Free It's Now or Never by Jill Steeples Page B

more low-key, meet for dinner or something.’ He raised an eyebrow, a smile quivering at his lips. ‘What do you reckon? Oh, I remember, you blew me out for dinner. Shame.’
    I felt a heat rise in my cheeks and suddenly our corner of the tea room felt very claustrophobic. I shifted my gaze away from Alex and let it drift around the room taking in the other customers; mainly yummy mummies meeting up for their morning coffee, singletons transfixed by their laptops and couples chatting away animatedly. A normal everyday scene, and yet here and now for me the scene was charged with an underlying fizzing electricity.
    â€˜Look,’ I said, desperate now to clear the air. ‘I’m sorry for not replying to your texts, I just thought…Well I thought it would be better if…’
    â€˜Yes?’ said Alex, chewing on the inside of his cheek, clearly relishing every moment of my obvious discomfort.
    â€˜Well, I thought it would be better if we just moved on and forgot that evening ever happened.’
    â€˜Oh right’. He chuckled and shook his head. ‘It was that good, was it?’ He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his mouth grimaced in feigned umbrage. ‘I know your type. Using me for your own personal ends and then just callously tossing me to one side when you’ve had your evil way with me.’
    I was relieved he was laughing, but I still felt mortifyingly embarrassed. I hadn’t expected to see Alex again, nor did I expect to have to explain.
    Memories of the night spent in his deep double bed flittered into my mind. In truth, I’d thought of little else these last few weeks; the way his deep intense gaze had devoured me, his warm seductive voice whispering in my ear, his touch on my skin taking me to peaks of delight I could only ever have imagined before. I knew I’d be dancing with fire to go anywhere near this man again. Much better to avoid getting involved in the first place than having to piece together the fragments of a broken heart a few months down the line.
    I’d set a precedent that night, falling into bed with him so easily, and there was nothing I could do to change that now.
    â€˜It wasn’t like that. Look, if I’m being honest with you…’ I looked over my shoulder to check no one was listening to what I was about to say and then I lowered my voice. ‘That night I acted totally out of character. Honestly, I’m not sure what came over me. It might surprise you to know that I’d never had a one-night stand before.’
    â€˜Actually, that doesn’t surprise me at all.’
    â€˜Oh.’ Was it that obvious I was still wearing my ‘L’ plates as far as one-night stands were concerned? ‘Well don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed that day we spent together, and the evening bit, obviously,’ I said, blushing. ‘I was flattered that you got in contact and asked to see me again, but the thing is, I’m really not looking for that sort of relationship.’
    Alex remained quiet for a moment, a quizzical look on his face. He ran a fingertip along an imaginary line on the table. I watched his hand as it traced a trail in front of me.
    â€˜And what sort of relationship would that be?’ Alex asked, looking up at me.
    â€˜Casual sex,’ I said quickly and rather too loudly, judging by the sideways glance from the man on the next table. ‘I mean it was lovely and everything, and it’s nothing personal against you, but I’ve realised I’m really not cut out for that sort of thing.’
    â€˜Ah okay.’ I thought I saw the beginnings of a smile on his lips, but he bit it back. ‘That wasn’t what I was actually suggesting. I just thought it would be good to get to know you a bit better. I was thinking more along the lines of… dinner. You know, a proper date. It was just an idea though. I completely understand that you might not want