Reaching over, he caught the little boy’s foot and tickled him until he was screaming with laughter. She was astonished by how quickly and easily Archie had accepted Charlie into his life.
There was a knock on the door.
‘I thought you might like breakfast in bed,’ he said, standing up, his gaze meeting hers. ‘I hope you’re hungry. I know I am.’
Watching him cross the room and return with a breakfast tray, she fixed her eyes on the stretch of muscles beneath his shirt and felt her stomach somersault. It didn’t seem possible that she could want him again, and yet she could feel her hunger for him almost swallowing her whole.
‘Right—come here, little monkey.’ Leaning forward, he scooped Archie up in his arms. ‘Time for your nap. Say goodbye to Dora.’
She felt her heart squeeze as the two brothers left. The rapport they shared felt less of a threat now. On the contrary—she knew it was a good thing. Charlie had a calmness that Archie clearly responded to.
Maybe she did too. Although not in the same way, she thought, her skin tightening as Charlie walked back into the room.
For breakfast there was fried rice, steamed buns filled with delicious vegetables, fresh fruit and sugar-dipped, deep-fried, stick-shaped doughnuts. It was all delicious.
‘I don’t know why I’m so hungry,’ she said.
Their eyes met, and she bit into the smile curving her lips.
‘Maybe I do.’ He brushed something off her cheek and then, leaning forward, kissed her softly on her mouth. ‘You taste of sugar.’
She felt her stomach drop. He tasted like pleasure and possibility all mixed up.
‘Are you okay with this?’ he asked softly.
That directness again. But, instead of scaring her, she found it reassuring that he was so forthright. This way there was no chance of any confusion, and it was the only way she would be able to let her herself wake up in his bed.
She nodded slowly. Before, with other men, she’d put up barriers, walking—running—from any hint of intimacy or commitment. But that wasn’t a problem with Charlie. This would be a fling, and that suited them both.
‘I never finished telling you what I spoke about with my sisters.’ His dark eyes were level with hers. ‘We got a little sidetracked.’
‘So what did they say?’ Her heartbeat accelerated. Had it really slipped her mind?
‘It’s Archie’s birthday on Friday, so I thought it might be a nice idea to invite everyone over for a party.’
A party! She felt something twist in her chest. He had been serious, then, about fixing things.
She smiled. ‘That would be lovely.’
‘If you have any ideas, anything you think he might like, just let me know and I’ll get someone to sort it out.’
It was stupid, but she could feel bubbles of happiness rising and popping inside her. Okay, the party was for Archie, but Charlie was holding it here, including her in the arrangements.
‘Thank you. Is there anything I can do to help?’
His dark eyes rested on her face. ‘There is one thing. None of us can hold a note, so I was hoping you might be prepared to sing “Happy Birthday.”’
She stared at him in silence, the lightness of moments earlier seeping away, panic rising in her throat. She felt suddenly naked, in a way that had nothing to do with the fact that she wasn’t wearing any clothes.
Sing. In front of people. In front of strangers. In front of Charlie.
A cold mass of dread was slithering from one side of her stomach to the other. She could remember it now; how the silence had seemed to seep into her through her open mouth. It had been like drowning...or suffocating.
‘Is that okay, Dora?’
She felt Charlie’s gaze on her face. She was being stupid. It was just singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Obviously she could do it. She would do it for Archie.
With an effort, she forced her mouth into a smile. ‘Of course. Although, you might have to write me the words phonetically if I’m going to sing it in Cantonese.’