Chapter Thirty-Two
Jade
‘Wow.’ Reece props himself up on one arm and looks at me. ‘That was... amazing.’
I can’t help but smile, breathless and a little smug. Judging from his expression, it’s possible that Bella might have been crap in bed. Maybe she used sex as a currency, not as a pleasure, or maybe she was just too bored to even try. I say nothing, just roll myself closer and tuck my face into his neck. I feel his pulse against my lips, his skin warm and soft, scented faintly with last night’s cologne and the citrusy tang of his sweat. ‘You weren’t so bad yourself,’ I murmur.
He huffs a pleased sound, then starts tracing slow lines and shapes across my skin. His fingers are gentle, a little uncertain, drawing maps along my spine and hips. There’s something overly attentive about the way he touches me, like he’s marking out a new discovery, or maybe making sure I’m real. I feel a shiver of realisation – for the first time, I’m not pretending at being Bella. I’m actually her, in her life, drinking in all these textures and smells and emotions, letting myself float in her bed with her boyfriend in her impossibly expensive flat. I’m not acting anymore.
‘Not to be weird, but... you seem changed somehow.’ Reece keeps his voice low, as if he doesn’t want to startle the moment. ‘Like, since last night – I dunno. You’re different.’
My stomach plummets for a second. Is he on to me? Do I seem off? Was my kiss the wrong kind of kiss, the wrong flavour of Bella? But Reece just looks at me with a sort of lazy, half-drunk admiration – like a man faced with the best steak he’s ever eaten by surprise.
‘Not in a bad way,’ he adds. ‘I’m not complaining or anything.’
I make a show of yawning and stretching, buying myself a beat. ‘New year, new me.’ I kiss his cheek, soft as a feather. I desperately hope it sounds like something Bella would say.
‘Well, I like the new you. I like it a lot.’
‘Good,’ I reply. ‘I want to try being more relaxed. Less work, more play.’
‘Really?’ Reece sits up. ‘You don’t know how pleased I am to hear you say that, Bells. Things have been so... serious lately.’
‘I know. So let’s have some fun. Go out more, maybe book a holiday.’
‘Are you sure you can do that?’ he asks. ‘What about all your work commitments that you’ve been stressing about?’
‘That’s why I have staff, right?’
Reece laughs and inches his hand a little further down my back. We come together again, easy as pie, even though I feel a tiny flare of guilt that I’m not the person he thinks I am. Afterwards, with limbs tangled, he falls asleep at once, his mouth grazing my shoulder and his warm breath stirring my hair.
I lie awake in the peaceful near-dark, my eyes drifting up to the picture-perfect ceiling rose and chandelier, trying not to think about how different it is from Mum’s old flat, where there was always a permanent night-time glow from an angry streetlamp in the car park or from the flickering screen of the telly after-hours. Itry not to think about Zac, or the way he always wanted to snuggle afterwards.
Instead, I focus on Reece’s solidity. On how he makes me feel safe and protected after such a short time. I think I misjudged him. I thought he was going to be a boring posh twat. But he’s sexy, with a great body and a dark sense of humour that matches my own. And it also doesn’t hurt that his family is super-rich. Although I guess I don’t need to worry about that, as I now have my own money.
There was a point when I embarked on this scheme where I didn’t believe I was capable of actually pulling it off. There were too many obstacles. Too many things that could go wrong. I had to set everything else aside and focus on the endgame to the detriment of my family, my relationship with Zac, my morals, possibly even my freedom. Because if anyone discovered what I was up to, that would have been it for my life. Game over. But I’m here. I’m doing it. I’m leading a charmed life as Bella Newbury. My mind is racing so much with the enormity of it all that I don’t think I’ll be able to get a wink of sleep tonight.
Still, I must have drifted, because the next thing I know, a slant of watery sun is creeping through the curtains and Reece is standing by the bed, stroking my hair.
‘Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead.’
I slide my eyes fully open and stare up at the handsome face of Reece Kernan-Jones –my boyfriend. ‘Hey,’ I croak, as the events of last night come rushing back in a wave of unreality.
‘Made you a coffee.’ He nods at the bedside table where a chunky mug waits on a coaster.
‘Thanks,’ I reply, feeling a little shy this morning without the help of alcohol.
He runs a hand through his hair, making it stand up in a million directions. ‘I’ve got to head over to the parents for New Year’s lunch. Are you sure you can’t come?’
Bella must have had a reason why she wasn’t able to go, and I’m glad because, much as I’m really starting to like Reece, I don’t feel quite ready to meet his parents and any other family members who might be there. I’m nervous that any little thing might give me away – the wrong laugh, the wrong wine order, the wrong reference to a childhood holiday. I know from Bella’s WhatsApp history that Reece’s parents are intimidating, old-money kind of people, and that she always found them exhausting. If she found them difficult, then it certainly wouldn’t be a walk in the park for me, especially as I used up all my charlatan bravado last night. I need to recharge before attending any other social engagements.
‘I’d have loved to, but I can’t today,’ I say.
‘What about your promise last night to work less?’
‘I meant it. Just let me get through the next few days, and I’ll clear some more time.’ Hopefully, my vague waffle will satisfy him.
‘Okay, I’m holding you to that.’ He presses his lips to mine, slow and sweet. I taste coffee and toothpaste. He lingers, like he doesn’t want to leave, and I have to push him away, laughing.
