Natalie suggested they went for a paddle. The lads, Adam included, stayed stretched out on the sand. He didn’t want to follow Sophie around like a sheep. A relationship, if it were to look real, needed some independence. Gareth didn’t jump up and follow Natalie, so Adam decided to stay put.
They talked to the two new women who’d joined the group, Zoe and Elaine, and started playing volleyball again. When Simon sloped off to join the girls in the water, Adam decided he could still watch him. Again, he couldn’t look over-zealous or protective of Sophie. She needed some freedom, too. Thus, Elaine partnered with Gareth, while Zoe partnered Adam, and the four of them played.
After a time, Adam caught the ball, stopping play so they could catch their breath and have a drink.
“We make quite a team,” Zoe said to Adam. She stood close to him and offered her drink. Adam politely shook his head. He’d become a little uneasy about her. She seemed to touch him more than necessary. Maybe she was just friendly, but she knew he was with Sophie, right?
“Look at those lot,” Gareth said. They all turned. A water fight was taking place at the water’s edge, with such a mass of splashing you could hardly make them out. But what caught Adam’s eye was Simon. His hands around Sophie, before she turned and slapped him. Adam threw the ball down and strode up the beach. He needed to decide how he was going to play this and fast. How would Sophie want him to act?
***
Cassie started it. Of course she did. She splashed Simon, he splashed her back, the next minute they’re all kicking water at one another and laughing so hard, even with the shock of the cold sea. Just like the old days as kids.
Luckily, the girls had dumped whatever belongings they didn’t want to get wet away from the water’s edge. Sophie had even braved taking her shorts off. Adam was playing volleyball, so it didn’t matter. When Simon arrived though, Sophie wanted to run back to Adam, but she held firm. She needed to show Simon she was over him and not afraid. She needed to face her fears.
Then, during the splashing, Simon wrapped his arm around her waist. Although his skin felt hot, it sent her cold. She tried to pull away, but he held her firm.
“Sophie … ” he said as if to reassure her. But her heart beat faster, from nerves and dread more than anything. Ridiculous, she knew, but she hadn’t forgiven him yet. Wasn’t even sure if she ever could.
Over Simon’s shoulder, Sophie glanced at Adam down the beach playing volleyball. Would he even notice? He wasn’t acting like a jealous boyfriend, which was good, showed their (fake) relationship had trust. Sophie nearly wanted to chuckle. She very much doubted Adam had ever been a jealous boyfriend. What did he have to be jealous about? He was more likely the one to make other men jealous.
Her thoughts became serious when Simon moved his hand from her waist to her hip, then her rear, giving it a gentle squeeze. She dropped her smile and removed his hand, glaring at him. “Simon … ”
Simon smirked back, whispering in her ear. “Surely you’ve missed me?”
“No, I haven’t actually,” she coldly replied.
“Sure you have.” He splashed her. “What we had was good.”
Natalie and Cassie were in their own little water fight, and had forgotten Sophie standing with Simon. Not technically alone, with a beach full of people, but she felt isolated all of a sudden.
“Oh yes, so good you ended it, remember? It's been a long time. I'm over you.”
“You still feel good, you know?” He grabbed her again, squeezing her, pulling her closer towards him, his strong body trapping hers. The scent of sweat, sun and salt on his skin repulsed her when it used to excite her.
She gasped, furious, struggling with him to release her; when he didn’t, she slapped him, stinging her palm. “Leave me alone.”
Simon wore a shocked expression, rubbing his cheek. Cassie and Natalie stopped splashing.
“Simon, why are you such a prat?” Cassie shouted, striding over and giving him a shove. “Go back to the hole you came from.”
Adam must have observed the scene because he paced towards her, his expression grim. Sophie started to shiver, soaked from the water and maybe the shock of Simon’s behaviour, too. Adam wrapped her in his arms and held her tight, resting his chin on the top of her head. His hot body warmed her, like a blanket, sending a quiver of delight to every part of her body pressed against his sun warm skin. Once again, she was safe and protected. His scent mingled with sun cream and salt calmed her as she breathed him in.
“I saw what he did.” He brushed the strands of hair back off her face. His eyes were fierce and cold. She’d never seen him angry but it fuelled her own.
“How dare he? What’s he playing at?”
“What do you want me to do about it?” Adam brushed her cheek.
“Sorry?”
“Well, do you want me to play the jealous boyfriend? Rough him up a little? Give him a warning?”
“Please don’t make a scene.” She shook her head. “It's not fair on Natalie and Gareth.”
“No, I won’t. But I might have to do something about it later.” Adam glared at Simon, who was staring back - too smugly for Adam, from the way he scowled.
Cassie shoved Simon to make him head back down the beach, following behind, giving him hell by the sounds of things.
“He’s touched you before, hasn’t he?” Adam asked, as he led Sophie towards her belongings. She picked up her shorts and sunglasses and started to shiver. He hugged her again, skin against skin. Sophie didn’t know whether to relish it or be embarrassed.
Whose idea had it been to get soaking wet?
Sophie stared at him, but couldn’t answer, then looked away. “Yes, I think so.”
“Right, I’m putting a stop to this.” He pulled her closer.
“Not now.”
“No, but I’ll find the right moment. It's upsetting you and he's not going to get away with it.”
Sophie smiled nervously. It was nice to hear him being protective. Was he doing it as a friend, or for the lie?
***
Adam had to do something, to look like he wasn’t a man to be walked over. For a friend. Because Sophie had very quickly become a friend. She was James and Kate’s mate, therefore his and she didn’t deserve this harassment.
Shit, even if the woman was a perfect stranger he wouldn’t let her put up with this crap.
Luckily, Cassie grabbed Sophie, wanting to know exactly what had happened. Adam wanted to smirk; Cassie had to get the gossip. But she was fun, he liked her and she’d given him the perfect opportunity.
The girls walked on ahead into the hotel, towels wrapped around them.
Simon hung back. Good. As they walked towards the lifts, Adam came up behind Simon and pushed him past the lifts and into the gents’ toilets.
“Sorry, closed for cleaning,” Adam said firmly to an older man trying to walk in behind them. Simon snorted, but the man stepped back, and Adam quickly shut the heavy door. Once closed, he grabbed Simon by his T-shirt, and pinned him against the wall.
“Try another stunt like that and I’ll break your fucking nose.”
“Hey, I was just mucking around with her.” Simon held both arms up, chuckling. “For old times’ sake.”
Adam released him, stepping back. “She didn’t find it funny, and neither did I.”
“I'm sorry.” But he didn’t sound sincere. Adam scowled. The man was about the same height, same build and it had been a long time since Adam had been in a brawl. But anger alone fuelled him to this invincible state.
“Leave her alone,” Adam ordered, jabbing a finger into Simon’s chest.
“Or what?”
“Leave it, Simon. I'm warning you.” He shoved him away and walked out of the toilets, but he heard Simon‘s last words.
“I’m not afraid of you, city boy!”
Adam ground his teeth, taking the stairs rather than wait for a lift, striding up them two at a time. He paced towards his hotel room, breathing heavily, realising his fi
sts were clenched. All Adam could picture was caving Simon’s face in. Repeatedly. He imagined the punch bag hanging in his gym, and how much he wanted to be there, beating the shit out of it. He swiped his key card through the panel and shoved the door open, nearly knocking Sophie flying.
“Oh, God, sorry.”
“Hey, where’ve you been?” Sophie said, nervously smiling at him. She tightened the bathrobe she was wearing. He’d barely registered why, then realised she’d removed her wet clothes. “I was getting a little worried.”
The corner of his mouth twitched to a fake smile, but he felt tense, cold even. His foul mood wasn’t something he wanted Sophie to see. Forgetting she didn’t need to show affection, Sophie put her hand to his cheek, but he took it away. He didn’t want appeasing either.
The shit he was dealing with this weekend. Yeah, James, just chit chat with the old dears – if only it was that fucking easy.
This was supposed to be relaxing.
A bed of nails would be more relaxing right now.
“I’ve spoken to Simon. He’ll leave you alone.”
“Oh, right.” Sophie nodded. His anger must have been sending out warning signals, because she kept her distance. “We’re going to freshen up then meet in the bar. Natalie's mum and dad have invited us all to join them for lunch.” She frowned. “So, are you okay to go? I’ll cancel otherwise.”
“I’m fine.” His tone softened. He rolled his shoulders to remove the tension in his neck. “Whatever you want me to do.”
Chapter Eight
“I’m sorry about Simon,” Sophie said as they meandered along the narrow streets of Padstow, the nearby fishing town, where they were having lunch.
The sun shone warmly on their faces and the wind had dropped, sheltered by the harbour. He had driven, following Natalie’s parents and the atmosphere inside the car at first had been awkward. It wasn’t Sophie, it was him. He’d lost his cool, and trying to compose himself in front of her had been hard. Anger swirled around his head like a tornado, destroying every sane thought in his mind. Simon was too cock-sure of himself and needed to be put in his place. What the hell did he want, anyway?
He shrugged in response to her comment, then took her hand. “It doesn’t matter. He shouldn’t treat you like that. He’s done it before, hasn’t he?”
“I think so. Last night.”
“He’s no right to touch you. And besides, you are with me. I should be smashing his face in like a jealous, protective lover.”
Just say the word!
“Don’t.”
“I won’t.” He reassuringly squeezed her hand, removing her worried expression. “It’s not my style. But you’re my friend, Sophie. Even if all this is an act, I won’t let him treat you with any less respect.”
“I’m your friend?” She stopped walking.
“Sophie, I wouldn’t be here doing this if I didn’t like you. Okay, so I promised James, but if you’re a friend of James, you’re a friend of mine.” He brushed her hair off her face, conscious of observers. “I’m not going to ignore you when we get back to Surrey.”
She smiled. “I’ve certainly learnt never to judge a book by its cover. You’re not what I expected … you know, personality wise.”
He grinned. “The feeling is mutual.” He tugged at her hand, realising they’d stopped following the crowd. “So, the next time he tries something, make sure you tell me.” Sophie hesitantly nodded. “I’m serious.”
“I know. Thank you.”
“So, do you know the restaurant we’re going to?” Adam said, taking in the surroundings of the bustling fishing town, with the seagulls crying and the smells of the salty sea air filling his lungs. He hadn’t been here before and it had a picturesque atmosphere to it. It really did feel like he was on holiday.
“Oh, um, we’re going to my sister’s restaurant.” Sophie nervously frowned at him.
They walked, away from the harbour and into the depth of the town, Sophie’s arm looped through Adam’s. He was back to his calm, casual self. He usually didn’t stay in a mood long and it wasn’t fair on Sophie; she hadn’t asked Simon to be an arse. He could see why she hadn’t wanted to come to this wedding on her own.
Their gaze met and he could see the anxiety in her eyes. He circled his thumb inside her palm, trying to reassure her. Of course she was nervous. She was about to see her sister and blatantly lie to her about Adam being the boyfriend.
Did she even know? Or had she been like Cassie, assuming? Would Adam being by Sophie’s side be a surprise to her?
“I’m sorry, I would have told you sooner, but I could tell you weren’t in the mood,” she whispered, leaning into his ear. Her breath on his skin stirred delight through his body. “I promise at first I didn’t realise we’d be going to my sister’s restaurant. I know you’re not keen on meeting my family.”
“It’s okay.” His lips brushed her ear and he saw the fine hairs around her neck rise. He liked he could do that to her, that their bodies responded to each other so minutely.
But was it really a good thing?
He had to admit, so far, he’d been enjoying this weekend. But why did he enjoy this so much? Apart from Simon’s unwanted attention and the hassle it could bring, there was something devilish about the façade, and yet something natural between Sophie and Adam.
The party entered a small restaurant called ‘From Under the Sea.’ A man greeted them, smartly dressed with his red tie matching the restaurant colourings.
“Sophie!” he said, hugging her.
“Hi, Robert.” Sophie kissed him on the cheek.
“I’ll tell Tara you’re here. She’s busy in the kitchen as always. But first let me show you to your table.” He escorted their party of eight to a table already laid out, situated at the back. The restaurant, filled with dark wood tables, cherry coloured cushions on the chairs, had a quaint aura, romantic with candles and small red posies on each table.
Adam was inwardly relieved Simon sat at one end, so Sophie could chose the other, not wanting to be near the man. Adam took the seat opposite Sophie. To even the table up, Cassie had to sit with Simon, but that probably wasn’t a bad thing. Cassie constantly teased Sophie. Adam found it funny, but from the way Sophie reacted, blushing and going quiet, she needed a break from it before she burst out the truth. How was Sophie coping with this lie? He hoped she wasn’t riddled with guilt. Seeing Simon’s behaviour earlier on the beach reassured Adam he should be here by her side, if only to keep that bastard’s hands off her.
Robert handed out the menus and lingered at Sophie’s end of the table.
“Rob, this is my boyfriend, Adam,” Sophie said. Robert’s expression showed surprise. “We’ve only been seeing each other a few weeks.” Hopefully no one else was picking up the hesitation in her voice like Adam could. “Robert is my brother-in-law,” she said to Adam.
“Good to meet you,” Robert said, shaking Adam’s hand. “Hopefully Sophie’s found herself a good guy at last.” Robert sent a darker look Simon’s way, making Sophie blush and Simon ignore him. Adam smiled. Rob didn’t think much of Simon either.
“I’ll let you take your time over the menus,” Robert said, as another waitress approached, taking drink orders.
“So your sister is the chef?” Adam asked once the waitress had gone. He took her hand across the table. He could see how nervous she was and tried to use his calming influence on her.
“Yes –”
“There you are, Soph!” A woman came out wearing chef’s whites and Sophie stood to hug her. Tara was slightly taller than Sophie and although she had the same hair colouring, it was shorter and tied back out of the way.
“Tara, this is Adam.”
“Yeah, Rob just told me. Nice to meet you, Adam.” She shook his hand, smiling. Similar brown eyes to her sister, maybe not so dark, but her smile was alike, their resemblance instantly distinguishing them as sisters. “How’d you meet Soph?”
“We work for the same company,” Adam said.
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“But we met at someone’s retirement party!” Sophie quickly added. “And we don’t actually work together.”
“Nothing wrong with working together. Rob and I manage, and actually it’s great.” Tara chuckled. “If we can make it through to the end of the day without wanting to kill one another.”
“Oh, um,” Sophie shrugged and looked at Adam. “True.”
Adam hadn’t thought of the working implications, but it would be another reason to not get involved with Sophie. He didn’t do long term; would that make it awkward for them after they’d had their fun? He was best off keeping her as a friend.
“Look, I’ve gotta go back out to the kitchen, but hopefully we’ll catch up Saturday night.” Tara hugged Sophie once more. “Nice meeting you, Adam.”
“So, uh, that’s Tara – my big sister. She got the cooking gene from Mum.” Sophie sat back at the table, fiddling with the linen napkin.
“So where does the engineering come from?”
“Dad. He worked in Yeovil, Plymouth, Exeter and then eventually, when the restaurant was going well and Mum needed more help, he gave it all up. Mum was the chef, Dad worked front of house.”
“Does this mean you can’t cook?” He couldn’t resist teasing her. She playfully slapped him on the arm. “Ouch!”
“I can cook, but it doesn’t interest me like design. And I couldn’t do what Tara does, and cook for the hundreds. Heavens, I think I’d get nervous cooking for just you … ” She broke her gaze. “Oh, um, you know what I mean.”
Adam chuckled. He lowered his voice, so only Sophie could hear, the rest of the table lost in the discussion over the big day tomorrow. “Yeah. So if you were to cook for me, what would you make?”
“Sausage, egg and chips.” She grinned, then rolled her eyes. “I have no idea. Probably something safe like spaghetti Bolognese. Everyone likes pasta … but, oh, maybe that could get messy.”
“Relax, it’s only hypothetical,” he said, softly.
“Of course it is. Then hypothetically you’d get … ” She grabbed the menu, and started reeling off complicated dishes from the starters, then the main courses. Adam laughed. “Easy,” she said with a shrug, closing the menu.
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