Page 10

‘We’ve put you all in the guest quarters in the west wing of the house,’ Jeff says as we walk through a wide, tiled entrance hall.

The walls are hung with expensive-looking modern art and the large, claw-footed table supporting an extravagant floral display is a highly polished antique, by the looks of it.

‘You’re welcome to use any of the facilities here, so don’t feel forced to stay in your rooms.’ He points to a door on the other side of the entrance hall.

‘There’s a pool and a gym through there.

’ Turning in the other direction, he waves towards another door.

‘And the dining room and kitchens are through there. Just ask a member of staff if you ever want anything to eat or drink.’ He spins back to face us with a smile.

‘I’ll let you freshen up and we’ll reconvene for coffee in half an hour. How does that sound?’

‘That sounds great, Jeff, thanks,’ Tim says, following him as he heads off down a long corridor, away from the living area, which we catch a glimpse of as we pass by the open door to it.

I clock a horseshoe configuration of leather sofas facing a huge TV screen in there before we hurry on after the two men to our rooms.

I’m itching to go and explore the place, but maybe there’ll be time for that later.

‘You’re in here, Tim,’ Jeff says to Dee’s dad, opening a door to a grand-looking suite with views of the aquamarine Aegean Sea.

‘And you two’ – he leaves Tim standing at the door to his room and strides down the corridor, motioning for Dee and me to follow him – ‘are in the room at the end.’ He leans in towards Dee.

‘To give you a bit of space away from your dad.’ His eyes twinkle with mischief and I decide my initial take of him was correct. He’s a decent guy.

He must be in his seventies, with a shock of silver hair and weathered skin, but he’s the picture of health – and wealth. The casual suit he’s wearing is understated and comfortable looking, but the cut shouts personal tailoring.

‘I’m sure you’ll be comfortable in here.’

Dee and I just nod and murmur in agreement, as we’ve been instructed to do.

Jeff ushers us into the room and explains that our bags have already been taken out of the helicopter and put in here by the guy in chinos that was standing with him when we arrived, who is apparently called Nico.

His butler of sorts.

Oh man, it’s another world here.

It’s only when Jeff’s given us a final wave and shut the door behind him, and we’re gazing at our own stunning view across the small island to the sparkling sea beyond, that it hits me that Dee and I are staying in the same room.

With only one king-sized bed.

We both turn to stare at it for a moment.

There’s a strange pulsing silence in the room where neither of us seem to want to acknowledge the dilemma we find ourselves in.

But there’s no need to panic. The room is huge and has a large, comfortable-looking sofa pushed up against the wall opposite. I can sleep on that for one night.

‘I’ll take the sofa,’ Dee says before I can.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ I scoff. ‘You can’t sleep on that with an injured ankle. I’ll take it.’

She frowns at me for a second, then seems to accept the wisdom of my words. ‘Okay. I guess that makes sense.’

Is she hiding a smile of relief? I wouldn’t put it past her to only pretend she’d be happy to take it, but expect me to insist that I did.

Whatever. We can’t both sleep in that bed; it would be too weird.

‘So, this is a bit bloody awkward!’ Dee says with a strained-sounding laugh.

I glance at her and see there’s unease in her expression.

‘You don’t need to worry; I’m not a snorer, so I won’t disturb you.

And I’ll stay strictly to my side of the room,’ I joke, in an attempt to relieve the strange tension in the air.

I’m not sure why we’re both suddenly acting so bizarrely.

Probably because we’re tired from the journey and neither of us had considered the fact we’d be expected to share a bed.

I’m not sure why not. I guess we’d not wanted to entertain the idea – until we were forced to.

‘I know you will, Jem. You’ve made it perfectly clear you find the idea of sleeping with me abhorrent,’ she says, also apparently going for a jokey tone, but it falls flat.

I swallow. My mouth is dry.

Spotting a bottle of mineral water on the table next to the bed, I walk to it and crack the seal, then pour it into two glasses. I hand one to Dee, then down my own, grateful for the reprieve of not having to talk to her for a few moments.

How the hell are we going to get through the next day or two? It’s going to be uncomfortable, especially as we’ll be expected to pretend that we’re a happy, newly minted couple.

I think back to the way she shrugged my hand off in the helicopter.

Hmm.

‘Look,’ I say, forcing calm confidence into my voice, ‘we’re going to need to show a united front for the next few hours, at least, so let’s try and relax around each other, okay? It’s going to look pretty bloody weird if we don’t say a single word to each other and jump whenever we touch.’

She nods slowly. ‘Yeah, you’re right. We need to at least seem attracted to each other.’

‘Yeah.’

‘So, what are you saying?’

‘I’m not saying anything, except try to relax around me.’

‘So you’re not asking for a practice snog then?’ The corner of her mouth twitches up.

I let out a startled laugh. ‘Err, no. That’s not what I was suggesting.’

‘Because we could, if you like. Have a quick go?’

‘A go ?’ My mouth is dry again.

‘Yeah. With both of us into the idea, this time. So we know how the other one kisses. Which way we turn our heads, for example, when we go in for a smacker. Just in case we need to do it in front of anyone later. It doesn’t need to be a full-on snog. I was joking about that. Just a quick peck.’

She waggles both eyebrows at me and I feel laughter building in my chest. Or maybe it’s hysteria.

No, no, no. This is not what I signed up for.

My skin’s doing that weird prickling thing again.

Putting her glass down on the nearest flat surface, she turns to face me, her lips pressed together and her expression determined, then takes a deliberate step towards me.

My heart begins to hammer in my chest and I put up a halting hand. ‘Whoa, there. That’s really not necessary.’

‘Just to be clear, I’d only be kissing you so I can prove to my dad I can be an asset to my family,’ she says with a teasing grin.

‘Sexy,’ I say, suppressing my own smile. My heart gives a judder as she steps closer again and lifts her hands as if she’s going to cup my face.

Before she can touch me, I take a decisive step backwards.

I can’t let this happen. I won’t be drawn into playing any more of her games. It would only complicate things.

I think she’s doing this to teach me a lesson – that she’ll get what she wants eventually, even if she has to be inventive about it.

I have to admit a grudging respect for her determination.

But if I do ever get the chance to be with Bea, I don’t want having had any kind of history with Dee to get in the way.

So that’s why I move deliberately away from her, even though it’s a lot tougher to do than I thought it would be.

In fact, I’m hard again. Which I guess is just a human reaction to the idea of kissing, but it still troubles me that my body is responding this way.

I really don’t want her to know the effect her suggestion has had on me, so I turn away and grab my bag, then head straight for a door on the other side of the room, which I’m hoping is our bathroom.

‘Are you running away from me? It can’t be that horrifying an idea to kiss me,’ Dee jokes, but I hear a ring of hurt in her voice.

Turning my head – but not my body – I say, ‘Course not. But we should get ready for that meeting with your dad and Jeff,’ in a somewhat strangled voice.

I don’t wait for her response and stride into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind me.