“What are the chances of us sleeping in the same bed and nothing happening?”
I shook my head. “You’re Mr Self-Control, so you tell me.”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
He was one of Manchester Athletic’s and England’s best players. There was no way he was sleeping on the sofa.
“I’ll take the sofa. I’ll fit better.”
“Let’s argue about it after we’ve eaten.”
“And had wine.”
He smiled and nodded, pushing his hand through his hair, which was less styled than I’d ever seen it before.
I wondered what he looked like first thing in the morning and realised I was probably going to find out.
We freshened up, taking turns in the bathroom to change out of the clothes we’d travelled in, Jesse grabbing a quick shower, me grabbing a slightly longer one.
It felt blissful to be in clean things, the grottiness of airplanes and airports washed away. We left everything else still packed, the words around who was sleeping where unsaid, and headed out into the corridor, tracking back our steps to the staircase and then down into the hall, finding a door that led us through to another wide corridor, this one with stone floors that were smooth and felt cool under my bare feet.
The kitchen, when we found it, had Carina and Suzette in there, a bottle of red wine open, and plates of sliced meats, breads, cheeses and olive oil laid out on a table that could’ve been used for banquets in the time of the crusades. The kitchen was a blend of modern convenience and traditional French; I was just too tired and a little overwhelmed to really take it in.
“Will you be okay in that room for tonight?” Carina looked concerned, her glass of wine full enough to suggest she hadn’t had any of it yet.
Jesse nodded. “We’ll be fine. It’s an amazing room.”
“The bathroom’s incredible.” I picked up one of the empty plates on the table. “Is it okay if I help myself?”
“Please.” Carina stood up, coming over to me. “These meats have all been cured locally. The cheese has been made at the vineyard too, so all local products for you to try. We’re trying to source everything within the region. Even the toiletries are from a woman in the village who has her own cottage industry going on.”
I had used the shower gel and body moisturiser already. “They’re fab. We both managed a quick shower and I used what was in there.” I waxed lyrical a little about them, sensing that Carina was really embarrassed about the mix-up with the rooms.
She relaxed some, watching Jesse fill his plate with meats and cheeses. “Have you tried the wine from here? I sent Jesse twelve bottles a couple of weeks ago, but he hasn’t given me a review yet.”
Jesse chuckled, sitting down with his feast. “Not yet. I wanted to try it here first. Don’t worry about the bedroom thing, Carina; Jerrica and I will be just fine.”
We were fine until we got back to the room. I switched the lamps on, working out that there was one switch near the bed that pretty much controlled everything that was switched on, which saved that trip out of bed to sort everything out.
It also made the room sultry and intimate. Which might’ve been Carina and Suzette’s intention but probably not what Jesse and I had in mind.
Awkward was an understatement.
“Do you think we can share the bed?” Jesse looked from the sofa to me. “It’s a huge bed.”
“We can share the bed. Do you snore?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. I haven’t slept in the same room as anyone apart from Nicky for two years, and he sleeps like the dead, so he’s never given feedback. Do you?”
“No one’s ever told me.” My head was caught up ontwo years. “Do you want to do that thing where we put a line of pillows in the middle?”
Jesse laughed. “Not really. I could sleep on the sofa, Jerrica.”
“But you don’t want to choose that.”
He shook his head. “No. I don’t.”
“Good. We’re adults. We can do this. We might be doing it all week.” Which really did sound like torture. I’d spent too long on the plane with his leg pressing against mine, that one touch heating my whole body, especially that spot between my legs.
