Close Your Eyes (40 page)

He’s
probably
shagging Sonia
,
anyway.
They might have had an open relationship, but she couldn’t imagine any woman giving him up so easily. She knew
that
she wouldn’t…

Afterwards
,
she did her best to concentrate on Ry
an
and their time together.
Paying attention to Ryan
was easy, since he seemed bent on having fun and doing his best to please her
, more
so than she could recall him ever doing
.
T
hree
glasses of wine later, they
were dancing
to
‘
Turning Tables
’
by Adele.
Ryan
held her close, his chin resting on the top of her head as they swayed slowly to the sweet
,
poignant music
. T
he silence between them
seemed
light and serene.
A pleasant buzz in her head kept
her whole body floating in his arms. It felt good to be so free
. She hazily tried
to remember why she
’d been
apprehensive
about drinking
the
thir
d glass of wine in the first place.

Meg was a horrid drinker, even
after a very minimal amount, but it certainly wasn’t a cause for concern tonight. She was with her man, who would take care of her if she got in trouble.
She smiled to herself, happy with the
way
that
sounded. ‘Her
man’ had a perfect ring to it.

‘I am so glad we’re here, Ry
.
’
She
looked up, eager to share
this moment
with him
. She felt
absolutely
happy and free in this particular moment with no worries about the past or
,
even more importantly
,
the future.
She was sure Ryan must feel the same
.

But h
e didn’t.
It
was obvious to her the moment their eyes met
. H
is reaction
wasn’t
fast enough to hide his wistful expression. He did his best to cover it up
;
she had to give him the credit for that.
He replaced
the distant sadness
that
she couldn’t really explain
with a smile almost instantly
.

Why
is
he sad?
They
’d
had a great evening, dancing
,
eating
,
and flirting.
Or
did I say
something awful after all this wine?
While s
he tried to remember, her wonderful mood deflated like a punctured balloon.

‘
Me
,
too
.
’
His
lips brushed against her hair
in a
very delicate and barely tangible
movement
. ‘
We
needed th
is
,
Meg
.’

The song ended, as if some higher power could sense their need for a curtain call.

‘
I was thinking that m
aybe we could go for a drive?’
he asked
, his blue eyes very watchful.
‘
I would love to see the Widow’s Lane in the moonlight,
Meg
.’

She had always thought that if they ever wanted to make a remake of
Robin Hood
,
Widow’s Lane
was the place to put him and his jolly men. What
m
att
ered most was the fact it was there that Ry
an
had
told her for the first time how he felt. They
had
kissed under the ancient
,
gnarled branches of the oak
tree
that must have been around when the Magna
Carta
was written.
The outer edge of the woods was very civilized
now
, with benches and
a
manmade path, making it a favorite place for early
joggers and afternoon walkers. A few strategically placed lamps illuminated
this part of the
park, making it a safe option for a wal
k
,
even at night.

She didn’t want to think what he had in mind,
and
a shiver of anticipation ran across her spine.
Could it be? And most importantly,
am I
ready?
Fleetingly,
Matt
’s face appeared before her eyes
. Hi
s blue gaze
tugg
ed
at her heart
,
making it impossible to breathe.
Determined to save the evening, s
he pushed
the vision
aside.

‘Great, let’s go.’ She
was
glad that they
had decided to leave
the
increasingly crowded
club.
‘I am ready whenever you are.’

He looked as if he wanted to say something more
. H
is mouth
opened
and then
clamp
ed
shut
as he
seemed to
chang
e
his mind.

T
he
contrast between the cool, silent night and the hot, vibrant
club
sobered
her up almost instantly.
T
he dark night sky
,
covered with a few clouds,
was
illuminated with the silvery light of the full moon.
It was beautiful.
A light wind picked up, chasing the clouds against the pale face of the moon and adding drama to the night. It was still rather warm,
and
her thin shawl
was
more than enough to keep her pleasantly comfortable.

‘I promise we won’t be running around through the forest
.
’ Ry
an
’s voice held a note of amusement as he watched her feet
. Her
pink
high
heels
were
utterly unsuitable for any escapades.
‘
Just a moment at the edge of it.
I need to talk to you about something,
Meg
.’

She smiled at him
warmly and
watched his nervously darting eyes. He was obviously very nervous
. In the car,
t
he way he held the steering wheel and remained silent for most of the short ride made
his discomfort
perfectly clear. She thought she knew why, though
, and her heart seemed almost to swell
.

Her heart beat unevenly in her chest
as
she glanced at him inconspicuously, eager to offer him some kind of moral support. She
might
have told him to take it easy, but
it would sound patronizing
and
g
ive
away
that
she already knew what he had planned.
She decided
to wait it out and let him surprise her
.

T
he wine still fill
ed
her with pleasant warmth.
She was ready.

They left the car parked on the edge of the woods
. Ryan took her
hand
in his
as he led her deeper into the moonlit meadow, the cedar bark path making it a relatively easy
walk
.
Meg
found her heels catching more than once,
and
her frustration
grew
with each wobbly step she took.

Didn’t
Ry
say
we
would stay near the car?
N
ice benches on the very edge
invit
ed
them
to rest mere steps from the main path. Instead
,
he was aiming for the other area, still civilized with its picnic tables and plenty of seating, but much harder to access.

She tripped again and looked to him
. His
absentminded
,
preoccupied expression
made
her mad.

‘I thought you said we’d stay at the beginning of the trail?’
She was unable
to keep her voice completely free of an accusatory tone.
H
er ankle was smarting
,
and she didn’t really see the point of continuing.