Page 13 of Not That Complicated

I packed an overnight bag, grabbed my laptop because deadlines and clients don’t give a shit about personal problems, and left my house in the tender loving care of the Law.

I walked into the Premier Lodge, all unsuspecting, and jerked to a halt at the reception desk.

On the other side of the desk, dressed in a revolting purple uniform that he somehow managed to make look like a deliberate fashion choice, Adam Blake raised his brows.

Adam.

The last guy I wanted to see today.

Well, that wasn’t fair.

The last guy I wanted to see today was whoever put the dead body in my floor.

Then it was Fraser.

AndthenAdam.

Regardless of where he ranked on my least-desirable list, I could have done without this particular surprise meeting.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.

Adam slowly stood. “Working. I work here.”

I looked around helplessly. “Here, here?”

“Yes, Ray.Here, here.”

I shifted from one foot to the other and gripped my overnight bag. “Oh.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. I just didn’t expect it. Didn’t expect to see you. Here.”

He regarded me with curiosity. “Where did you expect to see me?”

“I don’t know. Behind the till at the Co-op?”

He let out a huff of amusement. “I haven’t worked at the Co-op since I was nineteen. Which was four years ago, by the way.”

He was twenty-three? I frowned. That couldn’t be right. Now that I thought of it, it had been a while since I’d seen him at the supermarket, even before the whole naked-in-my-shower business. And after, I’d stopped patronising the Co-op and driven to the local Sainsburys for my weekly shop instead.

“Four years? Are you sure?” I said.

“Yes. I went away to university, got a degree and everything.”

“Oh. Um. Good for you.”

I stared at him. His lips curved in that same slow smile I’d seen in the mirror behind the bar before I’d told him to go fuck himself, which I still felt kind of guilty about. Hence me making an effort to be polite rather than yelling,Give me my key, and running away with it.

Adam had the most perfect skin I’ve ever seen in my life. His face was flawless. His cheeks had a delicate peachy-rose blush. He had no pores.

He sat down, propped his chin in his fist, and continued to smile. “You let me know when you’re ready,” he said. “I’ll be right here. Waiting for you.”

“To do what?” I asked stupidly.

He gave an amused snort. His expression was an odd mix I couldn’t quite work out. A little fond, which was weird. A little heated. A little...concerned? “To check in, of course,” he said. “Unless you dropped by for any other reason?”

“No.”

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