Sweet Entanglement

Continuing my week of taster extracts from Sweet Entanglement, here is another short passage from Nicole’s narrative. Nicole is back at university in Edinburgh . . .

I hope you enjoy it!

“We go back to the kitchen. I take the wine from the fridge and pour into two plastic tumblers from the wall cabinet. There is just enough to fill them, giving us the equivalent of a large glassful each. Mike takes a sip and stands with his back against the worktop. He rubs the stubble on his chin.

‘I’d jump at the chance of a room here,’ he says. ‘A hundred and sixty plus extras is a snip. I pay that and more for my shabby bedsit.’

‘I guess I was lucky.’ I drink half of my wine and slide the tumbler aside. The sweet Pinot on top of fish and chips and strong tea is chemical, but it neutralises some of the after-taste. ‘A hundred and sixty pounds is still a lot. I’d be struggling without my tutoring.’

Mike finishes his wine and lays his tumbler down beside mine. ‘However did a French girl find this place?’

‘A friend of a friend. Mrs Hunter insists on character references.’

‘I should be able to manage those. Would you enquire about the room, that is, if me being here isn’t a problem for you?’

‘Of course it isn’t.’ I touch his forearm. ‘I’ll ask Mrs Hunter tomorrow. She’ll probably insist on meeting you.’

‘That should be safe enough.’ He takes my hand in his and I don’t protest. ‘Does this mean you’ve changed your mind about you and me?’

‘It means I’ll make enquiries about the room.’ I snake my other hand along his shoulder and into his thick hair. ‘What else? But it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy a goodnight kiss.’

‘As a measure of trust.’

‘Yes.’

Mike pulls me towards him. He disengages his hand from mine, cups it around my face, then kisses my forehead and my ear. They are whispers only. His stubble teases my skin. I lean into him, feeling a surge of pleasure. He is lean and muscular but not too tall – just short of one metre eighty – and in my platforms our eyes are almost level. His greeny-brown eyes are warm, soft and pregnant with desire…..

Our lips meet and our tongues engage. His hands lightly clasp my breasts and I feel his arousal pressing hard against my pelvis.

When we finally break apart, my heart is thudding like the wheels of an express train on the track. The swooping sensation in my tummy has become a tidal wave. ‘I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, Nicole,’ he breathes . . . .”

Character Biography – Mike Prentice

Mike is twenty-seven and was born in Aberdeen. When he first appears in Sweet Entanglement, he is in the fifth year of his medical degree at Edinburgh. He is gaining experience in hospital work and by shadowing a GP. He earns extra money working part-time in an Edinburgh coffee shop frequented by Nicole and her friends.

As well as enjoying wine together, Nicole and Mike share an interest in books and literature. Her English favourites are Dickens and Austen; Mike’s favourite French novel is Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and he also likes Dumas.

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