Page 86 of I Knew You Were Trouble

Aidan stares down at me. He shakes his head. ‘Honestly? I was happier when I didn’t know.’

‘Are you jealous?’

‘No.’

‘You mean it doesn’t bother you that I’ve writhed around naked in bed with my cameraman?’

‘He’s a good-looking guy.’

‘So does it bother you?’

I relax my elbows and fall back, so that I’m staring at the ceiling. It’s so dark in here. My eyes drift shut.

I don’t know if he answers my question. ‘Your bed is so comfortable,’ I mumble, and it’s the last thing I remember before I black out.

Sometime later, I think I hear fireworks exploding over my head.

‘Happy New Year, Aidan,’ I whisper, though my tongue is thick in my mouth.

‘Happy New Year, Lex,’ I hear back from the darkness.

Chapter Twenty-Four

At some point in the night, the corset starts to dig in. I wriggle out of it, pushing it onto the floor from the mattress. I shimmy out of my jeans too because I’m excessively hot, leaving me in my knickers and a too-snug black strapless bra, also borrowed from Paige.

I don’t know what time it is when I wake. It takes me a moment to realise where I am. That this is Aidan’s bedroom. With some effort, I stumble out of the bed to the en-suite bathroom, switching on the tap and gulping water straight from the cold stream, finishing with a big cup full of minty mouthwash from the cabinet. Outside it’s pitch black, but the noise has stopped. As I walk back out, I can feel the beginnings of a headache and I almost trip over my discarded jeans.

I clamber back into the bed, remaining on my side, my back facing Aidan, who I now realise is sleeping next to me in a T-shirt.

A small voice tells me that my behaviour tonight has hardly been professional.

‘You alright?’ he asks from behind me and I stiffen.

‘Mmm-mm.’

‘Feeling better?’

‘Much.’

He’s quiet for a moment. ‘For the record, you were very entertaining.’

I feel my cheeks burn. ‘Please let’s not remind me of this ever again.’ I lift my head. ‘And I mean ever.’

‘It was good to see you let your hair down. Have a little fun.’

‘I blame your twin for all of it.’

Aidan chuckles, then reaches out. His fingers slide over my hip, coming to rest on top of the cotton of my knickers. ‘I’ll never tell, don’t worry,’ he whispers in the darkness.

I well aware of the position of his hand. He leaves it there for some time. The atmosphere in the room feels intense.

‘Lex?’ he says.

‘Mm.’

‘I am jealous of Duncan.’

My breath hitches in my throat. I don’t reply immediately. ‘Why?’

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