Page 59 of Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye
Her admission felt like a fifty-pound barbell had fallen on his chest, cutting off his breath. I really thought we had something. Fuck! I shouldn’t have come. It’s made everything worse. He loosened his tie. Looks like my night’s over. “Ah. Okay…” With a tight-lipped smile, he pushed his chair back. “I’ll leave you to it. And don’t worry, I won’t text you again—”
“No!” Leia grabbed his suit’s sleeve. “Stay. Please?” Her grip loosened. “If you want to.”
“Do you want me to?”
“Yes.” She released his arm and tossed her phone on the table. “I have to tell you something.”
Oh? Is this good or bad? He sat back down. “Shoot.”
Leia closed her eyes in frustration. “I’m sorry I’m such a hot-headed freak. None of this is your fault, okay?” Her eyelashes flitted open. “Saz always meddles, thinks she knows better than me.”
“Is she older?”
“Younger.” Leia yanked the gold band on her right hand round and round her finger like each rough twist would help crank the words out. “I’m sorry I made you feel unwelcome. I just…didn’t want you to meet Sarah. I knew if she set eyes on you, she’d”—Leia pressed her lips together—“she’d push me even harder to date you.”
A slow grin roused his dimples. “So, you’ve been talking about me, Ginger?”
“Don’t let it go to your head!” Leia giggled. “You should know if I had gotten to your text before Saz, I would’ve replied.” She offered him an alluring smile. “I really wanted to see you tonight.”
“Yeah? Me too.” Tarquin inched his chair closer and lost control of his grin, sprinting through his stubble. “I had to redo a development proposal with my assistant three times because of your flirty text—the ‘naked’ bit. Jesus, Leia, thank god I was sat behind my desk.”
A blush began to brighten her cheeks. “Well, I’m pleased it had the right effect, but…” Her smile dimmed. “I’m…worried.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to hurt you—”
“You won’t!” he blurted back on auto-pilot. “No strings, right? I get it. It’s cool. That’s what I signed up for.”
“You say that”—Leia picked up the flowers—“but did you…really?” She studied the petals, then met his eyes again. “I think you might want more.”
I do, but I’ll go along with whatever this is. Maybe, if I’m lucky, there will be a chance to change her mind. He smiled. “I’m not dropping on bended knee any time soon, for anyone, okay? You don’t want serious—I don’t either.”
“You sure?”
“I just like being with you.”
Leia returned the primroses to the table. “I just like being with you, too.”
Tarquin’s heart tingled, giddy with hope and anticipation. “Well, good!” He tilted in, sweeping a piece of hair from her eyes. “Glad that’s all sorted, then!”
“So…” Leia whispered teasingly, her gaze tangling with his. “What shall we do now…?”
Christ, she’s killing me. “Don’t know. What do you want to do?”
Close enough to kiss, Leia smiled and brushed a lascivious finger across his lips. “I’m GAGGING for it, big boy.”
Tarquin burst into laughter, and Leia gave him a playful shove.
“But seriously, what’s that saying?” She giggled. “The one you British blokes use?”
“Grab your coat, sweetheart.” He smiled. “You’ve pulled!”
• • •
Pressing Leia against the wall, the cellophane-covered bouquet crinkling between them, Tarquin lingered over her mouth, her fingers lost to the warmth beneath his half-buttoned dress shirt. “Let’s get comfortable,” he whispered. “Come.” He clutched the flowers and captured her hand, leading the way down his main floor’s hallway, but something caught Leia’s eye.
“Oh! Hang on…” She tugged him back and ducked around the doorjamb, her easy smile lighting up the dark room. “A snooker table!” She dropped his hand. “Why didn’t you say?”
