Page 19 of Her Fake Island Wedding

Chapter Ten

Waking in Bryce’s arms felt utterly natural and right. There was no surprise at finding the steady thump beneath her ear was his heartbeat, no concern at the warmth of his body against hers, the strength of his arms cradling her. Lucy sighed and stretched, humming a little with contentment.

“Feeling better?” Bryce asked, his voice rich with amusement.

“Nana naps are literally magic,” Lucy sighed in response, looking up and grinning at him. “Thanks for not waking me.”

“You needed the rest.” Bryce took his sweet time letting go of her, but Lucy wished he hadn’t bothered. Though the cabin was warm enough, her air con set to a warm twenty-four degrees Centigrade, she felt suddenly chilled with the loss of Bryce’s heat. She rolled to her side and hugged a pillow, watching as he hesitated in front of the wardrobe doors.

“I should get changed before we go to meet your mum for dinner.” Gesturing down at his board shorts and T-shirt, he smiled self-deprecatingly. “This might have been okay to meet her at the airport, but she won’t think much of me if I don’t bother to change. Would you mind if I wash up and change?”

Lucy’s brow furrowed until she realised he was asking if he could use her bathroom. “Of course,” she said at once. “Yes. If we’re going to share the room, Bryce, you don’t even have to ask!”

“Unless you need to use it first?”

“Nah, I’m good here for a few minutes. I like to wake up slowly and stretch a bit.”

“Noted.” He smiled at her before gathering some clean clothes and heading into the bathroom. The door closed, but she didn’t hear the lock snick.

The fact of the unlocked door held Lucy’s eyes riveted to the handle. She could hear the water running, could imagine Bryce’s tall, strong form slicked with water as he took a shower, the droplets running over the contours of his muscles. Following a path she couldn’t help thinking about tracing with her tongue.

Why hadn’t he locked the door? Her hands twitched with holding them back; she wanted desperately to go and turn the handle, ease the door open just a tiny way. See if she could spy his reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall, if it hadn’t fogged from the heat of the water.

Oh my God. I’m turning into a voyeur. With a tiny shriek, Lucy forced herself off the bed and over to the wardrobe, grabbing randomly for a dress to wear. She’d bought a dozen or so lightweight cotton dresses since arriving and spent most of her off-duty hours in one. Selecting a navy-blue one with bright fuchsia and gold tropical flowers printed on it, she hesitated, looking at Bryce's clothes hanging alongside hers.

I should feel like my space is being invaded… shouldn’t I?Instead, there was a feeling of comfort and domesticity about the scene. Reaching out, she lightly touched the sleeve of one of his few formal shirts, feeling the crisp fabric under her fingertips.

“Bathroom’s free,” Bryce said behind her, and she jumped about a foot in the air, letting out a startled shriek. “Hell, I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to be quiet — I assumed you heard the bathroom door open!”

Closing her eyes, Lucy pressed one hand against the wall to steady herself. “I was miles away,” she admitted, unable to look at him and confess she’d been fantasising about the two of them living in cosy domesticity forever and ever.

“Obviously!”

She heard his footsteps, even though he was barefoot, as he crossed the tile floor, coming to stand right in front of her. Opening her eyes, she peeked up at him.

God, he’s beautiful.

Blond hair darkened with water, tawny stubble just beginning to coarsen his chiselled jaw, Bryce looked down at her with a slight frown. “Are you feeling okay, Lucy?”

No. My eyes feel gritty from sleep and my hair is all over the place, and I desperately need a shower…Out loud, she said “I’m fine. Or I will be, once I’ve had a shower.”

“All right.” He didn’t step aside, though, to clear her path to the bathroom, just stood there looking down at her.

Is he looking at my mouth?Unconsciously, Lucy licked her lips, and saw, to her fascination, Bryce’s pupils flare wide.

“We didn’t talk about that kiss earlier,” Bryce said, his voice lower and huskier than it had been a moment earlier.

“Which one?”

“Any of them, frankly. They were all…” he seemed to be searching for the right word. “Unexpected.”

Not the worst choice of word, she supposed. She knew he didn’t mean he hadn’t been expecting the kisses, only that he’d been surprised by his own reaction to them. Which at least answered the burning question of whether he’d been as affected as she.

“It’s kind of difficult to talk about,” Lucy admitted, “because all I can think about it how much I want to kiss you again.”

“Yeah?” He didn’t miss a beat, just took a step closer. “I haven’t stopped thinking about it either.”

The dress she was still holding slithered to the floor unnoticed as Lucy reached out, and Bryce met her halfway. In a moment they were clinging tightly to each other, mouths fused together, the kisses almost frantic as they both released the emotions they’d been bottling up all afternoon.

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