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Soaking up the sun aboard a yacht, and swimming in the gently bobbing waters of the Mediterranean weren’t what Alle had expected to find herself enjoying when she’d agreed to board a flight with Ronnie in order to see the last gig of Black Halo’s Requiem tour.Actually, her expectations had been pretty low, and her goals rather narrowly focussed.
Priority number one – make sure Spook was in actual fact okay and that Xane wasn’t lying.
Two – figure out where she stood.
And three… There hadn’t precisely been a three, but if there had been one, then it would have been to convince him that fucking until they both collapsed from total exhaustion was an ace idea.
So far, she was hovering dubious about number one, working on number two—he seemed very content to be around her—and as for three… Last night had certainly felt a lot like they were fucking, even if they hadn’t precisely done it in the biblical sense.She, for one, was definitely exhausted.
“Get yourself in here,” Rock Giant hollered, as she dithered at the top of the ladder hanging off the side of the yacht.They were anchored not far off the Île Sainte-Marguerite, and the bass player had been splashing about from the moment it was possible.The rest of the guys—for it had turned out she was the only woman on board—had taken a more sedate approach to getting wet.In fact, Xane and Luthor were both yet to leave the deck.
She slid into the waves, bracing herself for the chill, but it wasn’t as numbing as expected.Spook splashed over to her immediately, leaving Rock Giant to his fun with Ash and Ronnie.“I wasn’t sure if you were going to come in.”
“Kinda felt like I should.Oughtn’t to waste opportunities, as Ewan would tell me.I don’t know when I’ll have such an opportunity again.”
On her budget, the chances of a Riviera holiday were microscopic.
“Is this what it’s normally like?You all hang together, even during down time?”
Spook slicked a few wet strands back off his face, most of his blond hair having been fashioned into a messy topknot.“For a day or two.Then we’ll head our separate ways.Ash and Ginny are taking off tonight, probably right after we dock.”
“Where is Ginny?”She was certain neither Ash’s fiancée, nor Xane and Luthor’s girlfriend was aboard the yacht.
“Shopping, I expect.Dani doesn’t swim.”
“Let me do a few strokes,” she said.“I don’t think I’m going to stay in long.I’m not keen on the fact that I can’t put my feet on the bottom.That, and I’m at risk of frying to a crisp.”Despite numerous layers of Factor 50, her face, arms, and shoulders were already a web of freckles.Sunshine played havoc with her quest for a porcelain complexion.
Alle swam the length of the boat a couple of times, then got out.The guys were chucking an inflatable banana back and forth between them.They seemed to have divided into teams, but she couldn’t fathom the rules or the objective of whatever game they were playing.
Back on deck, she fastened a towel around her torso, and padded over to the table on the main deck, where she helped herself to a glass of something fruity looking from an iced jug.“Pimms?”she enquired aloud to no one in particular.
“Sangria,” Black Halo’s lead singer corrected her, regarding her over Luthor’s shoulder while he worked sun cream into his lover’s skin.“Made with a kick, so watch how much you drink if you’re thinking of taking another dip.”
“I think I’m done swimming for the day.”She found a seat on the bench that ran along one side of the deck, and turned her face to the sun.Two minutes later she was thinking better of her drying method.“Mind if I borrow some of that sun cream?”
Luthor vacated the sun lounger, leaving a space before Xane, which he patted, indicating she should sit and he’d do the honours.
“Anywhere in particular?”he asked, tongue pushed into the side of his cheek.
“Yeah, my nose.”She wrinkled that appendage when he immediately blobbed a spot of cream onto it.
“Arms, shoulders?Pretty much anywhere the sun’s reaching?”
She nodded, and held out her arm providing him with a place to start.
Xane squeezed cream onto his fingers, and started on her upper arm, working downwards.
“So how’s it going between you two?I noticed some hand holding in public, and is that a hickie on his neck?”
Alle turned her head cautiously.The rest of the guys were still in the water, with the exception of Luthor, who having been liberally coated in sun cream, was now covering his impressively sculpted torso with a loose T-shirt.“It’s good,” she replied cagily.“But I think you’re mistaken about the bite.”
“Hm, must be residual damage from the fuckwit the other night.”
“He’s having nightmares,” Alle blurted, then slammed both hands over her mouth.
Xane reached for her hand again, and tugged it away from her lips.His grey eyes, silvered with sunlight, burned with sudden intensity.“How bad?”
