Jill Mansell - Falling for you

‘Where can we go?’ said Maddy.

‘I told you, anywhere in the world. Actually, Siberia’s bloody freezing. How would you feel about Barbados?’

‘I mean here, while we’re secretly seeing each other and doing our best to hate each other. Every time we go out I’ll be terrified Marcella might see us, or friends of Marcella might see us and tell her.’

She gestured in desperation. ‘Or friends of friends, and God knows there must be thousands of them around. Don’t you see, we can never go anywhere.’

‘ Fine.’ Kerr shrugged, unperturbed. ‘We’ll just have to stay here and make our own entertainment.’

‘But it’ll be like being stuck in a prison cell,’ wailed Maddy. ‘It’ll be boring!’

‘I’ve been called a lot of things in my time. But never boring. Anyway, why does it have to be?

We can play card games. Watch documentaries on the TV. Make Airfix kits, do giant jigsaw puzzles ...’

He was teasing her. Maddy squirmed with pleasure as his hands settled around her waist, his thumbs idly stroking her back. She was getting the distinct impression that the jigsaw puzzles he had in mind comprised two pieces.

‘This isn’t going to work.’ She held her breath as his warm mouth brushed her collarbone.

‘OK, you’re right, let’s forget it.’ Abruptly spinning her round, Kerr marched her back to the hall, yanked open the front door and

‘Noooo!’ shrieked Maddy.

He closed the front door.

‘Think it might work after all?’

She exhaled slowly. Kerr, having successfully called her bluff, regarded her with amusement.

‘Maybe.’ Trembling again, Maddy leaned back against the wall.

‘Sorry. Not good enough.’

‘OK. We’ll do it.’ What choice did they have, after all? The alternative – not seeing him again –

was unthinkable.

‘Wise decision.’ Smiling, he kissed her again. Feeling as though her whole body was on fire, Maddy wrapped her arms round his neck and kissed him back. Twannggg, went her bra strap and for a split second she thought Kerr had unfastened it.

‘That definitely wasn’t me.’ Raising his hands, he protested his innocence. ‘I didn’t do that.’

Bugger, he was right. With impeccable timing, Maddy realised, her left shoulder strap had chosen this moment to snap.

‘Sorry, it’s an old bra.’ Wryly, she added, ‘The excitement must have been too much for it.’

‘You see? That’s one of the things I like about you. What colour is it?’

‘Um ... sort of coffee coloured.’ Mocha, actually, but Kerr was only a man. He wouldn’t understand.

‘And what colour are your knickers?’

Oh, the shame. But since modesty clearly wasn’t an option, Maddy said, ‘Black.’

Anyway, with a bit of luck he’d find this out for himself before too long.

‘Do you know how much I love it that you’re wearing a brown bra and black knickers?’ Kerr said happily.

Brown? The horror. Unable to help herself, Maddy blurted out, ‘Mocha.’

There was a difference.

‘Whatever. I just ... all my life, whenever I’ve been out with girls and undressed them for the first time, they’ve always been wearing brand new super-lacy matching bra and knickers. It’s so contrived, it makes me feel as if I’ve been set up. The situation just doesn’t feel spontaneous any more.’

‘If you feel that strongly about it, you could always try not undressing them,’ Maddy pointed out.

‘It doesn’t put me off that much. Anyway, I’m just saying it makes a refreshing change, and I really like it that you aren’t the kind of girl who meets a new man and rushes out to buy a sexy new bra and knicker set.’

‘This isn’t going to work,’ said Maddy. ‘I’m supposed to be putting you off me.’

‘Sorry, but you haven’t.’ Kerr’s eyes glittered. In fact you’ve failed, with flying colours.’

‘But I did buy a sexy bra and knicker set! This morning! It’s at home, I was going to wear them tonight, but Bean found them under the sofa,’ Maddy babbled, ‘and then Marcella saw them and started teasing me about having a new man, so—’

‘Nice try.’ Kerr tilted her face up to meet his and slid the broken bra strap down over her shoulder.

‘In fact, excellent try. But you can’t fool me.’

Chapter 15

‘OK, I need you to know something. I’m not normally the type of girl who jumps into bed with someone on the first date,’ said Maddy an hour later.

‘No?’ Grinning down at her, Kerr said, ‘You did it very well.’

‘I just don’t want you to think I’m a complete slapper, because I’m not.’ She ran her hands through her drastically rumpled hair. ‘But this is different, because putting it off would only have made us want each other more. So by sleeping together as soon as possible we’ve got all that breathless anticipation stuff out of the way, which made it the right thing to do, don’t you agree?’

‘God, yes, absolutely. I’m starting to get bored with you already. Any minute now I’ll roll over, fall asleep and start snoring like an elephant seal,’ said Kerr. ‘That’ll be your cue to prod me awake and say in a whiny voice, "Why can’t you give me a cuddle? Why can’t we just lie here and talk about us?" Then I’ll chuck you my phone and tell you to call yourself a taxi. Ten minutes later you’ll wake me up slamming the front door as you let yourself out of the flat, and when I get up the next morning there’ll be rude words scribbled in lipstick on my bathroom mirror.’

‘Wow, you really are a pig,’ Maddy marvelled, deeply impressed. ‘Who pays for my taxi?’

‘What am I, a walking cash machine?’

The trouble was, nothing he said was managing to put her off. In desperation she asked, ‘Do you snore?’

‘Like a tractor. Stick around and you’ll find out.’

‘I’m not staying. I can’t.’ Maddy knew she couldn’t bring herself to go to Marcella’s barbecue, to just turn up as if nothing had happened, but she couldn’t stay here tonight either. Jake, who didn’t miss a trick, was suspicious already. When he’d seen the new bra and knickers earlier, the look he’d given her had made her flush with guilt.

It was so unfair. When it came to the opposite sex, Jake was no saint; if she had a pair of shoes for every girl he’d slept with, she’d be Imelda Marcos and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson rolled into one. But now, just when it was her turn to have some fun, he was threatening to come over all disapproving simply because of who Kerr was related to.

‘Sure I can’t change your mind?’ Kerr’s hand disappeared beneath the rumpled duvet, sliding down her hip.

Maddy shook her head. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

‘I have to get back.’

‘But not just yet.’

Oh God, this wasn’t just difficult, it was completely impossible. But he was right; it was still only nine thirty. Giving herself up to a fresh surge of lust, Maddy smiled and insinuated one leg between his own.

Not just yet.

Marcella and Vince’s garden bore all the morning-after signs of a truly successful party. Discarded cans and bottles were strewn across the lawn and in the flowerbeds, plastic glasses glinted in the sunlight, leftover burger remnants were being helpfully wolfed up by Bean and the tables on the patio were piled high with overflowing ashtrays, discarded CDs and empty bowls that had once contained mayonnaise, pickles and Cajun dips.

Vince, busy cleaning the well-used barbecue, waved when he saw Maddy and called out,

‘You’re too late, you’ve missed it!’

‘Morning, darling!’ Marcella, wearing a scarlet satin dressing gown and dark glasses, was busy filling a black bin liner with empty lager cans. The party might have gone on until 5 a.m. but Marcella and Vince would still be up at eight to make a start on the clearing up. Pointing to the honeysuckle-covered gazebo she said, ‘I need to get up there. You couldn’t be an angel, could you, and fetch the stepladder from the garage?’