Page 54 of An Island in the Sun

Raff glanced at her. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah,’ she said, forcing the melancholic thoughts from her head. ‘Been a long time since I stayed out this late.’

‘I enjoyed myself more than I thought I would tonight.’

‘Good, I’m glad.’ She reached for his hand where it rested on the leather seat between them. ‘Thank you for coming with me. It really helped having you there.’

Raff curled his fingers in hers. It spoke volumes that she was more comfortable around someone she’d only recently met compared to a friend she’d known for fifteen years, even if the last seven of them had been erased. But then she’d never held Ollie’s hand in the way she was doing now with Raff – drunken arms around shoulders exiting a bar in the early hours, yes. She’d never thought about Ollie in the way she thought about Raff either. It wasn’t because Ollie wasn’t good-looking, because he was, thousands of screaming fans confirmed as much, but he didn’t turn her on, not like Raff did…

The taxi pulled up outside the closed gates of Rufus and Cordelia’s villa. Tabitha untangled her fingers from Raff’s and reached for her purse.

‘I’ve got this.’ Raff handed the driver the euros and they scrambled from the warm taxi into the pleasantly cool air.

It was still dark, the night invigoratingly fresh after the club, the inevitability of dawn just a short time away. The idea of having to get up in a few hours was the last thing Tabitha wanted to think about. She yawned, wanting nothing more than to make sure the dogs were okay before crashing into bed.

The taxi drove off, leaving absolute peace with just the distant sound of the ocean. A dog barked a long way off. Tabitha opened the front door quietly in an attempt to not wake Bailey and Fudge.

‘You know what.’ She turned back to Raff and leaned in the open doorway. ‘It’s silly you staying at the bottom of the garden, when you’ve already slept in the spare room.’ She stepped back and held the door open for him. ‘So come on in.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘I’m positive.’

He brushed past her, wafting lager and a deep lemony scent, but it was the warm comforting presence ofhimthat she sensed the most.

Misty was in her usual spot on the armchair, while Fudge and Bailey were asleep on the rug in the living room, both of them facing the direction of the door as if keeping an eye on where the humans had gone. Their ears pricked at Tabitha’s and Raff’s footsteps and they trotted over, breaking the tension that Tabitha felt at being back in the house with Raff after a night out together.

Tabitha dropped to her knees and ruffled both of their ears. ‘Did you wonder where I’d gone?’

‘They probably think it’s morning and time for food,’ Raff said. ‘Do you need help with them?’

‘No, it’s okay, thanks.’ She stood back up. ‘I might as well feed them now, then crash. I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.’

‘Yeah, me too. I’ll get my stuff from the office in the morning.’ Raff screwed up his face. ‘You know what I mean – when I wake up later this morning. So, if you’re sure…’ He stepped closer and kissed her cheek, his stubble brushing her skin.

Tabitha considered pulling him in for a proper kiss but faltered and the moment was gone. As she watched him retreat up the stairs to the spare room, she wondered if he’d been thinking the same but had decided he might be pushing his luck…

Tabitha fed the dogs and let them out into the garden for a wee, yawning as she waited for them, tiredness sweeping over her. With them back inside and the doors locked, Tabitha made her way to the bedroom in a daze of sleepiness, hoping that Bailey and Fudge would settle back down. She managed to clean her teeth and get into her pyjama shorts and vest top. The effects of the alcohol had worn off long ago, with the hit of fresh air after leaving the club a tonic before the long taxi drive back. And now, as she slid beneath the covers, her mind whirled as fast as a merry-go-round as she thought back on the night with Ollie and Raff. Mostly her head was consumed by Raff, imagining him lying in the spare bedroom not a million miles away from her…

24

Tabitha’s eyes flew open, uncertain what had woken her. Sunshine poured through a gap in the curtains. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, wanting desperately to go back to sleep.

A woman screamed.

With her heart racing, Tabitha threw off the cover, making Fudge jump awake. Her head was spinning as she launched herself out of bed. Growling, Bailey skittered to the open door.

It was Thursday morning. Tabitha frowned. What was special about Thursdays…Shit, the cleaner. She shot from the room, with the dogs chasing after her.

Clutching a cloth, the cleaner, Dolores, was pacing across the living room muttering in Portuguese.

Raff, in just his pants, clattered down the stairs.Shit.

‘Me desculpa mesmo,’ he pleaded.

Tabitha had no idea what it meant, but it definitely sounded apologetic. She looked between Raff and Dolores. ‘What’s going on?’

Dolores let out a stream of Portuguese aimed at Raff. Red-faced, he held up his hands.

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