‘NOT PLAYING WITH THE OTHERS?’ TIM SAID.
Taisie’s eyes were glued to his face. She seriously thought she might collapse in a heap. ‘I’m pretending to. But it’s a bit childish for me.’
He laughed, and she laughed back, although she was worried that he was laughing at her, not with her.
‘You are so charming,’ Tim said.
‘I’m not really. I’m actually a nightmare. You should talk to Mum. Well, actually, you shouldn’t.’ She was babbling, nervous as hell, caught in his gaze.
‘Well, if you’re a nightmare, you’re the fun sort,’ he said.
Taisie shivered happily. He didn’t say anything else and she couldn’t think of anything to say. She waited, feeling like an idiot, thinking she should go, calculating where Izzy would be, but wanting a few more seconds of this agony. Then he made an odd groaning sound, as if it was a huge effort to keep his hands off her, and that clinched it. With more confidence than she felt, she touched his cheek and he grabbed her hand and pressed his lips into her palm. Oh my God, she thought, the feelings that pulsed through her … she couldn’t describe, but her knees practically buckled.
‘We can’t stay here,’ he said. ‘We’ll be found.’
He stuck his head into the hall, checked there was no one around, then propelled her across the parquet floor and into Angus’s study, his hand on the small of her back.
‘No one would dare come in here,’ he said, closing the door.
She stood, frozen, her heart thumping, unsure what exactly was going on, whether she wanted it, or whether she should get away.
‘Anastasia,’ he murmured.
The way he said her full name sent shudders through her. He pulled her in to him and kissed her on the lips. First softly, then harder, his tongue pushing between her teeth. When his hand crept under her top, touching the underside of her breast, she thrust him away, shaking her head, suddenly shy.
‘What’s up, baby?’
‘I didn’t think you liked me.’
She bit her bottom lip, and he tipped her chin up with his finger.
‘You’re fishing for compliments. You know perfectly well that I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you.’
He bent to kiss her again, and she kissed him back, letting her tongue press tantalizingly against his before wriggling out of his clasp.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m really sorry, but I’ve got to go.’
She looked at the door, then back at him, imploringly. Izzy would be at the river by now, waiting. She wished she hadn’t let her go. She hadn’t thought it through, only dwelt on the glorious aftermath. What if Izzy got impatient and came back to the house? Their parents would want to know what she’d been doing outside all by herself. Izzy caught colds easily; Taisie would get the blame.
‘No, I’m the one who should be sorry, sweetheart.’ Tim held her against him and kissed the top of her head, murmuring, ‘God, you drive me crazy.’
She put her hands against his chest and pushed him away reluctantly. He smelled so lovely, she wanted to bury her nose in his shirt.
He dropped his hands with a sigh. ‘Are you cross with me?’
‘No!’ She could hardly be cross with him when her lips were throbbing from his kiss. ‘I liked it. I’ve never been kissed like that before.’ She blushed, embarrassed at how naive she sounded, but the hungry look on Tim’s face reassured her. She was already anticipating the possibility of more.
He smiled softly, took a strand of her hair and carefully tucked it behind her ear, brushing her cheekbone with his fingers. ‘I care very much about you, Anastasia. But we need to keep this secret.’
‘I won’t tell anyone. I swear.’