Lustful Hearts
Chapter 31: First Tіmе- P1

I curled up tight with my Kindle beside the fire. It was good to finally unwind after spending the day out sightseeing and shopping. We had definitely taken in all the delights Cornwall had to offer, I could barely move a muscle.

Joel had planned a romantic meal for this evening. He revealed his surprise earlier, and the sweet look he gave me almost made me melt. He was being the perfect gentleman, and I felt highly honoured. I knew he'd never cooked for a woman in his entire life which made it extra special that I'd be his first.

The menu was top secret and despite my several shameless attempts to seduce him, he remained tight-lipped. He did tease me with his revelation that he was making his own dessert. My level of intrigue automatically heightened at the thought of chocolate being potentially involved.

I snuggled back down, embracing the heat and sighed, until I felt Joel's shadow towering over me. "What?" I asked, slightly confused by his lingering presence.

"I forgot to get the wine, can you get some?"

I sat up and rubbed my eyes in confusion. I stared out the window only to see the weather has taken a turn for the worse.

Ugh, I hated rain.

"Errrm no, have you seen the weather? It's like a monsoon out there." I scrunched my face up in obvious disgust.

Why would he even ask?

For wine of all things.

I wouldn't even venture out for chocolate and that was saying something.

He chuckled stroking my hair. "Hardly a monsoon. Please I forgot to get it before, and it will go nice with the romantic meal." He gave me the puppy dog eyes.

Yeah, I was not falling for that.

I dropped back down onto the rug. "I don't really drink wine, so it's no bother to me if we don't have any." I closed my eyes, hoping it would put an end to the conversation. Despite my eyes being closed, I knew he was still standing beside me. He wasn't giving up on his quest for wine so easily.

"Well I would go myself, but I'm the one doing the cooking." His voice sounded slightly irritated. I popped open an eye to find him glaring down at me.

Was he actually joking?

The tone of his voice immediately incensed me. He was making me feel like a total arse for not going to get his precious wine.

What the hell?

A surge of anger coursed through me. "Fine," I snapped, jumping up. I barged past him and grabbed my coat, yanking on my wellies. If he wanted wine, then he'd get his freaking wine.

"Thanks." He smiled sweetly, oblivious to my anger. "Get a nice rosé. Take the money out my wallet in my jacket."

I huffed at his words, not engaging him in any eye contact. I grabbed his wallet and charged out. I slammed the door hard without a backward glance.

Storming through the front door forty-five minutes later, I fiercely shook the droplets off my face. The warm air embraced me again reminding me of my previous relaxed state.

Joel walked through from the kitchen, wiping his hands on the tea towel. "Someone's a little wet," he remarked. He chuckled as his eyes took in the state of me.

"You think." I held up my hands, exasperated by his lack of compassion. I barged by him, banging the wine down hard on the kitchen table and headed to the bathroom to grab a towel.

I ripped my coat off and hung it over the shower rail, leaving it to drip dry. I rubbed my face vigorously with the towel to inject some warmth back into it. My jeans had almost bonded to my skin. I dragged them down my legs unable to bear the sensation a moment longer.

Walking back through in just a T-shirt, I dropped down onto the rug. I was almost sitting on top of the gas fire to kick-start the circulation through my body. I ran my hands up and down my legs, rubbing life back into them as my teeth incessantly chattered with the cold.

Joel walked through with my pyjamas and frowned when he saw me curled up in a fetal position. I didn't speak. I didn't trust anything that came out of my mouth. I just snatched them out of his hands. His frown deepened, and for a moment, he looked like he was going to say something. Then thought better of it and silently returned to the kitchen.

Twenty minutes baking in front of the fire, I was thoroughly defrosted and back to being toasty. But my mood remained glacial. I was still pissed at being drowned in the rain for something so unimportant. Chivalry was well and truly dead.

Joel shouted that dinner was ready. I huffed pushing myself off the floor, slowly making my way to the dinner table. My mood was diminishing my appetite by the second.

"Hungry?" he asked smiling.

"Hmmm," was all I replied, staring down at my cutlery. I knew his eyes were locked on me, but I chose to ignore them.

He placed the steak down in front of me, which looked delicious. I felt a small pang of guilt. I knew he'd gone to the trouble of preparing this, but it wasn't enough to snap me out of my mood.

"Tuck in," he said smiling warmly. I didn't reciprocate back. I picked up my cutlery and stared down at my plate, concentrating on the food as we sat eating in complete silence.

Joel stood up to go open the wine, grabbing the corkscrew from the drawer. His eyes locked on me again. "Do you want a glass?" he asked, filling up his own.

Quite frankly I'd rather drink poison.

"No, thanks." I shook my head, spearing another potato with my fork.

"Are you sure? It tastes good. It will go nice with the steak." His attempts at charming me just left me cold.

I glared at him and bounced up off my seat to fill a glass with water. He frowned but said nothing. I'd managed to eat the steak and Joel's special sauce was delicious, but I was not in a complimentary mood to boost his ego. I picked at the remainder of my vegetables, using them as a distraction so I didn't have to converse with him.

"Finished?" he asked, starting to clear away to load the dishwasher.

"Yep," was all I could manage. I held the plate out to him and avoided his gaze.

His eyes watched me carefully, but I ignored them. "Are you ready for dessert?" He pulled out some bowls from the cupboard, retrieving the cream from the fridge.

"No, I'm good thanks." I started chewing on my nail to distract myself. The awkward tension filling the room was enough to make me want to escape.

A frown crossed his face at my response. "But I made some brownies, and I know they are your favourite." He looked at me wounded by my response.

It was true, I loved brownies and technically I was cutting off my nose to spite my face, but the mood I was in he could stick them where the sun didn't shine.

Deciding I'd had enough of this evening, I stood up. "I'm going to bed," I announced, walking towards the bedroom.

"You can't," he snapped after me.

I spun round in anger. "Why the hell not?" My eyes flashed in outrage. He was in no position to tell me what to do right at this very moment.

"Look, I know you're pissed that I sent you out in the rain for the wine, but you'll soon see why." He moved to hug me, but I shrugged him off. I couldn't bear him being close to me when I was this mad.

"Joel, I'm tired. I've had enough of your games tonight, I'm off to bed. 'Night." I stormed off before he had the chance to speak. I needed some time by myself, hating the fact he couldn't even allow me that luxury.

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