I nod at Angus and Evelyn and give them a chipper smile. Lean over to high-five Eddie, before sliding into my chair. Christ, I’m ravenous.
I slice off a big chunk of baguette and tear it. Miraculous. The outside is perfectly crispy, and the inside comes apart in my hands. Slather it in Gui’s strawberry compote and take a huge bite. I’ve just leant back in my chair, eyes shut in foodie ecstasy, when the slap of bare feet hits the ground behind me and Rollo appears over my shoulder.
‘G’day, mate.’ Rollo’s going through an Aussie phase. Honor says he’s been watching too much of an Australian TV show on Netflix.
‘G’day.’ I twist in my chair, ostensibly to ruffle Rollo’s curls, but really to see if Honor’s turned up yet. And she has. And she’s glorious. Damp hair slicked off her face in a ponytail. She’s wearing the same black swimming costume and denim cutoffs as yesterday. The little beauty. She’s skittish; hereyes dart around the table, landing on me for a split second before focusing on Evelyn, who gets a genuine smile.
‘Morning, Honor,’ I say cheerfully, patting the seat next to me. I’m causing mischief, but I also want to put her at ease. ‘Have a seat. Did you sleep well?’
She narrows her eyes at me. ‘Very well, thank you. I’m just—uh—I’ll just go get myself a coffee. Anyone else?’
She practically runs into the house before anyone can answer.
‘I should have asked her to refill the cafetiere,’ Evelyn says.
‘I’ll do it.’ I jump up and grab it; follow Honor into the house.
When I get into the little butler’s pantry off the kitchen, she has her back to me and she’s busying herself with the Nespresso machine. That black swimming costume shows off most of her flawless back, and her cutoffs hug her delicious little arse perfectly. Knowing that things have shifted between us, that I can (hopefully) go to her, is the most extraordinary feeling.
‘Hey.’ I keep my voice soft and she jerks her head around. The look she gives me is a mix of fear and desire. She flicks her gaze down my body and back up again and licks her lips.
‘Hi.’ She turns back to the coffee machine.
I cross the small space and put the cafetiere down so I can slide my hands over her shoulders and down her arms from behind her. I bury my nose in her damp, fragrant hair and kiss the side of her head.
‘You okay? Any regrets?’
She sags back into me and turns her face to mine.
‘No. Definitely not. I just… haven’t done the morning after thing in a long time. I don’t even know how to act.’
‘I know. It’s okay. It’s just me. You’re good.’
I bend my head so I can kiss those beautiful lips gently, and thread my arms around her waist, pulling her into me. Mycock stirs in appreciation against her arse, and she makes a little noise in her throat.
I stroke her stomach through the thick knit of her swimming costume.
‘This is a very sexy swimming costume.’
I drop a kiss on her shoulder, then another. Nudge the strap with my nose.
‘And we’re in the butler’s pantry. Remember what I said I wanted to do to you in here?’
She laughs nervously. ‘It was pretty memorable.’
‘I’m very tempted, as you can feel. But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.’ My hand moves higher on her stomach and I trace the underside of her breasts with my thumb through the swimming costume. She grabs my other hand, which is still on her stomach, and holds onto it.
‘Can I tempt you upstairs after breakfast?’ I mumble into her neck. ‘Any chance you can excuse yourself for an hour to deal with some “pressing work stuff”?’
She twists around and leans into me, slipping her arms tentatively around my neck, her lips brushing softly against mine. I wrap my arms around the exquisite, silky skin of her back and squeeze her as I lose myself in kissing her.
‘It’s a date,’ she says a few minutes later.
CHAPTER 16
Honor
Noah’s bedroom smells of him. Which is a very good thing. And he’s made his bed perfectly. Which, for some reason, tugs at my heartstrings. He’s a good boy, tidying his duvet and fluffing up his pillows before breakfast—even if he had an ulterior motive for making the bed look inviting.
