arms wrapping around his broad shoulders.
‘Maybe I’m starting to believe in fate,’ I say into his mouth. ‘If you hadn’t stolen my cab, I would’ve made it to my interview on time, and then maybe I would’ve got the job there.’ I pull away, and he smiles, though it feels a little strained.
‘Maybe,’ he murmurs.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Super.’ He dips and nibbles my lip. ‘How could I not be with you in my haven? Everything is just about fucking perfect.’
I have no idea what to say. He’s dazed me with his tender words. So I say nothing, but I think lots. Too much for me to try and unravel now. I need space and quiet, maybe even a listening ear. Lucy springs to mind first. I need to call her tomorrow.
‘Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.’ He dips and picks me up, draping me across both arms, and carries me into the bedroom. His arms locking me tightly to his chest offer me a sense of security that would be far too easy to get used to. My head falls limply on to his shoulder, suddenly too heavy to hold up, probably from the weight of everything on my mind.
When I’m placed on my feet, Becker stands back and lets me take in his bed. I’m sleeping in his bed. With him. More grey in the form of shimmering gunmetal bed sheets. I could get lost in this bed; it’s humongous, but annoyingly the details of the bed are a fleeting thought. A lasting thought, however, and most nauseating, is how many women he’s had in it. I cringe to myself. Plenty, I bet.
‘Are you going to get in, or stand there all night and wonder how many women I’ve had in there?’
I look at him, bold and together. ‘Well?’ I can take it.
‘Not as many as you think.’ He motions to the bed, and I cock my head a little, surprised by his answer, though I don’t press. Besides, do I want specifics?
Without a word, I slip between the soft sheets, and the smell of him hits me, embedded in the threads, mixed with a sweet-smelling washing power. It’s intoxicating.
Becker crawls in beside me and sets about arranging his pillows just so, before he looks up and down my tense body a few times. He frowns. What have I done? He sighs and pushes me further away from him. ‘Make sure you stay on your own side.’
I sink into the mattress, injured. ‘Right,’ I confirm, rolling over so my back is away from him, putting more distance between us. From the fuck of a lifetime to those spellbinding words to this? He jumps from one persona to another quicker than I expect his Ferrari gets from zero to sixty. ‘Keep your hands to yourself,’ I mutter.
I’m seized on a soft laugh and hauled back into his chest, being squeezed to a point I think my bones might crumble to dust under the pressure. ‘You think I’ll be able to keep my hands to myself while you’re naked in my bed?’ He chuckles, kissing the back of my head. ‘Think again, princess.’
I have about as much fight in me as Eve did when that serpent offered her the tempting apple. Not a lot at all. If being held in Becker’s arms is a lovely feeling, then being locked in his strong embrace under the sheets is dreamy. Every hard inch of him is pressed into my back, our bodies spooning delightfully. It adds a whole new dimension to gratification.
‘Hmm,’ he says, squeezing me to him. ‘Naked cuddles.’
I smile, closing my eyes and savouring the feel of him. ‘You should make up with your grandad,’ I say quietly into my darkness. He was so upset, and time shouldn’t be wasted on bad feelings when life is so precious. Becker should know that.
He’s silent for a few moments, breathing low into my hair. ‘Turn over,’ he whispers, releasing me and pulling at my shoulder impatiently. I shuffle over until I’m facing him. His head is resting on the pillow, a palm under his cheek, and his hazel eyes are glimmering in the soft light. The sheets are pulled down my body a little until my breasts are exposed. He studies my nipples as his finger lightly swirls around the dark circle of one. They harden to bullets and he flicks me a cheeky grin. ‘I told you, he’ll get over it.’
I try to hide my doubt. He looked positively furious. ‘And