Match Point

Chapter 20

20

When Kieran first tries to get out of the bed the following morning, I drag him back under the sheets, but he groans and tells me off for making it harder to leave, reminding me that he really can’t be late on account of, you know, needing to practise before that fairly important career-defining game he’s playing tomorrow.

‘We should have woken up earlier,’ he growls into my neck, my arms wrapped around his, my fingers threading through his hair and tugging it suggestively.

I sigh, reluctantly letting him go and snuggling back into the pillows. ‘Wimbledon is so annoying. It keeps getting in the way of our fun.’

‘Yes,’ he agrees, leaning over me and propping himself up on his elbows either side of my head, ‘but it’s also because of Wimbledon that we met.’

‘That’s true. It’s really a love-hate relationship I have with this tournament.’

He grins, kisses the tip of my nose then my mouth, moving his lips down to my collarbone and in between my breasts, before a small sound of frustration climbs up his throat and he forces himself up away from me, rolling out of bed.

I lie for a few minutes in blissful cosiness while I listen to the sound of the shower, letting my mind wander, imagining if this is what it would be like on weekend mornings if we were really together. I picture us lying together in bed lazily, holding hands as we go out for brunch in the Village, me complaining that he has to leave for training, bickering over his hours on the tennis court and the mind-blowing make-up sex we’d have after…

Uh-oh. I’m even daydreaming about arguing with this guy.

And this could be over in a week. The idea makes me shudder, so I swing my legs out of bed and go into the kitchen to put on the coffee, hoping that keeping busy will distract me from all the thoughts racing through my mind, good and bad.

Checking my phone while I stir the spoon around my mug, I gasp at a WhatsApp from Iris that reads:

He kissed you in the rain. IN. THE. RAIN. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! You are living a FANTASY. That picture is the best thing I’ve ever seen, like a snapshot from a movie. Call me and tell me EVERYTHING!!

It doesn’t take me long to find the picture she’s talking about. Someone must have been lurking nearby outside the pub and noticed us. I would be upset at the invasion of privacy and the pervy actions of a stranger thinking it’s appropriate to take secret photographs of us kissing, but… it’s a damn good photo. Iris is right, it looks like it could be a still from a movie, me tipped back in his strong arms, our eyes blissfully closed, our lips locked, his chiselled jaw glistening with moisture, my hair dripping wet…

I smile to myself. My very own Audrey-Hepburn-in-Breakfast-at-Tiffany’s moment.

The photo has gone viral on social media and I see from clips posted that it’s even made it onto morning shows as an ‘uplifting’ segment, presenters swooning over it. I bite my lip as I scroll through the trending tag #WimbledonRomance.

‘You’ve seen it then,’ Kieran grimaces, coming into the kitchen showered and dressed. He pads over to me with a concerned expression. ‘I’m sorry.’

Putting my phone down on the counter, I stand up on my tiptoes to kiss him. ‘I’m not. We look pretty good.’

He sighs, his hands resting on my hips. ‘You do. But still. You must be upset.’

‘Forget it,’ I press, giving him a relaxed smile. ‘I’m not going to let it ruin how amazing last night was. Are you?’

He shakes his head.

‘Good. It’s not important. I’ll be back in a minute.’

He stands still, his head bowed slightly in deep thought, as I pull away to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. When I return, he’s chopping up some fruit. I lean against the counter in my pyjama cami top and shorts, sipping my coffee, my stomach filling with fluttering butterflies as I watch him make his smoothie, loving the way he knows his way around my kitchen.

‘I have five minutes before the car arrives,’ he tells me hastily. ‘Want to go out into the garden for a bit?’

I lead the way and we place our drinks down on the small outside table, wiping down the garden chairs and sitting next to each other. He leans back, closing his eyes and as I watch him relax with the sun beating down on his face, the early birds providing our background music, I realise that this idyllic scenario is doing nothing to help put an end to my runaway daydreams about our future.

‘I could get used to this.’ He sighs, putting his hands behind his head, his biceps straining against the sleeves of his T-shirt.

I lift my eyes to the sky. Seriously, God? You’re letting him say shit like that when I’m trying to be SENSIBLE here?!

‘Me too,’ I murmur, looking out at my tiny garden.

I’d put a bit of work into it recently, sprucing it up a bit so it looked nice for the photographs that were going to the letting agency. It’s small, but it had actually taken quite a few hours of googling and hard work to make it look presentable. It’s worth it, though. The sunflowers and sweet peas I’d planted along the raised borders are blooming. I’m very proud of them – although now I’ve seen the floral displays at Wimbledon, they don’t seem all that impressive in comparison.

‘It’s so peaceful here,’ he comments. ‘You forget you’re in a city.’

‘Mm.’ I take a sip of my drink. ‘Do you ever get much time off?’

‘We get some weeks away from the tour,’ he says, opening his eyes and looking straight ahead, ‘but I’m always doing some kind of training. It’s always hanging over you, the tournaments, the strategy, your losses.’

‘Your wins,’ I add pointedly.

He sighs heavily. ‘It’s one hell of a career, and I’m lucky to have had it. But there’s not much time for anything else.’

‘But you love it, right?’

A muscle flinches in his jaw. ‘I love tennis. The tour… it’s tiring.’

We sit in silence for a beat, before he clears his throat and sits up. Swivelling in his seat, he rests his elbows on his knees as he leans towards me. ‘I have a question to ask you.’

‘Okay.’

‘Are you busy tonight?’

‘You want another game of darts? It’s fine if you do, but tell me now because then I’ll spend the day practising so I can kick your butt.’

He chuckles. ‘I’d honestly prefer that, but no, I don’t want to play darts with you. Actually I was hoping you’d come with me to the players’ event tonight. It’s at this posh hotel in Kingston and it’s hosted by the All England tennis club chairman. I thought… I wondered if you’d like to come. With me.’

My heart jumps into my throat. ‘Seriously?’

‘Yeah, I mean, I can’t guarantee it will be all that fun, lots of mingling and small talk. Definitely not as fun as playing darts down the pub, but I thought, you know, with you as my date, it would make things a lot better. And there will be free Champagne.’ He hesitates, his eyes falling to the ground nervously. ‘But if you don’t want to, it’s really not—’

‘I’d love to.’

He brightens. ‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Great. That’s… great.’ He breaks into a relieved smile, sending shivers of happiness down my spine. A thought seems to flit across his brain and he furrows his brow. ‘It’s black tie. Do you have a dress? Sorry, short notice.’

‘It’s fine. I’ll get something new,’ I say coolly, desperately trying to contain the delirious excitement he’s set off in my body that makes my chest tighten and my skin tingle. I want to scream and jump up and down, dancing on the spot. Instead, I gaze out at my sunflowers. ‘It’s a nice excuse to go shopping. I’ll message Iris and see if she can help.’

His phone goes and he checks the screen. ‘Car’s outside. I better go.’

Getting up from his seat, he moves round to stand behind me, leaning down and wrapping his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

‘If you’re buying something new for the occasion, then I’d like to pay for it,’ he offers. ‘It’s the least I can do when I’ve dropped this on you last minute.’

‘No, Kieran, that’s not necessary.’

‘I’d like to,’ he says softly in my ear.

‘Thank you, but I can’t let you do that. I’m really happy to buy it myself!’

‘Let me spoil you. Please,’ he says kissing my ear, his lips driving all sense and stubborn protests out of my brain.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I run my hand along his forearm resting across my collarbones. ‘If you insist…’

‘Good. I do,’ he states, straightening. ‘Someone from my team will be in touch.’

I raise my eyebrows. ‘Very VIP of you. Have your people call my people.’

‘And don’t hold back. Buy whatever dress you want,’ he says, his hands massaging my shoulders. ‘You’re going to look amazing. I’m excited to see you in it.’

‘You have no idea what I’m wearing yet.’ I laugh.

‘Doesn’t matter,’ he says, leaning back down to kiss me on the cheek. ‘You look incredible in everything. I’ll see you tonight.’

With a final squeeze on my shoulders, he heads back into the house. I wait for him to call out goodbye and shut the front door behind him before I scrunch up my eyes and let out a squeal of pure joy, jumping to my feet and running inside to call Iris.

*

‘The car is here,’ Kieran calls from the living room.

‘I’ll be out in a minute,’ I shout back, putting my earrings on and taking a step back from the mirror to look at my reflection properly.

I nervously turn at an angle to check the back of the dress. It’s the most expensive thing I’ve ever worn: a floor-length fitted black gown with a plunge neckline and a thigh split. I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to choose this if Iris hadn’t come shopping with me this afternoon. We’d gone to the type of shop I’d usually be intimidated by, but the staff were very welcoming and didn’t blink when I said what I was shopping for, getting to work immediately selecting a variety of dresses.

‘They’ve seen the rain picture,’ Iris had whispered to me with a sly smile.

The photograph of Kieran and I kissing in the rain is front page of nearly every paper on the newsstand. People have lost their heads over it, calling it the most romantic celebrity moment of the year. I don’t know about that, but I can confirm it was magical.

When I walked out the changing room in this dress, Iris’s jaw had dropped to the floor and she’d slowly set her glass of Champagne down to shamelessly gawp at me.

‘That’s the one,’ she’d said, the shop assistants nodding in agreement.

‘It’s not too… slutty?’

She’d tilted her head and given me an oh-please look. ‘It’s sexy as fuck, if that’s what you mean. Don’t you feel good in that thing? I mean, look at you!’

‘I do feel good in it,’ I’d admitted, blushing. ‘I don’t know when else I’d get to wear something like this.’

‘Life is short, bitch, wear the dress,’ Iris had stated, picking up her Champagne again.

‘Amen,’ the shop assistant next to her had muttered.

So, I didn’t feel I had much choice in the matter but to allow Kieran to buy me this gown and then I’d bought some new shoes and jewellery to go with it – we’d gone for a pair of Christian Louboutin strappy heels and statement gold earrings. I’ve never spent that much money on shoes before, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I have to go all out.

This afternoon I’d gone for a blow-dry and as one of the stylists curled my hair, the other hairdressers crowded round my chair to pelt me with questions about Kieran and the night ahead of me. When I’d tried to answer their questions best I could, one of them sighed wistfully and went, ‘You’re living a fairy tale.’

Standing here in this gown, I get what she means. In this dress, I don’t feel like a nobody. I feel like a princess, getting ready to go off to the ball.

With a spritz of perfume on my wrist and neck, I grab my clutch bag and tentatively open the bedroom door, slowly making my way down the hallway and into the living room. Kieran is waiting by the fireplace, leaning on the mantelpiece in his tux. He looks devastatingly handsome in his tailored black jacket, crisp white shirt and silk black bow tie. With his designer stubble that shows off his chiselled jaw, and his dark hair that’s perfectly styled without looking like he’s spent too much time on it, he manages to look both suave and ruggedly unkempt at the same time. He looks up on my entrance and does a double take. His mouth parts slightly as his eyes roam down the dress and back up again. He swallows, walking over to me and exhaling as he stops in front of me.

‘Is this okay?’ I ask, looking up at him under my heavily mascaraed eyelashes.

‘You… you look…’ His brow creases as he trails off, unable to find the right word quick enough. I try and fail to suppress a smile. ‘Jesus. That’s quite a dress.’

‘You look great,’ I say quietly, my cheeks flushing as I reach up to straighten his bow tie. I lower my hands to rest against his solid chest, feeling it rise against my palms with each breath. ‘Like an Irish James Bond.’

The corners of his lips twitch, before he leans forward to kiss me on the cheek, the musky and masculine scent of his cologne sending my head into an uncontrollable spin. His face lingers against mine, his stubble tickling my cheek. I feel the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric of the dress sliding onto my hip and round to my lower back.

‘Maybe we skip the party tonight,’ he suggests in a low, deep voice, his breath in my ear sending a shiver down my spine.

‘We can’t,’ I whisper, biting my lip as he pulls me closer to him. ‘Neil would kill you.’

‘Happy to take the risk,’ he murmurs, his lips lightly kissing down the slope of my neck and along my shoulder, before he takes the strap of my dress in his teeth and tugs lightly at it.

‘Kieran,’ I warn, giggling and pushing him away. ‘We’re going to be late.’

He sighs as he reluctantly steps back, the intensity of his eyes making my skin tingle.

‘Fine, but let’s make a quick appearance,’ he says, as I turn round to lead the way out the front door. ‘Five minutes there is all we need.’

I laugh, shaking my head as I wait for him to step out so I can lock up after us. ‘Five minutes! After all this effort, I’m staying there longer than five minutes, Kieran. Do you know how much this dress cost?’

‘Actually, I do happen to know.’

‘Oh yeah. Thanks by the way.’

‘The pleasure really is all mine.’

Standing close behind me as I lock up the door, he places his hands on my waist and nuzzles into my hair.

‘We don’t need to go out for me to make you feel that this dress was worth every penny,’ he says in a low suggestive voice, sweeping my hair to the side so he can run kisses along my shoulder. ‘Let’s stay. Please?’

Smiling to myself, I turn round and give him a look.

‘All right, we’ll go,’ he concedes, holding out his arm to help guide me to the car in these towering heels.

Kieran’s driver Matthew is waiting by the door to the back seat, opening it with a warm smile as I carefully slide in with Kieran following in behind. As Matthew shuts our door, Kieran glances over at me and lets out a small groan.

‘What is it?’ I ask, frowning at him.

‘This dress,’ he mumbles as he sits close to me and looks pointedly at my legs. I realise that when I’m sat down, the split of the skirt opens widely to expose the majority of my thigh.

‘Ready to go?’ Matthew checks, getting into the front.

His eyes fixed on me, Kieran exhales through his nose. ‘If we must.’

We pull away and after a couple of minutes, Kieran’s hand slides onto my thigh, my skin prickling with heat beneath his fingers. My breath catches as he moves his hand up at an antagonisingly slow pace, slipping beneath the fabric of the dress, the warm pressure of his palm sending shuddering jolts through my body. As his hand slips between my legs, I witness his eyes widen with surprise.

He swallows, asking in a hushed voice, ‘Are you… are you not wearing any underwear?’

Shooting him an impish grin, I shake my head.

‘Christ,’ he says hoarsely under his breath. ‘Tonight is going to be torture. We’re staying five minutes tops and then we’re coming back.’

‘I want to enjoy this fancy event, so we may stay there all night,’ I tease. ‘You’ll just have to be patient.’

He quirks his brow. ‘Oh really? You’re happy to wait all night.’

‘Really.’

‘Hm.’

He’s looking at me dangerously. I’ve set a very competitive man an interesting challenge. His hand hasn’t budged from between my legs and, digging his teeth into his bottom lip, he runs his fingers along the top of my thigh before his thumb begins to lightly trace circles around my clit. I inhale sharply and he leans in to whisper in my ear, his warm breath tickling my skin and making me shudder.

‘Soon, you’re going to be begging me to turn the car around,’ he murmurs.

I believe him.

My breaths come faster as he gradually increases the pressure of his thumb. When he slides two fingers inside me, my back arches as my hips instinctively rock into his hand. Heat flushing through my body, I clench my teeth, trying to be silent as he watches me closely, his gaze focused and intense. His fingers retreat and sink into me again, deeper this time, and I gasp, my fingernails sinking into the leather seat as he increases the pressure of his thumb. Oh God, he’s so good at this.

‘Kieran,’ I breathe, my muscles tightening around his fingers.

My whole body is flushed with heat and my toes are curling in my stilettos, my legs naturally falling open wider as I almost forget we’re not alone. He’s making me forget.

The indicator clicks come on as the car slows, reminding me.

My eyes dart nervously to the driver and Kieran slowly draws his hand away, gripping my thigh. Wound up and whimpering, I reluctantly bring my knees together, wanting nothing more than to ask Matthew to turn the car around. Damn it.

‘Here we are,’ Matthew announces cheerfully, and I hope he’s been oblivious to everything that’s been going on back here, although I have to admit that it was too hot for me to really care.

Still watching me intently, Kieran tips his head back against the headrest, his Adam’s apple bobbing. ‘Matthew, would you mind driving around for a bit longer before we pull up to the hotel? I’m going to need a minute to… calm my nerves.’

‘Of course,’ Matthew replies, driving on down the road and taking a left.

Glancing down at Kieran’s hands attempting to hide his erection isn’t helping me pull my focus from the pulsing heat between my legs. I turn to look out the window, suppressing a smile. Matthew takes a long route round and when we approach the entrance to the driveway of the hotel a second time a good few minutes later, he checks with Kieran in the rear-view mirror. Catching his eye, Kieran clears his throat.

‘Ready now, thank you.’ He turns to me, arching his brow. ‘So. Five minutes and then we leave?’

‘Make it three.’

He locks his eyes with mine, a dangerous smile playing across his lips.