Page 67 of Hot Greek Summer

‘Well, you don’t have to sink them like it’s a drinking competition,’ Winnie said.

Jesse inspected both glasses, leaning one way and then the other then lowering his head to look through them and inspect the colour.

‘They look the same.’

Stella silently high-fived Frankie and threw a wink at Winnie.

‘Does it matter which I try first?’

‘Just get on with it,’ they all said at once.

He looked perturbed. ‘Are all English women this bossy?’

‘Yes. Drink or die,’ Winnie said. ‘You choose.’

He picked up one of the glasses. ‘Seeing as you asked so nicely.’

Taking a moment to sniff it, he closed his eyes and sucked the neon-pink straw Stella had supplied.

Sliding the glass back onto the table, he nodded slowly, snapping his eyes open again. ‘Spot on.’

Winnie and Frankie looked at Stella, because she was the only one who knew which of Jesse’s drinks was which.

‘God, you and your poker face,’ Winnie sighed, handing Jesse the other glass, this time with a DayGlo-green straw. ‘And now this one?’

He did as he was told, most probably because he had very little choice with three pairs of eyes trained intently on him. After a minute of silent drinking and deliberation, he slid the glass back onto the table and looked at each of them knowingly.

‘I see what’s going on here,’ he said. ‘You’re trying to get me drunk so you can tie me up in the broom cupboard and have your wicked ways with me. Bad form, girls.’

Winnie rolled her eyes. ‘You should be so lucky. The gin, Jesse. Better? Worse?’

He frowned. ‘Honestly?’

They all nodded, wordless and breathless.

‘Exactly the same.’

Stella practically punched the air, Winnie clapped, and Frankie was so thrilled that she whooped and kissed Jesse on the cheek.

‘You seem to do that a lot,’ someone said, and they all turned to see Gavin had returned from his beer with Panos to find his ex-wife kissing a second stranger in as many days. Yesterday Seth, today Jesse. His words didn’t suggest anger or malice; it was more of a melancholy observation followed by a small raise of his hand in greeting as he headed inside the shade of the villa. Robbed of her smile, Frankie excused herself and followed him in.

‘That was odd,’ Jesse said mildly.

‘Stella!’ They all squinted up into the sunshine, following the direction of Angelo’s voice to the balcony at the top of the villa. He was naked aside from a tiny white towel slung around his hips, and he tapped his expensive watch and lifted his eyebrows. Stella had the grace to turn slightly pink, making a heart sign with her fingers at him until he shook his head and walked back inside.

‘Scandalous man,’ she muttered, gathering her drink. ‘I better go and see what he wants.’ Her affected boredom was at complete odds with her gleeful expression as she scarpered back inside.

Jesse handed Winnie one of his G&Ts and flung his arm along the back of the bench, letting his fingertips rest casually on her shoulder.

‘Just you and me again, then, Legs,’ he said, sliding his sunglasses over his eyes.

Winnie stretched out beside him and settled back with the drink in her hands.

‘You’re turning native.’ He nodded down at her legs and bare feet. Over the weeks she’d turned from pale and interesting to sun-kissed gold, still strikingly different from his deep tan.

Winnie sipped her G&T, unsure if she was drinking their gin or Ajax’s. Silently, she tried to decide if she felt awkward or not, given that the last time she was with Jesse she’d stripped off, asked him to draw her naked and then let him have his way with her. Eat your heart out, Kate Winslet, I haven’t had to go down on a sinking ship to get this, she thought. But then she thought, I didn’t get to shag Leonardo DiCaprio either. And then, most alarmingly of all, she thought that she might prefer Jesse over Leo anyway, so she took a huge gulp of her gin and practically choked herself.

‘Are you nervous?’ he asked, turning to study her over his glasses. ‘You’re giving off a nervous vibe.’

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