Page 96 of I Knew You Were Trouble

The last message – no surprise – is from Jon:

Missing you already. Have a lovely weekend, beautiful. Hoping to be back in London next week or the week after. Catch you then. *kissing face emoji*

I stare at the little yellow face after Jon’s message, its pursed lips blowing a heart-shaped kiss. There was a time when it would have filled me with warmth, a feeling of being loved. Now it’s repulsive.

‘Good morning,’ says a gruff voice, startling me.

‘Good morning,’ I reply, quickly inverting the phone on the bedside cabinet. I roll over to face Willem, plastering a smile on my face.

It’s like vertigo, swinging this wildly between disgust at Jon to lust for Willem. Lust with a generous measure of like.

Willem returns my smile, then leans across the gap between our pillows to land a chaste kiss on my mouth.

Well, that’s not very one-night-stand-ish, I think, a familiar flutter invading my chest.

‘How did you sleep?’ he asks.

I blink at him, then break into a wider smile. ‘Actually, I slept really well.’

He laughs. ‘You sound surprised.’

‘I am. You know, late night, strange bed…’

What’s left unsaid is that I was sharing that strange bed with someone new, something that until now has always meant a fitful night’s sleep.

‘And you?’ I ask, reciprocating.

‘I also slept well.’

‘Good.’

‘Yes.’

This is hardly a scintillating conversation, and I wonder if it’s because Willem feels uncomfortable.I’mstarting to.

‘So…’ he says, his eyes piercing mine.

‘So…’ I say, delighted by the seismic shift in the mood.

Willem’s hand reaches for my face and he trails the backs of his fingers down my cheek and along my jawline. It’s gentle, his touch, belying that he’s a hulk of a man – or a Thor of a man, as Margot would say – and it makes me quiver.

This time when Willem closes the gap between us, his kiss is anything but chaste.

* * *

‘I was thinking…’

We’re at a café near the hotel having a light breakfast of coffee (which may be the best I’ve ever had) and croissants (also delicious), and Willem is watching me closely.

‘Are you planning on finishing that thought or should I try and guess?’

Get you, Kate Whitaker! That’s a Margot-worthy quip right there.Orgasms must have magical powers. Not only have all my early-morning doubts been banished, I’m also my most comfortable, confident self – the Kate from last night.

Or that could be howWillemaffects me. He even reached for my hand as we left the hotel –veryun-fuckboy-like.

He grins. ‘It’s about changing your flight…’ He’s referring to our decision to vacate Verona to avoid accidentally running into Jon. ‘What if you came to Amsterdam with me instead of going to London?’

My eyes widen in surprise. Definitely not one-night-stand-ish!

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