Page 60 of One Bed

‘Him,sure. You? Not so much,’ Golly said, dismissing her statement with a languid wave of her hand.

Bea released a low growl, her irritation levels soaring. ‘Golly, stop interfering. And let me make something very clear, I am never, repeat never, getting involved again!’

Golly looked genuinely perplexed. ‘Who’s talking about involvement? Not me! I just want you to have great sex for as long as you can get it.’

Well, Bea was certainly getting that.

Before she could find an adequate response, oranyresponse, Golly patted her cheek. ‘As per usual, you are putting the horse before the cart, Bea-darling. You’re creating obstacles where there are none, and dreaming up complex, probably-won’t-happen scenarios. Has he asked you to date him, move in with him or marry him?’

Her question shocked Bea to her core. ‘No, of course not!’ They’d met a week ago, for the love of all that was holy. And, in Golly’s case, what wasn’t holy.

‘Exactly. Live one day at a time, dammit.’ Golly patted her cheek, a little harder than it needed to be. ‘Now, you are being incredibly boring, darling, and I refuse to be bored at my own party.’

‘I … you…’

‘And when you see your handsome lover, tell him he owes me a dance. I’m desperate to get my hands on his tight arse.’

Dear God. Bea did a quick mental calculation to see how much money she had in her current and savings accounts. She might, if she had a nice judge, be able to scrounge up enough money to post bail.

* * *

Gib, about to walk behind the bar, turned to look for Bea – he couldn’t keep his eyes off her –and saw her in an animated conversation with Golly. Her back was to him, but he immediately noticed her shoulders were up around her ears.

Great, one step forward, a hundred back.

The barman lifted his hand. ‘It’s quietened down so you don’t need to serve yourself. Thanks for doing that by the way. So, what can I get you?’

He had been about to order another glass of wine for Bea, but decided she needed something stronger, so he ordered two tequilas, and two beers. While he waited for the drinks, he watched her approach him, her expression suggesting she waspissed.

What the fuck had happened now? Bea caught his eye, jerked her head, veered left and stomped down a path. OK, he’d follow. Picking up the two shot glasses and shaking his head at the bartender’s offer of lemon slices, he hooked the two beer bottles in his fingers and followed Bea. He walked for a little while without catching up to her, and then she disappeared. He was about to call her name when a hand shot out from the path and gripped his arm. The glasses holding the tequila wobbled and the liquid ran down his hand.

‘In here,’ Bea shout-whispered.

‘In here’ was a narrow slit between the bougainvillaea hedges, and Gib had to turn sideways so as not to hook his shirt or pants on the spiky thorns. When he was inside the grassy circle holding a bench and a dry fountain, Bea carefully rearranged the long branches of the hedge to cover the entrance. If you didn’t know it was here, you’d walk right past the hideaway.

And that was, he realised, the point.

‘Is that tequila?’ Bea demanded.

Before he could answer, she snagged a glass from his hand and threw it back.OK, then. He offered her the other, but she shook her head, taking a bottle of beer instead.

‘What’s got you so riled?’ he asked, swallowing the other shot. He took the glass from her and placed the shot glasses on the grass beneath the wooden slats of the wrought iron bench. He sat down and stretched out his legs, prepared to listen to Bea’s explanation. He liked listening to anything she had to say; she was endlessly entertaining and always interesting.

‘My bloody godmother!’

Yeah, he’d gathered that much. ‘What’s she done now?’ he asked.

Despite holding her beer bottle, she managed to slap her hands on her hips. He very much approved of the way her gold dress showed off her long legs and hugged the curves of her body. He hoped he’d get to pull it off her later. He needed Bea, in the most biblical way possible, naked and screaming.

‘Did you know she was matchmaking by making us share the cottage?’ Bea demanded. She waggled her finger between them. ‘She arranged to have the couch taken out of the cottage to nudge us into sharing a bed.’

She was only just realising that now? He hadn’t believed one word of that story Golly spun them about the bed and the lack of hotel rooms and him needing to stay in the cottage. Oia was less than two kilometres away for God’s sake! ‘It was pretty obvious.’

‘Then why didn’t you say something to her?’

He took a sip of beer, enjoying its crisp taste as it slid over his tongue and down his throat. ‘Why would I say something to her? When someone arranges for me to share a beautiful woman’s bed, why would I say no?’

Bea blinked, her jaw dropping a little. ‘You think I’m beautiful?’ she asked. He’d heard other women ask the same question as a way to fish for compliments, but Bea didn’t do coy. She genuinely looked surprised.

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