It’s In His Kiss

‘I really didn’t. Not completely or intentionally, anyway.’ This time the silence from Nora screamed at her. Sephy pushed out the breath stuck in her windpipe. ‘Okay. Yes, of course I was never going to be able to start a business and not think about Dad and what he would have thought.’

‘I can tell you what he would have thought,’ Nora interrupted indignantly. ‘I can tell you what he’s thinking right now as he’s looking down at you. He’s thinking, that’s my youngest girl and she’s doing everything I knew she could do in life – and more.’

Sephy’s vision blurred as she silently asked herself if her father might also be thinking, ‘Of course, she’s only doing it because I gave her that final push.’

‘Why can’t this be about two friends helping each other out?’ she whispered into her phone.

‘Sephy –’

‘I know. I know.’ Sephy sniffed and pulled herself upright. ‘I’ll let you know what I decided when I see you on Friday.’

‘Wow. You’re giving yourself a whole two days to think this through.’

‘Progress huh? A whole forty-eight hours longer than I usually give myself to make a decision. See you Friday.’

She ended the call, but kept the phone in her hand as she ran her gaze over the goodie-bags she was assembling.

Her gut said the women receiving those goodie-bags were going to be delighted after seeing Luke Jackson with his hands on the contents!

Her gut said getting to help Luke in return was all the justification she needed.

She looked down at her phone and before the butterflies swirling in her belly managed to break through her stomach lining and invade every part of her, she scrolled through her contacts list and found the entry she wanted.

‘Hey you,’ Luke greeted as he picked up.

‘I accept your conditions,’ said Sephy in a rush.

There was a fraction of a pause and then Luke said, ‘Great. My place. Tomorrow.’

‘What?’ She felt kind of breathy and on the back foot. He was talking like he was taking the lead in this, like it was his situation to control.

‘I thought time was of the essence,’ Luke said, when she ran out of words as quickly as she’d rushed them out.

‘I’m not sure I can get Frazer – that’s the name of the photographer, to make tomorrow.’ Not that she would necessarily be able to make it, either, because surely Nora was going to kill her for not even sleeping on her decision.

‘No problem. We’ll use tomorrow only for practising.’

‘Practising?’ Sephy’s voice went all high.

‘The more comfortable we are with each other, the better and quicker the shoot will go.’

‘I guess,’ Sephy said realising that was probably true. ‘But why your place?’

‘It’s less distracting than yours and afterwards you can tell me what I need to buy to make my place look more lived-in for when the parents visit.’

‘Oh. Okay. You want me to bring anything?’ Sephy rolled her eyes. God, what, like she should turn up with cake or something?

‘Just bring yourself. And your lingerie. Pop over once you’ve dropped Daisy off at school.’

‘Right. Me. Lingerie. Your place. Tomorrow.’ Sephy swallowed.

‘You okay?’

‘Sure,’ she said, thinking, of course she bloody well wasn’t okay. Otherwise her voice wouldn’t be all high and scratchy, while Luke’s voice in her ear sounded all deep and confident and…

‘See you tomorrow,’ she muttered into the phone before ending the call.

She dropped the phone into her lap like it was on fire and stared again at the line of goodie-bags.

Tomorrow was a business thing.

That was all.

CHAPTER FIVE (#ubb881ea2-9388-550c-aac5-b8e62c800f99)

‘It’s me.’

Luke heard Sephy’s voice over the intercom. He pressed the buzzer to open the gates that led to the sweeping driveway and newly built Georgian-styled house he had moved into on the success of Zombie Freedom Fighters I, II, and III.

Was it his imagination or had Sephy’s voice sounded all breathy?

He shoved his hand through his hair before heading for the imposing double doors in the entrance hall.

About to open them, he hesitated. It would probably look weird if he was standing at the front door waiting for her to drive up, wouldn’t it?

Like he couldn’t wait to see her in her underwear, or something?

You know what, mate? This might not be the brightest idea you’ve ever had.

In fact, Luke thought, as he hovered uncertainly in his own hallway, he could hardly believe he had thought the idea genius in the first place.

In his head, he had glossed over the finer points in order to get to the part where he could help her and help himself at the same time. At heart, he had never really expected her to agree.

But then she had and when she had his first reaction hadn’t been relief he was going to get to allay his foster parents’ fears for him. No, his first reaction had been to feel as if he was falling off the top of a very tall building, and hurtling, eyes wide open, towards the ultimate face-plant.

He heard the crunch of gravel and made himself return his mug to the kitchen before he wandered back out to throw the door open wide.

‘Hey you,’ Sephy greeted, with her usual, full-on, no-artifice smile.

Luke was still trying to form actual words of welcome when he saw Sephy’s smile falter a little and a frown form over her brow-line.

She jerked her thumbs in the direction of her car and said, ‘I’ll, um, bring a couple of bags I brought with me in from the car.’

‘’Course,’ Luke said belatedly. ‘I’ll give you a hand.’ Christ. Was that even his voice coming out of his mouth? She had done something to her hair that caused it to fall in thick, touchable waves. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets to keep from reaching out.

‘I’ve got it,’ Sephy declared. Pivoting, she walked back to the car, throwing over her shoulder, ‘there’s only two bags.’

Luke wasn’t completely sure he could have got his feet to move anyway. They seemed rooted to the spot as he stared in fascination at that waterfall of black just-tumbled-out-of-bed hair, bouncing a little as she walked, making the waves ripple up and down.