As they entered the farmhouse Annie paused, something felt wrong but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Her attention turned to Will who was emptying the contents of his carrier bag onto the worktop. It was like some bizarre scene from a cooking programme she used to watch on daytime TV before she joined the police. She half-expected Ainsley Harriott to walk in any second.
This was the first time in her life a man had offered to cook for her. Mike was so rubbish in the kitchen she used to have to make his tea and leave it in the microwave for him whenever she was on late shifts. She could get used to this. Opening the fridge she took out a bottle of her favourite rosé.
‘I’ve got this or I can go to my brother’s secret stash in the barn and get a nice bottle of red.’
‘I’ll try a glass of that pink girly stuff you refer to as wine. I noticed that you had plenty.’
She grinned and opened the bottle, pouring out two large glasses. ‘You really are cheeky. Has anyone ever told you that apart from me?’
Will turned to face her and his smile reached all the way up to his cornflower blue eyes, which sparkled in the light. Annie did her best not to sigh: it was too good to be true. Here she was in her favourite place in the world, with a gorgeous man who could cook and even drink the same wine as her.
‘Do you want to chop the salad?’
And just like that her daydream was shattered. ‘Have you never heard of ready-mix bags?’
‘Yes, and now who is being cheeky. They don’t taste as good as when you make it yourself. I’ll have you know that I grew these tomatoes and cucumbers myself and while it may not be up to the standard of The Ritz you are still going to enjoy a decent, home-cooked meal.’
Annie gulped a mouthful of wine. ‘Thanks, it’s very kind of you but I’m doing OK on my own. It’s not as if I’m starving or anything.’
Will turned back to the frying pan adding chopped chillies and spices to the chicken and vegetables. It smelt amazing and her stomach began to rumble just to prove her wrong.
Will took a sip of the wine. ‘You know, this isn’t bad. In fact, it’s much better than I imagined but don’t tell Jake that I drank it.’
Annie decided not to tell him that Jake had said almost the same thing: there was obviously some man thing going on. Taking some cutlery from the drawer she began to set the table. On the floor next to a chair were some pieces of dried straw. Bending down to pick it up she wondered how it had got there when she had vacuumed earlier.
‘Are you ready to have your taste buds tickled?’ Will carried over a serving plate full of tortilla wraps and the bowl of salad. They sat down to eat. Annie forgot about the straw, she was too busy enjoying Will’s cooking. They ate in silence and when they had finished Annie sat back and sighed.
‘That was amazing, what’s your recipe?’
Will finished his wine and refilled both glasses. ‘If I tell you I’ll have to kill you.’
Annie was so happy she thought this would be a good way to go.
‘Come on, we should watch a film,’ he suggested.
Annie led him into the snug and smiled at the look of wonder on his face: this room was probably the male equivalent of a walk-in wardrobe. There was a fifty-eight inch plasma television with every sky channel, a wall that was lined with shelves holding hundreds of films, a roaring log fire and the biggest sofa in the world.
‘Does your brother need a lodger? When can I move in?’
‘He already has one, sorry. But if I ever sort out my sad, pathetic life he might just consider it.’
She looked beautiful and Will felt the blood pump around his heart faster than normal. Picking up the remote he began to flick through the channels to take his mind off her. He wanted to do all manner of things that weren’t really appropriate for a first date, especially as he didn’t even know if this was a date; he was struggling to work that one out.
His last girlfriend, now he had done things with her on their first date he didn’t think should really be allowed on any date. The lust had been the only thing they had in common. After two months he couldn’t stand that she was so clingy and cried every time he talked about anyone from work. When she had left him for the window cleaner he had felt nothing but relief. Annie was so different; a survivor with a great sense of humour, not to mention she was gorgeous in an understated way, plus her cleavage was amazing. His last couple of girlfriends had been so thin there were men in the station with bigger breasts.
Annie came back in with another bottle of wine. ‘I don’t want you to get the wrong idea but I’m just a bit curious about how you’re getting home. It’s a long walk to anywhere from here. You can stay the night on the sofa, if you want. It’s big enough for a rugby team to sit on and it’s so comfy. In fact, I spend most nights sleeping on here. I don’t sleep very well upstairs.’
Will liked the thought of her sprawled out on the sofa. ‘I never really thought about it, I’m too lazy to walk home on my own so if you don’t mind I’ll stay here. I promise not to drool too much but I might snore.’ He watched as her eyes filled with tears and she turned away from him. He stood up and put his hand on her shoulder. ‘I’m sorry was it something I said, are you all right?’
She nodded. ‘I’m just being ridiculous again. I like the thought that maybe tonight would be normal and nightmare free.’
Will pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, bending until his lips were pressing against hers. He briefly paused, pulling away but she leant up to bridge the gap and their lips met. They kissed and he didn’t want it to end but he forced himself to pull away.
‘I’m sorry, Annie. I don’t know what I was thinking.’
Annie looked down to the bulge in the front of his jeans. ‘Oh I know what you were thinking.’
He felt his cheeks burn and he grabbed her arm, pulling her down onto the sofa with him. ‘You are such a bad influence on me, Annie, fancy wanting to take advantage of my body like that.’
She snuggled into his arms and Will thought that it might kill him but he would show her that he could be a gentleman. For now he was happy to hold her close. He lifted his hand, careful not to knock the back of her head. ‘It’s OK, you can take the hat off when you’re with me.’
‘Will it gives me nightmares, I don’t want to put you off.’
He took hold of the hat and gently tugged it from her head, he bent down and tenderly kissed above the angry red cut and line of staples. ‘I think it’s kind of sexy, it makes you look well hard. I wouldn’t mess with you.’
She turned her attention to the television but he caught the grin on her face.