Page 30 of Escape to the Sun

‘I don’t usually drink much, you see. But tonight…’

The lift doors began to close, and she hit the button to hold them open, willing him to join her in the space.

Louis stayed in the corridor. ‘Tonight…?’

‘Tonight, I wanted to be brave. I thought some booze might help me with that.’ She reached out, running the collar’s edge of his formal jacket between the tips of her fingers. ‘For example, I wouldn’t dare do this without all that champagne.’

‘Wouldn’t you?’ His brows furrowed, and his voice lowered. ‘Why not?’

‘You might not want it, and then I would feel rejected. All over again. And I don’t think I could cope.’ She retracted her hand. ‘I don’t even know why I am doing any of this. I shouldn’t even be on this ship. God only knows what you’re thinking. I must be mad.’

‘You’re not mad, Hannah. A bit drunk, maybe, but not mad.’

As the doors threatened to close again, he hesitated, then took a large step into the space with her as the doors slid closed. He reached for her hand, placing it against his collar again.

‘I like it when you do that,’ he said, touching her cheek. ‘Don’t stop. And for the record, I think you are incredibly beautiful and I also think you know exactly what I’m thinking…’

Something happened in the base of Hannah’s stomach, and it wasn’t anything to do with the amount of booze she’d stacked away. She wanted this man, hadn’t a memory in that moment of ever feeling this kind of longing with such intensity before. And although some of her own lack of inhibitions might be down to the alcohol, the look in Louis’ eyes wasn’t. That she wouldn’t have failed to recognise, even if he hadn’t made it completely obvious with his words, and it made her pulse quicken.

‘Come with me to my cabin,’ she whispered.

She pressed herself against him, stepping up onto her tiptoes to be closer still, and he tipped his face to meet hers, their lips touching and meshing with little in the way of preamble. Sliding her arm around the back of his neck she kissed him hard, and his arms encircled her waist, fingers splaying as he held her tight.

They broke apart moments before the lift doors opened and Hannah knew she needed to get to her cabin, get them both to her room while this feeling was still so strong, while it still buzzed its way through her body. Nothing else mattered. At the door, she fumbled in her bag, then almost dropped the keycard as she waved it at the lock and pushed the door open. She giggled, then tripped over the non-existent sill at the base of the door. Louis had hold of her, keeping her upright as they stumbled inside.

‘Shut the door,’ she said, sticking the keycard into the slot on the wall to illuminate the room with the lighting she’d chosen when she was getting ready earlier. A bit brighter than ideal for the current mood, but she could soon dim some of the settings. She threw her bag into a chair and turned back to face him, her smile wide, her fingers playing against the neckline of her dress. ‘I might need some help with this.’

Louis took a step back as the cabin door clicked shut, a strange expression crossing his gorgeous features.

‘What?’ she said. ‘What is it?’

He glanced around the room, the expression morphing into a frown as his gaze settled on her again. Her smile faded as he shook his head, the heat in her stomach cooling as she understood what he was thinking.

‘You’ve changed your mind,’ she said. ‘Realised you don’t fancy me after all…’

The headshake continued, and he stepped closer. ‘No. No, Hannah. That’s not it.’ He swallowed hard, looking around again.

‘What else could it be?’ She blew out her cheeks, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly nauseous. ‘You don’t want me. It’s fine.’

‘No, I do. More than you think. But not like this.’

‘Not like what?’

‘Not in the room where you were supposed to be enjoying your honeymoon with a man who isn’t me.’ He frowned. ‘I don’t want you to make a mistake, that’s all.’

‘Are you suggesting I’m not thinking straight?’ She stumbled a little, covering it adeptly by sinking onto the edge of the bed.

He grinned, but it had a sad tinge to it. ‘I’m suggesting it’s a possibility.’

Hannah shrugged. ‘I knew this would happen. A rejection was exactly what I didn’t need, so why did I push you into rejecting me? I’m so stupid.’

Louis slid onto the edge of the bed beside her. He tipped her face towards his, kissing her gently, his lips barely touching hers. The effect was ridiculously intense, and her stomach clenched.

‘This is not a rejection, Hannah Maynard,’ he said. ‘It’s just that this isn’t the right moment.’

‘Yes, it is. It’s the perfect moment.’ Hannah flopped back onto the bed. Maybe she was more drunk than she realised as the room swam. She reached for him, hand connecting with his thigh. ‘I wanted to take that stuffy jacket off you. I wanted to unbutton your shirt and pull it out of your trousers, and then I wanted to…’

‘Oh, Hannah, please don’t do this,’ he said, easing her hand from his leg before climbing to his feet. ‘I’m going to go now, before I make a very unwise decision, and I’ll see you tomorrow. OK?’