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He gulped back the beer, the cold fizz refreshing on his tongue and washing away the taste of sand and heat.

A gentle touch of Hannah’s lips to his throat caused him to open his eyes. He shifted a little to see her better and she stared up at him with a sensual smile. ‘I couldn’t resist,’ she said, and then her hands trailed up his chest to loop around his neck.

Caleb set the beer down, quickly forgotten with the arrival of a more tantalising prospect. He kissed her until the microwave pinged and she shifted away. Reluctantly, he let her go.

‘You should eat,’ Hannah said, dishing up the first of the trays and handing it to him. ‘Before it gets cold.’

He laughed, the idea of adding any more heat to his body felt ludicrous. ‘I can wait three minutes for yours to be ready.’

A few minutes later they sat at the trailer’s dining table and bench, toasted each other with their half-finished beers, and ate their meal.

His phone buzzed, and he took it out of his back pocket awkwardly with a wet squeak – the leather pants were getting on his last nerve.

The text was from Cathy, and with some trepidation he pressed on the icon. A strange mixture of relief and sadness washing over him as he read Cathy’s words.

‘Everything okay?’ asked Hannah nervously.

Caleb nodded and set the phone down on the table. ‘Baz is out of surgery. It was a success.’ The word ‘success’ caught in his throat.

‘That’s good.’

He took a sip of his beer before answering. ‘Baz insisted on a DNR before the op. It upset Cathy, but I can understand why he did it. If things went wrong, he could have ended up even worse, and he wouldn’t have wanted to put Cathy and the kids through that. At the moment he’s paralysed, but still has his faculties…’ He didn’t finish the sentence; he couldn’t bear to talk about the alternative. Baz no longer being Baz in both body and mind.

Hannah nodded. ‘How do you feel about Baz’s op?’

Caleb flinched. ‘I’m glad he’s got through it.’

‘And his injuries? That must have been a terrible shock for you when it happened.’

Caleb’s head began to pound. ‘It’s a risky business. Minor injuries are inevitable. Major injuries – unfortunate, but not impossible. We know that, but it’s harder on the families. They didn’t sign up for it like we did.’

None of it felt right or fair.

Emma was leaving a job she loved, all because of her feelings for Lucas – who could never love her back. Baz’s family were suffering because of Baz’s career choice, and soon he would have to say goodbye to Hannah, because he didn’t want her to suffer the same fate.

‘I’m sure they love him regardless—’

‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ snapped Caleb, and Hannah lowered her eyes.

‘Okay, sorry. If you do ever want to talk about it, I’ll listen.’

He knew he should be enjoying these last couple of weeks with Hannah to the fullest. But when she looked at him, as she did now, with that sweet and deeply concerned expression, he knew their relationship had already moved on from only sex. And she wasn’t to blame; he was. He didn’t want to let her go.

Had it ever been just sex? They lived together, had a past together, and she had helped him in nearly every aspect of his life. What had he given her in return? Nothing.

He set down his empty beer. ‘I need to shower. I’m exhausted.’

‘Oh, okay,’ said Hannah with a little frown, and he knew he’d confused her. Taking her out to stargaze one minute, only to be cold with her the next. But perhaps it was easier this way? They’d be back at the studio for the remainder of filming, and in the apartment, he could retreat to his room and pretend it was because he was tired.

‘Have you found a place to stay?’ he asked. ‘For when we’re done filming.’

Hannah stared at him for a long moment before answering tightly. ‘I’ve got some options.’

He flinched, but knew it was for the best. ‘Cool, let me know if you need a hand moving your stuff.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ she said, and she averted her gaze – but not quick enough, because he still saw the hurt flash like lightning through the blue.

He turned away and went for a brief, unsatisfactory shower that left him no less miserable than when he got in. Hannah had settled into the king-sized bed, and he knew he was an asshole who didn’t deserve her, but he lay down beside her anyway. She didn’t turn towards him, but she didn’t tell him to leave either, and for some reason, that was worse.