Lisa Heidke by Lucy (mobi) (book club reads TXT) 📗

muscled but not too buff. Just right. And not a hint of fake tan.

I stop. Am I setting myself up for a fall again? We’ve only just re-established contact. Dom is my friend. Why would I want to jeopardise our friendship a second time? I like him and don’t want to wait another thirteen years before meeting up again. I don’t want to have to manufacture reasons to see him. If I stop now and we remain just friends, I won’t have to, but if I have sex with him, everything will change. We’ll no longer be friends . . .

While I’m having these sensible adult thoughts, my hands, evidently with their own agenda, have unbuttoned Dom’s Levi 501s and they’re now lying on the grass.

‘Wow,’ I mean to think, but instead say it out loud.

‘Wow, good or wow, bad?’

‘Wow, amazing,’ I say. Breathe, Lucy. Breathe.

He takes hold of me and pulls me towards him. I am deliriously happy. ‘Would you call this premeditated?’ he asks, drawing circles with his index finger over my stomach through my top.

‘Definitely . . . most definitely.’

‘And you’re willing to take responsibility for your actions?’ he says. My body tingles everywhere he caresses it.

‘Stop talking,’ I say, kissing him with every ounce of feeling I have.

‘You’re beautiful, Lucy.’ He kisses my neck.

‘Take my clothes off,’ I say, eager for some skin-to-skin action.

‘You haven’t answered my question. Will you take responsibility for what we might be about to do?’

‘What might we be about to do?’

‘Not the answer,’ he says, pulling my hands to the sides of my body and straddling me. I try to move my arms but they won’t budge.

‘Yes, yes, I’ll take responsibility. Yes, I know what I’m doing.’ I’m laughing. ‘Anything, Dom, please. Just kiss me and take off my clothes.’

‘All of them?’ he teases, lying back down on top of me and kissing my lips.

‘Everything,’ I demand, showering his cheeks and lips with light butterfly kisses.

I don’t have to ask twice. We’re naked. A good, happy, in the sun naked.

His tongue plays with my nipples. Exquisite. Divine.

By the time he slips his hand between my thighs I’m ready to explode.

‘Make love to me now,’ I croak.

‘Too soon,’ he says. ‘Far too soon.’

He takes me in his arms and kisses me long and hard.

I’ve waited forever for this moment. I want to tell him that I’ve always loved him, and that I’m sorry I didn’t go to the airport. That I wish . . . Well, there are so many things I wish.

‘Dom,’ I start.

‘It’s okay,’ he murmurs, his tongue nuzzling my breasts.

‘Ohh,’ is the last intelligible sound I make for a very long time.

We make love, the weight of his body on top of me, beside me, inside me. It’s perfect. He’s perfect. We’re perfect.

I want to cry with happiness, but I’m still unsure about where I . . . where we stand. I just know I could lie here forever and let the world pass me by. I want to tell him I love him. Always have. Always will. Even if this turns out to be a one-off, never-to-be-repeated episode. But I don’t want this feeling to end. Ever. I’m in heaven and can’t ever imagine getting enough of him.

I wonder if this is what it’s like for Max and Alana - that feeling of wanting to be touched, never satisfied, needing the moment to last a lifetime. I can’t believe I have these strong feelings for Dom, feelings that have been locked away for years . . .

As I reach to retrieve my discarded clothes I wish I could throw a child’s tantrum, demand that Dom and I remain lying together in the grass like this for the rest of the day. I don’t want to go back to the city, my house, reality - because in my reality, Dom has always been a fantasy and fantasies never come true.

On the walk back to his house, I take every opportunity to touch him . . . his arm, his face, his hair. But neither of us says a word. I don’t want to speak for fear of breaking the magic. Just before we reach the back door, Dom bends down to kiss me and I feel somehow overwhelmed, scared. Scared it will all come to an end now . . . after this kiss. Before it’s really begun.

‘What’s up?’ Dom asks when I hang on to him longer than I should.

‘I . . . It’s just . . .’

‘I know. You have a lot going on in your life right now.’

‘It’s not that complicated,’ I say, half laughing. I don’t want to have a serious conversation. Don’t want to lose the moment. I reach up and try to kiss him again, but he stops me.

‘Come on, admit it’s a little complex,’ he says, then hugs me tightly.

‘Shhh. Kiss me.’

‘Luce . . .’ he says, releasing me and kissing me lightly on top of my head. ‘Ready to go inside?’

‘No.’ Stay outside with me, I think. Once we go inside, I don’t know what will happen. I’m terrified.

‘Too bad.’ He whacks me lightly across the butt. ‘Come on, we’ll walk this path together.’

‘Where are the eggs?’ Gloria demands as we walk through the kitchen door.

I shrug my shoulders and feel like crying.

‘Thought as much,’ she smirks and pulls a twig from the back of my hair. ‘So . . . voila! Bella, Sam and I collected our own eggs - from the fridge - and made scrambled eggs.’

‘With mushrooms,’ says Sam.

‘And tomatoes,’ adds Bella and laughs.

‘This is delicious,’ I say to Bella and Sam as I devour a huge plate of toast, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes. ‘I’m ravenous.’

Then I notice the dining table we’re sitting at is the same as mine. ‘This table, Dom?’ I say. ‘You bought this from the same place as mine, didn’t you? It’s almost as beautiful.’

‘Well, dining tables are so important, aren’t they? You spend so much time sitting at them. Eating at them.’

‘Reading the