Page 70 of Lipstick Kiss

Freya heard his chuckle and grinned.

“It’s not awkward at all having sex with my best friend,” she muttered.

Freya ate beef stew and crusty bread and then immediately fell asleep. She wanted to hear how Luke knew who Jonathan Cranford was. She might have knocked her head, but she didn’t recognise the name. She didn’t hear anything further than Luke telling her he went to the head teacher to call in sick for her.

“Time to wake up, Peaches,” Luke cooed into her neck.

She’d been half awake for ten minutes, but with Luke’s body pressed against her back while she slept on her side, she didn’t want to move anywhere.

“Who is Jonathan Cranford?” she asked.

Luke chuckled and kissed her neck. “Are your eyes open yet?”

“No, doesn’t mean my brain isn’t switched on. It feels like I’m missing a bit of information.”

“That’s because you are, and I forgot you were asleep when I found out and weren’t at the powwow this morning.”

Shifting onto her back and then onto her other side, she opened her eyes to Luke peering down at her. “Hey,” she said shyly.

“Hey,” he whispered back and pressed his lips to hers.

“This isn’t weird, is it?” she asked, praying for a no.

“No, it’s like we’ve always been this close.”

“Good.”

“While you were sleeping yesterday evening, I stayedawake and went onto the ancestry website. Dearest Aunt Cynthia had two children.”

“Sod off,” Freya said and shifted to sitting up crossed-legged.

Luke nodded and felt her forehead. “Getting better and better. The surprise might still be on.”

“I want the surprise, and I don’t even know what it is, but I really want to know about Cynthia’s kids.”

“The first child was stillborn, and there is no record of much else. The second is alive. Born in 1983, making him or her older than Archer.”

“That makes him or her the Turner heir.”

Luke snapped his fingers and pointed at her, seemingly impressed. “Exactly. So all of what we’re trying to achieve here could be taken away as soon as Cynthia dies.”

“Oh, Luke, how do you feel about that?”

“Before the water incident, I was already lost as to what to do with my life, but then you happened, and I was thrilled beyond words you feel the same way about me as I do you.”

Freya reached out her hand and cupped his cheek. “But?”

“I still don’t have a job I enjoy, and I don’t know if investing all our energies into Edward Hall is going to be a waste of time. Cynthia could live as long as Grandfather, and he was a hundred and three when he died.”

“Luke, if you decide to leave the island, you’ve got to know I’m coming with you this time. I’ll buy a substantial amount of barely there lingerie to persuade you to stay because Sabrina is the bomb, but I’ll follow you anywhere in the world.”

“You mean that?”

“With all of my heart. If you’re desperately unhappystaying, even if it’s resolved that Edward Hall is safe, I’ll move away with you. We’re a team now.”

“I need to get you a ring, Peaches and book Reverend Sprite,” he vowed.

“You need to propose first, honey.”

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