‘No, you’re not,’ Emily said, and as he went to book his reservation, she gave in. ‘Okay, you can have the spare room tonight just so long as you change the sheets and get it ready for Jennifer and Alex tomorrow.’
‘Change the sheets?’ Hugh frowned. ‘I’m only going to be sleeping in it for one night, I don’t have the lurgy.’ Then he saw her expression. ‘Fine, I’ll change the sheets.’
Emily did her very best to sulk for the rest of the afternoon but it proved impossible.
It started to rain and so they went shopping in the village for tomorrow’s dinner and planned the menu as they went along.
‘There’s a slow cooker at the cottage,’ Emily said as they looked at the meat. ‘We could do Greek-style slow-cooked lamb on a nice salad, or is that too easy?’
‘Easy sounds good.’ Hugh nodded but shook his head as Emily went to add tzatziki to the trolley. ‘I’ll make it.’
They got all the usual things for breakfast as well as some amazing bread but Emily was adamant about one thing. ‘They’re not having my marmalade at breakfast.’
‘We’ll hide it,’ Hugh agreed.
They decided on strawberries soaked in Cointreau and cream for dessert and, yay, they’d found the easiest dinner to prepare in the world.
‘We’ll have plenty of time to relax,’ Hugh said.
‘Oh, I intend to,’ Emily said, ‘but what do I wear?’ It was the age-old problem but a real one this late afternoon. ‘I packed shorts and shorts and shorts.’
‘It’s fine,’ Hugh said, but when they passed a little boutique Emily wandered in and after a quick look found a dress that might just calm the sunburn that by tomorrow would be raging—it was pale blue and loose and the fabric was so sheer it felt like a sheet of ice as she slipped it over her head in the changing room.
It was gorgeous.
Too gorgeous perhaps for Hugh.
‘Emily?’ he called from behind the curtain. ‘Let’s have a look.’
‘Oh, you have to approve, do you?’ Emily said, slipping it off and pulling on her shorts and top and then stepping out.
‘No,’ Hugh said, ‘I just wanted to see.’
‘You’ll see tomorrow.’
‘I’ll get it,’ Hugh said.
‘No!’ Emily said, and then smiled. ‘Actually, if I’m playing the part of your tart then I should have a clothing allowance.’
It was fun, just fun, no matter how much she tried to sulk.
The shower passed and the sun came back out for its final gasps before it set. They refilled the picnic basket and headed to the beach, and there was no choice but to briefly hold hands as he helped her down the steep cliff path, slippery from the rain, and to their oasis.
The beach was practically empty, a huge stretch of sand, and the most magnificent sunset was theirs to enjoy.
Yes, it was very difficult to sulk with a mouthful of lemon curd and Hugh making her laugh as they took another photo of the two of them.
‘Ooh, that’s a good one,’ Emily said, taking his phone and looking at Hugh in the image before herself.
‘Very good,’ Hugh said, looking at the image of Emily instead of himself.
‘Send it to my phone and I’ll post it.’
‘Why don’t I just put it up?’ Hugh asked.
‘Our relationship’s starting to look a little one-sided in cyberland.’
‘It’s pretty one-sided in real life,’ Hugh said, but without a trace of bitterness. In fact, he was smiling as he sent the image to her phone and then looked her straight in the eye. ‘Or is it?’
Emily didn’t appreciate the question—the lust between them was as relentless as the waves and she left his question unanswered as they headed back up the cliff. Hugh, at eye level with her bottom as they made their way up, resisted making a comment about the amazing view.
In fact, he resisted full stop.
The ball had been placed in Emily’s court.
* * *
Back in the cottage he stretched out on one of the sofas as Emily cracked the champagne. ‘God, it’s been so good to get away,’ Hugh admitted, as Emily lay on the sofa opposite. ‘And even better not to have to drive back.’ Hugh yawned. ‘I’ve had a shocking week at work. I’m worried about...’ He hesitated. His concerns about Gina must remain in his head, but for a second there he’d forgotten that they were pretending. So nice had the day been, he had completely forgotten that Emily didn’t actually want him there so there was no way he could tell her about his issues with Gina.
‘Worried about what?’ Emily pushed.
‘Just a patient who isn’t doing very well.’
They could have gone to the pub but it was Emily’s holiday and all she wanted to do was lounge on the sofa and watch a film.
Unfortunately, the only film that was on turned out to be incredibly sexy and, given that she had already declared there was no way she was watching sport, Emily and Hugh had to suffer their way through it.
‘Great choice, Emily,’ Hugh groaned during one very steamy scene.
It was torture.
And no less of a torture for Emily to lie in bed a little while later, knowing that he was across the hallway.
Her sunburn was agony.
At midnight all she wanted to do was cross the hall and fill the bathroom sink with cold water and drop her breasts into it, except Hugh’s bedroom was next to the bathroom and she had the wretched thought of sinking her breasts in his face.
‘’Night, Emily,’ he called out at one in the morning as she returned from getting a drink.
‘’Night, Hugh.’
It had been an almost perfect day except for one thing. One thing between her legs that ached perhaps as much as his.
If he made a move, if he called her again...
Just sleep with him, Emily!
But she was truly scared to now.
Today had been amazing and a relationship with Hugh would be very different from the one she’d had with Marcus.
She and Marcus had been more like friends, which was what she was with Hugh, but with Marcus her stomach hadn’t had a butterfly house in permanent residence in her stomach whenever he’d been around, and though she’d cared about Marcus she hadn’t cared in the dangerous sense.
Emily closed her eyes in the hope sleep would arrive yet as she lay there she thought about the break-up with her ex—the so-called public shaming when he’d got off with Heidi.
How could she explain that she’d actually been happy for him in the end, happy that Marcus had had the guts to go after the love of his life.
Tears slid from closed eyes to the pillow as she acknowledged to herself that possibly Hugh was that for her.
Emily gave up trying to sleep and took her phone from the bedside table and stared at the picture they’d taken that evening. They looked happy and carefree, which was how she actually felt when he was around.
When he was around, but how would she feel when he was gone?
After her break-up with Marcus, Emily had boxed up his stuff to return to him with much the same emotions as when she took the Christmas tree down. A little sad that it was over but ready to start afresh.
With Hugh it would be agonising and looking at her phone, staring into his green eyes, seeing her smiling face beside his, Emily finally understood the meaning behind a well-known saying.
Don’t start what you can’t finish.
It would kill her to be finished with Hugh and that was the reason she chose to stay alone tonight.
CHAPTER FIVE
EMILY WOKE THE next morning to the sound of a knock on her door, and Hugh scored no points for good behaviour even though he brought her in a mug of tea.
‘Why did you wake me up?’ Emily asked.
‘
It’s ten o’clock.’
‘But I wanted to lie in.’
‘Which is why I waited till ten o’clock. How long do you usually lie in for?’
‘I don’t have to answer that,’ Emily said, taking a sip of tea and wishing he wouldn’t sit on the bed.
‘The lamb is in the slow cooker and I’ve made the tzatziki,’ Hugh said.
‘Did you make any toast with that blood orange no-peel marmalade on it while you were down there?’ From beneath the sheet Emily kicked his thigh with her foot.
‘Will all my sins be forgiven if I make toast?’
‘Nearly all of them.’
He made some for himself too and brought up his own mug of tea. Yesterday they had been too busy avoiding their attraction to each other to spend time working out the nuts and bolts of their charade but agreed to do it now so they wouldn’t get things wrong at their little dinner party.
‘How long have we been seeing each other?’ Hugh asked, as they munched through the nicest toast in the world.
‘Well, I said to Louise that we’d been on and off for a couple of months.’
‘Okay.’ Hugh nodded but then he gave a small wince. ‘Have you heard the rumours...?’
‘Yes, yes,’ Emily dismissed. ‘I know that you got off with Gina after the emergency do.’
‘But I didn’t get off with her. Gina and I are just friends.’
‘Friends who just can’t keep their hands off each other in the car park.’ Emily smirked.
‘Emily, there really is nothing between Gina and I. There never has been.’ Hugh hesitated. Again he wanted to tell Emily what was on his mind but in fairness to Gina he couldn’t. ‘It is going to make things a bit awkward, though. People are going to think that I cheated on you...’
‘I’m sure I’ll survive.’ Emily laughed and Hugh frowned.
‘It doesn’t bother you?’
‘If we actually were an item then, yes, I might want to know the details, but we’re not an item and anyway...’ Emily started, but then changed her mind. She really didn’t want to reveal to Hugh that she was thinking of leaving her job and so people talking about them wasn’t going to be an issue for her. ‘Don’t worry about work for now,’ Emily said instead. ‘Let’s just sort out what we’re going to say tonight.’
‘Well, I’m guessing that Jennifer might talk about Rima and Matthew’s wedding, which is in July. Do you know Rima?’
Emily shook her head.
‘I think she got sick just before you started at The Royal. Okay, Rima and I went to med school together, along with Gina. Matthew’s a dentist,’ Hugh said as Emily yawned. ‘Pay attention, Emily, they’re good friends of mine and if we are going out then Alex and Jennifer would expect you to be going to the wedding with me and to at least know a little about them.’ He had a sudden thought. ‘When is your dad’s wedding?’
‘The last week of June, but you don’t have to come to that.’
‘It will look a bit odd if I don’t,’ Hugh said, as he went through his diary on his phone. ‘You’d actually be doing me a favour, Emily. My nephew is getting christened that Sunday and I’m godfather. I think Alex might be a bit more accommodating about me swapping my weekend for your father getting married than my nephew’s christening.’
‘Alex has got four children of his own,’ Emily pointed out. ‘I’m sure he’d understand.’
‘Ah, but Alex’s wife is Jennifer,’ Hugh said. ‘Keeper of his diary. If it was her nephew, I’d swear that she’d say no, that they couldn’t attend unless they swapped weekends...’
‘Really?’
‘Yep.’
‘You can’t tell your sister the same?’
‘Nope. I actually wrote down all the weekends I was available when she started talking about the christening. She told me she had enough on her own calendar without taking into consideration mine, which is fair enough, I guess, but every couple I know seems to be getting married this summer...’ He let out a breath of frustration because his sister was such hard work at times. ‘I’m thrilled I’m the baby’s godfather, even if I don’t know that I’ll make a brilliant one, but, hell, one weekend in three I’m on take and Kate thinks it’s as easy as swapping a shift as a trainee in a burger bar.’
‘Hey, I worked in a burger bar for three years and it’s not so easy to change a shift.’ She smiled and then frowned. ‘Can’t you just explain to her—not about the christening, I guess it’s too late for that, but for the future?’
‘Kate has very sensitive toes,’ Hugh sighed, ‘and we’re not allowed to step on them.’
‘Or?’ Emily asked.
‘Who knows?’ Hugh said, and she looked at him because his voice was suddenly serious, but he quickly made it lighter. ‘It’s no big deal but if you could slip in that your father’s getting married, I’d love you for ever—’ his smile was genuine then ‘—which isn’t what you want either.’
Even Emily laughed. ‘I don’t think you’re capable of loving anyone for ever.’
There was a conversation to be had but she refused to go there and Hugh said nothing.
He didn’t know about for ever, he lived for now. He wanted a chance for them but he refused to beg.
‘Am I the reason that you and Olivia broke up?’ Emily asked, as they tried to get their stories straight.
Hugh looked at her. She was very possibly the reason all his relationships had broken up.
‘Yes.’
‘What else would I know about you that I don’t know now, if we’d been going out for two months?’ Emily asked.
‘Not much,’ Hugh said after a moment’s thought. ‘I think we know each other pretty well, or at least you know me. What would I know about you if we had been going out with each other for two months?’
‘Nothing that I’d want you to discuss at the dinner table.’ Emily smiled. ‘I think we’re good to go.’
The afternoon flew by. Hugh had, of course, lied about changing the sheets and Emily outed him.
‘How can you tell?’ he asked, because he thought he’d made the bed really well.
‘You just can,’ Emily said. ‘Don’t you love getting in a freshly made bed with clean sheets?’ Emily started to blush as that naked thought reared its head again but thankfully Hugh halted himself from suggesting he find out. After all, he didn’t want to have to make the bed again.
But it was there.
It was there in the kitchen as she whipped the cream for the strawberries that were soaking in Cointreau and Hugh dipped his finger into it and she wanted to be the one to suck that cream off.
It was there in the bathroom as he walked in on Emily putting on her make-up and he got a first glimpse of her pale blue dress, or rather her bare shoulders, and with a quick ‘Sorry’ Hugh turned and walked out with so much haste he might just as well have walked in on Emily sitting on the toilet.
It was just there.
Which meant that by the time Alex and Jennifer arrived Emily was doing her level best to avoid any physical contact with Hugh and nearly jumped out of her skin when their hands met over the pistachio nuts as they discussed Emily’s father’s wedding.
‘Do you like her?’ Jennifer asked. ‘Your future stepmother?’
Emily blinked. ‘Well, I wouldn’t call her my stepmother,’ she admitted, ‘given she’s not much older than me and...’
Hugh watched as her voice trailed off and Emily changed whatever she was about to say. ‘Cathy seems very nice, though I’ve only met her once. I wasn’t expecting Dad to marry again so quickly—he’s not one for giving much notice,’ Emily said, and then glanced at Hugh. ‘Though neither is your sister.’
He was very grateful for the opening. ‘Yes, I’m supposed to be godfather to my nephew and it’s his christening that weekend but I’ve already told Kate that
I’m working.’
‘No, no,’ Alex said, ‘you should be there for Emily’s father’s wedding. We can sort something out.’
Hugh followed her into the kitchen and gave a delighted grin. ‘How easy was that?’
‘I know!’ Emily said.
‘Though bit more affection wouldn’t go amiss,’ Hugh said. ‘It’s a bit strained in there.’
‘They might think we’ve just had a row,’ Emily said.
‘We’re supposed to be dating, not married,’ Hugh said. ‘You handed me my drink in the same way you pass a scalpel.’
‘I don’t like public displays of affection,’ Emily said, and then pulled a face and changed her voice to a whisper. ‘Unlike those two.’
‘I know!’ Hugh laughed. ‘They’re all over each other.’
‘Tell you what,’ Hugh said, as the sound of conversation from the other room stopped, ‘Jennifer will come and offer a hand in a moment so if she catches us kissing, your frigid nature at the dining table can be excused.’
‘No!’
‘Just once,’ Hugh said, his hands on her hips. ‘Relax, Em, we’ve done this before.’
His mouth came down on hers and unlike Emily’s lips, which were rigid, his were very relaxed and attempting to knead hers into a response.
‘I’m not your hairy aunt either,’ Hugh said, pulling back, and that moved her mouth into a smile and he kissed her some more.
Sure that any moment now they’d be disturbed, Emily relaxed into it.
She had tried so hard to forget how nice kissing Hugh was.
Now a night and a day of holding back was washed away by the stroke of his tongue.
Come on, Jennifer, Emily thought as his kiss deepened, because she was kissing him back in the way she wanted to.
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