Page 63 of An Island in the Sun

‘Night,’ she replied lamely, rolling away from him onto her side and tucking her hand beneath the pillow.

The bed was huge. The space between them might as well have been filled with barbed wire, the way they were sticking to their own sides. If Tabitha moved over any further, she’d roll right off. Her thoughts turned to the conversation she’d had with Raff about the time she’d shared a bed with Ollie and they’d ended up kissing. She’d already kissed Raff and, even in her drunken state, she remembered it had been mind-blowingly good, the complete opposite of when she’d kissed Ollie all those years ago. Was Raff just being a gentleman because he didn’t quite know where he stood with her? Maybe he was refraining from trying anything on because in a week they’d be parting ways anyway. Maybe he was waiting for her to make the first move… She was second-guessing everything. But why complicate the situation? Why indeed…

Tabitha’s head was in overdrive. She moved slightly until she was staring up at the shadowed ceiling, every fibre of her aware of Raff next to her. She should have kissed him earlier, broken the tensionbeforethey’d got into bed. She assumed he was asleep; his quiet breathing had become deeper and steadier as she lay there tense and unbelievably awake. Presumably being in bed with her hadn’t played on his mind like this.

After the day she’d had, it would have been difficult to sleep anyway, but it seemed impossible now with her head consumed by Raff while her body longed for him. Her thoughts returned to that night years ago, in the student house in Cardiff when she and Ollie had snogged. They were friends in bed together and she’d gone to sleep knowing that was all they were, but what had Ollie done? Had he wanted more? Had he lain awake watching her sleep, wondering if he should try to wake her, kiss her again, turn something tentative into something passionate? She knew then, and she was certain now, that she’d only ever wanted to be friends with Ollie, but with Raff… With less than a week left, what did she have to lose?

Feeling uncomfortable and irate at not being able to sleep, she rolled over. Encased in a T-shirt, Raff’s back was broad and strong. She shuffled to get comfortable and her foot connected with his calf. He murmured and rolled over into the centre of the bed. Tabitha held her breath as his face stopped inches from hers, his eyes still closed.

He yawned and reached out. His fingers touched her collarbone and glided up to her cheek.

‘Are you awake?’ he mumbled through a second yawn.

‘Uh-huh. I can’t sleep.’

‘Oh.’ Raff brought his hand back to his face and rubbed his eyes. ‘Why not?’

‘I can’t stop thinking about things.’

‘About what?’

Tabitha considered lying, but where would that get her? Better to be brave and be turned down than to never know. Something Raff himself had told her. ‘About you.’

28

Raff’s eyes shot open, slowly fixing on her face as if seeing her for the first time. ‘What about me?’

‘I was thinking whether or not to kiss you again.’

Raff swallowed. ‘And, er, have you come to a decision?’

Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his full lips. Her memory of kissing them was hazy. She’d enjoyed herself tonight and had drunk plenty, but it had been a sophisticated wedding with food and no lethal shots. Unlike their first drunken snog, this time Tabitha planned on remembering every single second.

She shuffled closer until Raff’s breath was hot on her face. Leaning in, she brushed her lips against his before ducking her hand beneath his T-shirt and smoothing it across his muscular chest. She kissed him deeply, and he responded, kissing her gently, but enough to send a thrill coursing through her body.

She pulled away slightly, wanting to gauge his reaction. In the darkness of the hotel room, she could just make out his grinning face.

‘Does that answer your question?’

‘I should say.’

It was as if time stood still, the two of them drinking each other in, weighing up the next move and whether it would be a mistake or not. Perhaps this would be the way they’d truly find out how they felt about each other. The last couple of weeks had been a mishmash of emotions, along with the realisation that being on her own wasn’t the most important thing but being with the right person was. Whether Raff was the right person or not, she was uncertain, but he could be.

Raff broke the spell, kissing her with a ferocious passion that erased the nonchalance he’d gone to bed with, seemingly unbothered about exploring the possibility of romance. She matched his passion and kissed him back, intending to take things a whole lot further.

Raff smoothed his hands up her bare skin and tugged her top off. His weight on top of her as he rolled her over sent tingles shooting everywhere. Her fingers were just as eager, exploring his firm tattooed chest with enthusiasm. She grasped the edge of his T-shirt and pulled it up and over his head.

With their eyes closed, legs entwined, fingers caressing, lips exploring, they filled the space in the centre of the bed that only a short time before had felt like no man’s land. Tabitha was glad nothing more had happened that first drunken night; it would have massively got in the way of the relationship they’d slowly built on, the flirting and attraction meaning this moment was all the more wanted.

Tabitha slid her hands downwards, tracing the firm contours of Raff’s stomach. She smiled, knowing she’d reached his Smurf tattoo even though she couldn’t see it. She trailed her fingers even lower.

‘Arse,’ Raff said, catching hold of her hands. ‘I so want to do more, but I don’t have a condom.’

Tabitha eased her hands out from beneath his, noticing the disappointment in his eyes. She smiled knowingly, tugged the waistband of his pants down and whispered, ‘It’s just as well I do, then.’

* * *

Tabitha woke before the alarm to sunlight easing through the gap in the curtains, Raff naked and a feeling of utter contentment sweeping through her. The uncertainty, worry and awkwardness she’d gone to bed with had been erased by a night of passion. As she lay there, relishing the warmth of Raff against her bare skin and the feel of his chest rising and falling, she didn’t want the moment to end. A night with Raff had been everything she’d hoped for and more. There was no regret, like there would have been two weeks ago, only a longing to repeat it and keep repeating it. She banished that thought. She was going to try not to think beyond this morning and continue to live in the moment for as long as possible.

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