Page 31 of The Honeymoon Affair

‘Seriously, Iseult. You’re my saviour.’

‘I’m glad I helped.’

‘You really did.’

He smiles at me, I smile at him, and then somehow I’m in his arms and he’s kissing me.

I hadn’t thought there was a sexual electricity between us. I was very wrong.

Because this feels very, very right.

He’s the one who breaks away first, and he looks at me with those amazing blue eyes that aren’t icy any more.

‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘That was particularly inappropriate.’

‘It was wonderfully inappropriate.’

‘I wanted to thank you. I got a little overenthusiastic.’

‘So this isn’t how you usually thank people?’

‘No.’ He smiles, then frowns. ‘I’ve actually wanted to do that for . . . well, quite some time, to be honest.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

‘Wow.’

‘But better if we don’t do it again,’ he says.

I’m disappointed, but I say nothing.

‘I should write some more.’ He breaks the silence. ‘I’m on a roll. It’s very exciting writing this way,’ he adds. ‘Usually I draw up a detailed plan, but I have the old manuscript to work on and I’m having such fun turning everything on its head that I don’t need one. It’s wonderful to feel murderous instead of angsty about all my characters.’

‘In that case, I’ll leave you to your murderous intentions.’

He doesn’t seem to notice the chill in my voice.

‘Thank you.’ He puts his hands on my shoulders. ‘Thank you for pulling me out of the hole I’d dug for myself. Thank you for telling me I should write something different. Thank you for being you.’

‘You’re welcome.’ My tone isn’t quite as chilly now.

He leans forward, and so do I.

We’re kissing again.

And he forgets all about the exciting new developments in his book and concentrates on the exciting new developments with me instead.

It’s much later when I gently open the door to Room 501, take off my shoes and tiptoe across the tiled floor. I think about doing my cleanse, tone and moisturise routine but decide it would be better not to wake Celeste, who’s curled up beneath the sheet of her bed. So I slide out of my dress and drape it over the nearby chair, then slip beneath my own sheet in my underwear.

Celeste rolls over.

‘You took your time,’ she says.

‘I thought you were asleep.’

All that trying to keep quiet and she was faking it!