Page 23 of The Island of Hopes and Dreams

Being thrown together like this had allowed them to actually get to know one another without worrying about giving off liking each other vibes.

And he did like her. He liked talking to her and opening up in a way he rarely did. He appreciated her beauty, but it hadn’t affected him in the way appreciating her was doing right now.

Her legs were still rhythmically pounding and,oh my god, he thought, was she beckoning to him? His heart dropped into his stomach with the realisation she really was trying to get his attention – yep, that hand signal was definitely suggesting he join her. He stumbled towards the bed, suddenly feeling hot and bothered and in desperate need of the air con. Or a cold shower.

With a wicked grin, she grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the bed. He twisted round so he was lying next to her.

‘Let’s give them a big finish,’ she whispered. ‘Because, by the way, I’m super ticklish – I will scream the place down.’ She winked and his heart raced even faster as he understood her meaning.

She didn’t give him a choice, kicking things off by attacking him with tickles. Not that he was particularly ticklish, but a laugh escaped him. Her eyes blazed with mischief as she focused on his armpits. His fingers swept up her sides, skimming her ribs. Only the thin material of her top separated his fingertips from her skin and the intimacy left him with all kinds of conflicting emotions. She’d been telling the truth about being seriously ticklish. She squirmed beneath his feather-light touch, squealing with a mix of pleasure and pain as he tickled her until they were both lying on their backs panting, laughter fading.

‘Now I definitely need a shower!’ Her laughter filled the room again. She launched herself off the bed, scooped up her towel and washbag and dived into the en suite.

The doors to the balcony were wide open and he assumed, after he’d so easily heard Freddie and Zoe’s conversation from the next room, that it would have been impossible for them to not have heardthatdisplay.

Oh God, had they taken it too far? Was it pathetic that he wanted to get back at Zoe in this way? Although, in truth, he hadn’t been thinking much – if at all – about Zoe when he’d joined Lola on the bed.

Rhys lay back and gazed around at the simply furnished room with its cream walls and glass wall lights. What had started off as a bit of fun and a way to help each other out had turned into so much more. He really wanted to talk to Fabs about his mixed-up feelings over Lola, but he wouldn’t because it would sound pathetic when his friend had his life together in every way.

The shower stopped and, a couple of minutes later, Lola stepped into the room with just a towel wrapped around her middle.

Rhys shot off the bed, grabbed his towel and strode towards the en suite, avoiding looking at her. He needed to cool down.

‘I can sleep on the chair,’ he said, gesturing towards it, his mouth dry. ‘Or on the floor.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ Lola said with a shake of her head. ‘The bed’s plenty big enough for us both.’

13

The bed was big enough, but that didn’t stop Rhys from being acutely aware of Lola lying next to him. She’d fallen asleep quickly, her breathing now slow and gentle, keeping him company in the darkness. He figured her ease at sharing a bed was because she hadn’t been thinking about him in the way he was thinking about her now.

A cool shower had helped to some extent, but as he lay coffin-still staring up at the ceiling, Lola remained firmly fixed in his head. The tickling had all been a bit of fun, but the memory was driving him insane in a way that he’d be fantasising about it for a long time to come: the feel of her smooth skin as she’d squirmed beneath his touch, his fingers tracing her collarbone and sides, making her wriggle and cry out. There was no way they’d not heard from the next room. Hell, with the balcony doors wide open the whole hotel and anyone on the street below had probably heard. He flushed hot. His senses tortured him: the sound of her hushed breathing, the scent of her mandarin body lotion and the warmth of her next to him. Would it be wrong to shuffle close, to put his face to her skin, to breathe her in?

Certain that it would be impossible to fall asleep while his thoughts eddied, his heart pounded and every part of him throbbed with desire, he got out of bed. He padded the short distance to the balcony doors and slipped out, closing them quietly behind him.

‘You couldn’t sleep either?’

His heart ricocheted against his ribs at the sound of Zoe’s voice.

He turned towards the adjacent balcony and met her eyes. She was sitting on one of the wrought-iron chairs with a glass in her hand and her bare feet resting on the railing.

‘Nope.’

She grunted and glanced away. ‘I’m surprised you’re not knackered after your earlier performance,’ she said with an underlying tone he couldn’t quite decipher.

Performance.Did she believe it had been real or known they’d been pretending and had intended for her to hear? Either way, she was looking uncomfortable, which was making him feel as guilty as his and Lola’s earlier ‘performance’ had heartened him. He hadn’t laughed that hard for ages.

‘It’s surprising really,’ she continued, ‘given you were always so worried about what other people would think, to make that much noise. Unless of course you’ve changed drastically, which I’m guessing not.’ The look she cast him could have flayed a person top to toe. ‘So I assume it was all for my benefit.’

‘I think you’re getting me confused with someone who actually cares about you still, which I don’t,’ he said coolly, despite his stomach twisting with guilt and disappointment that she’d managed to get the upper hand. Him still having rumbling feelings for her was why he was in this mess.

‘You keep telling yourself that.’ She crossed one ankle over the other and studied him with a smirk. ‘At least I don’t have to fake anything with Freddie.’

He knew he should take a deep breath, go back inside and not let her get under his skin. ‘And I see you haven’t changed a bit either, still being casually cruel and not caring if you hurt me.’

‘I thought you said you didn’t care about me any more? If that’s the case, why be bothered what I say? Unless of course you’re aware it’s the truth.’

‘Are you happy with him?’

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