Page 11 of Just Like You (Square Mile Rogues #2)

Julian

P erhaps I should have been nervous, but strangely I wasn’t.

A crew member bringing someone with them on a trip was a normal occurrence, and we had five extra people for this trip, affectionately known as cling-ons.

Friends, family, kids, coming along for the ride, with the promise of a cheap holiday in a place they’d normally never be able to afford to visit.

I didn’t mention my involuntary one because I didn’t want to endure the shame of having to own up if he didn’t turn up. Instead, I discreetly had words with my Captain, informing him that I might have a friend joining me, but that he was running behind and might not make it.

Little white lies. But also saved my arse, being under-planned and not communicating with my team. Damn it. This was messy. Messy as anything.

I’d also sent off a message to the hotel, advising on a guest and that I needed an extra space on the transfer boat…

that I might not need. Kieron might be completely gaslighting me here for all I knew, and anyway.

A ticket to the Maldives would be spare change for this guy.

Remember? He had some timepieces that would have paid off my mortgage in one go. No doubt a big-money earner.

Still? He was… I couldn’t even describe him.

The kind of guy I would never ever go for.

I didn’t like arseholes. I silently screamed in frustration as I once again rolled my luggage onto another plane, exchanged pleasantries and information with the team around me and then gracefully took my place by the door, my iPad at the ready. Let’s do this.

I stood there, as my nerves felt like fire through my bones. Sneakily glanced at my phone as a text came through from Sonny.

“Quick update. Got into the hotel. The receptionist? Hot AF. I may have flirted, totally innocently. Get up to my room, and I have a message on Grindr advising me of his imminent arrival at my room. I am struggling to walk this morning. I may have to try to swap onto another trip here. The service at this hotel is exceptional, and I don’t mean the bouncy beds. ”

I had to laugh out loud, dropping my phone out of sight in time to receive our first passengers. Smile on my face. My stomach now trying to upend itself as I rattled off greetings like I did not have a care in the world.

Awkward. This was, and would be…so awkward.

He came on last, leisurely strolling down the jetty, with a nervous smile on his face, something that instantly calmed me. I had no idea what was happening here, but his face cracked into a smile and then he simply said,

“Julian.”

“Kieron,” I replied back as nonchalantly as I could muster as my stomach filled with strange butterflies.

Shit. Fuck. Damn it. This was never going to end well.

“30B, by the bulkhead. I was very nice to the check-in lady.”

“Good for you,” I replied, trying to swallow down all my sudden urges to just slam my mouth on his. Oh, for fuck’s sake.

I didn’t and just nodded as he passed me by, thankful for the interruption of the dispatcher telling me to close the door and fuck the hell off.

I did just that.

If he had been… I don’t know. I should probably have done what I’d done with the other crew cling-ons, plucked him out of his economy middle seat and delighted him with a journey in comfort.

I had a spare first-class seat, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

Nor could I bear to have to watch him for most of the flight.

I needed space, so I could function and do my job.

I needed not to have his gaze constantly on me. I needed …

I was so flustered that I dropped my cup and had to spend the first minute of our taxi on my knees cleaning up tea off the floor. Not my finest moment.

But this was work, and I did my rounds and sorted out issues and smiled politely at Kieron. He was in a tracksuit. A nice one, and also? Nice watch. Patek. I knew the model well and blushed as he caught me staring.

I had his Rolex safely tucked away in my topper bag and wasn’t about to fall for any of his stupid games. His ridiculous…ideas. I would have said demands, but then, if they were and I was going along with them? I didn’t think I liked what that made me.

Foolish? Stupid? Or like Sonny had said, hearing of my ridiculous…blackmail into bringing a hook-up on a trip?

The truth? It made me a massive slut.

I felt like one, as I crept into the rest area and finally got to take my shoes off. Over halfway to the Maldives, Kieron Andrieu was contentedly asleep in his economy seat, and I was lying here in the cramped crew bunks, wishing I was anywhere but.

I couldn’t rest. Couldn’t make my head stop churning. I didn’t know this guy at all, and a quick fuck and a few stupid exchanges of meaningless words? I knew nothing of any substance about who he was, and now I would have to spend the next four days with him? I’d also…have to keep him in my bed?

Well, I didn’t have to, but that was my plan, wasn’t it? He’d not even mentioned getting a room elsewhere after I’d stupidly given in and texted him the hotel name. I mean…he would have found out. And he needed to fill in his immigration card and needed …

Shit. I was so stupid. How on earth had I got myself roped into this was the issue here.

Turns out Mr Andrieu was not stupid because he’d managed to figure out where to stand to intercept me coming though immigration, not only that, the idiot that he was, he’d also befriended the rest of the cling-ons and was standing there with his wanky little case, passport in hand, like the wannabe tourist he was.

Couldn’t get away with it, with those posh trainers and the gentle scruff on his chin.

He was, and I could even admit it to myself now, devastatingly handsome.

Far too handsome for someone like me. He was the kind of guy who probably drove a car worth millions, lived in a glass penthouse and had a string of willing bed partners and a fiancée tucked away in the Cotswolds, someone to take home and show off to the relatives when the occasion called for it.

I didn’t trust him. At all. Yet here we were.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Kieron.” I tried. I couldn’t help it. I grinned.

“Claire here has briefed me, no PDA, no causing trouble. I’m supposed to pretend I don’t exist and accept anything with a gracious smile.”

“Indeed.” I smiled. “Claire is absolutely right. You board the boat last, take whatever seat is available and shut your mouth,” I gritted out. Then I smiled again, because I couldn’t help myself.

Fuck. Fuck indeed .

I sat next to him on the transfer boat, feeling overwhelmed and wrung out. A little nauseous, whether that was the boat ride through choppy waters, the heat, or the fact that the guy next to me kept his hand next to my thigh. His little finger gently stroking up and down my leg.

If he didn’t stop, I’d grow a boner, and I definitely had no room for that in these uniform trousers. I should have swatted his hand away, which was my plan, but instead he just took it. Held my hand like my mother had done when I’d been a small child, riding the bus to the shops for a day out.

Ridiculous. But strangely, soothing. Like he calmed my nerves, just by holding my hand.

I didn’t do this. Hadn’t asked for this. Was in way over my head, and we hadn’t even got to our room.

Our.

Room.

I breathed out and closed my eyes.

“It’s fine,” he whispered into my ear. “It will all be absolutely fine. I promise you.”

He sounded more like he was trying to calm himself than calm me, but it was welcomed. Appreciated.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, my usual spiel falling out of my mouth with ease as we got everyone sorted with rooms, pick-up times and the usual WhatsApp group to communicate through the week.

People were talking about snorkelling trips and excursions, but I stayed silent, glancing over at Kieron, who was casually sat on a chair, chatting animatedly with someone’s mum.

My Kieron.

Oh for fuck’s sake!

I excused myself, key in hand and, dragging my bags behind me, gestured for him to follow. Like he was a dog. He got up and did, being the good boy that he…apparently was.

How ridiculous. How droll.

A beach buggy ride came next, of course, him next to me, a bag of duty-frees on his lap.

“For my PA. I made a mistake, ordering it for the outbound instead of the inbound. She’ll kill me if I don’t bring her back the right whiskey.”

“Your PA?” I questioned.

“In her fifties, very smart and incredibly manipulative.”

“Like you.”

“Indeed, we’re the perfect match. She calls me child and threatens to smack my arse. In return, I buy her whiskey and pay off her parking fines. We make a good team.”

Why did he make me laugh? I had no idea, but this man next to me, was smiling contentedly into the warm sun. Looking miles away from the arsehole I’d met in 44J last week, and I didn’t know how to deal with that .

Our hotel room… Again. Our. FUCK! Was like all the others, a small beach villa right on the water.

Veranda at the back, leading straight into the crystal-blue ocean, surrounded by privacy screens and palm trees.

My colleagues would be in the surrounding villas, and here we were.

Paid to sit on a beach for a few days, waiting for our ride home.

And here was Kieron, taking the key out of my hand and unlocking the door as the beach buggy drove off in the distance. I almost wanted to call the driver back. Tell him to take me home or at least take the idiot away.

“Do I need to carry you across the threshold?” He winked.

“This is a repeat hook-up.” I rolled my eyes. “Not a honeymoon.”

“Oh, so we are hooking up?” He smiled. “All my prayers answered.”

“You are such an idiot.”

“Which is why I am here, when I should be in a meeting in South London. I know where I’d rather be.”

He was already ahead of me, walking through the spacious bedroom, opening up the curtains where the light was already blinding as he swung the patio doors open.

Warm air.

I was soaked with sweat, having stood around in a polyester uniform for far too long. I was tired and weary, and I wasn’t quite myself .

Exhausted was probably the word I was looking for, but I couldn’t make my brain say it out loud. Instead I just stood there as he turned around and walked straight back to me. Put those big hands of his around my face, and then he just looked at me.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what?” I whispered back.

“For trusting me in this. We need this. You and me, because if we don’t try? We’ll never know whether this was something that was meant to be.”

“I don’t believe in all that,” I blurted out, crushing him in one foul blow.

He smiled at me.

“Julian,” he quietly hummed. “You have no idea how special you are, do you? You’re not someone’s quick fuck. You’re gorgeous, and kind, and you… You make me laugh. Even when you’re tired and grumpy. And the next thing out of your mouth is about to be But you don’t know me? Am I right?”

He was. I think I nodded, too mesmerised by staring at his mouth. His eyes. The messy hair on his head. That stubble burning scars on my retina.

“I’m going to kiss you now, and then you probably need a nap. That’s what I know. And whilst you do that, I need to ring Maura and sort out a few work things. So sleep, Julian. Get all that grumpiness out of your system, and then I’ll wake you up with a glass of champagne later. ”

“Will you now?” I huffed out. “Tea. That’s my usual morning beverage of choice. With oat milk. Dairy tends to mess with me.”

“Noted,” he said, like this was absolutely normal.

Then he kissed me. Right there and I was instantly swooshed back to a time when he’d done this before and then ripped my clothes off and fucked me into a coma.

I hadn’t come. He’d come far too fast. Massive red flags waving in the distance, yet here I still was, wanting him to do it again.

Just rip my trousers down and shove his big fat cock up my arse and make me see stars.

With added lube. A bit of foreplay. I wasn’t a masochist in real life, just inside my currently muddled brain.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard,” he whispered into my neck. “Get all these ugly clothes off and just keep you naked and thoroughly sated, for days on end. That sound like a plan?”

“I need to be able to work the flight home. Thoroughly fucked is not an option on the sickness form for this company.”

“Neither is it on mine. We’ll both be standing up by the time we go home, but for now, Julian? I need you horizontal.”

“So bossy,” I chirped.

“Only because you know I’m right.”

He wasn’t. Because I threw my aching arms around his neck and kissed him, and then he threw me onto the bed.

I guess sleeping would just have to wait.