The Sunshine And Biscotti Club by Jenny Oliver

Author:Jenny Oliver [Jenny Oliver]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781474045223
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-05-19T04:00:00+00:00

LIBBY

Libby couldn’t sleep. She lay awake thinking about everything she needed to do in the hotel and then remembered the bills she’d stuffed in some random cubbyhole by the bar. She got up and walked tentatively down the corridor in the silent darkness. Passing the other rooms, she wondered who was sleeping in their own bed and who wasn’t. She hadn’t seen Eve come home, or Jimmy.

Downstairs she turned on a side light and went to retrieve the envelopes, chucking them on the desk in the office before turning off the light and heading back to the stairs.

When a figure blocked her path at the bottom step she almost screamed.

‘It’s me, it’s me, Libby. It’s OK.’

As she caught her breath she saw Miles’s face start to appear as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

‘What are you doing down here?’ she whisper-hissed. ‘You almost killed me.’

Miles was half-laughing. ‘Sorry. I’m sorry. I had a work call and the reception’s crap in my room.’

‘Jesus.’ Libby had her hand on her chest. ‘I’m only just recovering.’

Miles leant back against the wall, smiling as he waited for her to get back to normal.

‘I’m OK now,’ she said.

‘I’m sorry.’

She nodded. There was a pause where everything seemed to heighten, the sound of her breathing, the hum of a fan. Libby was suddenly really aware that she was just in her vest and lacy satin shorts and Miles was wearing only chequered pyjama bottoms.

‘OK, shall we go back to bed,’ she said, then cringed when she heard what she’d said.

‘After you.’ He gestured for her to lead the way.

‘Thanks,’ she said, awkwardly moving to get ahead of him and then conscious of the smallness of her shorts as he strolled behind her.

‘You OK?’ he asked midway up the stairs. ‘Why are you up?’

‘I couldn’t sleep.’

‘Why not?’

‘Just general worries,’ she said, trying to make it sound light and breezy.

She turned to look back at him over her shoulder when he didn’t reply.

Miles was closer than she’d expected.

Libby swallowed.

They reached the landing.

‘How are you doing without Jake?’ Miles asked.

‘OK,’ she said.

‘He was crazy, you know?’ Miles said. ‘For doing what he did.’

She tried to shrug it off.

The only light in the corridor was a sliver of moonlight through the edge of the blinds. Otherwise it was black. They were two shadows in darker shadow. She could hear him breathing, could feel the heat of him.

She felt his hand touch her shoulder before she had a chance to say goodnight and walk away down the corridor. This was wrong.

‘We can’t do this,’ Libby said. ‘What about Flo?’

Miles shook his head. ‘Just …’ He paused. ‘Just go with it.’

She shook her head at the same time as wondering when the last time she’d been kissed was. The type of kiss that left her reeling, breathless, wide-eyed. She knew Miles would kiss well.

She couldn’t remember the last time Jake had kissed her. Kissed her in a way that wasn’t just goodnight. That made her feel wanted. Sexy. Enough.

She was still thinking, still procrastinating, still hesitating, when Miles leant forward and kissed her.

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