The bed, with a very large, very male Alex sprawled across it. He’d taken off his glasses and left them on the bedside table. He looked like a gorgeous backpacking model with his floppy black hair, rumpled shorts and t-shirt that had risen just enough to show his tanned, strong stomach. Her mouth became dry as she stood and stared at him.
Aqua eyes the same colour as the ocean outside their window opened and stared back at her, as if he’d sensed a shift in the pleasant atmosphere – a tropical storm building despite this clear and beautiful day.
‘Do we have Eddie to thank for these too?’ She shook the box.
Alex’s eyes widened and his face flushed. ‘Yeah, he always puts them there… That’s weird, right?’
‘Totally.’ She tossed them back in the drawer. ‘But I guess it’s nice he cares. Better safe than sorry… Not that we need them, of course.’
He raised himself up onto his elbows, looking more adorable and hotter than ever – if that were possible – his biceps flexing as he adjusted his position. A slow mortification dawned across his face. ‘Of course! I’ll sleep on the sofa. I just lay here out of habit.’
‘No!’ Wow, did she have to sound so desperate? ‘I mean… We don’t want Eddie to know the truth, do we? He might tell your family. And this bed is huge. I don’t mind sharing if you don’t.’ Unsure of what else to say without sounding as if she were begging him to stay, she grabbed her pjs and stumbled into the bathroom to get ready for the night.
She was so tired, she rushed through a quick five-minute shower, removed her make-up, brushed her hair and teeth, and then put on her pjs. A shorts and t-shirt set that had a print of tropical fruit doing the tango across her breasts – she was beginning to regret her stupid sense of humour. She was also beginning to have doubts about how relaxing this holiday would be.
Well, too late now.
When she came back in, Alex was still lying on top of the bed, fully dressed and pensive, brooding like Heathcliff, despite the glorious pink and lavender sunset framed in the window. At the sound of the door opening, his gaze shifted over to her, and he smiled.
That small gesture was breathtaking, mainly because she realised that in some small way she’d made him feel better. She hurried over to the bed, quickly slipped beneath the crisp sheets, then turned towards him, a good arm’s length between them. ‘See, it’s huge. No different to the flight really, just no partition.’
Except, of course, it definitely was different.
Chapter Seventeen
Every nerve in Alex’s body was aware of Ellie lying next to him, in a cute and revealing pyjama set.
Man, he was an idiot sometimes. So much for respecting her boundaries – the first thing he’d done was jump straight in her bed. In his defence, he’d got so used to her company that it was beginning to feel like they were dating for real. They’d slept next to each other on the plane, followed by hours chatting happily together, and it wasn’t just the journey here. Recently, they’d got into the habit of calling or texting each other daily.
The only thing they hadn’t done since the awards ceremony was kiss. He’d almost broken their Disney rule that night. How on earth was he going to make their relationship look real in front of his family, while also not breaking Ellie’s boundaries?
That kiss had ruined him. The way she’d melted in his arms and opened up for him with careless abandon, proving without a shadow of doubt that their attraction was mutual. The realisation was both devastating and euphoric. Ellie wanted him, possibly not emotionally, but physically she couldn’t deny it, and he longed to break their stupid rules – but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.
‘I’m sorry, that punch cocktail has wiped me out,’ she said through a yawn. ‘Wow, these sheets are heavenly. Eddie did well!’
He couldn’t help but laugh, relieved to be distracted from his spiralling by her delight at the simplest things.
Maybe he should appreciate his life and privileges a little more. The fact that he could come to places like this, and had a butler who unpacked and folded his underwear… She must thinkhim a pampered idiot. He’d never thought it strange until she’d pointed it out.
‘Are you okay after seeing them?’ Ellie’s gentle voice cut through his distracted thoughts, and it took him a second to realise what she meant.
He fiddled with his glasses, pushing them higher on his nose. ‘It wasn’t so bad, I guess – I’m glad it’s done.’
She turned on her side to face him and he did the same, as if they were teenagers at a sleepover. ‘That’s why I suggested doing it straight away – like with injections, sometimes it’s best to do it quickly. No time to overthink.’
He nodded. They were only inches away from one another, and the intimacy of their position was not lost on him. She was so cute, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. Take comfort in her presence.
If he was being honest with himself, he wanted to do more than hug her. Even after travelling for hours, he couldn’t get enough of her. He could have lain on the couch or gone for a walk, given her some privacy, but instead he’d refused to part from her for even a moment.
Why could he never keep his distance? He was like a moth to a flame, hypnotised by her even when she looked tired and jet-lagged. She stifled a yawn, and he could tell it wouldn’t be long before she was fast asleep.
‘You’re right, and I thought it would be a lot worse. I mean, Holly’s as annoying as ever, but don’t let her get to you.’ He was relieved when Ellie gave an unbothered shrug. He’d been worried that Holly’s nasty teasing had hurt her.
‘What about Liam and Savannah?’
He took a deep breath. Strangely, with Ellie by his side he’d not minded the confrontation as much as he’d thought. ‘Seeing them together doesn’t hurt like it used to. I mean, I didn’t punch him again – so that’s an improvement.’
Ellie winced. ‘I can’t imagine you punching anyone.’
