Chapter 2 #6
‘Okay, Will, thanks.’ Suddenly Jack’s face froze with horror.
‘Oh, my God!’ Freddie had followed his gaze.
‘Trust him to turn up just in time to save his skin.’
A tall, fair-haired man was pulling Kate into his arms.
‘Who’s that?’ Will asked.
He seems rather put out, Freddie thought.
‘It’s the bloody Tree-shagger,’ Jack snarled.
‘Who?’
Freddie rested a hand on Will’s shoulder. ‘That, my dear William,’ he said, ‘is Kate’s boyfriend – the dreaded Tree-hugger.’
* * *
‘Quick – now!’ Kate laughed, gathering up as much of her skirt as she could while Will hastily slammed the car door before it escaped again. ‘I come with my own air-bag,’ she joked, as Will sat in.
‘Sorry about the delay,’ he said, as he started the car. ‘I just thought when your boyfriend turned up that you’d want to go home with him.’ He had hung back and Kate had eventually come in search of him, asking for her lift.
‘Oh no, Brian wanted to stay for a while. Besides,’ she added, ‘he was on his bike.’
‘Ah, right.’ He swung the car into the road. ‘You’re not exactly dressed for riding pillion.’
‘Crossbar,’ Kate corrected him.
‘Sorry?’
‘Crossbar, not pillion. Pushbike, not motor.’
‘Oh! Oh, right.’
Kate suppressed a giggle at the comical expression on Will’s face.
‘I wanted to come on my bike,’ he said apologetically, ‘but it had a puncture, so I had to make do with the Jag.’
‘I’m very glad you did.’ She didn’t want Will to think she was one of those awful inverted snobs who looked down on people for driving big fuck-off cars.
She yawned contentedly, snuggling into the plush upholstery, lulled by the gentle purr of the engine.
The day had turned out well after all, she thought.
Brian hadn’t been able to wait until tomorrow to see her.
He had told her how much he had missed her and had given her the most gorgeous kiss in front of everyone.
She just hoped her bloody aunts had been watching.
She had been reassured to find how glad she was to see him and how much she fancied him still.
He really was devastatingly attractive – and so sexy.
She hadn’t even minded that he’d wanted to stay on at the wedding without her.
He’d had a tiring day at his workshop and he wanted to unwind with a few drinks and a dance.
Besides, it would give him the chance to get to know her family better.
She felt sure that once they got to know him, they’d love him almost as much as she did.
* * *
‘Do you think one of us should tell him his invisibility’s wearing off?’ Lorcan said, staring stonily at Brian, who was giving it loads on the dance floor, engaged in some extremely dirty dancing with a very buxom girl.
Freddie, also glaring at Brian, felt unaccountably miffed that the Tree-shagger was with his buxom girl – Ms F Cup no less. Fickle tart! he thought huffily.
‘Doesn’t he realise,’ Lorcan ranted, ‘that all Kate’s family and friends can see him?’
‘He doesn’t think he has anything to feel guilty about. He fancies himself a free spirit.’
‘Huh!’ Jack grunted. ‘Anything as long as it’s free, that’s him. Free spirits, free beer, free wine.’
‘Free lurve and all,’ Freddie whispered to Lorcan so that only he would hear. He didn’t want to upset Jack.
‘You reckon?’ Lorcan asked worriedly.
‘Wouldn’t be surprised.’ Freddie sighed. ‘Like your father said, anything as long as it’s free.’
Lorcan watched Brian’s partner gyrating maniacally before him, her comedy boobs spilling out over her skimpy top, and thought longingly of Carmen.
He knew that, as a bloke, his stance on boobs was supposed to be the bigger the better, but he found the kind of industrial rigging they required extremely unsexy.
That and the way their owners were always shoving them in your face, he thought, watching Brian’s partner arch her back and thrust out her chest to give Brian a better view of her undulating cleavage.
Still, Brian seemed to be enjoying it, Lorcan thought morosely, and turned to scan the room for Carmen.
She was taking an unconscionably long time in the loo.
Just as he was wondering if she had left, he saw her coming through the room towards him and relaxed again, a slow smile spreading across his face as their eyes met.
All he wanted to do was take her upstairs and spend the rest of the night making love to her.
But, at the same time, he really liked her; he didn’t want to rush things and risk scaring her off.
When she reached him, he pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead.
Carmen smiled. ‘You promised me three things if I came to this wedding with you today,’ she reminded him, eyes twinkling. ‘I’ve had the cake and the champagne…’ She let the rest of the sentence hang in the air suggestively.
Lorcan could hardly believe they were both so much on the same wavelength. ‘I’ll get us a room,’ he said, tense with excitement, but hoping he hadn’t misunderstood.
Carmen put his fears to rest. She held up her hand. A room key dangled from one finger.
Lorcan’s face lit up like a child’s on Christmas Day. ‘Never let it be said I don’t deliver on my promises.’ His heart was pounding as he took Carmen’s hand and practically ran out of the ballroom with her.