He’s going to work? Of course, hotels don’t close on weekends, but what am I going to do while he’s working? Do I care as long as I’m with him?

‘You just kissed me goodbye.’

A smile plays at the corners of his mouth. ‘No, Ava. I just kissed you.’ He brushes a damp lock of hair from my face. ‘Get ready.’

Oh, okay. He orders me about all over the place and I comply, mostly without a second thought. I really am a slave to him.

I walk into the lounge, with Jesse in tow, to find Kate and Sam sprawled across the sofa, a tangle of semi-naked arms and legs, eating cornflakes. Neither of them makes any urgent attempt to cover up.

‘Hey, my man,’ Sam exclaims when he looks up and sees Jesse. Jesse’s eyes travel over Sam’s half nakedness, a look of disapproval clear on his face. ‘How are you feeling, Ava?’ he asks.

I roll my eyes. Yes, I was steaming drunk, but as it happens, I feel fine now – Jesse has fucked me better. ‘Good.’ I answer, glancing at Kate with a get-in-my-room-NOW look. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’ I leave Jesse in the lounge and retreat to my room, pacing while waiting for Kate. Victoria’s disclosure comes back into my mind, and now I don’t know what to do.

She swans in, looking all roughed up. ‘Someone looks thoroughly fucked!’ she laughs.

I narrow my eyes on her. There’s one more thing I need to clear up first. ‘Why did you tell Sam where I was?’ I spit accusingly.

She recoils. ‘You’re mad at me?’

‘Yes…no…a little bit.’ Oh, I’m not mad in the slightest. I was a bit last night, but not now. She gives me a mischievous grin. ‘Don’t look at me like that Kate Matthews. What’s going on with you and Sam?’

‘Adorable, isn’t he?’ She winks. ‘It’s just a bit of fun.’

Well, fun or not, she needs to know. ‘You should know that Victoria saw him being doused in a frappuccino by some irate woman in Starbucks.’ I pull Jesse’s shirt and my dress over my head, flinging them both to the floor.

Kate rolls her eyes and scoops them up, placing them on my bed before flopping down on my duvet, her red hair fanning around her pale face. ‘I know. It’s the crazy bitch ex-girlfriend.’

‘He told you?’ I can’t keep the shock from my voice.

‘Yeah, it’s no big shakes.’

‘Oh,’ I can’t believe how laid back she is. Ever the calm and collective one, nothing fazes her.

She looks up at me. ‘You’re not the only one getting a good seeing to,’ she says seriously. I gape at her. ‘It’s written all over your face, Ava.’

‘I’m going to work with Jesse.’ I grab my dryer to try and salvage the damp mess that is my hair.

‘Have fun.’ I hear her chant as she sashays out of my room. I flip my head upside down and rough dry my mass of brunette hair, ignoring the fact that I’m rushing to get back to Jesse.

When I flick my head back up to the mirror, an image of Jesse, propped up against my headboard, smacks me in the face. His arms are casually braced behind his head. He practically fills my double bed. I flick my dryer off, turning to face green eyes burning holes into me. I want to crawl up that bed and into him.

‘Hey, baby.’ He looks me up and down.

‘Hey, yourself,’ I grin. ‘Comfortable?’

He bounces himself lightly. ‘No, I’m only comfortable with one thing under me these days.’ His eyebrows raise suggestively.

That look and those words have my knees quivering and coils of craving springing into every crevice of my body. I watch as he pushes himself up from my bed and walks slowly over to me, turning me to face my wardrobe. Reaching over one of my shoulders, he flicks through the rails of clothes, pulling out my cream shirt dress.

‘Put this on,’ he breathes in my ear. ‘And make sure there’s lace underneath it.’

I clench my eyes shut. I was thinking more along the lines of jeans and a t-shirt, but I’m more than happy to go with that. I reach forward, taking the hanger from him, moaning when his hand falls down and brushes over my breast, his hips rolling forward into my lower back.

Oh, good Lord, STOP!

‘Be quick.’ He slaps my bum lightly and stalks out, leaving me a wobbly mess and holding onto my cream dress for support. I shake myself back to life, shiver on a little gasp and finish getting myself ready.

Pulling out every handbag I own, I proceed to search for my pills, but they’re nowhere to be found. I find Kate in the kitchen making tea, still in just a t-shirt.

‘Have you seen my pills?’ I rummage through the junk drawer in the kitchen, housing everything from batteries and phone chargers to lipsticks and nail polish.

‘Aren’t they in your bag?’

‘No,’ I slam the drawer on a frown.

‘Have you checked all your bags?’ Kate asks, walking out of the kitchen with two mugs of tea.

‘Yes,’ I proceed to delve through every other drawer in the kitchen, even though I know they can’t possibly be in among the cutlery or utensils.

‘Problem?’

I look up, finding Jesse filling the doorway. ‘I can’t find my pills.’ I try, in complete vain, searching through my bag again, but they’re definitely not there.

‘Find them later, come on.’ He puts his hand out. ‘I like your dress.’ he says softly, running his gaze up and down me as I walk towards him. Of course he does; he picked it.

He reaches under the hem to run his forefinger up the inside of my thigh, watching me as my lips clamp together and my hands fly up to his chest. He smirks dirtily and sweeps his finger under my knickers seam, brushing my sex softly. I sigh.

‘Wet.’ he whispers, circling me slowly. I could weep with pleasure. ‘Later.’ He withdraws his finger and licks it clean.

I scowl at him. ‘You have to stop doing that.’

‘Never,’ He grins, yanking me out of the kitchen. ‘Say goodbye to your friend.’

‘Bye!’ I shout. ‘She’s your friend too, isn’t she?’ I haven’t hit him with the little exchange he and Kate had in the bar last night. He looks at me, his frown line skipping across his forehead. ‘At the bar, whispering in her ear.’ I add casually.

He opens the front door, ushering me out. ‘She gave me a dig for fucking off, and I apologised. I don’t offer apologies very often, so don’t push it.’

I laugh. I don’t expect he does. But he did – for me. He still hasn’t explained where he disappeared to, though.

Chapter 21

 

We drive out of the city, towards the Surrey Hills. I catch a glimpse of him, every now and then, watching me instead of the road. Each time, he smiles and squeezes my knee, which has had his palm spread on it for most of the journey. I start thinking about how little I know about him. He’s intense, quite volatile, incredibly self-assured and extremely rich. Oh, and he’s wild in the sex department. But that’s all I know. I don’t even know how old he is.

‘How long have you owned The Manor?’ I ask.

He throws me a curious, arched eyebrow and turns down the music via the controls on his steering wheel. ‘Since I was twenty one,’

‘That young?’ I blurt, my tone clearly displaying my shock at his answer.

He smiles brightly at me. ‘I inherited The Manor from my Uncle Carmichael.’

‘He died?’

His smile disappears. ‘Yes.’

Okay, now I really want to know more. ‘How old are you, Jesse?’

‘Twenty seven.’ he says, completely impassive.

I sigh. ‘Why won’t you tell me how old you are?’

He looks over at me, grinning. ‘Because, you might think I’m too old for you and run a mile.’

I eye him suspiciously across the car. He can’t be that old. I want to scream at him that I won’t be running anywhere. ‘Okay, how many times have I got to ask you before we get to your real age?’ I’ve tried this before and got nowhere.

He grins. ‘A few,’

‘I’m twenty six.’ I try for a bit of give and take as I watch him closely.

He glances at me. ‘I know.’