Page 79 of The Bad Wedding Date

He scowled before he faced forward again, taking in the road. “Why that?”

“I’d swim day and night if I could. It’s the only thing that truly relaxes me. Floating through water. Gliding. Drowning out the sound of the rest of the world. It’s the one thing that makes my body feel free.”

Fraser’s jaw twitched, the muscles in his arms tensing as he curled his fingers around the steering wheel. I wasn’t sure what I’d said that had caused that reaction, but this was about me, not him. He’d asked, and I’d responded honestly.

“I used to swim at county level. Almost made it national but then I reached an age where life took over. You know how it goes. Alcohol, music festivals, boys…”

“Penn?”

“He hated me climbing out of bed at 5:30 a.m. to go and train, and like the stupid girl I was for those two years, I gave into him more than I should have. I went from training five mornings and nights to four, then three, then two. Before I knew what was happening, my swim coach was questioning my commitment to the sport. My enthusiasm just… fizzled out.”

“As quickly as that?”

I offered him a nod. “And not just for swimming. For everything, really. That was what I liked to call ‘The Penn Effect’. He was good at getting his own way. What he wanted, he got, but he had this amazing skill of always making it seem like it was your idea.”

“Narcissistic arseholes tend to have that skill.”

“No kidding.”

Fraser looked in his rear-view mirror, checked over both his shoulders, and he spun the car around in the middle of the road, turning us in the opposite direction of where we’d been heading. I reached up to grip the ‘Oh Shit!’ handle.

“What the hell are you doing?” I screeched.

“Heading back to your place.” Fraser glanced at me. “You need to pack a bag. Make sure your swimsuit is in it.”

* * *

Forty minutes later, we pulled into an underground car park on the outskirts of London. The hotel was one I hadn’t heard of before: The Liberty. Fraser had obviously been here on more than one occasion, considering the way he winked at the valet guy and tossed him his keys only for the young man to shout, “Good to have you back, sir!” on our way.

I scurried to keep up with him as he marched forward, taking my hand in his to lead the way to the reception in the main foyer. This place wasn’t The Savoy, but it wasn’t exactly a bed and breakfast, either. The highly polished Amtico-style flooring and minimalistic design spoke of high-end hospitality, and I loved the cool, airy vibe of it. There didn’t look to be a stiff, upper-class socialite in sight. Every corner had a floor to ceiling indoor plant or tree, the greens contrasting beautifully against the whites and browns of the decor. I’d been so enamoured with my surroundings, I hadn’t heard a word Fraser had been saying to the receptionist, whose face was now as flushed as mine had been for the last two days because of the same man.

He leaned over the reception, talking in a low voice before he looked back at me for just a second, letting the receptionist’s gaze follow his until he turned back to her. With a smile that lit up her entire face, she offered him a nod before she began typing away on her keyboard. Only a few minutes later, she handed him a key card, as well as two silver keys on the end of a long, red piece of string. When Fraser gave her a parting wink, she tried her hardest to contain the obvious thrill that ran through her.

“You ready?” he asked, pulling up next to me, taking my overnight bag from my hand, and throwing it over his shoulder with ease.

“I might be able to answer that if I knew what you were asking me to be ready for,” I said, looking up at him.

He grinned. “We’re going swimming.”

“Now?”

With a chuck of his chin, he gestured for me to take his free hand and follow him. Of course, I did as he suggested because that was my automatic response to anything Fraser asked of me. A moment of panic slashed through my mind at the realisation that I was, in fact, becomingthatgirl again: the same one who had followed Penn blindly because it seemed like the easiest thing to do. But that panic slipped away in a second because when I looked at Fraser, I didn’t see a need to control. Only his never-ending need to please me, for some unfathomable reason I couldn’t understand.

He led me through the hotel corridors, not saying a word until we came to a sign for some changing rooms, and he pulled out the key on the string the receptionist had given him. Sliding it into the lock, he twisted it and pushed through the door, taking me with him before he let go of my hand and flicked the switch on the wall to bring the lights to life.

“There are cubicles over there. Get your swimsuit on and meet me out in the pool.”

“We’re really going swimming?”

Fraser’s eyes met mine. “It’s what you wanted more than anything, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but—”

Stepping forward, he pinched my chin between his finger and thumb. “Just enjoy the moment, Charlotte. No more questions. I’ll be right here when you say you’ve had enough.”

He let me go just as I was about to push up on my toes and close the distance between us for another kiss, all traces of my earlier anger and frustrations now gone. I wanted him, and nothing could change that fact, no matter how much I tried to blame him for shaking up my world.

That spark of adrenaline running through my body reminded me of how much it had needed shaking up for a very long time.

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