by Lorna Cook
Melissa breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. Whatever this was, she was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. If it was all over at the end of this rather hopeless quest to establish what happened to Veronica all those years ago, then so be it. She’d found out the hard way that if a man didn’t want to be with you, there was very little you could do to fight it.
‘These scallops are delicious.’ Melissa scooped up a little bit of crumbled black pudding from the side and offered Guy her fork. He leaned forward to sample some. Melissa smiled once he’d swallowed and he was finding it hard not to be even more drawn to her. He’d told himself that taking it slow was for the best all round. His last relationship had gone too fast. It had engulfed him, carrying him along on a rip tide he was unable to swim out of. It had ended badly, as most people had told him it inevitably would. And, as a result, Guy was now finding it hard to trust his own judgement. If he hadn’t allegedly been an adult, he’d probably have driven Melissa round to a few of his friends’ houses to gauge their opinion. But he was an adult and he was just going to have to man up and see if he couldn’t at least work this one out for himself.
The sun dipped low in the sky as they walked down to the shoreline of Lulworth Cove after dinner. They weren’t alone: the last of the sunseekers were enjoying the final rays some way off round the bay. Laughter and the sound of glasses clinking drifted across the cove towards them. The water lapped at the edge of the sand and Melissa took her sandals off and crept over the pebbles. She placed her feet in the water and stood as the sea gently tickled her ankles.
Guy took off his deck shoes and joined her, reaching down to hold her hand. They both stared out at the sea in the fading distance. He slowly turned towards her and she lifted her head. He closed his eyes, but it wasn’t to kiss her. It was because a sinking feeling was now gnawing at him. He had to tell her. He had to be honest. It had gone too far already.
‘Melissa,’ he started, opening his eyes. He wished he’d met her ten years ago, instead of—
But he was cut off from his musings as he felt Melissa’s mouth on his. Softly and slowly she kissed him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this strong attraction to someone whilst feeling quite so uneasy.
When they eventually pulled away, it was to the sound of the revellers on the other side of the cove, who had packed up and were trudging over the pebbles in order to leave the beach.
He looked down at Melissa. ‘Come on.’ He bottled it and he detested himself for it. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
Melissa nodded and took the hand he offered as they overtook the other tourists.
The drive back to the hotel was laced with unspoken words and sexual tension. Melissa’s hand was on Guy’s on the gearstick; her fingers threaded over his as he drove. Classic FM was playing quietly in the background. She looked over at Guy. He had seemed so tense on the beach after they had kissed, but he looked more at ease now. She smiled. This was all starting to feel far too perfect. She was sure any second now it was all going to go horribly, horribly wrong. She doubted her confidence was strong enough to take another romantic beating quite so soon.
‘Nightcap?’ Guy suggested as he held the door of the hotel open for Melissa. She spotted a vacant leather sofa and sent Guy off to secure it as she bought a whisky for him and an amaretto for herself. She sat next to Guy and sipped her liqueur, turning her body towards his and wondering what he was thinking. He’d seemed so open, but now it felt like he’d retreated a little bit. Was it her imagination that he’d been a bit quiet towards the end of the evening?
He raised his hand and touched her cheek. Melissa closed her eyes as his thumb gently caressed her face.
There was a new tension between them. She was pretty dense when it came to men, but even Melissa could feel this.
When she opened her eyes, he was looking at her strangely. She felt her heart thud in her chest as he moved closer towards her and kissed her.
Guy eventually lifted his head to check his surroundings and to presumably ensure they weren’t being observed. Melissa’s breathing quickened. He looked down at her, his gaze roving from her eyes to her mouth.
If she misjudged this, she’d look a complete idiot. But he was giving her a look that was unmistakable and reciprocated. Melissa had no idea how long they sat gazing at each other.
‘Do you want to go upstairs?’ she eventually asked. The moment she said it, she felt instantly shy.
A man waiting to be served at the bar was eyeing them with amusement. Guy nodded at Melissa, holding her hand as they both stood up and moved towards the door that separated the hotel residents’ area from the bar. Safely through the door, Melissa pulled Guy towards her and kissed him again. Guy seemed suddenly unsure what to do with his hands.
‘Do I …’ He swallowed. ‘I mean, should I go and get something?’
‘Something?’ Melissa was confused.
He ran his hand through his hair and gave her a sideways smile. ‘I think the gents’ loos have a dispenser. I’m afraid I don’t have anything. I wasn’t expecting …’ he trailed off.
She nodded, glad he was as nervous as she was.
Guy turned on his heel and headed towards the dividing door, taking change out from his pocket on the way. ‘Stay there,’ he instructed with a smile from the door. ‘Just … don’t go anywhere.’
Melissa giggled and put her hand up to her mouth. She stood against the wall by the staircase leading towards their rooms. She could feel her heart racing and she bent over, placing her hands on her knees to calm herself.
After a minute or so, the door opened and she stood up and tried her best to look totally calm, trying to hide her nervousness. But it wasn’t Guy. An elderly couple appeared, laughing and talking loudly.
‘I’m sure that was Guy Cameron,’ the woman said to her husband. ‘He rushed past us at about a hundred miles an hour. You never pay attention when it matters,’ the woman chastised her husband. They briefly glanced at Melissa as they passed her.
‘Goodnight,’ they said.
‘Goodnight,’ Melissa replied, aiming for calmness but stifling a smile. Guy had been rumbled.
Guy burst through the door just as the couple reached the turn on the stairs. Melissa’s finger flew to her lips to silence him. He looked at her curiously, slightly out of breath. He smiled at her and patted his pocket, Melissa assumed to indicate a successful mission. He laughed, dipped his head, and looked up at her through his eyelashes.
When the couple had gone, Melissa held out her hand. ‘Come on,’ she breathed.
Guy took her hand and clutched it as they went upstairs. He unlocked the door to his room and they walked in.
Tension buzzed between them. Melissa stood in the room not knowing quite what to do. Guy closed the door and turned to face her. The atmosphere changed immediately. They looked at each other. Neither said a word. Guy suddenly took charge and walked towards her, leaning in and kissing her, his hands in her hair and then lightly stroking her neck until she thought she would melt.
They kicked their shoes off as they headed towards the bedroom of his suite.
Shedding their clothes quickly, they pressed themselves against each other and fell down on the bed, kissing. Melissa couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this kind of burning desire. She wanted him, desperately wanted him.
She tried hard not to let the moment end too soon, grasping the bed sheets as he made love to her. His hair fell into her eyes and brushed her face. She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his face towards her, kissing him and wrapping her legs around him as they moved in time together. Guy lifted his head, his eyes searching for a sign and as she let go of everything only a few seconds before him, she’d never felt so free.
CHAPTER 31
When Melissa woke, it was to find herself naked and alone in Guy’s king-size bed. The sun was blazing through the chink in the curtains and directly into her eyes, blinding her. Ordinarily on holiday she’d dive back underne
ath the duvet, but this wasn’t an ordinary kind of holiday. She was in Guy’s bed, after having had the kind of sex that had never happened to her in real life.
The only downside was that she was alone. She was also phenomenally hot. She got up, thrusting her hand through the gap in the curtain in order to open the window. The shocking chill that rushed through from outside helped and she peeked out, hiding her naked body behind the curtain, to see bright sunshine on one side of the opposite field and dark rain clouds gathering on the other. It had been so hot for so long that the weather was long overdue a push on the reset button.
She turned back towards the room. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen, having been shed in a frenzy the night before. Melissa deduced they must all be in the sitting room on the other side of the door. Guy’s discarded shirt was crumpled next to the bed and Melissa put it on, hoping he wouldn’t mind, and opened the door.
Guy was freshly washed and shaved and Melissa thought he looked far too sexy in his dark shorts and pressed short-sleeve shirt. He looked up and gave her a broad smile. He was on the sofa, hunched over the coffee table, which had a breakfast tray piled high with goodies. But when Melissa appeared, he leaned back and stretched his legs out under the table.
‘You’re a sight for sore eyes.’ He raised his eyebrows at her. ‘That shirt looks better on you than it does on me.’
‘That’s because it barely covers anything.’ She looked down at the thigh-skimming shirt.
He smiled. ‘True. I left you to sleep in. You looked so peaceful. Do you want coffee?’
Melissa made appreciative noises as she took the proffered cup. Her clothes from the night before were folded and on the arm of the sofa.
‘So this is where my clothes were hiding.’ Melissa put her coffee down and made a move to reach for them, but Guy intervened and gently took her hand, pulling her down onto him. He held her face in his hands and scanned her eyes.
‘Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?’ He looked serious. ‘Thank you,’ he said.
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but when he didn’t, Melissa said, ‘You’d better not be thanking me for sex.’
His mood changed and he smiled broadly in return, planting a kiss on her mouth. ‘No.’ He pulled back and smiled. ‘Despite it being bloody fantastic.’
‘You know, I don’t usually do this kind of thing,’ she said, threading her fingers through his. ‘Sleep with people so soon after meeting them.’
‘Me neither,’ he agreed. ‘But I’ve been thinking about this. Really, the amount of time we’ve spent together this past week must be the equivalent of about six dates by now. Just, very close together.’
She kissed him. ‘I like that,’ she said. ‘But I think the idea of taking things slowly and what happened last night are two very different concepts.’
An expression that Melissa couldn’t quite work out – worry maybe – passed over Guy’s face. ‘Yes, I realise that,’ he said. ‘But given what happened last night, I’m not complaining.’
Melissa giggled, hopped off him and scooped her clothes up, pulling her shorts on and bundling the rest under her arm. ‘I’m just going to pop back to my room, shower and put fresh clothes on. I’ll be right back.’ Melissa noticed the key from Anna’s memory box on the table by the tray. ‘Any bright ideas about what that might be for?’ she asked.
‘A few, yes,’ he answered mysteriously.
‘Go on then.’ Melissa leaned against the door frame. ‘Enlighten me.’
His eyes met hers, but he didn’t speak.
‘You’re not thinking …?’ Melissa said.
‘Fancy an adventure?’ Guy replied.
By the time they dragged themselves away from the comfort of the suite, it was almost midday. Melissa climbed into the passenger seat of Guy’s Range Rover as he started the engine. Above them, the skies darkened as the rain clouds passed overhead and Guy glanced down at his shorts with a look of concern.
‘I don’t think I’m suitably attired for today’s weather,’ he said, throwing the controls into drive.
As he drove out of the Pheasant and Gun’s car park, Guy groaned as the orange light flashed on the dash, indicating low fuel. Ten minutes down the road, he pulled the Range Rover into a petrol station and Melissa stood by him as he refilled. He held her in one arm and nuzzled her freshly washed hair while he held the petrol pump in the other hand. ‘You smell great,’ he murmured.
‘I’ll get this.’ She indicated the petrol pump. ‘You’re doing all the driving around, so let me pay for the fuel at least.’ He started to protest about the price of filling up a Range Rover, but she waved him away.
The numbers were whizzing around on the machine, but Guy let go of the trigger. ‘All done,’ he said. ‘Thanks.’
She suspected he was fibbing, that the tank could have held much more but that he wanted to spare her the expense.
As Melissa walked across the forecourt to pay, Guy stood by the front of the car and waited for her.
Inside the petrol station, Melissa hummed distractedly as she stood in a five-strong queue. The man in front of her was holding a tabloid newspaper and had it open at a page full of photos. He showed it to his wife.
‘Look. It’s that bloke you like,’ he said. ‘Been a bit of a naughty boy.’
Melissa looked inside her wallet and half wondered which celebrity had been up to no good now. She pulled out her credit card and tried to remember how much was already on it that month. Her paper statement would be at home and she had no idea what kind of damage she’d done to the card recently. Along with all the bills that would be draining her bank account, paying for the fuel was a stark reminder that she really did need to reassess her work choices. The redundancy money wasn’t finite, sadly. After what had happened last night with Guy, maybe she wasn’t about to do a runner back to London just yet, but she could use this time wisely and work out what it was she did want to do. After all the hard work trying to hunt down Lady Veronica, Melissa categorically knew she could strike ‘historian’ off her list of possible new employment ideas. But this all felt like a fresh start and she was perhaps now, finally, mentally ready to find something she actually did want to do.
‘They never can keep it in their pants.’ The woman in front of Melissa looked at her husband pointedly, waving the newspaper at him. The husband bristled and Melissa stifled a laugh, glanced up with a vague interest and peered over the couple’s shoulders at the paper to see who they were referring to.
‘Oh my God,’ Melissa cried as she looked at the images. The couple spun to look at her. Melissa felt the blood drain from her face.
Cold with fear, Melissa backed out of the shop and went into the forecourt, lifting the clear plastic lid that held the newspapers. Hands shaking, she flicked through until she found the page.
‘No, no, no,’ she repeated as she tried to take in the words that accompanied the images. She stopped breathing as her eyes darted over the pictures. They were of her and Guy. They’d been taken last night in the bar when they’d been kissing. There were five pictures laid out on the page in a six-square grid showing Guy and Melissa in various stages of kissing on the sofa. The fifth image was of them leaving hand in hand through the door that led to the hotel bedrooms. The photo caption was something mucky, leaving no doubt about what was occurring between them.
She struggled not to throw up as she looked at the final image of the six. A cold feeling descended on her. It was a picture of Guy and a blonde woman, smiling, done up to the nines on the red carpet of a TV awards ceremony. His arms were round her waist and she was pouting at the camera. The headline above the article read No More Mr Nice Guy.
Melissa staggered back a few paces as she read the words. No, this couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t real. She looked across at Guy, who was leaning casually against the bonnet of his car. He gave her a wide grin and then, on seeing her expression, his smile faded and he stood up straight.
‘What?’ he mouth
ed at her, frowning. ‘What’s wrong?’
She walked towards him, clutching the newspaper tightly in her shaking hands. She stopped, about five feet from him, and stared at him.
‘What’s wrong?’ he repeated, closing the distance between them.
Unable to speak, Melissa thrust the paper at him. He took it, glanced at the images and then closed his eyes, letting his arm with the newspaper drop.
‘I can explain,’ he said.
Melissa found her voice. ‘Don’t bother.’
‘Wait. Please wait. It’s not like that. Let me explain.’
She backed away slowly as Guy lifted his head and looked at her, panic on his face.
‘You’re married,’ she shouted.
CHAPTER 32
Melissa turned and ran. Guy stalled for a few shocked seconds. He loathed himself. He looked down at the sheet of newspaper and swore loudly at the images that faced him. Why hadn’t he just told Melissa from the very start? He moved in her direction, but stopped when he was hailed from behind.
‘Oi, mate,’ the garage attendant came out of the shop and yelled. ‘Where do you think you’re going? You’ve not paid for your fuel or that paper.’
Guy grabbed his wallet and swore when he found no cash inside. He wanted to just thrust the man a fistful of notes and be done with it. But instead he had to suffer the shame of going inside the shop to pay with his credit card. The couple with the newspaper had recognised Melissa from the images and wasted no time in telling the rest of the shop what was going on. The customers and staff had watched Melissa and Guy with much interest and their expressions were now a mix of wide-eyed and mocking as Guy walked past them to pay. One had his phone out and was filming him.
‘Piss off,’ Guy said. ‘Just, piss off.’
‘Oh dear, looks like you’re in serious trouble now, son,’ the man clutching the tabloid said. His wife looked lividly at Guy, who didn’t venture a response. He clenched his jaw while he paid, feeling the eyes of the other customers boring into the back of him. He stared directly ahead as he walked past the rows of colourful chocolate bars and bright magazines and wrenched open the door. The petrol station forecourt smell was stale and fume-ridden, but he’d never gulped down so much air so thankfully in his life.