‘Yes,’ said Alex, and she could tell he was about to argue his case. ‘But the two-bed will give you room to grow. You could always get a flatmate – share the cost of the bills and earn a little extra from their rent. And what if Hannah comes back? She could move in with you just as you’d originally planned.’
That was a good point. If Hannah did come back, it would suck if they couldn’t return to being flatmates. ‘True… Okay, let’s go for number four then, the two-bed. Thank you.’
‘Great, I’ll get Barbara on it.’
Ellie chuckled. ‘Go Barb! She’ll be skipping all the way to the bank when her commission comes through. She deserves it though – that’s one challenge ticked off both our lists.’
Alex’s face sobered, and he ran his hand through his hair. Immediately Ellie knew she was in trouble. ‘I’ve been thinking…’ he said lightly, before fixing her with a devastatingly intense look. ‘We should probably practise a kiss.’
Ellie gulped.
Alex took off his glasses, and used the corner of his t-shirt to clean them. The fabric lifted, revealing a strong stomach, the black waistband of his boxers and a line of dark hair above his belt buckle. Her mouth watered, and she couldn’t help but imagine how heavenly it would feel to have his body pressed against hers. ‘Just so you know what to expect and it seems natural when we do it in public. Are you okay with that?’ he asked casually, putting his glasses back on.
Embarrassed that he might have caught her ogling, Ellie turned and stared out at the beautiful view from the perfect house, and nodded. This whole day had felt like fantasy land and make-believe. Like they were role-playing lives they didn’t actually have.In for a penny…‘All right.’
Firm, strong hands turned her towards him. ‘You sure?’ His eyes were gentle, and her shoulders relaxed as she looked up into his kind and handsome face, the spring sun warming her flushed cheeks. A muscle in his jaw feathered as his expression became more serious, and his blue eyes slowly shifted from her eyes, down to her mouth and up again.
‘Yes.’ She breathed out the word, warmth spreading out from her belly in anticipation. His eyes brightened and he stepped forward, her chest brushing against his and causing her nipples to tighten.
She closed her eyes, but the sudden darkness did nothing to ease her pounding heart. The breeze ruffled her hair, and a large warm hand cupped her jaw. Soft, full lips pressed against hers in a chaste kiss, that still caused fireworks to burst behind her eyelids. She had to battle with every nerve in her body to stop herself from leaning into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close.
He pulled away, and her eyes blinked open, dazzled by the aching lust racing through her body at such a simple touch.
‘Good, just like that,’ he said, his voice husky and breathless for some reason, and she wasn’t sure if he was explaining the PG nature of their kiss or the fact that she was looking at him like a lovesick puppy.
Desperate to regain control over the situation and her racing heart, she said, ‘Good. Great. PG kisses only, hand-holding, hugs. No tongues, or sex, right?’
Alex’s eyes widened and he gave a gruff cough – no doubt shocked and horrified by the suggestion – and she wished she would just shut up, but her mouth was like a runaway train.
‘Of course not. Why would we use tongues? Or have sex? We should have some boundaries, right? So we do nothing that could lead to hurt feelings or awkwardness later on.’
He nodded dumbly, and she took a deep cleansing breath before forcing a cheerful expression. ‘We’re friends… I’d hate to lose that.’
It would break her.
His expression turned solemn and he took her hands in his, giving them a light but heartfelt squeeze. ‘I’d hate to lose you as a friend. You mean a lot to me.’
Her chest tightened painfully, but she resolutely ignored it. ‘Well, we should probably get going before Barbs sends out a search party.’
Chapter Eleven
Alex’s heart leapt like an excited teenager’s – as it always did when he saw Ellie’s name on his list of notifications. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss on the roof terrace. How he’d felt for a moment as if he were living the life he was supposed to… with Ellie.
But it wasn’t real, and it was blatantly obvious from what she’d said that she just wanted to remain as friends. He could understand that, suspected she’d been hurt in the past, and not just by the jerks who’d stood her up. There was something else lurking deeper behind her bravado. He wasn’t sure what, or if he even had any right to pry. No, he definitely didn’t have any right to pry.
It was better this way. No hurt feelings, for either of them.
Ignoring his other messages, he got off the treadmill and sat on a nearby weights bench. It was early, so no one else was using the hotel gym, and he preferred it that way. Not only for privacy, but because he’d also be awake for Ellie’s first message of the day – or the end of the night, as it would be for her.
Did you get your offer accepted on that cool bachelor pad?
It had been almost three weeks since they’d viewed the houses, and he’d still not made any firm decisions.
Yep. Although. now I’m not so sure. Maybe I should just rent a place instead?
He waited anxiously for her reply, wondering if he should have called her instead. It was so hard to get his thoughts across, and he was still in two minds. The Spitalfields house kept popping into his head at random moments – or, more specifically, Ellie’s reactions to the house: the way she’d gasped with wonder as she walked in, the stroke of her fingertips along the marble countertops, her face filled with longing when she’d stared into the nursery.
He’d meant what he’d said; he would have bought it for her, if she’d let him.
