He huffs a breath. “I suppose not. Can you tell me where we can get some food?”
She smiles broadly and points off to the left. “Our restaurant is just down there, next to the bar. I believe some of the wedding party are already in there, and some are in the bar area, if you’re looking to meet up.”
“Thanks,” Theo mutters, turning and wincing at me apologetically. “I swear I didn’t do this on purpose. Jared told me there would be spare rooms when I spoke to him on Monday night. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can bunk in with my parents or something for the night instead.”
Unconsciously, his face scrunches in distaste, and I can tell how much he doesn’t want to do that.
I wave my hand and shake my head as we make our way to the lifts. “It’s fine. But if you snore or fart in your sleep, you’re getting smothered.”
He laughs loudly, and the sound makes the hair on my arms stand up and my tummy flutter.
When we get to our room, Theo pushes open the door and waves me inside first. The room is lovely, decorated with sumptuous grey wallpaper and a huge king-size bed with a purple tartan thrown over the end. A matching tartan sofa is situated next to it. The furniture is all dark wood and polished to perfection. As I step further into the room, my eyes are drawn to the opposite glass wall, and the view of the loch is spectacular. There’s even a little balcony with a table and chairs. My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I take it all in, just imagining watching the sun set or rise from the comfort of my bed.
Smiling happily, I turn back to Theo and head over, taking my suitcase from him, knowing I need to freshen up before we go eat. As I walk past it, my eyes again take in the plush-looking bed. Glancing from it to the sofa, I frown. The sofa doesn’t look particularly uncomfortable, but compared to the luxurious-looking king-size bed, it’s not something I want to get personally acquainted with.
“So … who gets the bed?” I ask.
We both look over at it longingly.
Theo doesn’t answer, just holds out his fist on his palm and raises one eyebrow. I laugh and match his gesture, and we Rock, Paper, Scissors for it.
He groans when I beat his scissors with my rock.
“Best of three?” he pleads.
I shake my head. “Best of one. You lose, sucker.” I throw my suitcase on the bed and giggle at his disgruntled face.
eight
Lucie
After a quick bathroom trip to freshen up, touch up my make-up, and change my top for a more evening-appropriate one, leaving on my high-waisted jeans, I head back into the room to see Theo sitting on the edge of the bed, watching TV with his back to me, dressed and ready to go. He’s changed his top too; he’s now wearing a short-sleeved black shirt. The room smells of aftershave that makes my skin break out in goose bumps and my scalp prickle.
“Ready to go smash those burgers?” I joke as I slip on some blue heels in place of my red ones.
“Heck yeah.”
He flicks off the TV and stands, turning to face me. He freezes, and I don’t miss the small, barely perceptible widening of his eyes or the tightening of his jaw as he sees me. His Adam’s apple bobs, and his lips press into a thin line before he finally clears his throat and nods, huffing out a long breath, eyes still on me. The way he’s looking at me makes me shift on my feet and chew on my lip. Aubrey would call what he’s doing eye-fucking. I certainly feel thoroughly eye-fucked—and I like it.
“Wow, Lucie. You look great. Really great.”
“Um … thanks. You do too.” Understatement.
I chuckle awkwardly and look down at myself, feeling my cheeks burn at his compliment.
My top is a cute off-the-shoulder baby-blue crop top that shows some midriff and my shoulders. It’s new. One of the many things I treated myself to with my first wage packet after Lucas and I split. I wanted a fresh start, and I wanted to wear stuff I liked rather than things Lucas had thought were suitable. Our—or more correctly, his—circle of friends we hung out with when we did venture out to posh dinners or high-end bars were more sophisticated than my own friends. They were into their brand names and wouldn’t be caught dead in high-street bargains like this one. This shirt is not something Lucas would have said looked great; in fact, the last time I wore a top that showed off a bit of tummy, he regarded me as if I’d lost my mind and kindly reminded me that we were going to brunch with his parents and not a hooker convention. Then, he politely suggested I might like to revisit my choice of attire before he kissed my forehead and playfully swatted my bum. I cried myself to sleep that night and threw away my shirt. When we broke up, I bought as many belly-revealing tops as I could get my hands on as a giant eff you to him. Not that I’ve seen him since the split, but it’s more of a mental eff you, and it makes me feel empowered.
As I look at Theo now, seeing his obvious approval, it makes me feel a hundred feet tall.
“Let’s go then,” I say, staring at my shoes as I push my glasses up my nose, cheeks still flaming.
Silently, he grabs the keycard from the sideboard and heads to the door, opening it and holding it for me to walk through first. We walk side by side to the lift, the air thick with unspoken attraction. I can feel his eyes on me, and I can’t stop smiling. I’ve no intention of doing anything about it, but the way he just looked at me made my thighs clench and my heart race.
“If you’re nervous about meeting my family, don’t be. They’ll love you,” Theo says as he sets his hand on the small of my back.
His thumb strokes across the exposed skin there, and I feel a little shiver tickle up my spine that I fight hard not to show.
“I’m not nervous.” That’s the truth. I’m merely a fake date.
After this long weekend, I’ll never see them again, so I don’t need to worry about making a good impression or fitting in with them. As we agreed, I’m here for the vitamin D, the alcohol, and the free food he promised me.
And maybe some no-strings naked Twister if he keeps touching my back like that …
I am, however, curious about Amy. I can’t help but wonder what Theo’s type is. This girl must be something special if she’s hooked him and his brother so easily. I imagine she is a beautiful, tall, blonde goddess with legs up to my belly button.
We stop at the reception on the way past and ask them to make up the sofa bed in our room while we’re out, and then we head to the restaurant. As we step inside, I hear a girlie squeal and look around with wide eyes as a little girl of about seven or eight springs from her chair and races over, shouting Theo’s name at the top of her lungs. At the table she vacated is an older couple, and they both look over with undisguised interest. I watch, shocked, as Theo’s face breaks out in a grin, and he bends just as the little girl leaps into his arms and hugs him tight.
“Hey, squirt. I take it, you’ve missed me?” he teases, tickling her.
“Yes! God, it’s been so boring here all afternoon. Why didn’t you get the plane with us? You said you were gonna.” She pouts and fiddles with the collar of his shirt.
He shrugs, his eyes quickly flicking over me before looking back at the little girl. “Had to go pick up my date.”
Her eyes suddenly widen as she looks over at me for the first time. “Is this your girlfriend?” she stage-whispers comically from the corner of her mouth.