she really, really wanted to touch.
She hadnât felt a pull this strong since Harry. And that in itself was a warning: look where that had got her. She pulled herself together and unglued her tongue from the roof of her mouth. âGood morning, Theo.â
âReady?â he asked with a smile.
She nodded. Theo had given her the pre-flight instructions from the balloon company: to wear long sleeves and trousers, preferably in natural fibres; a hat to protect her head from the radiant heat of the burner; and sensible shoes. And although she felt slightly frumpy, wearing a thick fleece over one of the strappy camisole tops she favoured outside work, she understood the logic, and she didnât want to scrape her arms on the wicker basket.
âLetâs go, then.â
She locked the front door behind her and walked with him to the tube station. It was still dark outside, and so early that the train was practically empty, apart from a couple of bleary-eyed commuters who looked as if they still wished they were in bed.
âSo are balloon flights always this early in the morning?â she asked.
âApparently the airâs at its most stable in the first two hours after dawn and the last two hours before dusk,â Theo told her. âSo most flights are around sunrise or sunset. The ones over London are at sunrise, though we could have gone for a different take-off point and had a later flight.â He smiled. âI take it that youâre an owl rather than a lark, then?â
âUsually,â she admitted. âThough Iâm never late for my shift.â
He laughed. âHey. Weâre not at work now.â
âNo.â
âBut since youâve got my head back in doctor mode, thereâs something I forgot to ask youâdo you have any medical condition that means you shouldnât fly?â
âIâm disgustingly healthy,â she said.
âGood.â He paused. âIâm sorry, this is a very personal questionâ¦but thereâs no chance you could be pregnant?â
She felt the colour wash into her face. âNo.â She hadnât actually slept with anyone for two yearsâand sheâd regretted that. Not that she was going to admit either fact to Theo.
âOK. And Iâm sorry I offended you.â
âNo offence taken.â Though there was one problem. Because of what heâd asked, she was thinking about sex. Specifically, sex with him. Which her common sense told her would be a very bad idea, although her libido was turning a series of cartwheels at the thought.
In accordance with Theoâs instructions, they reached the meeting place near Tower Bridge at a quarter past six for the pre-flight briefing. Madisonâs attention was caught by the balloon itself. An enormous wicker basket with six rigid poles going up to hold the burner, and then the most enormous piece ofâ¦what? Silk? Nylon? She had no idea. But it was fascinating to watch the balloon flight team putting everything together and inflating the balloon, first with a fan and then the flames shooting into the mouth of the balloon to warm the air and make the balloon envelope rise.
When the balloon was finally upright, the pilot put the instruments and maps on board, and then it was time for the passengers to board. As they drew closer, Madison realised just how big the basket was. How deep. And, not for the first time, she wished sheâd inherited the family height gene like her cousin Katrina, rather than being the shortest member of the family.
âWant a hand in?â Theo asked.
Part of her wanted to stand on her dignity and say, no, she could manage. But the sensible side of her knew what that would mean: a head-first, embarrassing dive into the balloonâeven if she managed to negotiate the footholds. âThank you. Thatâd be good,â she said.
âI apologise in advance for the caveman bit,â he said, and scooped her up into his arms; she was forced to slide her arms round his neck for balance until he sat her on the edge of the wicker basket. Then she twisted her legs round and slid into the basket.
âThanks. I think even high heels wouldnât have been enough to help me climb in,â she said brightly, trying to keep her mind off the fact that sheâd just had her arms round his neck and his body had been very, very close to hers.
âApart from the fact they wouldnât be sensible footwear.â Theo looked all the way down her body. Head to toe and then back again to meet her gaze. And the sultry look in his eyes made Madisonâs heart beat just that little bit faster.
It was noisy in the balloon, with the burners still heating the air inside the balloon envelopeâand then she realised that they were off the ground. Considerably off the ground.
She blinked. âWow. I was expecting it to beâwell, bumpier than this,â she said. âLike being on a boat going out to sea.â
âWeâre moving with the wind, so thatâs why we canât feel the currents. And a passenger basket this size is really, really stable. It shouldnât rock or sway at all.â
âEither youâve done this before or you looked it up on the Internet.â
âBoth,â he admitted. âI was in Australia last year and took a trip across the desert at sunrise. The sand was red and there were kangaroos bounding along, and as the sun rose the light turned all the grey saltbush to green. It was incredible.â
âSounds it. Mind you, so is this. London in the early springâlook, you can see all the trees starting to turn green over again.â She looked down, keeping her hands firmly on the edge of the basket. The burners had gone off again, and they were just floating in the air. Everything around them was still and silent. She could hear the sound of traffic below, and gulls squawking over the Thames.
âIâve never seen London like this before,â she said softly. âEven going on the London Eye is nothing compared with this. Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Theo.â
The burners sprang into life again, and Theo was forced to bend closer to her so his mouth was close enough to her ear for her to hear his reply. âMy pleasure. Though, as one of the main organisers of the ball, youâre the best person for me to share it with anyway. You deserve a treat for all that hard work.â
âMaybe.â She rested her hands on the rim of the basket and looked out as the pilot pointed out more landmarks. Theo was standing behind her, and it felt natural for him to be looking over her shoulder, his hands resting against the basket on either side of hers. And even more natural for her to lean back slightly against him.
The gap between their hands narrowed imperceptibly, and he moved slightly closer, cradling her body against his. And she wasnât sure which of them moved first, but then her left hand was covering his, and his right hand was covering hers, and she was aware of every nerve end in her skin.
âWould you like me to take a picture of you together?â one of the other passengers asked.
âThank you. That would be lovely.â Theo fished his mobile phone from his pocket and set it to camera mode before handing it to her.
âStand a bit closer togetherâI canât quite get you both in.â
Theo stood behind Madison and slid his arms round her waist, pulling her back against him.
âNow, smile.â
Smile, when her knees had just melted and her temperature had risen about ten degrees? But she managed it. Just.
The woman took a photograph, and a second âjust in caseâ, then smiled