Blog Party 1

Hi, It's Immi again, Nell asked me to put up another excerpt today so here goes, this is from Clodagh and Jack's first official date - enjoy the read - oh! and I did not do anything to that man - well, not much anyway. Check in tomorrow to meet Clodagh and for the first of the door prizes and a contest


I released his sleeve and he opened the door of the Range Rover. My heart was pounding with a mixture of concern for Immi, annoyance that I’d allowed myself to be coerced into this date, and, strangely, desire for the man who was standing so close to me in the moonlight.
“I’ll give you the money for my share of the meal.” I opened my bag.
“It doesn’t matter.” Jack’s voice sounded surprisingly gentle considering the way I had behaved.
His mouth closed on mine and somehow my arms found their way around his back. His lips traced a line along my jaw to my ear lobe and my insides turned to mush with longing. I tried to focus and remember that I was mad with him.
“Jack, we can’t…We need to get back.” My words came out as a mumble. What was I doing dallying about under the stars when my sister could be in danger?
He lifted his head and his eyes met mine. “Then we’d better go.”
My legs shook for a good five minutes after we’d set off towards Rainbow Ridge, driving in silence down the deserted lanes. I guess neither of us wanted to talk about what was going on between us.
As we neared the edge of the town, guilt compelled me to speak. “I did call Immi from the loo, but I don’t think she’s pretending about there being a prowler. Before you picked me up tonight I thought I saw someone in the yard.”
Jack flicked a glance at me as we zipped through a set of traffic lights. “I don’t understand. What changed between us arriving at the restaurant and your great desire to escape from me?”
He turned into the private lane that led to the sanctuary yard. The blue car was back in the lay-by.
“It’s complicated.” I didn’t know how to explain. I didn’t want to explain. “You had steak and you didn’t let me pay.” I had the car door open before he’d even turned off the engine.
Jack followed me out of the car. “Wait up, Clo. What do you mean I had steak and you didn’t pay?”
The sensor light above the back door clicked on. Immi must have been looking out for us because the door opened and Nigel came loping down the step barking his large furry head off. Before I could grab him he’d galloped off down the path by the donkey pasture.
“Nigel. Heel!”
Fishcakes. I set off in pursuit of the dog. Behind me I heard Jack shout to Immi to bring a torch.
I caught up with the runaway hound as he sniffed around the silage bales. In the distance I heard a faint shriek that sounded like Immi and some more masculine cursing that I suspected might be Jack. It didn’t sound good, heaven knows what they had found. My imagination ran wild and I wished I’d got my mobile in my pocket in case there was trouble. I managed to get Nigel away from the bales and with a bit of persuasion we headed back to the yard.
All I could see as Nigel and I puffed our way back to the house was Jack and Immi standing next to what appeared to be a man’s body.
Or a pair of legs, at least.
(C) Nell Dixon 2009 Animal Instincts

Animal Instincts is available from Waterstones, WH Smiths, Amazon, Play.com and all good retailers.