Page 50 of Another Lucky Number

‘Right.’ James removes his own flip-flops and joins me in the water. ‘That’s good news. And there’s really nothing going on with Sébastien?’

I put a hand to my chest. ‘Promise there’s not. Believe me, I’ve been as confused as you about his intentions towards me. But after my initial wobble over what you were going to get up to when you were away, I was resolute that there would be no holiday romance, no matter what.’

‘And now?’

‘I mean it, James. Honestly.’

‘AndImean… what about a holiday romance with me?’ He stops and locks eyes with me, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Despite my sunglasses providing something of a barrierbetween us, I feel myself redden from the intensity of his gaze. ‘Well… for you I could make an exception.’

‘I was hoping you’d say that.’ James’s face breaks into a satisfied grin and my breathing becomes shallow as he takes my hands in his, gently pulling me towards him. Then he leans in and kisses me, his sexy days old stubble tickling my face, while fireworks go off inside me. I melt into him, and within seconds, we’re devouring each other hungrily. A cheer and a wolf-whistle comes from the distance, which I suspect is Amber.

Eventually, we break apart and continue to wander along the beach hand in hand, stealing delighted – and slightly bashful – glances at each other.

‘Hey, you’ve got some explaining to do too,’ I say. ‘You told me you were going to the east coast of the US.’

He shrugs. ‘This the east coast of the US – sort of. Just off it anyway.’

‘Come on.’

‘OK, a few hundred miles off it and a completely different country, but it’s notthat muchof a stretch.’

I shake my head to signal that he’s not getting away with such a poor excuse.

‘Suppose I’d better ‘fess up then.’ His expression turns sheepish. ‘I might have influenced you and your friends a little when it came to choosing your holiday destination. But in my defence, I fancied the pants off you, and I figured if you wouldn’t give me the time of day back home, this tropical paradise might lower your barriers a bit.’

‘What are you like? Could you not be sacked for that?’

‘Only if it didn’t work out and you reported me – which for about twelve hours there, I thought could be a distinct possibility.’

‘Aww, no. I’d never do that. I think it was sweet.’ I squeeze his hand, my heart melting at this admission.

‘Do me a favour and don’t be using descriptions like that in front of my friends – or yours for that matter. You’ll ruin my rep.’

‘Ha, OK. Your rep is safe. So, was any of it true? About it being a thirtieth birthday celebration for you and your friends – who I’m assuming currently think I’m a horrible person.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll fix that.’ James nudges me guiltily.

‘Which means they do.’

‘They’re my bros, they always have my back. But they’ll see how great you are. And yes, the part about the birthday celebration is true. I get a discount through my job, so we decided we’d go all out for this one. Vegas isn’t really our style, and we fancied a beach holiday, so here we are.’

‘Nice. And you know Sébastien because…?’

‘I don’t know him as such. I knowofhim. We sell holidays to all his resorts, so it’s my job to know who he is.’

‘That’s what I figured. I can introduce you to him properly when we next see him.’

‘Are you sure you want to risk that?’ James raises his eyebrows questioningly.

‘Why? I already told you there was nothing going on.’

‘I mean in caseIfall for his charms. Who’s to say he won’t turnme?’

‘Oh, stop it.’ I give him an affectionate push, and he takes the opportunity to sweep me into another delicious kiss. ‘Wait…’ I pull away from him suddenly. ‘Did Lottie know you were coming here?’

He looks cagey. ‘I might have told her… and swore her to secrecy.’

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