He shrugged and shifted closer to me. ‘What was it like then?’ His voice reverberated in my ear, making the tiny hairs on the back of my neck rise. Heat and desire melted my insides and made my legs weak.
I turned my head to speak into his ear. The smell of his aftershave made my senses reel and I had to resist the urge to let my lips brush his skin. ‘Quieter.’
He nodded and leaned away slightly to look around the bar again. I wanted to pull him back against me and tell him to look at me, not the other people. I took another sip of wine and then another, realising I felt slightly drunk as I did so. Anthony leaned back against me and spoke into my ear again. ‘You said you met Patrick here?’
I nodded.
‘Were you out with friends?’
‘No, I was alone.’ I blushed and pulled back to laugh. Leaning in again, I put a hand on his shoulder. ‘I’d been stood up and Patrick happened to be in here.’
Anthony looked surprised. ‘Was he on his own too?’
‘Yes, he was in Chester on business.’
‘So, he came to your rescue, did he?’
I shrugged and looked away. I seemed to have talked a lot about Patrick tonight. At this rate, Anthony would think I was still hung up on him and that wasn’t true. The smell of Anthony’s aftershave was giving me a raw hunger in my stomach and I was finding it harder and harder to keep my hands to myself. I looked at the long expanse of his thigh pressed up against mine and wondered if he’d mind if I stroked it.
Anthony nudged me, a cheeky look in his eye. ‘So, do you come here often?’
I smiled and shook my head. ‘Not for ages.’
His eyes rested on mine for a moment and then dropped to my lips. My heart pounded with the expectation of a kiss, but instead he leaned forward and reached for his drink. I was instantly disappointed. Maybe I should try kissing him. He was definitely interested; I could tell by the intensity in his eyes. I hadn’t even felt like this on my first date with Patrick. We’d just talked and laughed and then exchanged numbers before he’d left. It hadn’t felt this intimate or sexually charged. I hadn’t had this heat or these chills that were making me fizz and tingle. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the fact that I’d been quite lonely and sad this past year, or maybe it was simply because he was so damn handsome, but as he put his beer bottle down and turned to talk to me, I couldn’t resist him any more and suddenly I was kissing him.
Anthony didn’t react immediately. He just sat there while I stretched up against him, pressing my lips to his. Had I made a huge mistake? Was this about to become the most awkward moment of my life?
My eyes flickered open and I pulled away, but he placed a hand on the back of my neck, drawing me back towards him. This time, he lowered his face and kissed me properly. I felt like I was floating, soft and weightless, my head spinning. The bar disappeared and all that existed for me was him. My hand was on his face, my fingers tracing the outline of his high cheekbones, the outer shell of his ear, the hollow beneath. I felt him shiver beneath my touch and it ignited a fire inside of me. I kissed him harder, pressing closer as his hand dropped to my waist and travelled down over my hip and thigh before he pulled my leg across his knee. He kissed my throat, sucking and nipping and licking my sensitive skin until I was a mass of tingles. Tipping my head back, I opened my eyes and was suddenly aware that perhaps we shouldn’t be doing this in such a public place. Even though we were in a booth and a table concealed the fact his hand was up my skirt, caressing the inside of my thigh, it wasn’t the time or the place.
Especially with a policeman.
I pushed him away, kissing his nose softly when he looked up bewildered. Understanding dawned in his eyes and he sat up and straightened his clothes. We sat for a moment, leaning into each other, and then he looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
‘Shall we go?’ he said.
I nodded and got to my feet as he took my hand and led me back outside into the night. I barely registered the icy wind, insulated as I was by lust and wine. Anthony pulled me to him and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I couldn’t stop smiling and little bubbles of happiness were bursting inside me. How had this happened? How could I be walking home with this gorgeous man I hadn’t known existed this morning? Everything seemed brighter: the moon, the stars, the streetlights. Even the pavement beneath our feet seemed to sparkle, although that was probably frost.
We reached the bridge across the river and paused to watch the water rush and burble over the weir. The naked branches of the winter trees swayed in the wind and Anthony wrapped his arms around me and kissed me again. His lips and nose and face were cold now, and I covered his skin with butterfly kisses before hugging him fiercely. He laughed and grabbed my hand to pull me on. My house wasn’t far from the bridge, and we stumbled along, laughing and chatting, and it wasn’t until I reached the end of my road that I suddenly started to question what I was doing and what he was expecting. Was he just walking me home like he’d said he would? He seemed quite keen to get to my house. Was I really going to invite him in? I liked him, but I’d only just met him and I didn’t usually go to bed with men I’d just met. My head was at war with itself, with one side telling me to have a bit of fun, and the other reminding me that tonight hadn’t even started out as a date.
The streetlight glowed outside my house and next-door’s cat weaved its way across the small patch of grass in front of my window. ‘Well, here we are,’ I said, slightly hesitant, looking at the white front door of my tiny house.
‘Well, thank you for a lovely evening,’ he said, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked down at me. His fingers were still threaded through mine and I thought how well they fit together, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I smiled up at him and stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
‘Well, thank you, too. It was certainly unexpected.’
He smiled. ‘The best things usually are.’
With some regret, I let go of his hand and retrieved my key from my bag. ‘Goodnight, Anthony.’
He kissed me again and then stepped away. ‘Goodnight, Rachel.’
Once inside, I made myself a cup of tea and sat down on the sofa to ring Elena. I was impressed that he hadn’t expected to be invited in, considering the mixed signals I must have been sending him. He was obviously a real gentleman.
‘Hi, Rachel,’ Elena said from the other end of the phone. ‘You okay?’
‘Hi! Yes, I am! More than okay, in fact. I was just phoning to say I met someone. Someone gorgeous and amazing and sweet and amazing. And he’s just amazing!’
‘Wow! Three amazings? Who is he?’
‘He’s the new tenant in the flat above the shop. Anthony, his name is. Anthony Bascombe. He came into the shop just before closing tonight and asked me to have dinner with him. He’s so handsome and so polite and he’s like a real-life gentleman. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man with such lovely manners before.’
‘What about me?’ I heard Daniel say in the background.
‘Is that Daniel? Is he listening in on this? You haven’t put me on speakerphone have you?’
‘No, but he’s in bed next to me and he overheard.’
‘Wait, you’re in bed? I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?’
‘Oh, it’s okay. Daniel can go all night, can’t you, Dan?’
‘Er, too much information, thanks!’ I shook my head, trying to rid myself of unwelcome images. ‘No wonder the poor lad looks knackered.’
‘That’s just working on the house. I’ve made him have a night off tonight so we can snuggle.’ She made contented little noises, like she was nuzzling Daniel’s neck, and I rolled my eyes. ‘So, what are you doing talking to me when you’ve met this amazing new man? Why haven’t you set about seducing him? Is he playing hard to get?’
‘Not really. We kissed in the bar and then he walked me home, but we said goodbye at the door.’
‘What? Boring!’
‘Elena, I didn’t even know him five
hours ago.’
‘And? Do I need to remind you what a crap year you’ve had? You could do with a bit of action.’
‘Ha ha! No, you don’t need to remind me. But I am a lady…’ I paused while I waited for Elena to stop howling with laughter. ‘I just didn’t think it would be a good idea, that’s all,’ I huffed.
‘So, what’s he like then?’
‘Tall, dark-blond hair that looks curly, but he styles it so it’s all neat, killer cheekbones, blue eyes, nice teeth.’
‘How old?’
‘Thirty-fiveish?’
‘Another older man? Are you sure he isn’t married?’
‘He says not but you never know, I suppose. He reckons he works too much.’
‘What does he do?’
‘He’s a detective.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. Well, I’ll let you two get back to whatever you were doing. I just wanted to share.’
‘Well, I’m glad you did. Thanks for phoning. Love you.’
‘Love you, too!’
I hung up and looked around at my empty front room. The heating had gone off for the night and the house was starting to feel cold. Suddenly, I wished I’d asked Anthony in and was snuggling with him under the covers, like Elena was with Daniel now.
***
I felt great the next morning and got up early enough to walk to work and go to the flower market before opening the shop. The world felt fresh and new and full of hope. It was still dark when I left the house and the pavement was white with frost. It made me feel Christmassy and I got a surge of excitement thinking about decorating the shop this weekend. I wondered if I’d see Anthony that day and if we could go out again this evening. The scent of his aftershave was still on my coat, and I breathed it in as I walked through the frosty morning. It made me smile and filled me with anticipation and longing.
‘You’re looking very happy today!’ Bobbi said when she came into work later that morning. She’d plaited her silvery lilac hair so she looked about ten years old. She leaned on the counter next to me, her tiny crystal nose stud glinting in the shop lights. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Nothing! Just excited about Christmas, that’s all!’
‘Really? Already?’ Her brow creased.
‘Well, we’re decorating the shop this weekend, aren’t we? In fact, I might do the window display today if we’re not too busy.’
‘Yeah, but…’ Bobbi shrugged and gave me an appraising look. ‘You look happier than that. You’ve got a proper glint in your eye. Have you met someone?’
‘Me? Who would I meet?’
‘You have, haven’t you!’ Bobbi pointed her finger in my face and bounced up and down on her cherry-red Doc Marten’s. ‘Who is he? Tell me!’
‘Shh, no one.’ I looked around furtively to check no one was about. ‘I met the new tenant from upstairs yesterday. We went out for dinner. His name’s Anthony Bascombe and he’s gorgeous!’
‘Really? Oooh! And you went out for dinner with him? Tell me more.’ Bobbi rested her chin in her hands and looked up at me with huge brown eyes, like a child waiting for her bedtime story.
I shook my head. ‘There’s not much to tell really. We ate dinner, he walked me home, end of story.’
‘Was there a kiss? There was a kiss, wasn’t there? Tell me there was a kiss!’
‘Yes, there was a kiss.’
Bobbi squealed and clapped. ‘Hurray! A man at last.’
‘Oh, thanks, Bobbi. Nice to know you have such faith in my love life.’
‘Well, you know, after Patrick and everything we were all a bit worried.’
I rolled my eyes and walked through into the back room. I’d bought some mistletoe from the market this morning and had planned to make kissing balls to display in the window. We’d been quiet so far today and it would be good to make a start. It would give us something to do between customers anyway and free up some time at the weekend. Plus, it might stop me obsessively looking out of the window, waiting for Anthony to stop by. I kept telling myself he was work, but my stupid head wouldn’t listen. I kept staring at the door hopefully. Bobbi and I chatted as we worked and it didn’t take us long to make the kissing balls and fill crystallised vintage jars with white flowers and red berries. We suspended them from a large rustic branch that was fixed in the window display. It usually had floral birdcages hanging from it, but I’d decided to just have one large birdcage in the base of the window filled with a sprawling display of red and white roses, green foliage and large red sparkly balls. When we’d finished, Bobbi went outside to check what it looked like. I waited for her response, only to find she wasn’t looking at the window display at all; she was staring off up the street instead. Feeling impatient, I rapped on the glass to get her attention.
Bobbi jumped at my sharp knock and looked back at me as if she’d been somewhere far, far away. I pointed at the display and rolled my eyes when she turned back to look in the direction she’d been gazing in before, as if in some kind of trance, and offered a half-hearted thumbs-up to placate me. Annoyed, I opened the door and stepped out into the street to have a look myself.
‘Oh, that looks quite good, doesn’t it?’ I said, pleasantly surprised. ‘Maybe we should add a string of fairy lights around the branch. What do you reckon?’
‘Really good,’ Bobbi said, not looking at me or the display at all.
‘You don’t think it’s too plain, though? I think Mum might think it’s too bare.’ Bobbi didn’t respond. Frowning, I followed her line of sight, only to find Anthony Bascombe standing a few feet away, deep in conversation with a tall, black-haired man. Heat surged through me and my legs turned to jelly.
‘Do you think he’s famous?’ Bobbi whispered. ‘He’s gorgeous.’
I sighed deeply, annoyed that my stomach had gone all fluttery at the sight of him. ‘No, that’s Anthony!’
‘Really?’ Bobbi’s jaw dropped just as Anthony looked up and saw us watching him. He smiled and raised a hand before returning to his conversation. Realising I was staring in much the same way as Bobbi, I took hold of her sleeve and dragged her back into the shop. ‘Oh my God! You didn’t tell me he looked like that, did you?’
‘I said he was handsome.’
‘Not that handsome. Not James Bond handsome!’
‘James Bond handsome?’ I gave Bobbi a look, starting to laugh. ‘You’re crazy, you know that?’
Bobbi laughed and pushed her fringe from her eyes. ‘What? He looks all smooth and sophisticated and handsome, but also like he could abseil down buildings and fight off baddies.’
‘And you can tell all that just by looking at him from a distance, can you?’
‘Well, you said he’s a detective, didn’t you? That’s a sexy job.’ She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively.
‘Is it?’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘Not if he works all the time, it isn’t.’
‘Hey, why are you so negative all of a sudden?’
‘I’m not negative. I’m just trying to be sensible, that’s all.’ I took a deep breath and hid my shaking hands behind my back. I was quite alarmed by my physical reaction to him.
Bobbi rolled her eyes. ‘Do you want a cup of tea? I’m a bit chilly from standing out there.’
‘Go on then. Thanks.’
She disappeared into the back of the shop just as the front door opened and Anthony walked in.
‘Good morning,’ he said, cheerfully.
‘Hi,’ I beamed at him, feeling my cheeks turn pink. ‘How are you today?’
‘I’m well, thank you.’ He walked towards the counter, his eyes on mine. He certainly looked very well in his silver-grey suit. Little sparks of electricity were flying around my body. ‘You were up early this morning. I noticed your car had gone when I went to work.’
‘Yes. I managed to wake up early despite your being such a bad influence on me.’
‘Ah, ha ha, yes,’ he said, without much humour. He cleared h
is throat, uncomfortably, and my stomach dropped. Was this where he said it was all a mistake?
Just then, Bobbi came out of the back carrying a cup of tea. ‘Hello!’ she said, beaming happily at Anthony. ‘I’m Anthony.’
‘No, you’re not, you’re Bobbi!’ I hissed.
‘Oh, yes!’ Bobbi jumped at her mistake and slopped tea onto the floor. ‘Sorry! Yes, I’m Bobbi and you’re Anthony. Der. I’ve heard lots about you already from Rachel.’
‘You have?’ Anthony’s eyebrows shot up. ‘All good, I hope?’
‘Of course.’ Bobbi beamed at him, skilfully ignoring the pointed look I was giving her. ‘Did you have a nice evening last night?’
‘Yes, thank you.’ He looked slightly uncomfortable but smiled kindly at her. ‘Listen, Bobbi, it’s lovely to meet you, but would you mind if I was terribly rude and borrowed Rachel for a minute. I just need a quiet word.’
‘Oh! Okay. Go in the back, I’ll do the shop.’ Bobbi winked at me and I rolled my eyes at her, bracing myself for bad news. He’d warned me he was no good at relationships, but I didn’t expect him to be this bad this soon. I led him through into the back room.
‘Have a seat,’ I said, pulling out a wooden chair from under the table.
‘No, I’ll stand, thank you.’ His eyes flickered across my face and then down to the floor. ‘Rachel, this is slightly awkward, but I’ve been talking to my colleagues at the station and they’ve given me a bit of a bollocking.’
‘What do you mean?’ Anxiety was zipping through my veins and I felt slightly sick.
‘I’m so sorry, let me explain. You may have noticed I asked quite a few questions about Patrick last night? We’re actually trying to find him at the moment as we’re investigating him on charges of fraud.’
My jaw dropped. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I wanted to know if you were aware of anything or if you’d been in contact with him recently.’
‘I don’t know anything and I have no idea where he is.’
‘No, I believe you, I really do. But I was naïve in thinking that meant we could eliminate you from our enquiries. My chief inspector wants to keep all lines of enquiry open and that means you’re part of a live investigation.’
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe Page 3