Page 94 of The Summer Escape

“Why do you sound as though you don’t believe me?” she asked breathlessly between kisses.

His lips barely left hers as he spoke, the feel of his breath on her lips making her head spin. “It took you a long time to call. And you only called then because I sent that stuff for Ellie.”

Their lips met again before she broke away to speak. “That was pretty manipulative of you – sending Ellie stuff to get me to call.”

“That’s not why I sent it.”

“Liar,” she murmured, while his mouth moved to her neck, bringing a fresh rush of desire. “You knew I’d have to call to say thank you.”

“Not true. I added the return address so Ellie could have written a thank-you note. There was no obligation to call.”

“So you didn’t just send it hoping I’d call.”

“No,” he said breathlessly. “I sent it because my mum told me Ellie wanted nail stickers, and I knew she’d enjoy getting post.” He drew back slightly, quirking an eyebrow. “Nice that you called my mum, by the way. I heard you spoke to Kit too. I was last on the list.”

When his lips sought hers again, she drew back. His small smile hadn’t hidden the hint of bitterness in his tone. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

Inhaling deeply, he pushed the hair from her face. “I’m not really annoyed. It’s fine. I just missed you.”

“I missed you too.” She touched her forehead to his as her breathing slowed. “If it was only about me I’d have had no hesitations, but I’m worried about how it will affect Ellie to have you around. I don’t want to confuse her.”

“Were you really annoyed with me for sending her the nail stuff?”

“No. It was sweet.”

He scrunched his nose up. “I washopingyou’d call to thank me. But it’s not as though that was theonlyreason I sent it.”

“I know.” Smiling, she kissed him again, slowly this time, savouring the scent and smell and feel of him. Eventually, she suggested they take their reunion upstairs where she savoured him even more.

* * *

It took Beth a while to figure out it was her alarm that was interrupting her sleep. And then another moment to remember she had to get to Falmouth to photograph a wedding. The thought of it brought a rush of adrenaline that jolted her upright. Trystan released a low groan when she switched the lamp on, then went back to sleep while she showered and got herself ready. Her equipment was waiting in the hallway, and she checked through it again while she waited for the coffee machine to produce a coffee for her takeaway mug.

When she was sure she had everything ready and had loaded up the car, she sneaked back upstairs, lingering on the landing as she pondered whether to wake Ellie. With her brain whirring, she went back to her bedroom and perched beside Trystan to gently nudge him awake. The sight of his bare chest made her smile.

“You’re going to need to put some clothes on,” she told him. “Ellie will be surprised enough to see you without finding you naked.”

Chuckling, he roused himself and got dressed. “I might need to invest in pyjamas,” he said, flopping back onto the bed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Beth couldn’t help but smile at the idea that waking up with Trystan in her bed might become a regular occurrence.

“I don’t know what to do about Ellie,” she told him, grimacing as she checked the time. “Shall I wake her now or leave her to sleep?”

He shifted onto his side and propped himself on his elbow. “Will she freak out when she wakes up to find me here and not you?”

“I don’t think so. I imagine she’ll be over the moon to see you, and I’m sure she’ll be very happy to have you to herself for the day.” She chewed her lip. “She usually doesn’t wake up until between eight and nine. If I wake her now, she might end up being grumpy for you all day.”

“Whatever you think,” he said.

“I also need to leave really soon to make sure I’m not late.” She blew out a breath. “I think I’ll just go. I’m sure she’ll be fine. That way you both get to sleep longer.”

“What happened with Dee, by the way?”

“Ferne fell at the swimming pool and ended up in hospital.” Beth made a mental note to message Dee later to see how everything was.

“Ouch. Is she okay?”

“Yeah. Just needed to stay overnight to be on the safe side.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Thank you so much for this. You’re a lifesaver.”