out of the supermarket stuffing biscuits into his face. Did the man not know
anything
about tempting fate? He’d be keeling over on the toilet next if he wasn’t careful. She ducked as he passed her window so he wouldn’t spot her fraternizing with the enemy and mention it to Marla.
Or, God forbid, to Tom.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Dan slid back into the driving seat and passed her a bag clinking with bottles. ‘Red, white and sparkling. My treat.’
Emily laughed. ‘Now you’re talking
my
language.’
Dan winked and gunned the engine. ‘Do you want me to take you home?’
His directness caught her off guard and the smile slipped from her face. He might have kept his tone deliberately light, but the subtext behind his question was clear. ‘I don’t know.’ She looked down at her lap. ‘No.’
He nodded and turned out of the carpack in the opposite direction to the village.
They drove out into the countryside for a little while before Dan finally eased the hearse up a battered dirt track and came to rest in a sheltered copse. Beyond the trees Emily had a clear view of the full moon as it glittered over the placid waters of the River Severn.
‘This place is beautiful,’ she said softly, and wound down her window to drink in the night sounds and smells.
Dan nodded, his eyes on her profile instead of the view. ‘Beautiful.’
Emily fidgeted in her seat and the carrier bag tumbled over with a clink that reminded her of her need for wine.
‘I don’t suppose you happen to carry wine glasses in this thing, do you?’ She asked, glancing hopefully around the surprisingly plush interior of the hearse.
‘Sorry, Princess.’ Dan shook his head. ‘Although, hang on …’ he stretched an arm back between the two seats, fished around for a few seconds before coming up with a battered red KitKat mug.
‘I was working in the back this morning. Left this in there.’ Dan wiped the mug clean on the edge of his dark T-shirt.
Emily unscrewed the cap from the red wine and sloshed the mug half-full, then saluted him with it before taking a good long swig. It was a little cold, but she welcomed it all the same.
‘Better?’
‘A bit.’ She had another glug. ‘A lot.’ She grinned.
Dan laughed and refilled her mug.
Emily sighed heavily. ‘It’s my birthday tomorrow.’
‘No way! Let me guess …’ he turned her chin slightly towards him to study her face. ‘Twenty-four?’
‘I wish.’ Emily looked at her watch and groaned. ‘I’ve got exactly two hours left of my twenties.’
Dan whistled under his breath. ‘Well, here’s to you, Mrs Robinson.’
‘Don’t. You make me feel even older.’ She sipped her wine and idly wondered exactly how much younger than her he was. Couldn’t be much. A year. Two, maybe?
‘So … Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do before you hit the big 3-0?’
Emily shook her head, unwilling to allow herself to even think about the obvious baby-related answer to his question.
‘Skydive, maybe?’ he suggested. ‘Bungee jump?’
Emily wrinkled her nose with distaste at his daredevil suggestions. She preferred to get her kicks on terra firma; even domestic flights had her swigging rescue remedy in the airport loos.
‘How about wild sex in the back of a hearse?’ he added.
A charged silence crackled between them as his question hung in the air.
Emily had known where this was headed from the moment she’d got into the hearse back in the village. She hadn’t planned it, but then again, she hadn’t resisted it either.
And she didn’t resist now as Dan reached out to cradle her jaw, tracing her cheekbone with his thumb. She didn’t resist him because she
couldn’t
resist him. Instead, she turned her face into his hand and pressed her lips against his warm palm. A shiver of pleasure rocked through her at the intimacy of his unknown taste against her mouth, and she knew from the way his breath quickened that he’d felt the heat kick up a notch
anything
about tempting fate? He’d be keeling over on the toilet next if he wasn’t careful. She ducked as he passed her window so he wouldn’t spot her fraternizing with the enemy and mention it to Marla.
Or, God forbid, to Tom.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Dan slid back into the driving seat and passed her a bag clinking with bottles. ‘Red, white and sparkling. My treat.’
Emily laughed. ‘Now you’re talking
my
language.’
Dan winked and gunned the engine. ‘Do you want me to take you home?’
His directness caught her off guard and the smile slipped from her face. He might have kept his tone deliberately light, but the subtext behind his question was clear. ‘I don’t know.’ She looked down at her lap. ‘No.’
He nodded and turned out of the carpack in the opposite direction to the village.
They drove out into the countryside for a little while before Dan finally eased the hearse up a battered dirt track and came to rest in a sheltered copse. Beyond the trees Emily had a clear view of the full moon as it glittered over the placid waters of the River Severn.
‘This place is beautiful,’ she said softly, and wound down her window to drink in the night sounds and smells.
Dan nodded, his eyes on her profile instead of the view. ‘Beautiful.’
Emily fidgeted in her seat and the carrier bag tumbled over with a clink that reminded her of her need for wine.
‘I don’t suppose you happen to carry wine glasses in this thing, do you?’ She asked, glancing hopefully around the surprisingly plush interior of the hearse.
‘Sorry, Princess.’ Dan shook his head. ‘Although, hang on …’ he stretched an arm back between the two seats, fished around for a few seconds before coming up with a battered red KitKat mug.
‘I was working in the back this morning. Left this in there.’ Dan wiped the mug clean on the edge of his dark T-shirt.
Emily unscrewed the cap from the red wine and sloshed the mug half-full, then saluted him with it before taking a good long swig. It was a little cold, but she welcomed it all the same.
‘Better?’
‘A bit.’ She had another glug. ‘A lot.’ She grinned.
Dan laughed and refilled her mug.
Emily sighed heavily. ‘It’s my birthday tomorrow.’
‘No way! Let me guess …’ he turned her chin slightly towards him to study her face. ‘Twenty-four?’
‘I wish.’ Emily looked at her watch and groaned. ‘I’ve got exactly two hours left of my twenties.’
Dan whistled under his breath. ‘Well, here’s to you, Mrs Robinson.’
‘Don’t. You make me feel even older.’ She sipped her wine and idly wondered exactly how much younger than her he was. Couldn’t be much. A year. Two, maybe?
‘So … Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do before you hit the big 3-0?’
Emily shook her head, unwilling to allow herself to even think about the obvious baby-related answer to his question.
‘Skydive, maybe?’ he suggested. ‘Bungee jump?’
Emily wrinkled her nose with distaste at his daredevil suggestions. She preferred to get her kicks on terra firma; even domestic flights had her swigging rescue remedy in the airport loos.
‘How about wild sex in the back of a hearse?’ he added.
A charged silence crackled between them as his question hung in the air.
Emily had known where this was headed from the moment she’d got into the hearse back in the village. She hadn’t planned it, but then again, she hadn’t resisted it either.
And she didn’t resist now as Dan reached out to cradle her jaw, tracing her cheekbone with his thumb. She didn’t resist him because she
couldn’t
resist him. Instead, she turned her face into his hand and pressed her lips against his warm palm. A shiver of pleasure rocked through her at the intimacy of his unknown taste against her mouth, and she knew from the way his breath quickened that he’d felt the heat kick up a notch
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