Page 106 of Never Tell Secrets

We talked about the people at the tables around us, who they might be, the kind of lives they might lead. Unsurprisingly, Alfie was very good at guessing things about a person based on clothes, hairstyles, even nail polish. If I was honest, it was a little scary.

We ate kebabs and drank lemonade. Alfie encouraged me to have a real drink if I wanted one, not wanting me to feel obligated to avoid alcohol just because he did, but I wanted a clear head tonight. I didn’t want to miss a moment of this.

His jacket came off, so did his tie, his sleeves rolled up and Alfie looked relaxed. Happy. Normal. This was a man I hadn’t known. A man I didn’t think he had ever known either.

I texted Keira and Maia and received replies back that they were both fine.

Midnight came and went, the music slowing to a gentle croon to welcome the early hours of the morning.

Feeling like it was the most natural thing in the world, I stood and looked down at this man that seemed so close to being that good man I wanted.

“Dance with me?”

His grey gaze didn’t smoulder, instead it lit up. “Always.”

We swayed softly until the floor emptied around us, every other patron wandering home. But I didn’t want to leave, I didn’t want this night to ever end. The next night might bring a different Alfie. I wanted to keep this one forever.

My cheek pressed into the soft cotton of his shirt, his arms warm, solid around my body. I yawned. Exhausted from the day but so, so relaxed. I could sleep standing up as long as his arms would hold me.

“Come on, let me get you back.”

I pulled him closer, leaving was the last thing I wanted to do. “I need Maia, she has the keys.”

“I think she’s still with West.” Right. I’d forgotten about that. Keira’s parents weren’t going to be too happy about having to get up to let me in. “You could come to my hotel. I’ll be on my best behaviour I promise.”

“I believe you,” I mumbled, and I did. I believed Alfie now. I don’t know when it had started but slowly over the weeks, my distrust had started to fade, replaced by a blooming hope, a tiny seed that he’d watered and shone his sunlight on everyday until it grew stronger, stood tall and looked to Alfie for nourishment and protection. “Let's go.”

With his arm around my waist, he led me outside where of course Elliot waited by a sleek Rolls Royce. I greeted him and slid into the back seat, too sleepy to argue as Alfie fastened my seatbelt for me.

Alfie’s hotel room reminded me of his presidential suite at The Carlton Hotel. Vast, sleek but with details in the decor that leant it to Greece rather than England.

We’d been silent on the way here, relaxed in our peace with one another. Silence used to mean a fight between us, now it meant something different. It meant our comfort.

I’d never fully realised until these last few weeks how little time Alfie and I had spent together that didn’t end in a fight or a fuck. Our every meeting before had involved one or the other or both, breeding infatuation and toxicity. This new relationship was sweeter, calmer.

I stepped out onto his balcony, there were two swimming pools below lit up by tiki torches, and beyond was the gentle lull of the ocean. I felt like I was on a cloud looking down at paradise.

“The view is beautiful from up here.” I looked over my shoulder, softly smiling at Alfie as he leaned against the door frame, watching me.

“Come on, you look exhausted.” His arm came around me and where once I would have pushed him away, tonight I welcomed it. He led me upstairs, past a series of rooms until finally stopping. He opened a door revealing a stunning bedroom suite.

“You can sleep here tonight. My room is next door and I’m using the office at the end of the hall. If you need anything come find me, or order room service. It’s all on my bill.”

“I can pay my own way, Alfie.”

Alfie let out a soft laugh. “I know and I’ll always be grateful that you think like that. But I’m a fucking billionaire, so it’s okay for me to buy you breakfast sometimes.” His eyes shone with amusement and slowly, I relented, nodding.

My heart swelled as he reached to cup my face, fingers slipping into my hair to caress me in a way that sent shivers down my spine. My eyes fluttered closed. I’d missed his touch, the way it could soothe or burn depending on his mood.

“Is this okay?”

I looked up at him, feeling him pull me to that familiar edge, the precipice I’d once lived on. It would be so easy to take his hand and pull him to the waiting bed right behind me. My body cried out for it, for a release only he could give me, not for pleasure, but for unity. My body was missing its other half.

“It’s painfully perfect.” A sleep-soft smile played on my lips. I pressed my cheek into his hand, relishing his touch. “Don’t hurt me, Alfie…” my voice broke and I swallowed. “I’m so close to letting you back in, you’ve pulled down my walls so carefully I didn’t even notice it happening. It scares me how easily you did it.”

He stilled, a frown forming between his brows. “I scare you?”

“You’ve always scared me a little. We’re so dangerous for each other…” my words trailed off as I thought of every toxic moment we’d pasted over with our passion, covering it up so we didn’t have to look at it.