She only realised she’d spoken aloud when he said, ‘I’m ordinary enough,’ and leaned forward to kiss her.
Time seemed to stop. And she was super-aware of his nearness—his clean male scent, the warmth of his skin, the way the touch of his lips made her skin tingle.
A cat-call from a passing teenager broke the mood, and he took a step back. ‘Sorry.’
‘It’s fine to kiss your date in public,’ she said, striving for cool. ‘Except maybe not as, um...’ How could she tell him that he’d made her feel feverish, without giving herself away? ‘A little cooler might be more appropriate,’ she said.
‘Noted.’ But his pupils were huge. Was that because of the darkness around them, or had kissing her affected him the same way it had affected her? She was way too chicken to ask.
And she was even more relieved when her phone pinged. ‘This might be my daily Bellagram,’ she said. ‘Oh, look—they took a cable car ride today.’ She showed him the photograph. ‘Trust Bella to hang off the running boards like Doris Day.’
‘Wouldn’t you do that, too?’ he asked.
She gave him a rueful smile. ‘I’m the sensible one. I’d be thinking of health and safety.’ And missing out on the fun.
‘Nothing wrong with being sensible. Do you have plans for tomorrow?’ he asked as they headed back to his place.
‘No.’ Even if they hadn’t already agreed to clear their diaries for these next few weeks, she didn’t have anything planned.
‘You do now—and, no, I’m not telling you what. Dress code is whatever you like. Something comfortable. But bring something warm in case it turns chilly, and I’ll bring a golfing umbrella in case it rains.’
They’d be doing something outdoors, then, she guessed. ‘What, no pink poncho?’ she teased, trying to keep the mood light and not let him guess about how much his kiss had affected her.
‘A golfing umbrella is much more appropriate,’ he said, unlocking the front door.
‘We’re playing golf?’
‘No—and stop asking questions. It’s meant to be spontaneous.’
Spontaneous wasn’t how she usually did things. Roland was definitely pushing her out of her comfort zone.
‘See you in the morning,’ he said. ‘And thank you for tonight. I really enjoyed myself.’
‘Me, too,’ she said.
And although part of her was disappointed that he didn’t want to sit with her in his kitchen, drinking coffee and talking about everything under the sun, part of her knew this was the sensible option. She’d nearly lost her head as it was when he’d kissed her. If he kissed her again...
Two weeks, she told herself. She might like the way Roland made her feel, but she was his practice date. This wasn’t permanent. Wasn’t real. And she’d better remember that.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE NEXT MORNING, Roland was horrified to discover that there was only one firework display set to music in a fifty-mile radius of London—and, worse still, all the tickets to it were already sold.
Oh, for pity’s sake.
This was the sort of summer evening event that was often held in the park of a stately home, or possibly in a municipal park or seaside resort as part of a week’s carnival event. He couldn’t believe that there was only one event available that evening. Surely there had to be others?
He widened the radius for his search, and discovered that the nearest music and fireworks event with a few tickets remaining was being held a hundred miles away. A two-hour drive each end wouldn’t be much fun for either of them. So much for sweeping Grace off her feet with something that he actually knew was on her bucket list and she’d really love to do.
Even though he didn’t usually use the ‘get me a ticket at the last minute’ type websites, it looked as if that was going to be his only option. To his relief, he managed to get two tickets for the venue he’d wanted in the first place. That was the hardest bit done, he thought, and headed out to the local deli for part two of his plan. A few minutes later, everything was sorted to his satisfaction.
Roland was sure that this would be the perfect way to sweep Grace off her feet. Even if the weather wasn’t on his side and it poured with rain, it wouldn’t matter. The fireworks and the music would still go on. And he could set the scene for it, starting right now.