‘I should probably call it a night soon,’ said Marcus. ‘If that’s okay with you?’
‘Course,’ I said, a whole host of emotions suddenly rushing through my head.
I couldn’t be alone with him. I wanted to be alone with him. He liked me. He didn’t. I liked him. I couldn’t.
As the track ended, he took my hand and led me off the dance floor.
We’d said our goodbyes downstairs and had taken the stairs up to the room because the lifts were so busy – it seemed that quite a few of the gala guests had had the same idea and were staying here at the hotel. I’d just seen Anton Bauer and his girlfriend heading up to their room, and they’d waved at us as the lift doors closed on them.
We didn’t speak much on the way up to our floor. I let myself into our room with Marcus close behind me. It was quiet inside after the music and laughter downstairs, and just the right side of cool. I slipped off my heels and looked at the bed.
‘Well, that was fun,’ said Marcus, coming to stand next to me.
I nodded. ‘It was.’
‘Shall I get ready for bed first, or did you want to?’ he asked, pulling off his shoes, loosening his tie. He seemed calm. Easy. Everything I wasn’t.
‘You go for it,’ I said, perching awkwardly on the end of the bed while he disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
I used the time – all of about five minutes – to try to get my head together, failing dismally, of course. When he reappeared wearing joggers and a T-shirt, I almost lost my nerve completely and called myself an Uber. How could he look that hot in a simple loungewear ensemble?
‘Your turn,’ he said, smiling at me, still seemingly unbothered by how things were about to pan out.
‘Cool,’ I said, even though it was anything but.
I scurried into the bathroom with my wash bag, overthinking whether or not I should shower. Whether the cotton shorts and camisole combo I’d brought with me to wear overnight was too cutesy, or too see-through. Should I take my make-up off or leave it on? In the end, I just got changed, slicked back my hair, washed my face and used one of the lovely body lotions the hotel had laid out for us to sample. Then I cleaned my teeth and went back into the bedroom.
Marcus was already in bed. His top half was naked now and I could only hope that his bottom half was not, otherwise I was going to be in serious trouble here. The lighting was warm and cosy and I was sure the housekeepers had sprayed something in the room before we came up to bed because it smelled divine, like amber and oranges. The kind of sexy scent I loved.
‘Coming in?’ said Marcus, putting his phone down on the bedside table and watching me with an expression I couldn’t quite place.
‘I presume you have gotsomeclothes on?’ I said.
‘Worried you won’t be able to control yourself if I haven’t?’ he teased.
‘Very funny,’ I said, slipping into bed next to him.
Luckily, it was a super-king. I wouldn’t need to touch him at all, if I just stayed right here, flat on my back, looking up at the ornate carvings on the ceiling.
‘Alone at last,’ he said.
‘So many cameras tonight,’ I said.
‘Do we only kiss when they’re around?’ he asked.
Jesus.
‘Well, what on earth would be the point otherwise?’ I said.
‘I can think of a point.’
I closed my eyes. If I couldn’t see him, maybe it would all be okay. I’d just drift off to sleep, forgetting that delectable Marcus Taylor, tennis star, elite athlete, all-round hot guy, was lying half naked next to me.
‘Ava?’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you think we should talk?’
