‘What is that supposed to mean?’ I slant him a sideways glance.
‘It’s a little bigger than this.’ He gestures towards the villa, which is easily the most luxurious house I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying in.
‘My house is fifteen-thousand square feet. I have a tennis court. A gym. A one-hundred-foot infinity pool. And I just ordered a construction company to add on an extension at the back,’ he admits.
My jaw drops. ‘You have a fifteen-thousand square foot house and you’re putting on an extension? What the hell for?’
When he grins, devastating dimples dent his chiselled cheekbones. ‘For you, of course. For an art studio.’
His words, and his gesture, steal the breath straight from my chest. My mouth opens and closes and opens again. There are no words.
‘I asked the architect to use as much glass as possible to give you the best light and the most amazing views for inspiration.’ Nate presses another kiss to my swollen lips.
‘I can’t believe you did that for me.’ It’s insane.
‘Sweetheart, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I want you to be happy in Beverly Hills.’
My heart is so full it could burst. ‘As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.’
A sound from inside the house sets us jumping apart.
‘Yooohooooo!’ a voice shrieks from inside.
We exchange a quizzical glance.
‘I thought your mam and dad went back to Dublin yesterday?’ Why I’m whispering, I have no idea.
‘They did.’
‘Holly?’ The voice comes close enough to recognise.
My best friend barrels out onto the terrace, wide-eyed with glee. Barely stifling a laugh, her pupils dart between us before shamelessly settling on Nate’s impressive pecs bobbing just above the bubbles.
Sav might be committed to being single, but she’s only human.
‘My, oh, my, you are one lucky bitch!’ she squeals, with a hand over her mouth. ‘Have you two filthy animals been having sex in my hot tub?’ Her tongue clicks against the roof of her mouth, but her eyes exude pure excitement. ‘Of course you have.’ She’s wearing tight navy jeans and a crimson cashmere turtleneck jumper. A bottle of champagne is tucked tightly beneath her right arm.
‘Savannah? I can’t believe you’re actually here!’ In my sheer uninhibited excitement, I go to stand up, before realising I’m actually completely naked once again.
Seriously, the nudist colony is the only place for me.
‘I told you I’d come, didn’t I?’ Another bout of noise follows from behind her and it’s enough to drag her eyes from my hot boyfriend and back in the direction from which she arrived. ‘Oh shit! Get dressed guys, quick!’
‘A towel would be helpful!’ It’s impossible to hide the excitement in my voice.
My best friend is here. My boyfriend just said he loved me. And I’m moving to the States to do what I’ve always wanted to do, paint and travel. Somebody pinch me. I feel like I’m in a Hallmark movie of my very own.
Nate raises his arm languidly in Savannah’s direction. ‘Please to meet you. If you’d have called ahead, we might have even got dressed.’ Mildly amused sarcasm rolls from his tongue.
‘Shit.’ Alarm replaces her glee as she scrambles round the decking, presumably looking for towels. ‘Your brother is here! And Clarissa. And my dads. The twins are asleep in the car, and Ashley is on her way down too. We decided to celebrate Dan’s demise by surprising you! But it looks like it’s you who’s surprising us.’ She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. ‘Again.’
‘My brother?’
Shit. Shit. Shit. Conor is cool, but even he won’t relish seeing his little sister naked in a hot tub with a movie star.
‘I’ll stall them in the hall. As amazing as your rack is, Holls, I think we’ve all seen enough of it for one Christmas.’ A grin flashes across Savannah’s face.
‘Speak for yourself.’ Nate pinches my ass beneath the water.
