Page 42 of Gideon
“Live,” he says passionately. “Because the way I hear it, you were cruising down a path fairly quickly that would have landed you dead. Isn’t it better to be alive and doing something different rather than dead and cold?”
“Well, I’m one of those things at the moment,” I say lightly, aiming to disperse this drama. “This towel isn’t covering much.”
His eyes betray him, and I catch the quick glance he sends down my body, the way his pupils dilate and the sudden deep breath he takes. I can see the rejection forming on his lips and suddenly I want to be somewhere else.
“Let’s go out,” I say and he jerks, looking at me in disbelief.
“Now?”
“Yes, now. Why not?” I stand up. “I can’t change reality, Eli, so let’s do something fun to fill the time.”
“I somehow think that’s a well-used expression,” he says darkly.
“Of course it is. Along with ‘of course I’ll swallow’ and ‘I’ll ring you.’” An unwilling smile tugs at his lips. “Come on,” I urge. “We’re in Nice. It’s so beautiful, and it’s only early morning. We’ve got all day. Let’s hire a car and go out and see the place.”
“Together?”
I nod briskly, ignoring my sweaty palms. “Of course. I can’t promise that I’ll throw your phone in the sea and book a room that rents by the hour, but I’m sure you’ll make the best of it.”
He hesitates but I can see I’ve won. “And you’ll do exactly what I say?” he says slowly.
Ignoring the flare of heat at those words, I nod. “Of course.” I raise my fingers and sketch a cross. “Cross my heart, hope to die.”
“Oh please, not that again,” he scoffs. He capitulates. “Okay. But I’m taking my med bag. There is to be no drug-taking, drinking, or casual sex whatsoever.”
“Goodness, it’s like going on a date with one of the Jonas brothers.”
He stills. “Is it a date?”
I stare at him, silence falling that’s only filled with the noise of the wind and sea. “Do you want it to be?” He looks at me for too long a moment, and I make myself shrug. “Of course it’s not. It’ll be a completely non-date where I will make no passes whatsoever and won’t even attempt to rein in my natural grouchiness.”
He smiles sadly. “That I can do.”
Chapter
Nine
You and I both know that I don’t actually need you at all, unless we count perennial nagging, in which case you’re irreplaceable
Eli
I crane my neck out of the window as we approach Antibes. Our driver steers into the car park of a marina where seemingly hundreds of boats are moored, some of them huge yachts.
“That’s alotof boats,” I say.
Gideon looks past me out of the window. “I think it’s one of the largest marinas in Europe. You’ll often see super yachts mooring here.” He sniffs in a huffy manner, and I grin at him.
“Not tempted to buy one? You wouldn’t need a big one with the size of your wardrobe.”
He laughs and shakes his head as we get out of the car. “I’ve holidayed on one before. I’ve never seen such a poky cabin. And you’re stuck in it for the entire trip. If I was paying that amount of money, I could buy a hotel and sleep in a different room every night.”
“I think that might be a rich person’s problem,” I murmur, starting to stroll along the path that runs beside the water and feeling him come next to me. “You could fit my entire flat on the deck of that yacht over there.”
“At least in your flat you’re not stuck out at sea with arseholes.”
“I’m not sure. Once when it snowed we were stuck in there for a week. By the third day it was a bit likeLord of the Flies.”
He laughs. “Frankie said that you have flatmates.”
