Convenience

Part 71

It was then that Beatrice realised she'd made several wrong moves. Several wrong moves. Why was she still here? She should have gone. She frowned again and took a gulp of air. Her heart was hammering. Her mind replayed his voice, his touch, his gaze, over and over. Lots had changed in the last few minutes, and she wasn't sure that emotionally she was ready to deal with the change.

Her eyes remained trained on him. But her head and heart were spinning. She drew a deep breath and looked pensive. She needed to leave. She blew out a breath and glanced apprehensively at him. She waited for her brain to start processing information. She wrapped her arms around her waist and gave herself a pep talk. There were times in life, when things just seemed overwhelming. Today was one of those times. Time to remember that she had a backbone, that she was made of sterner stuff, that she wasn't a fool! She could think. Think. Think. Her head remained mush.

David came closer close enough to see her nervousness.

Getting this close was her first mistake. Reckless. She should have kept a good couple of miles between them instead of closing the distance to a couple of inches. Think, she ordered herself. What the hell was she doing? She reminded herself, remembering that a few weeks ago he wanted a divorce, an overconfident man, and getting close was not the right thing. She could run. Run. Run. Her breath hitched.

Touching him, albeit his jacket, was an equally huge mistake. Foolish. It was amazing that her heart hadn't battered its way past her ribs. She hoped her emotions weren't clear to see. She tried to get her equilibrium back. She could hide her emotions. Hide. Hide. Her head was swimming.

Feeling his heart, feeling the thud of his heart, beneath her palm. His heartbeat was catapulted through her body. Rousing. But it was unexpected. She didn't want to like him. She couldn't. She couldn't. Her pulse rate intensified.

He was surprised to see Beatrice's reaction. Nervous. Her wall was falling. David decided to keep hammering perhaps that chink would grow into a crack.

David stepped closer, one hand on her shoulder steadied her when she swayed slightly. For now her hand was trapped beneath his and held close to him, and his hand was on her shoulder. The short-circuiting of brain function as a consequence of that contact was unexpected. All of her cautiously made plans went down the drain. Adrenaline once again surged.

And might account for her biggest mistake. She couldn't turn, run or hide! Big, big mistake.

Her eyes went wide and she tilted her head back as her eyes flicked up to meet his gaze. Intense. Beatrice blinked in surprise. What had just happened? She didn't want to like him. Something wasn't right here. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. Her colour went completely and for a moment she simply couldn't breathe. She felt faint.  With their eyes locked on each other, her mind was whirring. She was trying to get her heart to stop hammering. She was bewildered and excited and scared. She looked panicked as she recognised her soul mate. Soul mate? He was it? Surely not! It can't be him.

David wondered if a slow steady campaign would help erode that wall she'd erected. In any case, he couldn't help it. David knew he was taking a risk. He'd always considered himself to have the skills needed to charm. Since he saw her, that few weeks ago, he had learnt not to miss any opportunity with Beatrice, but he needed to be cautious. Even so, he hauled her close, reducing those two inches to nearly zero inches.

Beatrice could see the intent in David's eyes. His lips were close. She swallowed the lump of panic. Beatrice wasn't sure her blood pressure could handle this. And she was not sure whether her legs would support her. She looked up at David. Her eyes widened when she read the answer in his eyes.

In the blink of an eye the palm holding hers flat to his chest, slid around her forearm, pinning her to him in the process as his palm settled between her shoulder blades. His other hand rose from her shoulder to cup her face before his fingers slid past her cheek, ruffled through the sleek bobbed curtain of jet black hair, and threaded through the glorious silk as he held her head secure and angled to receive his kiss.

Their eyes spoke volumes. His lips hovered a bare fraction of an inch from hers. His eyes flicked to her lips, then back to her eyes. He paused. He gave her a chance. Bring this to a halt. Or continue. Your decision, his eyes told her.