Page 29 of Christmas at Sturcombe Bay
“It’ll be good to have my own space, to be able to spread out a bit. Make a cup of tea in a kitchen instead of the bedroom.”
“Yes.”
Such a simple conversation, but it felt so stiff, so awkward. She took a step back, ready to escape, reluctant to leave. If he moved out of the hotel, she probably wouldn’t see him again. Which would be good. Wouldn’t it?
“Well, I . . . I’ll leave your room for now then, till you’ve finished. I have a couple more on this floor to do.”
“Right.”
Oh, that smile. Did he feel the same sizzle of attraction? Sometimes the gleam in his eyes when he looked at her made her begin to hope that he might.Dammit. Be sensible. He just wanted a friend, company while he was here on holiday.
And probably convenient sex.
Oh, yes. She could be tempted into that, easily. But sooner or later he’d be gone, back to Canada, leaving her feeling more rejected and lonelier than ever.
With an effort of will she returned him a cool smile as she turned away. “See you around then.”
* * *
“There. That ought to do it. I’ll just reboot it.” Paul turned the computer off and waited a few seconds before turning it on again. The screen opened instantly.
Mike beamed. “Oh, that’s much better. Thanks, Paul.”
“No problem. You just need to clear your cache every now and then to stop it clogging up.”
The older man shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m pretty useless when it comes to computers.”
“Don’t worry. I’m always happy to help if I can.” And all the more so as it gave him an excuse to drop into the hotel. Jess was on reception. He’d breezed past her on his way in, ignoring the dirty look she’d shot at him.
He checked again that the computer was loading properly, then rose to his feet and invited Mike to take back his chair. “There you go. All done. Any more problems, just give me a call.”
“Yes, yes.” Mike was already intent on the screen. “I’ll see you later.”
Paul laughed softly to himself as he strolled from the office and out to reception. Jess was chatting to a couple of guests, so he wandered over to the lounge and poured himself a coffee at the small bar.
He waited until she was free then sauntered over and leaned casually on the counter. “Good morning.”
Those amethyst eyes were ice cold. “What are you doing here?”
He smiled blandly, knowing it would annoy her. “Just helping Mike with a little computer glitch.”
“That’s nice. Have you finished? Good. Goodbye.”
“Now that’s not very friendly,” he protested, putting on a hurt face.
She glared at him down her nose. “Why would I want to be friendly?”
“Because secretly you like me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You should.” He rested his chin on his hand, turning on his most charming smile. “I’m a really nice person once you get to know me.”
“I have no wish to get to know you,” she returned dismissively, turning her attention back to the computer screen.
“You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Actually, I do. Your sister told me about you. Warned me, to be more precise.”
