Maya
The barman’s unwanted attention had almost worn Maya down. He hadn’t made much of a secret about the fact he’d like to show her the sights during her stay. Yeah, right. The only sights he’d show her would be in a bed. Then she caught sight of two other guys appraising her. This was beginning to get on her nerves. At least sharing a room with Carter might keep them all at bay. Esme was in deep conversation with him. Goodness knows what she was plotting and planning.
“Thanks,” Carter said when she placed his drink down. “You okay?”
He’d obviously caught her annoyance.
“Unwanted attention.” She inclined her head over towards the bar area.
“Oh, I see.”
She took a sip of her pink gin and tonic. The others were busily chatting, going through the itinerary of their holiday. An idea came to her.
“Look, Carter, I need to ask you something.”
“Fire away.” He leaned closer to her, resting his hands on his knees.
“I came on this trip to get away from a particularly nasty relationship break up. I don’t want to go into the details. But the last thing I want to do is date… or have any unwanted attention.” She stared with meaning at the men leaning against the bar.
“I understand that all too well.” He sighed.
Now, what did that mean?
“I seem to have acquired some male interest.”
“Hmm, I could see that.”
There was a hint of something in his tone. Possession? His green eyes went to the guys who’d been watching her and then to the barman. Interesting.
“As we’re sharing a room, would it be okay if I said that we’re…” Was she really going to suggest this?
“Dating? In a relationship?” he answered for her.
“Well, that’s what I was thinking. But if not, I’ll understand. It’s a dumb thing to say really. Sorry, yet again. Hell, all I seem to be doing lately is apologising.” She ran a hand through her hair.
To her surprise, Carter took her free hand and squeezed it gently. “That’s fine, Maya.”
“Really?”
His mouth curved into a gentle smile. “Absolutely. But I need you to promise me one thing.”
“What?”
His green eyes sparkled with mischief. “You promise not to try and kill me again or cover me in hot liquid.”
She relaxed a little and laughed, shaking the hand he held out for her. “Deal.”
Chapter 6
Maya
She woke with a start, wondering where she was. Her eyes grew accustomed to the space around her. Gentle breathing close by made her sit up. Then she remembered. She was sharing a room with a stranger. For ten nights. The line of pillows down the middle of the bed was still in place, but she noted one of Carter’s legs was over her side. Grabbing for her phone, which was on silent, she saw the time was almost seven-thirty. Time for a quick run before a shower and breakfast.
Creeping from the bed so as not to disturb him, she hauled her running gear from the cupboard and headed for the bathroom. Once dressed, she pulled her hair in to a ponytail and went downstairs. The frigid air of the winter morning hit her head-on. It was what she needed to clear her frazzled mind. The hotel was right on the seafront, which was a perfect setting. One or two others were already out jogging along the seafront. Donning her iPod, she set off to run along the seashore.
It wasn’t long before she felt warm. The music flooded her brain and the coolness of the air relaxed her. It was a good way to relieve stress and tension. Not to mention her stiff limbs after a day of sitting on a coach. Her thoughts reflected on the previous evening. It had been better than she expected. Jean and Annie regaled them with stories of their previous coach trips, which had them all laughing.
Esme and Doug had been married for fifty years and Maya loved that they glanced at each other often, smiling with love. Their love was beautiful to see. She made a mental note to ask Esme at some point what their secret was. And then there was Carter. Well, he’d been a gentleman who kept the conversation going too. Fortunately, no one mentioned the room situation after the first revelation of it.
When they’d returned to their room, it hadn’t taken long for her to get changed and turn in for the night. She was so tired that her head hit the pillow and sleep had followed almost instantly. She thought she’d heard him say goodnight but couldn’t be certain.
Maya had reached the pier and paused to admire the magnificent structure. She’d read that there was a serious fire a few years back. It certainly looked well-maintained now. After breakfast, she’d head back down to take a proper look around.
She surveyed the seafront and all the stunning Victorian buildings. Several were now hotels. Maya realised she hadn’t even looked out of the window of her hotel room to see if they had a sea view. Not that she’d been in the right frame of mind to check. It was a shame they’d arrived too late for the Christmas market. She loved nothing better than a good browse.
Right then, she should have been skiing in Switzerland. She’d been with Stu the year before and had loved strolling amongst the Christmas stalls, the scent of glühwein and cinnamon heavy in the air. Tears tumbled down her cheeks.
“No,” she mumbled. “I won’t be sad.”
She headed back along the beach the way she’d just come. Anger, hurt, and the vision of Stu humping his business partner flashed before her eyes. Her breathing became erratic and her tears almost blinded her. She turned up her iPod, needing the music to drown out her emotions. Faster and faster she went until she ran into something solid and slid to the floor. She didn’t even bother to look up. Instead, she sat on the damp sand and sobbed her heart out.
Someone knelt beside her. She tore her earbuds from her ears and stuffed her iPod into a small pocket in her top. The scent was familiar. Through the mist of her tears, she saw Carter. Holy hell, why did it have to be him? Now he’d seen her in a weeping mess on the sand. Maya was too weak to move and had no fight in her to push him away as he aided her to her feet.
One finger tilted her chin up. “Hey, hey, Maya. What’s wrong? Is it the room situation?”
She shook her head, unable to form words. The concern in his eyes and his gentle tone undid her a little more and she sobbed harder. Carter pulled her against him and held her tightly. He rubbed her back with gentle movements.
“That’s it. Let it out.”
After a while of being moulded to his hard body, she took a deep breath and moved from him. His hands rested on her shoulders. It was then she noted he was also in running gear, his top now wet with her tears.
“Come on. Let’s get you back to our room. I’ll make you a hot drink and you can tell me all about it.”
He took her hand and led her back to the hotel. She was relieved that they managed to get back to their suite without anyone noticing them. A lot of their party were probably still resting after the long journey yesterday.
And now, she sat on the sofa, holding the drink that Carter had made for her.
Carter
Carter heard Maya head out the door. He caught a glimpse of her and noted her running gear. The idea of a jog along the sandy beach appealed to him. It was his go-to remedy for tiredness and stress. After a few gentle stretches on the beach, he headed off towards the pier. A woman was coming from the pier and making straight for him, her ponytail swinging from side-to-side. Maya.