After they’d packed the instruments away, Cole headed for Karangahake with Milly. He’d heard a rumour someone had hired the hall for the night. But it didn’t really matter. If the hall wasn’t open, they’d all just park in the carpark, then roam around the walkway a bit. Something magical happened to the bush and river in the moonlight. The biggest idiots would finish up in the river.

He and Milly leaned over the barrier of the swing bridge. The moon’s reflection rippled in the water, a long wobbly streak of white. Darkness wrapped around the bush and end of the bridge. Someone must be going through the old tunnel, he could hear shouts and the sound of running.

“It’s really beautiful here, isn’t it?” Milly took the hip flask off him and had another sip. She still wrinkled her nose each time.

“You don’t have to drink it.” He took the flask back, screwed on the lid and put it in his pocket.

“I think I’m getting to like it.” He could hear the smile in her voice, but her face was shadowed. Her hair shone in the moonlight and shimmered like the reflection in the ripples. “Besides it keeps me warm.”

He put his arm over her shoulders, “That better?” and felt her nod. The velvety material of her dress was soft and warm. It wasn’t that cold out here anyway for November. Another shout came from the tunnel.

“What are they doing in there?”

“No idea.” Not much scope for doing anything in there except walking along a wet muddy track covered in stones. “Do you want to go home yet?”

There were a few cars left in the carpark. They’d all be full of loving couples. He hadn’t seen any of the others for a while. They’d either gone home or found their way into a car with someone.

“Not yet.” He felt her turn and look at him. He could just imagine the slight frown on her face. “Do you think Luke and Tessa are watching us?”

“Why?”

“To make sure this really is a date.”

He snorted. “I think they’ve got better things to do than watch us.”

Milly shook her head. “No. Tessa said Luke’s not planning on paying up unless he sees you kiss me.”

“Kiss you?”

Milly nodded and looked up at him, eyes dark in the moonlight, those perfect lips a little apart.

Jesus, she wanted him to kiss her.

He looked around. They were standing on a bridge in the moonlight. If Luke was watching, there wasn’t a more public place to kiss her. Pretty much anyone interested would see them.

He turned enough so he could cup her cheek and leaned in closer.

“Incoming,” he warned her. Just a kiss. He’d done it before and she hadn’t objected.

She giggled as his lips touched hers, and he felt her palms rest against his chest, soft and warm. He could taste the whiskey on her lips, a sweet smoky taste. Not that he even liked the taste of whiskey that much. It was the only alcohol he could find at home.

He felt her come up on tiptoes and slide her arms around him under the jacket. Her tongue tentatively touched the inside edge of his lips. Just a little swipe. He did the same. Just another taste.

Then the kiss turned into more than the brief touching of lips pretend kiss he meant it to be. As her mouth softened, the kiss turned into the real thing, his mouth exploring hers, her kissing him back.

His breath came faster, and his heart pounded as if he’d just been for a run. The point where their lips met became the only thing in the world.

The arm casually around her shoulders slid lower and pulled her closer. Her body moulded to his soft and pliant. His other hand tangled in her hair, soft and long and silky. Her hand stroked his cheek.

He went to lift her, so she could wrap her legs around him and he could feel all of her.

Then he realised where they were and who he was kissing and why. He moved his mouth from hers, loosened his hold and she stumbled back a little.

He steadied her. He didn’t expect that. Fuck. That was some kiss.

Milly looked up at him, wide-eyed and lips still apart, as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened either.

He hesitated for a moment, then put his forehead against hers.

“If Luke was watching, do you think that will keep him happy?” A cop out. That kiss had nothing to do with keeping Luke happy. He couldn’t believe how that had gone.

She nodded as if she couldn’t speak yet. They stood there, forehead to forehead, until the world righted itself.

Then she looked up at him. “Are you trying to win the other bet too?” she asked

“What do you mean?”

“Tessa says Luke bet you another fifty dollars you couldn’t get me into bed tonight. I think she was warning me again.”

He let a breath out between his teeth.

Is that what she thought he was doing when he kissed her?

“So, it’s true?” She sounded more intrigued than shocked. She really was Alice in Wonderland.

He nodded.

“And that kiss was you starting to go for it?”

“Go for it?” He tried to see her face. But she turned to look over the barrier at the river.

“To seduce me?”

“That kiss was your idea. I told Luke no way I would take the other bet.” Not that he hadn’t in the past, but not with her. It didn’t seem right.

“Don’t you like me?” The question sounded sad.

He turned around and leaned against the bridge railing. She must have had more of that whiskey than he thought. Now with his heart and breathing back to normal he could pass that kiss off as an aberration.

“Of course, I like you. We’re friends.”

In the outline the moon made, he saw her head nod.

“And you don’t do that sort of stuff?” she asked.

He looked at her again and raised his eyebrows at her. Of course, he did that stuff. They all did. If she’d been talking to Tessa she must know that.

She released her breath through her teeth.

“So, you do.” She seemed to think about that for a while, then turned around and leaned the way he was. “You should tell Luke you slept with me.”

“Why?” He tried to see her face again. But now the moon shone behind her.

“Because he’s an entitled shit and deserves to be ripped off.”

“Didn’t know you knew him that well.” He grinned at her. “Didn’t know you swore either. What’s he done to you?”

“His dad and my dad belong to the squash club. Luke goes there. Did you know he cheats on Tessa?”

He nodded.

Milly turned around again and leaned her elbows on the top of the rail. “He acts like every girl who goes to the club is his property. He doesn’t like getting turned down, and he’s got a mean mouth.”

Maybe Milly wasn’t as sweet or as innocent as he thought. She sounded bitter. Then she really surprised him.

“There’s no way someone like Luke would be the first person I slept with.”

“First person?” Okay, there were no rumours about her sleeping with anyone, but she’d been away at boarding school until this year.

Milly shrugged. “I haven’t met anyone I like that much. Shoot me. I’m fussy.”

Jesus. Good he didn’t take Luke up on his bet. Too much responsibility.

She looked over at him again. “If you told him we slept together, you’d be one up on him.”

“I wouldn’t do that.

“Why not? Anyway, really we’ve already slept together.”

“Even your dad didn’t think that counted.”

“Why not then?”

“Because we’re friends.”

“You and Luke?”

“Well, yeah, I’m friends with Luke. But I mean you and me.”

“That’s nice.” She touched his arm in a friend sort of way.

That’s good. They’d carry on being friends. He’d keep his job that way. Ignore any potential that kiss had.

“Time to go home?”

“I guess so.” Milly leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment. “We fooled Luke. Didn’t we?” She took his arm. “Are you working tomorrow?” They wandered back to the carpark.

He nodded. “Just in the morning. Collins says he wants to run through what we got wrong tonight. I’m pretty sure Isaac will have changed some of Stardust, so we’ll be learning new stuff.”

She smiled and hugged his arm, then rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.

“We can both work with Hunter in the morning then.”

“Yeah.”