Page 100 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

Her mum looked at him with piercing green eyes. ‘Absolutely,’ she told him in a strong tone of voice. ‘Jack wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.’

Richard kept nodding whilst he looked back at Jack. ‘OK,’ he said, after a short silence.

‘That’s great,’ said Jack. ‘Are you free tomorrow morning to have a look at the press with me?’

‘I am.’

Lily felt a little teary as she hugged her parents goodbye.

‘You’re going on the motorbike?’ said her mum, looking over her shoulder at the Ducati parked by the side of the road.

‘Yeah, yeah, I know,’ began Lily.

But her mum was smiling mistily. ‘Your dad had one, you know.’

Lily gave a start. ‘He did?’

‘But you both be careful,’ said her mum, looking sternly at Jack.

‘Absolutely,’ said Jack.

Lily gave them a tentative wave goodbye and told her dad she would see him in the morning to take him to the Hall.

Then she slid behind Jack on the motorbike once more.

This time she was more aware of his body as she held on tight. The feel of his stomach muscles beneath her hands. The width of his shoulders as she leaned against him. The smell of his citrus-toned aftershave.

She realised that Jack had taken her the long way back to Willow Tree Hall, using the smaller, windier lanes. But she was enjoying it too much to care.

All too soon, they were heading back up the driveway and Lily felt a pang of disappointment.

She also found that she was breathless and couldn’t put it down to just being on the back of the motorbike.

Jack dismounted first and took off his helmet, running a hand through his hair to fluff it up a bit.

Lily found she was smiling.

‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ he asked.

She pulled off her own helmet and shook out her hair. ‘It was OK,’ she said. But she could feel how wide her grin was. ‘Thanks,’ she added. ‘For what you’re doing for my dad, I mean.’

‘I just need a good carpenter,’ said Jack, with a shrug. But the emotions behind his eyes betrayed him.

She reached out and took his hand in hers. ‘I mean it,’ she told him. ‘Thank you.’

Before she could think straight, she stepped forward and kissed him gently on the lips. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, but it was just as full of emotion.

As she stepped back, he smiled at her.

‘Next time, you’re doing the driving,’ he told her, with an evil grin.

‘No way,’ she replied, with a small, nervous giggle.

She was still smiling as she walked away from him.

The gentle kiss was as good as it had always been. She sighed. Nobody had ever had that kind of effect on her but Jack.

She could feel herself falling in love with him all over again and felt helpless to stop it.