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In a rush, she closed the gap and pressed her mouth against his. Soapy water splashed onto her socks, as his hands left the sink and wrapped around her waist. Her hands were trapped against his chest, the tea towel squished between them.

The kiss was surprisingly gentle, despite the fact it was so sudden. Caleb’s beard scratched against her chin, and she moaned as his tongue tasted and then explored more deeply inside her mouth with a deep sensual stroke.

He pulled away slightly, his hands now fisted into the baggy t-shirt she wore, pulling it tight against her stomach. ‘Are you sure?’

‘No,’ she answered honestly.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the correct answer by the disappointment on Caleb’s face. ‘I don’t do relationships, and I don’t want to hurt anyone. So, if you want more than what I can offer, I understand if you can’t do this. We can still be friends.’

‘I know,’ she said, but her voice wobbled a little and he obviously wasn’t convinced by her bravado. She smiled and stepped out of his hold – or he let her go, she wasn’t quite sure which. ‘But I wanted you to know… that I’m seriously considering it.’ What the fuck did that even mean? She had no idea!

But Caleb seemed to understand, even if she didn’t, because he nodded thoughtfully. ‘That’s okay, take as long as you need.’

The day after she kissed Caleb was spent mostly alone. She ate her croissant on the balcony, and even though the view was spectacular, the familiar pang of loneliness spoiled some of the joy.

Caleb had said that he was returning to his usual training regime, which meant he’d be in and out of the hotel suite all day. She half wondered if he was avoiding her because she’d kissed him, but he’d seemed friendly enough when he’d left first thing.

In a strange way, it had only worried her further. He could return to how things were so easily, while she was still left reeling over a kiss that hadn’t last more than a few seconds.

She supposed she did need to think it through more carefully before taking the final leap.

So, she unpacked, strolled around Surfers Paradise, went to the shops, and treated herself to some posh toiletries to go in her swanky bathroom.

Caleb joined her for dinner; she had a microwave meal, and he had the mountain of chicken, rice and vegetables he’d ordered in.

Eating together had been the best part of her day, showing him her photos from her walks and, afterwards, watching TV with him – being all too aware of how he leaned into her on the couch. All her worries about things becoming weird between them disappeared with each moment Caleb made her laugh.

They were adults, they could be mature about this sort of thing. Caleb was honest about his limitations, at least, which was a hundred times better than Patrick, who’d frankly led her on for months.

That night, she lay in the darkness, fantasising about asking Caleb to join her and wondering how her first day in her new job would go. Would she finally feel fulfilled and happy? Would she make friends? Would she enjoy the work? Caleb had reassured her more than once tonight that film sets were always friendly places – they had to be; everyone relied on each other to get the job done.

A bubble of excitement fizzed in her chest – the same spark of adventure she’d been chasing since she’d first decided to leave London.

Tomorrow, she would explore and experience a brand-new and exciting life.

Chapter Fifteen

Hannah’s first day at the studio started early, although not as early as Caleb’s had. He’d already done his first training session before she’d stumbled into the shower.

While she got ready, he ate a ridiculously protein-heavy breakfast and then waited patiently for her as she packed her big bag of essentials.

‘Are you sure you’re okay to drive me?’ she asked, as she shoved on her trainers.

‘Sure,’ he said, before looking thoughtfully at her shoes. ‘You might want to get some hiking boots. That’s what most of the crew wear on location or on the sound studios. It’s to protect their feet; it’s pretty much like a construction site most of the time.’

‘I’ve got some old Doc Martens?’

At his nod of approval, she hurried to dig them out of her wardrobe. She’d had them for years, so at least they wouldn’t rub, and they would go well with her black stretchy trousers and light blue denim shirt. She’d agonised for hours over what to wear, as she wanted to be both smart and practical.

‘This okay?’ she asked nervously as she came out of her room and was rewarded with a big thumbs up.

Caleb had said he would happily drive her to and from the studio every day, but Hannah was worried that wasn’t fair on him. Especially as most of his days would be tied up with training in preparation for Lucas’s arrival.

She silently vowed to find out what the local transport situation was as soon as possible; she really shouldn’t fall again into relying on one person for everything. She’d done that with Ellie, Jules and even Patrick. She needed to be independent.

Considering the filming hadn’t even begun yet, the studio was a whirlwind of activity.

‘How many movies are they filming here?’ she asked as a forklift truck trundled past.