by Aimee Duffy
HarperImpulse an imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
77–85 Fulham Palace Road
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk
First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2014
Copyright © Aimee Duffy 2014
Cover images © Shutterstock.com
Aimee Duffy asserts the moral right
to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library
This novel is entirely a work of fiction.
The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are
the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is
entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International
and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted
the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access
and read the text of this e-book on screen.
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted,
downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or
stored in or introduced into any information storage and
retrieval system, in any form or by any means,
whether electronic or mechanical, now known or
hereinafter invented, without the express
written permission of HarperCollins.
Ebook Edition © August 2014
ISBN: 9780008106300
Version 2014-07-25
Digital eFirst: Automatically produced by Atomik ePublisher from Easypress.
For the ninja, super-graphic-girl and queen Catco.
I couldn't have done this without the support of you 'special' ladies.
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Ibiza
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Aimée Duffy
About HarperImpulse
About the Publisher
Ibiza
Chapter Fifteen
Since they only had four full days in what Gem called the clubbing capitol of the world, they didn’t waste time unpacking and hit the shops the second their bags were dumped on the hotel room floor.
As they sauntered along the little market stalls looking at tack and skimpy swimwear, Elle was unusually chatty, probably because Gem had been glum since Milo bent her over in the airport and kissed her with movie-esque finesse.
‘Is it just me or do you feel like we’re slumming it in that hotel?’ Elle asked.
Gem shrugged.
‘It’s five star, Elle. What more do you need?’ Ciara asked.
It wasn’t quite the Muir style of living the girls were used to on this trip, but it was hardly the pokey rooms Ciara had to share with her family when they’d travelled abroad. They were in the penthouse apartment of the fanciest hotel in Ibiza.
As well as having separate ensuite rooms, there was a living room, dining room and even a spa room.
‘It’s no Santorini beach house,’ Gem said on a sigh.
‘Gem, snap out of it. Remember we’re going to Amnesia tonight! Dave Call will be there,’ Elle said.
Ciara didn’t even know who the DJ was until Elle got to reception and asked who was playing in the clubs that night. Apparently he was famous – despite the ridiculous name. And according to Gem, he was gorgeous. Still, that didn’t seem to snap her out of the Milo withdrawals.
Since Ciara missed Zack just as much, she could sympathise completely.
‘It’s not like we’d get within a hundred feet of him, he’ll have security,’ Gem said, and Ciara had to bite her lip before she asked if her friend knew that through her stalker experience. This so wasn’t time for teasing.
Elle frowned. ‘Where did my friend go? I want the girl back who strutted into a celebrity party and chatted up a movie star without blinking an eye.’
‘She’s heartbroken.’ Gem even stopped to cup her hands over the organ in question.
Elle pffd. ‘You’d think someone who studied the human body would know how impossible that is.’
‘Actually, it’s quite possible for a heart to break. It’s what keeps heart surgeons in a job,’ Gem retorted, but Ciara had hope it was a good thing since her friend had some of her spunk back.
‘Honey, if anyone is going to be heartbroken it will be the man you left behind. You’re resilient and officially on the rebound. Over here.’ Elle grabbed Gem’s arm and dragged her over to a stall.
‘He’s probably over me already,’ Gem grumbled.
‘Unlikely,’ Ciara said, trailing behind. ‘You teased me for having a resilient vag but yours must have held up its own.’
Elle wrinkled her nose, but recovered quick. ‘Not to mention all the spa treatments and facials he had with us. I’ll bet he misses us more than you miss him.’
That made Gem smile. ‘You’re right.’
True to form, the idea that she was pined over snapped Gem right out of her funk.
‘I’m always right,’ Elle said, then pulled a dark blue sundress off the rail of the stall. ‘And I’m going to be right once more saying this is the dress that’s going to get you laid tonight.’
She held out the material to Gem, whose eyes got all wide and excited. ‘It’s perfect!’
It really was, and would look great with her new sunglow and fire red hair.
A golden scrap of a bikini hanging above the owner of the stall caught Ciara’s eye. It was daring, but all the wild sex and walking for miles in the last week meant even her white linen trousers were hanging off her. The croissants were a distant memory. For the first time in a long time she was toned and her stomach was completely flat. If there was ever a time to pull something like that off it was now.
‘Can I see that?’ she asked the woman behind the counter, pointing to the bikini.
‘And you were wondering where I went? I think it’s Ciara we should be worried about,’ Gem said.
She turned to stick her tongue out at them while the woman brought the bikini over.
Elle’s eyes were shiny and her smile was proud as punch. ‘Our baby’s all grown up.’
‘Eejits,’ Ciara mumbled and took the offered bikini from the woman. It would never cover all her lady bits fully, but thankfully the bikini wax was one of the treatments she’d subjected herself to in Santorini.
And when she saw it was a measly thirty Euros, she decided there and then that it was going to be hers.
‘I’ll take it,’ she told the woman, digging into her bag for her purse.
‘And I’ll take this!’ Gem said, slapping the dress down on the counter and pulling out her Amex.
The woman shook her head at the card and Gem pouted. ‘Everywhere takes Amex.’
‘I don’t think that applies to stuff you buy at markets, Gem,’ Ciara said, pulling some notes out to cover both purchases. ‘It’s okay, I’ve got it.’
‘I love you, Ciara!’ Gem said, hugging her so hard her boobs got squished against Gem’s. ‘Maybe even in a gay way.’
‘Ew,’ Ciara said, pushing her away with a laugh. ‘I like the dicks too much to turn, even for you.’
‘Yeah me too,’ Gem said, then sighed. ‘I think I need to concentrate on finding a replacement for Milo.’
‘Well I’m not playing the fifth wheel again so I guess I’m on the lookout too,’ Elle said from the other side of the rack. ‘What do you think about this?’
She held up a deep purple bikini that would rival Ciara’s on the skimpy scale, and suit Elle with her dark t
an and sun-kissed hair.
‘If we hit the beach with you wearing that I’ll never get noticed,’ Gem said, darting over to the rail to dig out her own skimpy scrap.
‘Relax, I only brought out a couple of hundred euros…’ When Elle and Gem were on a mission to outdo each other it could cost thousands, even in a market.
‘No problem, Cia. Wait here and watch the purchases. We’re going to find a cash machine.’ Elle passed her the bikini and then linked arms with Gem, dragging her away into the crowd.
She didn’t see a point in mentioning that they’d be charged for using their cards to withdraw money, especially abroad. The interest on the funds they had in accounts probably covered it anyway.
Sighing, she smiled at the woman and used a twirling finger at her temple to explain in any language how crazy her friends could be.
***
When the sun set it seemed like the population doubled. Even though they’d gotten ready early to hit a bar before they went out for some serious clubbing, the streets were mobbed with people their age and younger, all seemingly with the same idea.
Ciara instantly regretted going for comfort than insta-glam when she saw the way other girls had dressed, but feck it. She was on a mission to dance the night away and anything other than the tiny shorts would flash her knickers.
Leaflets were shoved into their hands by jittery street reps who either had an insomnia or drug problem – probably both by the way they jerked around.
‘No thanks,’ Elle said, handing the thing back.
‘What’s Destiny?’ Ciara asked.
A picture of all the people dancing and a hot looking DJ on the decks was the advertisement for the ‘best of the best in Ibiza’.
‘It’s a free club, need I say more?’ Elle asked.
Free sounded good to her, especially when she’d heard what the cover fee for Amnesia cost.
‘And if those junkies are any indication of the clientele I’m out,’ Gem added. ‘There are better chemical reactions than drugs, thank you very much.’
‘Endorphins?’ Elle guessed, no doubt correctly.
‘Super endorphins.’ Gem grinned.
Ciara giggled. ‘Let me guess, you get those from sterling orgasms?’
Her friend nodded. ‘But only when you’re chemically compatible. You have to be attracted to both looks and the pheromones. The super endorphins follow the spectacular orgasms. It’s quite addicting.’
‘How much did you drink before we left?’ Elle asked. ‘That sounds like voodoo, not science.’
‘Just dumbing it down for you two.’ Gem dodged Elle’s swing of her handbag. ‘But really you should try it.’
‘I think I know what you mean. Zack does something to me—’
‘And that’s the end of this conversation,’ Elle said, cutting her off.
‘Stop being a prude, Elle. I want details,’ Gem protested.
‘You can get them when I lose my hearing. Come on, here looks okay.’ Elle led the way into the quietest looking bar on the strip.
‘Wrong. It looks boring,’ Gem protested. ‘I’m guessing a quickie in the bathroom before we hit the club is a no, no here.’
Ciara didn’t think that would be an option. The cocktail bar had a different atmosphere from most pubs they’d passed. The music was just loud enough to hear but they could easily talk over it and the inside didn’t have that students-gone-wild-every-night-for-a-decade look.
They made their way to the chrome bar and she noticed the thing barely had a scratch. There was a man sitting at the end with his pint perched on a coaster and she guessed that was why the bar remained unscathed.
‘I feel like we should have wiped our feet first,’ Ciara said, because there wasn’t a sticky patch of resistance anywhere.
Elle rolled her eyes, then approached the barmaid. ‘Do you have Crystal?’
‘Coming right up,’ she said.
The woman disappeared through the back and Gem pulled out her Amex. ‘I wonder if we can open a tab.’
‘We should be able to in a place like this,’ Elle said.
Ciara sighed, no doubt that meant her money would be no good here.
‘You’re welcome to open one as long as you leave your card details,’ the man said.
He was pretty cute even with the longer hair, skinny jeans and questionable fashion sense. Or was that his style? It reminded her of the American skater boys but with his own stamp.
Surprisingly, Elle was the one to approach him and when she spoke, it was with her flirting voice. ‘Thank you. I’m Elle Muir and these are my friends, Ciara and Gem.’
Elle stuck out her hand for a shake. Skater boy – who was the last person in the world she’d think her friend would be interested in – stood up so he was towering over Elle. He took her hand and brought it to his lips.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kieran and this is my place,’ he said.
‘Are you seeing what I’m seeing?’ Gem whispered.
The way Kieran looked at Elle was so intense that she swore her friend was blushing, but that couldn’t be right. Elle went for the polished, put together men who looked clean cut and scrubbed up well.
Kieran looked like he’d rolled out of bed an hour before, finger combed that shiny black hair and pulled on the first clothes that he stumbled across.
‘I’m seeing it, but I’m not sure I believe it,’ Ciara whispered back.
She and Gem were distracted by the waitress bringing back the Crystal, opening the bottle and filling up their glasses. Kieran signalled for Elle’s to be brought the five steps down the bar to her.
‘Let’s leave them to it,’ Gem suggested, picking up the ice bucket with the drink and her glass.
Ciara hesitated, wondering if it was what Elle wanted but they’d only be a few feet away if she needed them so Ciara followed Gem over to a table within spying distance.
‘This is new,’ Gem said and Ciara nodded. ‘I wonder if Elle’s feeling the chemistry.’
Ciara grinned. ‘I’ll bet it’s all that talk about super endorphins. Maybe she thinks Kieran is the key.’
‘Good for her.’
They watched their friend playing coy while Kieran inched closer so they were almost touching. Their voices didn’t carry but by the way Elle appeared to be flirting right back Ciara was sure she was into it.
‘So, now Ms Prude is out the way, I want details!’ Gem said.
Ciara knew exactly what details her friend was after, but somehow sharing the ins and outs of her private time with Zack felt like a betrayal. She decided vague was the way to go.
‘When he touches me everything becomes clearer, sharper and even holding his hand is electrifying. It all quadruples when it’s just us and I can’t seem to get enough of him.’
From Gem’s disappointed pout, she clocked what Ciara was up to.
‘The endorphins are definitely super, but when he leaves it’s like a sugar crash. I feel a bit depressed.’ All true and probably a reason to start worrying about where their fling was going.
‘Sounds like more than a temporary thing to me,’ Gem said, watching her closely.
Ciara shrugged. ‘Temporary is all I can do.’
‘Even though you had me convinced for a while that a flaky gene could be hereditary, I don’t think that applies to you.’
‘Let’s look at the facts,’ she said, using her fingers to count off her many flaws. ‘I can’t stay in one place for a long time without feeling like I’m going to crack if there’s nothing else to do. My past relationships have ended before they’ve even begun. I’m worried about going home because there is nowhere I can imagine working that wouldn’t have me running out after a month. And I know deep down, even if I fall for Zack and he falls for me, there are no guarantees that will stick. Just look at my ma.’
Gem shook her head. ‘You like to keep busy, there’s nothing wrong with that. As for the job, I think the issue there is you’re scared to fail. And—’
‘Exc
use me?’ Ciara asked. She was not that kind of a wimp.
‘It’s true and don’t worry, I feel exactly the same. You’re not the only one whose family has high expectations, you know. Mine want me to go straight to work and they’re expecting insta-greatness.’
Gem played with the stem of her glass, leaving Ciara speechless. She’d thought her friends were excited to go back and tackle their futures head on but it seemed Gem was as worried as her.
‘And as for Zack, I think you’re wrong. It isn’t just endorphins, it’s like you two are halves of the whole,’ Gem said.
Ciara rolled her eyes. ‘I thought you didn’t believe in that soul mate nonsense.’
Gem shrugged. ‘I didn’t until I saw you two together.’
Her palms got damp. Even the cynical Gem who was convinced attraction boiled down to nothing more than a chemical reaction was coming round to the idea that two people were meant to be together. But there was more to it than just her fear of leaving him someday. Gem and Elle had been worried for her too.
‘You both seem to think it’s me who’ll get hurt at the end of this. Why is that?’ she asked, going for broke. It was long past time she knew the truth.
Gem shot a glance Elle’s way – who was now holding hands and laughing quietly with Kieran. ‘Before we went to university, Zack was dating this girl Vanessa and they’d been together for years. She proposed to him on a leap year and he turned her down.’
Wow. He’d been with her for years. Saying no must have been the worst slap in the face ever.
‘But I saw those two together when I stayed over at Elle’s. They didn’t have much of a spark. It seemed like they were put together by his granddad and her father. They’re business partners.’
‘So it wasn’t the problem with commitment, more like an arranged match up he didn’t want?’ Ciara asked, hoping Gem would alleviate her fears.
Gem shrugged again. ‘You’d really have to ask Zack. Even Elle doesn’t know.’
‘Elle doesn’t know what?’ the Muir in question asked.