Page 109 of Joker in the Pack

I clung to Nye’s hand while we went to collect my bag. Janelle was still there, and she handed it to me.

“Night, chicky. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She gave me a wink.

“I hope you’re going to be doing something Jannie wouldn’t do,” Nye whispered to me in the lift. “Or rather, someone.”

Good grief, I’d need to wring my knickers out when we got back.

Except when Nye parked the car outside Lilac Cottage, the events of the day had caught up with me. I was vaguely aware of him lifting me out of the passenger seat and carrying me upstairs to bed.

Then nothing.

Nye’s phone woke me in the morning, ringing on the nightstand. I’d fallen asleep in his arms, my back to his front, and something long and deliciously hard pressed into my bottom as he reached over to answer.

The conversation didn’t make any sense as I only heard Nye’s end—“Yeah… Yeah… Right… Yeah… Got it…”—but it was soon forgotten when he flipped me over to face him.

“I have morning breath.”

I covered my mouth with my hand, but Nye nipped at my fingers until I moved it, then kissed me.

“Do I look bothered?” he asked when we came up for air. “I wanted to do that last night, but you were out of it.”

The memory brought on another yawn, and I clapped a hand over my mouth again.

“That’s the spirit, babe, open wide.”

I closed it so fast my jaw cracked, and he laughed.

“So sweet.”

I was still dressed, but Nye had taken off his shirt, and I ran a finger over his hard chest. Hey, I’d have challenged any girl to be greeted by that sight and keep her hands off. Or her tongue. On second thoughts, I wouldn’t—they were mine.

I was just going in for a taste when I heard laughter. Where was it coming from? Not the TV—the screen was dark.

Movement over Nye’s shoulder caught my eye, and I screamed before I realised it was only Spike hanging from a ladder outside. Nye leapt out of bed and yanked the curtains closed, shouting a few choice words at the locksmith-slash-burglar as he did so.

“Shit, Liv, I didn’t know he was coming so early. That asshole’s turning into a regular cock-blocker.”

A month ago, I’d have been mortified, but after our talk last night, I saw the funny side. I started giggling, then that turned into full-blown laughter, and Nye joined in as he climbed back into bed beside me.

“At least we hadn’t started anything,” I spluttered.

He arched his hips into me. “Speak for yourself.”

“Oh, hell. What should we, er, I mean, should we…”

He gave me a soft kiss. “Our first time will be special. Not some fumble with Spike six feet away. I’ll take a cold shower.”

He got up to do just that while I threw some fresh clothes on and made breakfast. After Maddie’s concoctions and last night’s aborted attempt at eating a sandwich, I was ravenous.

“I hope you like pancakes,” I said to Nye when he got downstairs.

“I like anything you want to cook.”

“Was the phone call earlier important?”

“The London office transferred the contents of the two laptops to the US, and they analysed them overnight. There was an interesting pattern.”

He paused to drizzle maple syrup on his pancakes, and when he added lemon juice as well, my impatience got the better of me.

---