Sean grabbed the tennis ball on the end of the line –he needed all of his faculties for this. ‘Aye, about two weeks ago. I’m amazed you haven’t noticed, given that you put the form there inthe first place.’
‘Sorry.’ She deflected her sights to the patio doors as if someone was about to walk through them. ‘I did see it.’
‘Good. Are you fine to post it then?’
‘Sure, I’ll do it tomorrow.’
He stepped closer to the pole. ‘Only if you want to.’
Cherry’s baseball cap shielded any subtle eye movement that would betray hesitation. There was nothing on the rest of her face. This is what you got for marrying a poker player. But something told him to stop this line of inquiry. After all, her not posting it was what he wanted.
‘So’ – he prepared to serve – ‘we’ve managed to qualify for an annulment based on not consummating the marriage. Tell me, how the hell do they prove if you’ve slept together or not?’
‘I’m not sure they can.’ Cherry rolled her shoulders. ‘Guess it’s like lying in court – you’re breaking the law if you do it.’
‘Right, well, we’d better continue to keep our hands to ourselves. But be warned, Paradise, if you can’t, then you’re paying for the divorce or you’re stuck with me.’ He swung the ball round the pole in her direction.
She grinned. ‘I promise to keep my hands and all other body parts off you. Wouldn’t want to commit perjury, after all.’
Sean would happily risk perjury when his wife looked the way she did, her breasts bouncing lightly as she braced like a tennis player batting the ball to him. Those tanned, smooth legs, the low-cut vest and the hair swinging in a ponytail under the baseball cap. Who cared about a little lawbreaking when your wife resembled a poster girl for very adult Swingball?
‘I’ve got a top line-up for the tourney so far.’ She jolted him back to reality.
‘Oh, aye?’ Sean tried to think about poker. It wasn’t easy.
‘Yes, Connor is confirmed, which is freaking awesome, as is Campbell Duff.’
‘Well, as much as I think he’s a knob, he is a huge star, so even better.’
‘Sean, you should probably know something…’ Cherry’s tone dipped a little alarmingly. ‘Campbell Duff and I used to date.’
Fucking what?He whacked the ball hard. ‘Seriously? When?’
‘About ten years ago, before he was a massive star, but we were in the gossip mags and stuff.’ She kept the game going, like she didn’t want the whole focus to be on this conversation.
‘I don’t read the gossip mags. Was it serious? Where did you guys meet?’
‘He liked to go to edgy poker games in the back of pubs. I met him in Shoreditch, and we dated for about a year and a half. The nature of his work and my work is the reason it ended, and the reason it lasted.’
‘Okay. I guess it’s good publicity.’ Sean had to think of the bigger picture. Money for charity. To help people like his dad. He began to hit the ball on autopilot, trying hard to focus on everything that was going on. His wife’s body, how much he didn’t want that annulment form posted, his wife’s body.
‘Hot, isn’t it?’ Cherry swiped her hand across her forehead.
‘Pretty hot. Guess I’d better get used to it since it’s going to be way more sweltering in Tennessee.’ He hit the perfect serve, but she missed it.‘You okay?’
‘What?’ Cherry’s cheeks flushed rose again, and he thought she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
‘You’re not overheating, are you?’ He batted to her gently. ‘Need a drink? A wee lie-down?’
‘No, I don’t need a wee lie-down.’ Cherry swung hard.
‘You can always lie in my room if you’re more comfortable there. Hold my pillow.’
‘Shut the front door, Butler!’ She laughed, hitting the ball so badly that it flew upward and the rope tangled. Sean watched as she tried to undo her work.
‘Need a hand there?’ He reached for the rope, their hands overlapping – his large and rough, hers small and soft, clear pink gloss on the nails.
‘It’s fine. I can manage.’ Their fingertips touched in a rare, electric moment.
