Out of sight of prying eyes he took her in his arms and lowered his mouth to hers. Zoe wound her arms around his neck and pressed tightly to him as the kiss deepened and heated and threatened to spiral out of control as it always did, and Dan wondered if anyone would notice if they just slipped away and spent the afternoon in bed.
For a moment he was sorely tempted, because however much hot explosive sex they had it never seemed to be enough, but then the laughter and chatter of the guests filtered through the fog in his head and reality intruded and he figured that it might make for an awkward moment if it came to the speeches and he was conspicuous by his absence. So he pulled away reluctantly, his breathing ragged and his body aching with a need that would unfortunately have to wait to be fulfilled.
‘God, you smell gorgeous,’ Zoe murmured, burying her head in his neck and nuzzling for a moment before drawing back and smiling up at him.
‘You look gorgeous.’ Even more gorgeous now that her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed. ‘Great hat.’ He pulled her forwards a little so that he could inspect it more closely and feel her breasts pressing against his chest once more, sucker for punishment that he was. ‘And not a speck of dust. I’m impressed.’
‘I had to hoover it.’
Dan laughed softly. ‘Then it deserves to mingle.’
‘I think it might like that.’
Peeling hers
elf off him, she adjusted her coat then dug around in her handbag and took out a mirror and lipstick. Opening the mirror, she checked her hat and her hair and then quickly repaired the damage he’d done to her mouth.
‘How do I look?’ she asked with a grimace that suggested she wasn’t fishing for a compliment but the truth.
Good enough to eat, he thought, balling his hands into fists to stop himself reaching for her and messing up her lipstick again. ‘Lovely.’
She dropped the mirror and lipstick back into her bag and snapped it closed. ‘Not too badly ravished?’
‘Not nearly as ravished as I’d like.’
‘Don’t worry, there’s always later.’
‘This is true.’
She smiled. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’
‘So will I.’
Wondering if he ought to be worried at the way she had him wanting to abandon his self-control the minute he looked into her eyes, Dan took her hand and led her into the throng and tried not to think about later because thinking about later would only make walking even trickier than it already was.
‘I see you met my mother,’ he said, deciding that if ever there was a topic to douse the libido that was it.
‘I did.’
‘And you survived.’
‘Just about.’
‘What did you talk about?’ he asked, although with hindsight he wasn’t at all sure he wanted to know.
‘This and that.’
‘Sounds ominous.’
‘It wasn’t. It was fine. She was charming.’
‘She can be when she’s not trying to tie a noose around my neck. Have some champagne before you meet my sister, as you inevitably will since her curiosity rivals my mother’s.’
He plucked two flutes off the tray of a passing waiter and handed her one.
‘Thank you,’ said Zoe, glancing around as she took a sip. ‘You know, Samantha Newark would give her eye-teeth to be here.’
‘If she was I’d have her thrown out.’