ Theo rolls on his back, smacks his palm against his forehead. ‘God, I have absolutely no cool around you, but we can slow everything down. We don’t have to talk about that yet, or at all, if you’re not ready.’ He’s rambling slightly now, nervous.

‘It’s not that.’ I shake my head, consider. ‘Okay, it’s not just that because, yes, it is fast, but we’ve been living together for weeks and I’m sort of dreading that part being over…’

He sits up, his expression hopeful. ‘Really? So we can talk about it?’