Page 43 of The Making of Jonty Bloom
And Devan was pulled out of his downward slide. He glanced at Jonty but he was staring out to sea. “Is McAllister a decent employer?”
“Yes. I like working there. Only I did tell a bit of a fib.”
“You don’t work there?”
Jonty smiled. “I’ve been there five years not five months.”
Devan frowned. “Why did you lie?”
“Because you thought I was bad at my job and if you’d known I’d been doing it for five years, I thought you’d be even more huffy.”
“Huffy?”
“You were the definition of huffy.Sulky, moody, grumpy, touchy, gr… I’ll stop before I go too far. Shit, I have, haven’t I? But I’m not on duty right now. We’re not hotel guest and employee. And you did arrive in a bad mood.”
“True.”
“Youstayedin a bad mood. You smiled more when we thought we might die. Please don’t tell me you were smiling when you thoughtImight die.”
“You made me smile. I think you were the perfect guy to be with when we were in danger.”
“And when we’re not?”
“I don’t know yet.”I don’t know what I’m doing, what I’m hoping for.
Jonty shrugged and grinned. “Fair enough. Do you like smiling?”
Devan laughed. “I like you making me smile.” His fingers brushed against Jonty’s, and he heard Jonty’s intake of breath, felt the catch in his own throat.
“Your fingers are braver than mine,” Jonty whispered. “I’m impressed.”
Devan thought it better not to admit the touch had been accidental and he’d been trying to talk himself out of making a move. Maybe his body had other ideas. Good thing his cock couldn’t speak, but it was pushing against his zip.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Devan asked.This Tay you mentioned?
“No. Shocking, isn’t it? I’m continually amazed there aren’t guys lined up desperate to go out with me, hopefully forming an orderly queue, though a bit of a scrum might be flattering. Unfortunately, I only attract impossible men.”
“Am I impossible?”
“I knew you were trouble when you walked in. Hey! That would make a great song lyric, don’t you think?”
“Someone beat you to that.”
“I’m guessing youdohave a boyfriend, or that you and he fell out, which is why you’re up here in a moody, grumpy, touchy sulk.”
“Any other guesses?”
“That you’ve driven up to visit a sick relative, or attend the funeral of someone you know…as opposed to the funeral of someone you don’t know. I’m sorry for being flippant if that’s true. Please tell me it’s not, or I might have to throw myself onto the sand at your feet and beg forgiveness. You weren’t caught up in that tsunami in Asia, were you?”
Devan struggled to see the link. “What…? No.”
“I did wonder if you might be a serial killer looking for his next victim. But you didn’t have a body in your suitcase. Or maybe it was split between two cases and it was a little body. Not a child though.”
“Er…
“Sorry.” Jonty winced.
“Would a serial killer check into a hotel under his real name?”
