Somebody to Love: Sigh With Contentment, Scream With Frustration. At Time You Will Weep. (10 page)

‘You’d better take him in, before you both get arrested for indecent glances.’ Alicia smiled indulgently. ‘See you soon, honey.’ She presented her cheek to Donna’s. ‘I like him,’ she whispered.

‘I’ll ring you later,’ Donna promised.

‘You’d better,’ Alicia assured her. ‘Now, take him in and do unspeakable things to him, before he implodes. And, trust me, I want details.’ She turned back to Mark. ‘Bye, Mark. Be gentle with her.’

Mark glanced at her, then down, embarrassed. ‘I will,’ he said, glancing back to Donna. ‘I’d never be anything but.’

‘Besotted.’ Alicia sighed audibly as she clacked off. ‘Utterly besotted.’

Chapter Six

‘Made for sharing,’ Mark mumbled, his indecent blue eyes lasering into hers, his lips — most definitely made for kissing — sucking sexily on the other end of her noodle.

Donna smiled, tempted to reel him in and slurp him, which might not go down terribly well with their neighbours, at
Wagamamas
noodle bar.

‘Sorry about
Benedicto’s
being fully booked,’ he said, fishing around in their shared bowl for a prawn. ‘Maybe next time?’

Donna smiled. ‘Maybe,’ she said, doing likewise.

‘Is that maybe
Benedicto’s
, or maybe a next time?’ Mark asked, his gaze now fixed on his chopsticks.

‘Maybe
Benedicto’s
,’ Donna confirmed, her smile widening as she watched him. He was nervous. She couldn’t quite believe it. Nervous that she, plain, ordinary Donna O’Connor might say no? Did he not realise how delicious he was, even when not dressed in his bite-the-buttons-off uniform, which he’d changed at her house and left hanging in her bedroom — where Donna fancied it looked quite at home.

‘Thank God.’ He glanced up, mischief now dancing in his eyes. ‘My chopsticks would be devastated if this turned out to be a one-night stand.’

Donna followed his gaze back down, to where her chopsticks had been getting seriously entangled with his. ‘Oh.’ She laughed, looking back at him, amazed at how easy it was to be with him.

Mark smiled a warm, sunny smile, which Donna would be quite happy to bask in the glow of forever. ‘And
I’d
be devastated, if I ever did anything that made you not want to do that,’ he said, reaching across the table to take her hand.

‘Do what?’ Donna asked, her scalp prickling pleasantly as his fingers made contact with hers.

‘Laugh,’ he said, caressing the back of her hand softly with his thumb. ‘You do it beautifully.’

Oh, Lord. Donna gulped, in danger of bursting into tears, right there in front of the little Japanese waiter. It was such a small thing he’d said, but so poetic in its simplicity, her disorientated heart felt full to overflowing. He hadn’t been gushing, full of false compliment designed to impress. He’d picked on the one thing she quite liked about herself: her smile, which she hadn’t had a reason to use much lately.

‘So tell me more about yourself,’ she asked, aware that she hadn’t told him much about
herself
. She liked him. More than liked him. He was kind, and obviously caring, but was he true? Or too good to be? It was too early to tell. She didn’t know him that well. She wasn’t ready yet to share her past with him, or for him to start defining her based on her history.

Mark nodded slowly. ‘Okay, I’ll tell you all my deep, dark secrets, but you first.’

‘Oh.’ Donna knitted her brow. ‘There’s not that much to tell really.’ She shrugged evasively. ‘Marriage, divorce, you know? Usual story.’

‘Ditto. Not easy to know where to start, is it, telling your life story?’ Mark suggested astutely.

‘No.’ Donna shook her head and glanced down.

‘Tell you what,’ he squeezed her hand, ‘why don’t we get to know each other slowly? Make a promise to reveal one secret every time we see each other? Sound good?’

‘Sounds good.’ Donna nodded, relieved, and added perceptive to his list of qualities.

Mark nodded in turn. ‘Right, me first,’ he said, ‘but, I have to warn you, it might be a bit… off-putting.’

‘How off-putting?’ Donna asked warily.

Mark scanned her face, his expression serious.

Oh, no. Donna’s shoulders drooped. He was still married. Addicted to lap-dancing clubs. Escaped from an asylum.

‘I, er…’ Mark started, then stopped. ‘There’s something I need to tell you, Donna, and it’s… well, like I say, off-putting… possibly. Something that some people… women wouldn’t be able to, er…’ He trailed off awkwardly.

Donna glanced down, then back at him.

Mark raked a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable now.

Don’t stare at him, idiot.
Donna shifted her gaze to her plate and idly plucked up a prawn. ‘I’m sure it can’t be more shocking than anything I’ve done,’ she said, attempting to put him at his ease. ‘I have been around the block a few times, you know.’ She waved her prawn airily. Then took her foot out of her mouth and popped the prawn in.

Mark cocked his head to one side. ‘Just a few times?’

‘Oh, you know, one or two,’ Donna trilled nonchalantly.

‘Right.’ He nodded. ‘So is that one of your secrets? Or is it general knowledge?’

What? Donna blinked at him, panicked, not least because of the marine crustacean wedged in her windpipe. ‘No,’ she spluttered. ‘I didn’t mean around, around. I meant around, um…’

‘A bit?’ Mark suggested helpfully.

‘Yes.’

‘Ah.’

‘No! I mean…’ Donna trailed helplessly off.

‘You’re a woman of considerable experience?’ Mark offered, his mouth curving into a slow smile.

‘Oh, ho, ho, ho.’ Donna couldn’t help but smile back. ‘I thought we were supposed to be serious.’

‘We are. I am.’ Mark laughed, an easy comfortable laugh.

‘Right, go on then.’ She nodded him on, trying to look more worldly-wise woman of substance than woman of considerable experience.

‘Right.’ Mark straightened his face. ‘It’s, er, personal,’ he said, his voice low against the hum of conversation in the restaurant. ‘And not something most people would be comfortable with, to be honest.’

Donna stared at him, wondering whether now might be a good time to leave.

He beckoned her closer. Donna obliged, realising the only way not to, without making it obvious, would be to fall backward in a dead faint off the bench chair — which really wouldn’t translate
worldly woman of substance
.

‘What?’ she whispered, so close to him now, she could smell his intoxicating aftershave, which would haunt her senses for the rest of her life if he told her anything terrible.

Mark moved closer. ‘I, er.’ He stopped, his breath so warm on her cheek, Donna felt goose bumps the length of her spine.

‘I have a… My s…’ He drew in a breath, then, ‘I… like rom-coms,’ he finally said. ‘Sorry, I can’t help it. It’s a compulsion. It’s pathetic, I know. I’m thinking of getting professional…’

‘Rom-coms!?’ Donna pulled back. ‘You like rom-coms? That’s your deep dark secret?’

‘Shush,’ Mark said, glancing hurriedly around, closely followed by ‘Ouch!’ as Donna prodded him with the blunt end of her chopstick.

‘Ooh,
you
…’ She narrowed her eyes, about to give him another prod, when the girly table next door broke out into rapturous applause.

‘He could watch rom-coms with me anytime,’ one of the girls shouted as the other girls whooped.

Donna folded her arms. ‘You’re over-egging it,’ she suggested as Mark feigned dying of embarrassment, face down on the table.

‘I think we’d better leave, before you have to fight them off,’ he mumbled, glancing up with a smirk.

****

‘Stick with me, kid, and we’ll get through this,’ Mark drawled in a terrible American accent as they surveyed the rain pebble-dashing the pavement around them ‘Ready?’ He glanced from where they stood outside his car to Donna’s front door.

‘Uh, huh.’ Donna nodded bravely from under the jacket he was holding cape-like over them.

‘Good man.’ Mark switched to military British. ‘Okay, on my count we make a run for it. Agreed?’

Donna saluted. ‘Wilco.’

‘Good chap.’ Mark nodded. ‘One, two,’ he counted — then ran. Then, obviously noticing a certain good chap was missing, skidded to a halt halfway to the front door. ‘
Shoot
! Donna? What’re you doing?’

‘Getting wet.’ Donna informed him — wetly, then shrieked as an icy drip snaked its way down her spine.

‘You said on your count. Ooch! Ouch!’ She scrunched her head into her neck and caught up, ducking too late under his cape to be anything other than seriously flat-haired.

‘I counted,’ Mark insisted, tugging her close and holding the coat over them as they made a final bolt for the house.

‘To two, Mark,’ Donna pointed out this all-important detail. ‘I thought you meant three.’

‘Whoops, sorry,’ he said, as she pushed the key into the lock.

‘Three,’ he said hopefully, as they scrambled in from the rain. ‘Er, you’re wet…’ he pointed out unnecessarily, as she turned to face him ‘… a bit.’

Donna went cross-eyed as another icy trickle dripped off the end of her nose. ‘Gosh, I never would have noticed.’

‘Sorry,’ Mark said seriously, then promptly opened the door and stepped back out. ‘Does that help?’

‘Mark!’ Donna laughed, and tried to drag him back in. ‘You’ll get pneumonia.’

‘Bound to,’ sighed Mark, back-stepping in as she tugged at his shirt. ‘You’re a hard woman, Donna O’Connor.’

****

‘Here you go.’ Donna offered Mark a towel, as she came downstairs dabbing at her wet tendrils with a towel of her own. ‘And consider yourself lucky. Messing with a girl’s hair is practically a hanging offence. A lesser woman would have left you shivering on the doorstep.’

‘So you’re saying forget the flowers and chocolates, just make sure to bring the sun next time. Tall order.’ Mark said, towelling his own hair as he followed her up the hall.

‘Well, any man worth his salt would bring the sunshine and make sure the chocolates were in a cool bag.’ Donna laughed, though the words
next time
gave her a jolt, next time being nearer the time when she might have to reveal more of herself. ‘I thought you were going to call anyway. Not just turn up here.’ Not that Donna minded now. She’d had a wonderful evening.

‘I did call. Your mobile was off.’ Mark paused behind her to give Sadie a fuss. ‘Hey, girl, how you doing? Clever girl, aren’t you, hmm?’

‘Oh.’ Donna turned around, her heart melting at the sight of this most masculine man fawning over her three-legged dog. And he was still smiling, despite that he’d got wetter than she had. It was nice to have a man smiling around her.

‘Oh,’ Mark repeated, his smile broadening as he straightened up.

Donna cocked her head, perplexed. ‘What’s funny?’

‘You,’ Mark said, hanging his towel on the stair-rail and taking a step towards her. ‘And that
oh
of yours. Kind of like a full stop, isn’t it?’

Donna was none the wiser.

‘Everywhere there should be a question or a statement, you insert,
oh
. Complication avoidance technique?’ Mark asked, moving closer.

‘No,’ Donna said, her gaze drawn irresistibly to his.

‘Sure?’

Donna nodded, the very closeness of him causing her heart to flip in her chest.

‘So your mobile wasn’t switched off on purpose, then?’

‘No.’ Donna gulped as he reached out to cup her face with his hand, grazing a thumb skin-tinglingly across her cheek.

‘Good,’ he said, weaving his hand through her damp hair, trailing the other down her back and pulling her towards him. ‘Because I’ve been thinking,’ he said, his voice deep and smoky, ‘if it is just a casual acquaintance you want, with no complications, I’ll do it. And I’ll keep on doing it until you trust me.’

Donna’s heart was racing so fast it was in danger of leaping right out of her mouth as he searched her eyes, the look in his igniting every nerve in her body.

‘I like being with you,’ he murmured, grazing her cheek with his, pressing his lips to her temple so softly it caused a low moan to escape her. Sweetly agonising, Mark took his time, trailing his lips slowly the length of her neck, then back again to find her mouth. Then pausing.

‘Are you okay with this?’ he asked, cautiously.

‘Yes,’ she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Mark nodded, rested his forehead briefly against hers, then kissed her, hard, hot and hungry.

‘OhmiGod! Stop!’ she cried, as one hand found its way tentatively under her top.

Alarmed, Mark snatched his hand back. ‘What?’ He quickly scanned the hall, searching for lace-eating rabbits, whose great-escape plans he could possibly curtail with a sidestep.

‘Matt,’ Donna gasped, cocking an ear as someone walked up the drive. ‘He’s back early.’

‘
Hell.
’ Mark looked this way and that, looking totally panic-struck. ‘Do you want me to slip out the back?’

‘What, and give my son the impression I have a secret lover?’

Mark scratched his head. ‘You don’t, do you?’

Donna gave him a look. ‘I don’t want Matt to
think
that I do, Mark. Sends out all the wrong signals. He’ll be thinking I have a string of lovers coming and going while he’s out, and a turnstile in the hall.’

‘Ah.’ Mark nodded, as if enlightened. ‘I thought it was some kind of safety gate to keep Sadie downstairs,’ he quipped, then held up his hands in defence as Donna shot him her best withering glance.

‘You’ll just have to meet him,’ she said. ‘But please promise not to do or say anything controversial. Okay?’

‘I’ll do my best not to embarrass you.’ Mark sounded a touch hurt.

Oh, dear, that didn’t come out quite right. Donna felt bad for him. ‘I meant anything that might upset Matt, Mark, not me. He’s very vulnerable right now, though he’d rather die than admit it.’

‘As teenagers do.’ Mark nodded understandingly. ‘I’ll do my best, promise.’ He gave her a reassuring smile.

‘Do you mind waiting in the kitchen?’ Donna handed him her towel and quickly straightened her top. ‘Give me a chance to set the scene?’

‘Right,’ Mark said, disappearing swiftly through a door, then reappearing. ‘Toilet,’ he said, smiling wanly and heading for the kitchen.