Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell [59]
`I thought we'd have another one, back at your place.' `Was that Danny Delancey's car I saw leaving just now? Are you sure he isn't a bit keen on you?'
`If he's keen on anyone, it's Florence's new lodger.' Miranda wondered why the idea still rankled. Determinedly she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
`I thought she wasn't moving in for another week or so.'
Reaching up on her toes, Miranda kissed Greg full on the mouth. The last people she felt like talking about right now were Danny Delancey and pretty blonde pregnant Chloe.
`She isn't.'
`So why was she here today?'
Greg didn't really want to know, he was just being polite. `Came to lend a hand with the painting, that's all. Now, can I ask you something personal?'
They reached the car. Greg leaned her backwards across the still-warm bonnet and ran his fingers across her exposed midriff.`How personal?'
`Extremely, deeply and outrageously personal.' Greg hesitated for a fraction of a second.
`Go on then.'
`Do you ache as much as I do after last night?'
Up close, with the last of the evening sunlight on her face, he could see the tiny, barely visible freckles scattered over Miranda's nose. Her dark eyes sparkled, her mouth curved up at the corners and her complexion was flawless.
Most people looked better from a distance, thought Greg. Miranda was even more gorgeous close up.
`You're beautiful.' He couldn't help himself, he had to say it.
`And you're a salesman.' She raised a sceptical eyebrow. `Anyway, you haven't answered my question.'
`I love you,' said Greg.
`You're still a salesman.'
Outwardly, Miranda was still joking, but inwardly he knew she believed him. Which was just as well, Greg thought. Because it was true.
`You want me to be totally honest with you?' He was smiling as he spoke, his mouth inches away from hers. `Okay, I do, I ache just as much as you do. I ache like mad. And you know something else?'
`What?' Miranda wondered if all the neighbours were watching. Spreadeagled across the bonnet of a car in broad daylight in the middle of dear old Notting Hill… well, it was hardly discreet.
`I don't care that I ache,' said Greg. `It's not going to stop me. So if you want a good night's sleep, you'd better turn around now and head back into that house.'
As if she could, Miranda thought joyfully. She flung her arms around him. So what if she couldn't walk tomorrow, or push a broom, or wash hair. Who cared?
Apart from Fenn, of course, her stroppy employer, who could get quite funny about salon juniors who staggered into work incapable of carrying out the simplest tasks.
Then again, what did Fenn know about love? All he ever went out with were spaghetti-thin supermodels with minds as blank as their faces and Press Here buttons in their backs for when you wanted them to speak. And they never lasted longer than a few weeks; with his low boredom threshold, Fenn freely admitted that he didn't know why he bothered.
It was, all in all, a bit of a sad existence, Miranda felt. As if being photographed and appearing in as many magazines as possible was more important than being with someone you actually liked. Poor Fenn, he didn't know what he was missing.
`If it takes you this long to make up your mind,' said Greg, `I must be losing my touch. Maybe I'd better just go home after all.'
He was doing his best to sound offended. Miranda ran her fingernails down his back.
`I was thinking about my boss.'
`Oh, great. Don't think about your boss, think about me!' `Okay, let's go.' Blissfully, she breathed in the scent of his aftershave. `Who needs sleep anyway?'
`I love you.'
Miranda knew why he was saying it again. It was her turn now; he was waiting for her to return the favour. She shivered with happiness.
`I love you too.'
Above them, Florence's living room window was flung open.
`Any more of that malarkey in a public parking bay,' Florence yelled down at them, `and you'll get clamped.'
Chapter 24
Chloe had an appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound scan on