Read Another Summer for Free Online Page B

she flipped inside, a bubble of heat rushing to her cheeks at the touch of his warm lips on her fingers.  Maybe he was only killing time but he seemed to have unlocked something she hadn’t even realised had been slammed shut.
    But, as tempted as she was, wasn’t it all just a little bit rushed?  She never behaved like this.  She  moved her hand and got up to clear the table.  
    “What about the garden?” 
    “You want sex in the garden?”
    “I want to work in the garden.  Are you always this full-on?”
    “Are you always this stubborn?”
    But he took off his shirt and got stuck in, his effort making up for his lack of skill.  He hacked at the grass with a strimmer and made mincemeat of the straggling escallonia, tossing the branches onto the grass.  Evie raked them into a heap, trying not to be distracted by the sight of him at work.  Silly to be so mesmerised by somebody’s naked back, even with all those taut muscles glistening in the sunshine.
    “Careful you don’t burn.”
    “You can rub some stuff on me.  And another of those lagers would be great.  If you get me too drunk to drive the bike, I’ll just have to bunk in with you.”
    He winked at her, half joking half challenging again.  Ridiculously flustered, she escaped inside for the beer and her new tube of sunscreen.  When she came back, he was straddling the chair he’d been standing on.  He took a long swig then offered the bottle to her, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
    She didn’t even like lager but she took it anyway, unable to resist putting her lips to the spot where his had just been.
    “So, the cream?  Before I burn to a crisp.”
    She gave him the tube and he covered his chest then passed it to her to do his back.  She hesitated.  It seemed very intimate to touch him like that.  But she managed to squeeze out the cream and rub it onto his hard shoulders and down across his back.  
    “Now you.  Turn around.”
    She tanned easily and didn’t need more cream but she let him do it, watching his hands slip over her shoulders and down the length of her arms.  As the silver ball on its leather thong flicked across the hot skin of her back, she shivered.
    “My hands cold?”
    She shook her head, feeling silly to be so disconcerted when he’d barely touched her.
    “What, then?  I do get it, you know.”
    “Get what?”
    He turned her round again to face him, his thumbs caressing her collarbone as if he didn’t even know he was doing it.  She didn’t know how to deal with how he was making her feel.
    “You’re married and you don’t seem the type to play away.  I think you’re nervous but a bit of you is dying to get back at the bastard who hurt you.”
    “What are you, a mind reader?”
    He picked up his beer from the grass and took a swig.  “Like I said, I get it.”
    “So, what’s in it for you?”
    “Maybe I like gardening?”
    “Not funny!  You must know plenty of girls your own age.  Why are you wasting your time with me?”
    He wound her hair round his finger and tucked it behind her ear.  His hand trailed down her cheek, then circled her mouth, slowly, barely touching yet enough to make her shiver.
    “If I’m wasting my time, just say the word and I’ll go.”
    “I think you should do that.”
    “Do what?”
    He was kissing her now, tiny dots of persuasion from her jaw to the very corner of her mouth.
    “Go.”
    But he heard the sigh of pleasure despite the way she fought it.  He drew her in, his hands on her back holding her tight against him.  He tasted of lager, his lips working her mouth in a slow kiss which teased out the exact reaction he’d expected.  
    “See,” he grinned.  “Maybe I can read your mind.  But don’t take too long catching up.  I’m not that patient.”
    What could she say?  It wasn’t the way she normally behaved but look where that had got her.  Jake had her weak at the knees but he’d already picked up the shears and was back at the