“There’s a drain in the corner,” he muttered, like I’d called him out on trying to flood the villa. “And your foot is the priority here.”
“Also, your back. You need to stop carrying me around.”
“It’s not like you can walk. And we’re going to breakfast today, because my parents will honestly disown me and not ever speak to me again if I miss this.”
“Shit,” came out of my mouth. “Happy birthday.”
“Forty today. Half a life lived. Not much to show for it.”
“You have plenty to show for it. Hot body, all your own hair and a very cute man in your bed. You said that yourself; I’m just repeating it.”
Here it was, that gorgeous blush on him. What I absolutely loved about him, and now I was blushing myself, just thinking those thoughts. He made me warm, all over, just his gaze on me and I crumbled. And using that word? Ridiculous. I was not in love with him or anything; I was just shit-talking to make him smile. Also, to keep me from reacting to the water he was spraying over the sole of my foot. It was helping, actually. Cooling. Also? I was still stark naked on the toilet, and here was that now familiar, “Yooo-hooo!” signalling the swift entrance of his parents into the room. Yeah. We’d left the patio doors open overnight. Because we were idiots.
“Stay,” he mouthed, handing me the showerhead with one hand and ripping a towel off the rails with the other, as I watched his bare arse exit the room.
“Happy birthday!” his mother squealed, as I tried to think how to handle this gracefully. No chance of that because now I had all of them waving at me through the open door as Noah thankfully shut it behind them, leaving me alone with my foot and showerhead and shame.
I managed, of course I did. Towel tight around my waist, foot feeling a little less awful, and here I was hobbling to my waiting audience, trying to at least look like I…belonged here.
“Fox, darling,” she said, the mother. Gillian. A spectacle unfolding right before my eyes. Me naked, hiding behind a towel. His mother laughing heartily. For an older lady, she was very elegant. Same soft eyes as her son,and that warm smile. And of course, now she was shamelessly hugging me and kissing my cheeks, followed by a warm squeeze of my arm from his father.
This was weird. Inappropriate and perhaps … No, I wasn’t freaking out, and Noah was casually getting dressed in the corner and his dad was sitting at the foot of the bed, and all I could think of was how the bed was covered in spunk and us and everything under the sun and he wasn’t even bothered.
Also? I had no clothes of my own here, having worn his yesterday. Like the loser I obviously was.
“So, boys, I have booked the courtesy buggy to pick us up in fifteen minutes, just so Fox here can get transported safely. How is that foot, darling?”
“Better,” I grimaced out a smile, like a fool.
“Good.” She nodded. “We’ll have a nice leisurely breakfast, a few glasses of bubbles, and of course Noah needs to get his present.”
I nodded. Noah just sighed. “Mum, can you guys just leave us in peace for a sec and let Fox here get dressed?”
“Absolutely,” his dad agreed, vacating the room far too willingly. And his wife just patted me gently on the cheek, like I was a small child.
“Fox, darling,” she said. Then she walked out, waving her hand in the air.
“Get dressed,” Noah urged, a growing blush on his face. I agreed, perhaps it was a bit much remaining stark naked with his parents outside. Or maybe it was because I was smiling now, gratefully accepting the clean shirt he was handing me. Alongside my now dry shorts, that…well. Fit. My own shirt was still flapping in the wind outside, and I took a step forward to go retrieve it as he just shook his head.
“Smells a bit. Wouldn’t wear it.”
“Trust you to protect me from bad odour.” I grinned.
“Well…” He was swallowing his words and looking away. Like he was ashamed of his behaviour, when all I could see was someone looking out for me. I wasn’t used to that. People caring enough about me to ensure I…didn’t smell bad. It was humbling, and the fact that I liked it was…
He wasn’t mine and never would be. This was just a temporary…
A rebound. This was a rebound and one I had to get over. Quickly. Hence I pulled the clothes on and left him standing there, retreating outside to his mother’s embrace, like she hadn’t just seen me two minutes ago.
“Darling, we had dinner with your friends last night. What a bunch of men, eh?”
“Yes. I’ve known them all for years. We…”
“You all go on holiday together. Very nice. But also. Thomas?”
Damnit. Not the conversation I wanted to have right now.
“My ex,” I admitted. Perhaps I had told her before, but I couldn’t remember right now. Conversations and interactions all a blur. I couldn’t even have stated my own name at the moment, too befuddled with the crap swirling around in my head. “He’s very…persistent. It’s difficult for me to…”
