James laughed. ‘Bet he won’t dance with any of them.’ As if responding to a cue, one of the women tried to drag Matt into the crush of dancers, and he made an excuse, refusing to move. James flipped a querying finger in his direction.
Beth had caught the movement of his lips. ‘He said he has two left feet.’
James’s lip curled. ‘We’ll show him how it’s done. Want to dip?’
Beth nodded, laughing, and James bent her backwards over his arm until her spine cracked. He pulled her back up and twirled her round so that her head spun. When the room finally righted itself, Matt was nowhere to be seen.
James’s finger tapped her shoulder, and she directed her attention back at him. ‘Kitchen.’
She raised one eyebrow.
‘Just in case you were wondering.’ James’s eyes were amused.
Beth punched at his shoulder and James laughed.
‘By the way, you look very nice tonight.’ He laughed, pulling her into him when she tried to stamp on his foot, and she relaxed against him, following his rhythm. This was nice. Warm and companionable. This wasn’t Matt.
When James finally let her go, Matt was still nowhere in sight. Beth plastered a smile onto her face, helped herself to a half-glass of the killer punch and made the best of it. Just as well she had not had any expectations of tonight. She accepted every offer to dance, even the one from the hospital administrator who wheeled his partners around the floor like a perambulator. This was a party after all. She was having a good time.
Her head began to buzz, the white noise telling her that she needed a break from the sound around her, even though the party was not as loud as most. Making her excuses, she escaped to the kitchen to get a glass of water and some peace and quiet. Light was filtering through from the sitting room, and she didn’t flip the switch for the overhead lights, preferring the cool semi-darkness as a welcome relief from the room she had just left.
A shadow detached itself from the far end of the room. Matt’s lips moved but his voice sounded as if it was a million miles away.
‘Hang on a minute.’ She flipped the small control unit from its pocket, sewn inside her dress, and fiddled with it, setting the microprocessor back onto a setting that was suitable for the quieter environment. Matt waited until she had finished, watching her thoughtfully.
‘Came out here for a break?’ She could hear him better now, and she nodded.
‘It’s a bit loud for me in there.’
He set his glass down onto the countertop beside him and moved towards her. ‘Want to dance?’ He was still three feet away from her, but already she could feel a slow tingle, travelling inexorably up her spine. She shivered involuntarily.
‘Not yet. I think I’ll stay out here for a while.’
He nodded, never taking his eyes from her. He reminded her of a big cat, stalking its prey. ‘I meant here.’
Beth looked around her. There was plenty of room and they were alone, but suppose someone found them out here. Dancing in a room full of other people was one thing. Dancing alone in the kitchen was something else entirely.
He seemed to sense her disquiet. ‘It’s okay. No one will see us here. I’ll listen for anyone coming in.’ His eyes flashed dangerously in the half-light. ‘Don’t you want to play hookey for a while?’
Before thought had a chance to intervene, she found herself mouthing ‘Yes’ and he took a step closer. She could almost feel him touching her, taking her into his arms. He made no move to close the gap between them, but waited for her, as if he knew she would come to him this time. His stillness, along with the mesmerising curve of his lips, only served to draw her in further.
As she touched his arm, she felt his hand slide around her waist, and finally he pressed her close to him. It was less a dance and more a kind of swaying embrace in time with the rhythm of the music outside. She laid her head against his chest, feeling his heartbeat, and her own picked up its pace, racing with it.
There was nothing but Matt, his clean, masculine smell and the feel of his body against hers. A long, low sigh escaped his chest, and she felt one arm tighten on her back, as if it might be possible to pull her even closer than she already was. The other hand began to caress her cheek, his fingers moving lightly across her skin, sending ripples of excitement down to her spine to meet the waves that were rolling up from where his other hand was planted.
His lips brushed against her temple, a soft sound of approval escaping his throat when she didn’t flinch away from him. He knew that he had captured her, rendering her incapable of moving away from him, drunk with the heat of his touch.
When Beth tilted her head up towards him, his features were in shadow, but she could still see the look of almost agonised longing on his face. He circled her slowly towards the back door, his eyes never leaving hers, and somehow managed to get it open with one hand in the dark. He caught up his jacket from the back of a chair, wrapping it round her shoulders, before guiding her across the threshold and out into the night.
Cold air hit her face, combining with the warmth of his body in a delicious interplay of sensation. Her back was against the wall of the house, his arms wound around her to protect her from any contact with the bricks. He kicked the kitchen door closed and they were swallowed up into the darkness.
‘Beth, I…’ He didn’t seem to know what he wanted to say, just that he wanted to say something. She laid her finger across his lips, and they curved into a kiss. She raised herself up on her toes, pulling his head down to hers, and felt his lips against her cheek.
He dropped kisses onto her face, working his way slowly towards her lips. By the time he had reached them, she was almost breathless with anticipation. She felt a shudder run through him as he finally covered her mouth with his.
His lips became searching and then demanding, and when she didn’t draw back, he deepened the kiss. He took his time, kissing her comprehensively, until her knees buckled and the only thing holding her up was his hand, planted on her back, holding her tight against him.
His hand moved a couple of inches downwards, from its place at the small of her back. Beth shuddered with excitement, wanting to feel his touch on every part of her body, thrilling to the thought of how his fingers might feel on her skin. One of her shoes had slipped unheeded to the ground, and she curled her leg around his.