Pretty In Pink

Luke hesitated. For one thing he needed to reimburse Cat for her fuel, but he suddenly realised that he had grown used to her company over the last few hours. She was very easy to be with. She also looked damned hot in her tight tee shirt, but that wasn't something he was thinking about.

"You must be shattered after driving all this way—come on in and have a cup of tea at least?"

"Ok, if you're sure. I could do with stretching my legs." She smiled sideways at him before succumbing to another yawn.

Luke climbed out of the truck, hoping that none of his neighbours were around. It wouldn't look good to be seen wearing pink. Max trotted along to the nearest tree and peed for a while, an expression of doggy bliss on his hairy face. Then he bounded back to Cat and they all entered the flat.

"Take a seat while I change, then I'll make us a drink and some food if you're hungry?"

"Tea, please," she said in a tired voice before flopping down on his sofa. Max dropped down at her feet and rested his nose on his paws. He seemed quite content.

Luke quickly changed into something more manly before dropping his borrowed clothes in a plastic bag. He took the bag and placed it by the front door before heading into the kitchen and busying himself making drinks and some sandwiches. After being asleep for a while in the truck, he felt much revived. The headache that had lingered on from the previous night had gone. Unfortunately, the attraction he felt for Cat had not.

By the time he wandered back into the living room with two mugs of tea, Cat was fast asleep. She was curled up like a cat, her legs tucked up and her head resting on her arm. She looked adorable. Tiny tendrils of hair clung to her cheek as she breathed softly and unable to stop himself, Luke reached out and gently brushed them aside. Her cheek felt like velvet. She murmured a little when his fingers touched her, but she didn't wake up.

He placed her tea on the table and sat down wondering how long he ought to let her snooze. She was obviously shattered after the long drive, but he wasn't sure if she needed to be home tonight. So he sipped his own tea and watched her sleep.

*

Something licked his hand and he woke with a start. Shit. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. When he opened his eyes, he realised how late it was: the room was semi dark with only the street lamp outside for illumination.

Max was staring at him reproachfully, presumably trying to get the message across that he needed to relieve himself again. So Luke dragged himself up and padded out to the kitchen to let Max into the garden for a pee. The dog dashed outside and disappeared into the darkness while Luke hovered in the doorway, rubbing his eyes.

"What time is it?"

Luke turned to see Cat, her hair all mussed up and her cheek bearing the creases of his sofa. She looked adorable and he fought a sudden impulse to take her in his arms.

"Late," he said. "Too late for you to drive back now."

"But I can't stay—you're supposed to be getting married in the morning," she reminded him.

He didn't need a reminder. The knowledge was eating away at him like a cancerous growth. "No argument, you're not going anywhere."

"Do you have a spare room?"

"No, but I can crash on the sofa while you sleep in my bed." Luke read her mind. "The sheets are clean—honest!"

Max trotted back in and Luke locked the door. Now that he knew Cat was staying, he felt a lot happier. The thought of spending a few more hours with her seemed to lessen the sensation he had of hurtling towards a fate worse than death. It was hardly a great analogy for his impending nuptials, but it seemed to be increasingly apt.

"Looks like the sofa has been double-booked," he commented when they walked into the living room and saw Max stretched out like Lord Muck.

"Max!" Cat exclaimed in horror. "Bad dog!"

Max's tongue lolled out of his mouth as he grinned at them both. He wagged his tail a couple of times then closed his eyes.

Luke laughed. "Did he bunk off during obedience classes?"

"God, I'm so sorry!" Cat looked mortified.

"Look, I'll show you where everything is then I'll shove him off."

Luke walked Cat to the bathroom and quickly made sure the bedroom was tidy before she reappeared. He noticed she had pulled her hair back into a neat plait when she came back in. It took his breath away and for a moment he was lost for words. How on earth had he ended up in his bedroom with another woman—on the eve of his wedding?

Robbie had an awful lot to answer for. It was unfortunate his brother had, so far, refused to answer Luke's text messages and calls. Luke still couldn't figure out how he had ended up so far away when his last recollection was drinking cocktails in some dodgy club. But that was the least of his worries at the moment. The more pressing problem he was facing was his non-platonic desire to bed Cat.

"I'll just grab a blanket and leave you to it," he said hurriedly, already picturing Cat's naked body sprawled over his bed. Would his bed ever be the same again?

She regarded him while rubbing her eyes blearily. "I'd feel bad leaving you with Max all night—he snores and makes a terrible bed partner," she said. "I know this because he has a tendency to sneak into my bedroom whenever there's a storm. He's petrified of thunder," she explained.

"Oh I'll be fine," Luke lied.

"No, really, I'm sure we can behave like adults and share your bed for a few hours." She yawned heavily. "You're getting married in the morning, so it's not like anything is going to happen!"

How trusting she is, Luke thought with black amusement. If she could read his mind, she would be half way down the street by now!

"Well, uhm, if you're sure? I really don't mind sleeping on the couch?"

"No, don't be silly." She dismissed his weak protest and turned away to remove her jeans. Luke caught a brief glimpse of pink cotton shorts before she climbed beneath his duvet and turned her back on him.

It was left to him to switch off the light and join her in the darkness. Lying in his bed with Cat stretched out beside him, Luke knew it was going to be a very long night. From the living room he heard Max snoring and he supposed that he was at least spared thatparticular torment.

*

Cat rolled on to her back and Luke wondered if she was awake. He shifted, being careful not to touch her for fear of provoking an unwanted bodily reaction.

"You awake?" asked a soft voice.

"Yep," he confirmed. "Your dog can snore for England."

"I know, he's a pain, sorry."

"Don't worry about it—I'd have been awake anyway." He was far too aware of Cat in the bed beside him to sleep. The sweet scent of her perfume was tormenting him beyond reason; that and the knowledge she was within touching distance, yet so far out of reach in every other way.

"Too excited about tomorrow?"

"Not exactly," he hedged. If he stared hard enough, he could see the morning suit hanging up in his wardrobe, ready for him to wear tomorrow. It only served to bring on another wave of panic.

"I was supposed to be getting married next month," Cat admitted in a voice so faint he thought he'd imagined it.

"Really? What happened?"Ten out of ten for diplomacy, Luke.

"I found out he'd been messing around with another woman, so I ended it."

"I'm sorry," he told her. It did occur to him that he was no so innocent in that regard, but he decided not to think too closely about that

Luke couldn't see her face, but there was no mistaking her pain. Remembering the arsehole in the red car, Luke had no problem believing that he was capable of behaving in such a manner. The guy had had "bastard" tattooed on his head.

"I was sorry, too," she replied. "When he told me he loved me, I believed him. I thought we were meant to be together. Too many times my friends tried to warn me about how badly he was treating me, how he was using me, but I ignored them. I loved him and that was all that mattered. What we had was special—or so I thought."

She laughed bitterly. "How stupid was I?"

"He was the stupid one for losing you."

Before he could analyse his motives, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. Her cheeks were wet and he realised she was crying. Her body curved against his perfectly, it was like they were meant to be.

As he stroked her hair, he knew he was in terrible danger of crossing the invisible line. The right thing to do at this point would be to gently extricate himself, crawl away, and curl up on the sofa with Max for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, he lacked the willpower to move a muscle. He kind of hoped that she might protest at his proximity, but instead, she stayed in his arms.

Then she spoke. "You never answered my question earlier about what your fiancée was like?"

Luke closed his eyes and tried to picture the woman he was marrying tomorrow. It wasn't easy when Cat was lying in his arms, her soft breasts pressing against him enticingly. "She's dark, slim, very serious most of the time, kind of not like you really."

She shifted slightly and he caught another whiff of her perfume. It was heavenly.

"Do you love her?"

Jesus. She didn't pull any punches. "I...I...don't know."

"Then why are you marrying her tomorrow?"

If he were a boxer, he'd have just been knocked out. He could certainly feel the air leave his body in a whoosh.

"I guess I don't want to hurt her and let her down."

"If you don't love her, at least give her a chance to find someone who can love her!"

The truth in her voice cut him like a razor. She was right. They both knew it. He was weak, a pathetic excuse for a man. He should have ended it with Monique months ago, but instead he had allowed this circus to gather pace until his best intentions had been trampled in a stampede of wedding preparations.

He turned towards her, fully intending to tell her she was right. How their lips found each other in the dark was a mystery. It wasn't just lust, he felt certain of that. It was something more. Something he hadn't felt for a long time.

The kiss deepened until he was throbbing with need. He knew Cat would feel him, hard against her, but he was powerless to pull away. When he felt her hands tentatively stroking his chest, he groaned into her mouth and grabbed her bottom.

The duvet was kicked down the bed as the heat rose several degrees. Pushing Cat on to her back, he relinquished her mouth and kissed her neck, tasting the residue of salty tears. Her braless breasts heaved against her tee shirt, tempting him, begging to be worshipped.

He wanted to see her, naked and glorious. She didn't murmur a protest when he gently lifted the pale blue cotton, exposing her delicious tits to his avid gaze. There was just enough light from the window for him to see the way her hard nipples responded to his touch as her back arched with pleasure. When his tongue bathed each taut tip with warm saliva, she moaned softly and gripped his arm urgently.

Her small hand reached down and found his cock, rock hard with need. It was his turn to moan when she rubbed against him, teasing him with her cotton-clad sex. She was soaking wet when he slid his fingers inside her knickers; hot and ready for him. Just the thought of being inside her made him groan against her breast.

His tongue skated across her smooth belly until he was lying at the apex of her thighs. He wanted to taste her, to know everything about her, to feel her come on his tongue as her trembling thighs gripped him. She was so sweet. Spreading her wide open, he teased her, delighting in the way she bucked against his mouth as his tongue caressed the hard nub of her clitoris.

When she came, her felt the spasms erupt through her. Needing to feel her around him, he slid back up the bed and entered her, gasping at the heat of her pulsating body.

Her body arched into his, meeting him at every thrust, her head thrown back against the pillows, moist lips parted as she watched him through thick lashes. He couldn't last any longer. The need for release was beyond his control now. He gripped her breast, feeling her nipple hard against his palm as he came with a growl, lost in his moment of exquisite pleasure.

As it slowly faded, he rolled on to his back, pulling her with him, and closed his eyes. The reality of what he'd just done hovered in the dark recesses of his mind, but for now he didn't want to examine it. He needed to tell Cat how he felt, but his body refused to obey. Sleep overran his best intentions and he slipped into darkness helplessly.

*

Luke was sure the smoke alarm had gone off when he reluctantly opened his eyes to find the sun hitting him squarely in the face. It took a few moments to comprehend it was the telephone, not the smoke alarm.

Ignoring the insistent ringing, he looked for Cat, but she was nowhere to be seen. His bed was cold and empty and all traces of her had gone. The trouble was, he could still taste her and if he closed his eyes, he could picture the way she felt when she came.

"What," he muttered when he finally lifted the receiver.

"You made it back then," Robbie said.

"No thanks to you, you fucker," Luke snarled. He removed the phone from his ear and tried to organise his thoughts. He knew now that there was no way he could go through with this farce. It wasn't fair on Monique and it sure as hell wasn't fair on him. It wasn't going to be easy, but he had to do the right thing before it was too late.

"Robbie," he began hesitantly, unsure of how his elder brother was going to react. "I can't do this."

There was a pause. "Do what?"

"Marry Monique. We're not right for each other."

"Thank fuck for that."

Luke heard the long exhale down the phone line and he was stunned. "You don't think I'm making a terrible mistake by cancelling this wedding?"

"No, of course I don't! Why do you think I went to so much trouble to get you away from here? I figured if that didn't focus your mind, nothing was going to! I had to bung Trevor a whole load of cash to take you with him to Berwick, although it was his idea to drop you on Holy Island." He laughed. "Inspired really."

Luke was beginning to feel angry again. "Why didn't you just bloody tell me how you felt?"

"Mate, I'm a bloke, I don't do the whole emotional bit. Actions speak louder than words any day of the week."

Well at least Robbie is on my side.Luke wasn't too convinced that Monique would be quite so forgiving.

*

"Luke, it's me," she said when she took the call. He felt sick to the stomach as her sweet voice echoed down the phone line. It was weird. She was only a short distance away, yet it felt like she was on another continent from the way the line crackled.

"Mon, there's something we need to talk about—"

She cut him off before he could spit the fatal words out.

"I can't marry you," his fiancée blurted out unexpectedly.

"What?"he coughed. Was he dreaming?

"I can't do it, I've tried for ages to talk to you, but it never seemed like the right time and everything snowballed and—"

She broke off and he heard her sobbing.

"Mon, don't cry, it's ok, I understand—honestly."

"You do?"

"Yes, I feel the same way. I love you dearly, but we're not right for each other."

"Oh Luke, I love you too, but I've realised that I'm not in love with you." She sniffled. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too. It seems like we're both at fault here."

Luke felt like a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders. The relief was acute. All that remained was to ring round and let everybody know the wedding was no longer taking place. As far as he was concerned, that was the best man's job. Robbie deserved some punishment for spiking his drink and arranging to have him chained naked to a bench.

*

The salty air whipped his hair as he stared across the bay. The beach was desolate. He felt like the only inhabitant on the island; a sole survivor of some cataclysmic disaster. At least he was at peace with himself now. Whatever happened from this point onwards, he knew he had made the right decision.

A large dog appeared on the shoreline, galloping exuberantly in the surf. Luke watched as it came nearer, chasing the sea gulls in manic circles as they wheeled and swooped across the sandy undulations.

He was so busy watching the dog that he failed to notice its owner appear beside him.

"Good to see you're not naked this time," Cat remarked as she sat beside him, facing out to sea.

"Why? Don't you like me naked?" he asked in mock horror.

"Well I suppose it was an improvement on the pink sportswear," she replied with a faint smile.

"Speaking of which..." He picked up the carrier bag and passed it to her.

"You could have posted it," she said. "Anyway, aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon about now?"

"I would have been if I'd gone ahead with the wedding. But I didn't."

She said nothing and Luke began to wonder if he had imagined the connection between them. Had it been all one-sided? Had he completely misjudged everything?

"Why are you telling me?" She turned to face him and he knew it was now or never. So he kissed her because he was a bloke and actions spoke louder than words.

"I think we have something here," he told her when they broke for air.

"Well Max seems to like you," Cat agreed.

"As long as he stays in his own bed, we'll get along just fine."

"Hey, he's not the only one who snores!" Cat teased.

Luke shook his head. "No way, I don't snore."

She looked at him with all trace of amusement gone. "I'm afraid," she said in a small voice. "The last person I trusted hurt me and I can't go through that again."

"I'm not like other men," Luke whispered before he kissed her again. "I wear pink and I'm proud of it."

*

Luke woke the following morning, surprised to hear the sound of the surf through the open window. He reached out expecting to find Cat still beside him, but the bed was empty. The smell of fresh coffee drifted from the kitchen, fragrant and delicious.

When he padded into the kitchen, naked, Cat was stood with her back to him, pouring some milk in two mugs. Her long blonde hair curled down her back, almost reaching the curve of her bottom.

Max thumped his tail as Luke slipped his arms around Cat's waist. "Morning, sexy," he whispered in her ear before kissing her neck hungrily.

She leaned back against him, dropping the spoon on the worktop. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, pulling him closer.

"Like a log," he replied. He reached up and cupped her naked breasts, gently rubbing the hard tips of her nipples. The warm, feminine scent of her teased him, driving him mad with its potency.

"Must be the sea air." Cat pushed her bottom against his hard erection and tilted her head back with a soft sigh of pleasure.

"That and the fact you wore me out."

She laughed. "You don't feel very worn out at the moment!"

"No, I'm fully recovered now and more than ready to explore the local attractions."

"Well we better get dressed then," she said, making no effort to move.

Luke reached down and burrowed between her thighs. She was achingly wet, slippery and deliciously hot. "No need, I'm already there," he growled as he pushed inside her.

They moved together effortlessly, the spark that danced between them exploding into fragments of light that blew them both away. When the intense pleasure faded, Luke held her tightly and thought about where all this was going.

His life down in London seemed light years away at that moment. Not that he felt he had much to rush back for. His job in IT meant he could pretty much work anywhere where he had an Internet connection and apart from some lease remaining on his flat, there was nothing keeping him there.

*

"How long are you staying?" Cat asked in a quiet voice as they sprawled back on her bed, entwined. He felt the slight tension in her body and he knew there was a whole lot behind the seemingly innocuous question. From everything she had told him about her ex, Tony, he knew she was wary of being hurt again.