Page 41 of The Island of Hopes and Dreams

Lola nodded and breathed easy as she clicked on the message. ‘It’s from Deni, checking up because we’ve not come back.’

Her heart returned to its normal pace as she sent a reply to say they were fine and she’d see her tomorrow. She looked up to find Rhys watching her.

Lola nodded towards the closed door. ‘Do you think they’re done?’

She couldn’t help but smile at the situation they’d found themselves in. Confined to a shadowy, concrete patio to escape having to listen to their mutual best friends having sex. How the hell were they supposed to get to sleep when all she wanted to do was make similar noises with Rhys?

‘Mirabel was pretty drunk; she may have passed out by now.’

Passed out satisfied, was what she felt Rhys didn’t say.

Her heart fluttered and she was glad the light was too dim for him to notice her cheeks flushing.

Rhys tilted back in his chair and cracked open the patio door. Little more could be heard besides the insects – no thumping headboard or squeaky bedsprings.

Rhys turned back to her with a grin. ‘I think we’re in the clear.’

‘It’s actually quite fresh tonight.’ Lola wrapped her arms around herself as she followed Rhys back inside. When she’d left the villa earlier that afternoon dressed in a midi skirt and a slim-fitting T-shirt, she hadn’t expected to be out all night without even a cardigan, let alone a toothbrush or nightclothes.

She slipped into the en suite and splashed water on her face. Finding a packet of mints in her bag, she chewed one in place of cleaning her teeth. She was about to leave the packet on the side of the sink for Rhys when the thought that he might think she was hinting at him to freshen his breath before kissing her slammed into her head. She tucked them back into her bag and cursed herself for overthinking and not being drunk enough to be at ease sharing a room with Rhys.

Her heart was racing by the time she emerged from the en suite. She didn’t really want to sleep in her skirt, but then just knickers and a T-shirt didn’t seem appropriate either. Rhys was lying in bed, resting back on the pillows with his arms tucked behind his head. He seemed to still be fully dressed. This was beginning to be a total headache.

Rhys untucked his arms and shifted over as she slid beneath the cover. He was practically pressed against the wall, as if needing to keep as much space between them. Because he didn’t want to be in this situation again or because his thoughts were similar to hers?

‘At least it’s quiet now,’ Rhys whispered.

Lola grunted an acknowledgement. It was too quiet because her ears were filled with the thudding of her heart and the sound of Rhys breathing next to her. They were far too awake to be stuck together with so much left undiscussed and she had no clue how she’d be able to sleep.

‘I’m sorry for kissing you,’ Lola blurted out, deciding that clearing the air was the sensible thing. ‘I only did it because I thought it would help; I didn’t mean to embarrass you.’

Rhys remained silent, making Lola nervous that bringing up that subject was the wrong thing to do. But then he shifted on the bed, the springs creaking as he turned to look at her.

‘You didn’t embarrass me.’

‘I just thought afterwards you regretted it, because of something you said when you came to my room.’

‘You’d been ignoring me all evening; if that wasn’t regret, then I don’t know what is. Then you snapped at me.’

‘I didn’t mean to do that, just Jarek?—’

‘Yeah, I realise now that was what had wound you up. But I didn’t understand at the time.’

‘So the, um, kiss. You were okay with that?’

Rhys held her gaze, intently enough to make her heart thump.

‘I was more than okay with it.’ His eyes traced her face, briefly flicking to her lips then back up. ‘I enjoyed it a lot, but I wasn’t sure you did?’

‘Oh, I enjoyed it.’ The tightness in her chest began to ease as her smiled grew. ‘I enjoyed it a bit too much.’

There was a heartbeat of a pause, then in the dim light, Rhys matched her grin. ‘Fancy repeating it?’

24

Rhys was rarely this forward, but he was certain he didn’t want to hide his feelings or second-guess things any longer. More than anything, he didn’t want to miss out on a chance with Lola. He’d been captivated by her from the moment they’d met on that moon-bathed dock, and he’d wanted more since the first time they’d shared a room. The easy way they’d chatted earlier in the evening had been a reminder of what they’d had before the kiss had confused things, but with an added something: obvious attraction. Now he had the confirmation that she felt the same way.

It was too dark to make out her expression. Perhaps that was why he’d felt brave enough to make the suggestion; he hoped it would be taken in a this-feels-natural way rather than a this-will-ruin-our-friendship kind of way.

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