The I.T. Girl (21 page)

She let her mind wander through the
first week they’d got together, remembering how lovely, kind, and down to earth
he’d been. They’d met through Frances at work and it had been, if not love,
then lust at first sight, and by the end of their first date when he’d stared
at her with those penetrating green eyes and devoured her mouth with the most
passionate snog she’d ever had, she’d known he was going to be very special.
She’d never kissed anyone like that before and remembered how her lips had felt
on fire, and how she’d wanted to go on kissing him forever. In fact, she’d been
so engrossed in the kiss that without realising it she’d started to slide from
the edge of the leather settee and he’d caught her just in time to stop her
falling. Afterwards, she couldn’t remember how or when she’d wrapped her legs
around his body, because her mind had stopped thinking altogether and she’d
been so completely caught up in the exquisite pleasure of feeling that she was
part of him and he was part of her.

But now, although the sex was still
fantastic, it was the loving tenderness that seemed to be missing. Was this
what happened to couples when they’d lived together for a while? Maybe it was a
classic case of the honeymoon period being well and truly over. Deciding this
was definitely a question for Sarah and Lisa on Saturday, she heard his key in
the door.

“Hey, gorgeous, thought you’d be
wearing your little black dress for me,” he whispered into her ear while she
felt him cradle her back with his body. His feet were cold when he selfishly
wrapped them around hers, and she could smell red wine on his breath, so she
lay very still, breathing deeply and hoped he would think she was asleep. It
worked and she felt him pull her further into his body and start to lightly
snore. Christ, if anyone would have told her six months ago that she’d be doing
this she’d have laughed in their faces. But she wasn’t laughing now; she moaned
softly and felt a tear leak out of the side of her eye.