They reached the plasterboard wall and Cameron glanced at the top of Rosie’s head and held out a hand. It was only then that she even remembered she’d been wearing the orange protective helmet the whole time.
She groaned inwardly. All those longing glances she’d imagined—the moments his eyes had locked on hers, and she’d seen things therein that had made her feel warm all over and scared her silly—she hadn’t even noticed his helmet; she’d been so caught up in the rest of him. All the while she must have looked an utter treat.
‘If you are hoping to keep it as a souvenir—’
‘No, of course not!’ She slid it forward, ran ragged fingers across her scalp and tied the length into a hasty knot at her nape, not wanting to know what kind of red marks were shining across her forehead as she spoke.
‘Where did you park?’ he asked.
She motioned vaguely with her shoulder. ‘Down the street.’
He moved in closer. Or had the moon shifted behind a cloud and made everything suddenly seem more intimate? ‘Where? I’ll walk you there.’
‘I’ll be fine. These boots might not be steel-capped but I know where to aim them if I get in any trouble.’
The word ‘trouble’ almost lodged in her throat. Trouble was the look in Cameron’s eyes. Trouble was the slip and slide of desire keeping her from backing away as he inched ever closer. Trouble had become her new best friend the moment Cameron Kelly had re-entered her life.
She leapt up on the only thing she could think of that might give her time to find a reasonable, last ditch, way out. ‘I’ve been meaning to ask—what were you doing in the planetarium yesterday morning?’
He paused. She took a thankful breath.
‘I’m not sure I should say,’ he said.
‘And why not?’
‘Because it’s not going to flatter me any.’ And it wasn’t enough to stop him any longer. He moved in closer.
Rosie lifted a hand to his chest. ‘Try me.’
His eyes narrowed. The weight of him pressed upon her hand. His voice was as low as she’d ever heard it as he said, ‘I was hiding.’
‘No! Yes? Seriously? From whom?’
‘My sister Meg. She was there having coffee with a couple of mates, one of them Tabitha.’
Rosie’s laughter split the quiet night. ‘Tabitha on caffeine? I don’t blame you for hiding.’
His eyes slid down her face to settle upon her lips. Her heart shot into her throat. She shut her mouth. But it was no use; every part of her buzzed in expectation of what it would feel like to have his lips on hers.
‘Did you know Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system?’ Okay, so she was getting desperate.
He paused about three inches from touchdown.
She went on, ‘And, while Venus was the Roman goddess of beauty and love, in Greek mythology she was named Aphrodite, and Ishtar for the Babylonians?’
‘That I’m sure I knew. I went to a very good school, you know.’
He was so close now; he breathed out, she breathed in, and the sweet taste in her mouth was his.
‘Did you ever see that movie—? Ishtar? What was the name of that French actress?’
‘Rosalind.’
‘I don’t think so. I wouldn’t have forgotten her name if it was the same as—’
‘Rosalind,’ he growled.
‘Yes, Cameron?’
‘Shut up so I can kiss you.’
‘Yes, Cameron,’ she whispered, but it was lost as his lips finally, finally found hers.
She’d heard how some people claimed they saw their lives flashing before their eyes as they were about to pass over. She’d never really believed it could happen until that moment.
Memories of past kisses faded to dust. Every other man she’d ever thought she’d been attracted to melted into a grey, shapeless nothingness, and the blank slate inside her head filled with everything Cameron as emotion upon emotion crashed over her so fast she couldn’t keep up.
She tucked a hand along the back of his neck, letting her fingers delve into his soft, springy hair as she pulled him close. His hands bunched into the back of her dress. And together they shifted and turned until every part of them that could touch did.
The kiss deepened, warmed, and took her breath, her sense and her mind until she curved against him like a sapling defenceless against a strong gale.
Helpless, unprotected, lost…
The wind in her ears began to decelerate as the kiss gentled and fell away. It took a few seconds longer before she was able to clamber her way back to the surface, only to find Cameron’s smouldering eyes looking deep into hers.
‘You busy tomorrow night?’ he asked.