Free Kiss the Tiger by Raquel Lyon

settled for savouring the unbelievable fact that
I was finally on a date with my dream man.
    Josh’s head turned and he mouthed
something, whilst pointing to a rocky cliff. I smiled in response. Then a few
minutes later, we stopped at the end of a sandy track and he turned off the
engine.
    “What is this place?” I asked.
    “Some old ruins.”
    “I meant is it somewhere famous?”
    “Did you see me rooting out my
wallet to pay us in? I told you I was taking you somewhere off the map.”
    “I was simply wondering if there
was a story attached.”
    “Don’t know. Don’t care. I just
like to come here sometimes.”
    “With girls?”
    “That sounds a lot like jealousy.”
    I stared out to sea. However red
my cheeks were before, I was sure I’d added fifty shades of crimson.
    “Don’t worry. You’re the only
girl I’ve brought here.” A cheeky glint shone in his eyes. “All the others said
no.”
    I tapped his arm playfully.
“That’s not funny.”
    “Yeah, it is.” He took hold of my
hand and pulled me forward. “This way. There’s a great view back to town, over
here.”
    We clambered up the jagged
ground, over crumbled walls and fallen columns, until we reached the highest
point of the cliff. Across the bay, the town almost grew out of the surrounding
hills and hugged a perfect horseshoe of sand.
    “It’s beautiful.”
    Josh wasn’t taking in the view;
he was surveying me. “So are you.”
    My tummy fluttered, but I ignored
the pull of his gaze, choosing instead to continue my observation. “The air
smells different here. It’s so peaceful and unspoilt. I love it. So many people
don’t appear to have much and yet don’t seem to want for anything either.
Everyone is really laid-back and always smiling. It’s perfect.”
    “And you know what? It looks even
better upside down.”
    Huh?
    He climbed up to the top of a
large stone and sat on the top with his back to me. I hoped he wasn’t expecting
me to climb up there too. It had never occurred to me to pack crampons.
    I shielded my eyes from the sun
and gazed up at him. “I am not getting up there.”
    “Spoilsport. Where’s your sense
of adventure?”
    Shifting position slightly, he
leaned back, with his whole torso dangling from the top, and I feared he would
fall. His head dropped level with mine.
    I giggled. “What are you, about
twelve?” It was weird looking at him from this angle. My first thought was of
those YouTube videos where people painted faces on their chins and said stupid
stuff, but then my mind quickly flicked to Spiderman, and I had an overwhelming
need to find out if an upside down kiss really was as erotic as it appeared in
the movie. “You’ve ruined your Mr Cool card.”
    Sitting back up, he chuckled. “I
didn’t know I had one.”
    “Are you kidding me?”
    His trainers stirred up a dust
cloud at my feet as he jumped down.
    “I remember you in college: the
motorbike, the leather jacket. And as for this,” my finger reached towards the
tiger, stopping short of actual contact and pulling back sharply, “need I say
more?”
    “You like the tattoo, eh?”
    I loved the tattoo, but I wasn’t
going to give him the satisfaction of gushing. “It’s all right.”
    “I wish I’d known you were
checking me out.”
    “I wasn’t checking you out.”
    One corner of his mouth curled
sceptically. “No?”
    “No.” I hoped I sounded
convincing.
    To avoid any further questioning,
I turned, walked to the edge of the cliff, and listened to the waves crashing
against the rocks below. The ocean was stunning. Small specks of white dotted
the great expanse of turquoise and mingled with more colourful flecks closer to
the opposing shore.
    Lost in the beauty, I took
another step forward. Earth crumbled under my sandals and scattered down to the
sea.
     

 
    Chapter Eleven
     
    Josh’s arms encircled my waist and
he tugged me back sharply. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” I swivelled in his hold,
and unwittingly, my hands