I do as he tells me, without much thought. I ignore Sylvie’s stunned face as I enter the kitchen and grab my bag and jacket. ‘I’m off now,’ I say, hastily leaving her ranting at Del and Paul. I hear her call me stupid and I hear Del call me a grown-up. They are both right.
Throwing my satchel across my body, I approach him and my eyes close when he clasps his palm around the base of my neck to guide me out of the bistro. I’m directed across the road into the small square where he sits me on a bench and takes a seat next to me, turning his body to face mine. ‘Have you thought about me?’ he asks.
‘Constantly,’ I admit. I’m not beating around the bush. I have, and I want him to know it.
‘So will you spend the night with me?’
‘Still just twenty-four hours?’ I clarify, and he nods. My heart falls, not that it’ll stop me from agreeing. I can’t possibly feel any worse than I already do.
His hand rests on my knee, squeezing gently. ‘Twenty-four hours, no strings, no commitment and no feelings, except pleasure.’ Releasing my knee, he shifts his hand to my chin and pulls my face close to his. ‘And it will be pleasurable, Livy. I promise.’
I don’t doubt him for a second. ‘Why do you want this?’ I ask. I know women are notoriously deeper than men, but he’s asking me to disregard something that I simply can’t. This isn’t just lust I’m feeling – at least I don’t think it is. I’m confused. I don’t even know what I’m feeling.
For the first time since I’ve met him, he smiles. It’s a proper smile – a beautiful smile . . . and I fall a little bit more. ‘Because I simply have to kiss you again.’ Leaning in, he gently rests his lips on mine. ‘It’s new to me. I need to taste you some more.’
New? It’s new to him? What, like different from his usual polished, diamond-adorned women?
‘And because what we can create together shouldn’t be passed up, Livy.’
‘The best f**k of my life?’ I ask against his lips, feeling him smile again.
‘And a whole lot more.’ He pulls away, leaving me feeling bereft. It might be a feeling that I should get used to. ‘Where do you live?’
‘I live with my elderly grandmother.’ I don’t know why I say elderly, maybe to justify my living arrangement. ‘Camden.’
A look of surprise flits across his perfect brow. ‘Tell your grandmother you’ll be back tomorrow night. What’s the address?’
‘What will I say?’ I ask, suddenly panicked. I’ve never stayed out for a whole night, and no plausible reason to do so now is coming to me.
‘I’m sure you’ll think of something.’ He stands, putting his hand out to me, and I take it, letting him pull me to my feet.
‘No, you don’t understand.’ This will be impossible to pull off. ‘I don’t stay out at night. She’ll never believe me if I try to fob her off with anything other than the truth, and I can’t tell her about you.’ I’ll kill her off with shock. Or maybe I won’t. Maybe she’ll dance around the kitchen, clapping her hands and thanking the Lord. Knowing Nan, it’ll be the latter.
‘You never go out?’ he frowns.
‘No.’ I fake nonchalance to within an inch of my life.
‘And you’ve never stayed out overnight? Not even at a girlfriend’s?’
I’ve never been embarrassed by my lifestyle . . . until now. I suddenly feel young, naive and inexperienced, which is ridiculous. I need to locate my long-lost sass. While he’s promised me mind-blowing sex, what does he get out of it, because I’m certainly no sex kitten who’ll rock his bed. A man like this must have women forming a queue at his front door, all kitted out in satin or lace, all in stilettos and all ready to send him wild with desire.
I shake my head, looking down to the ground. ‘Remind me why you want to do this again.’
‘If you’re speaking to me, isn’t it polite to look at me?’ He tips my chin up. ‘You don’t seem like a self-doubter.’
‘I’m not usually.’
‘What’s changed?’
‘You.’
That one word makes him shift uncomfortably, and I immediately regret saying it. ‘Me?’
My head drops again. ‘I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.’
‘I’m not uncomfortable,’ he argues quietly, ‘but now I’m wondering whether this is a good idea.’
My head snaps up, panicked that he might withdraw his offer. ‘No, I want to do this.’ I don’t know what I’m saying but it doesn’t stop me from babbling on some more. ‘I want twenty-four hours with you.’ I step into his chest and look up to his eyes – the ones I’m going to lose myself in very soon, if I haven’t already. ‘I need this.’
‘Why do you need it, Livy?’