Page 29 of Into the Dark
“So you’re naked.”
“Fuck,” he says again and then retreats back into the bathroom.
“You both look like shit, if you don’t mind me saying,” she tells me with one of her dazzling smiles. “Long night, was it?”
“We just talked,” I say quietly. “But it was good. We’re good.”
She pulls me into a fragrant hug. “I’m so happy for you, babe. And I’m so glad you don’t hate me.”
“Of course I don’t.” I squeeze her tight before releasing her.
She looks a bit teary when she pulls back. “Well, we’re just packing up some stuff and then we’re going to head off. Our flight is at five, so I want to drop the dress and things home before we go to the airport. Loads of folk are still here, though, so no rush for you guys to leave. And the banquet room is laid out for breakfast, so go down and help yourselves or get some sent up.”
“Food sounds great right now. I’m so sorry I missed the rest of the night. I was coming down with something, I think. I had a…moment.”
Rob frowns. “What do you mean, a moment?”
The bathroom door opens again, and Jake comes out wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe. “She fainted,” he says.
I give him a wide-eyed glare, at which he looks confused.
“What? What do you mean she fainted? You fainted?”
“Yeah, but it was nothing.” I shake my head. “I barely ate at all yesterday—you know, with the nerves and everything that happened. I feel fine now.” Actually, I still feel exhausted, but Jake was here and everything was better, and tonight I’ll get to sleep with him in my own bed. Tomorrow I’ll be better.
Can I call in sick and spend the week in bed with him? No, I probably can’t.
“Um, okay, doctor, if you say so,” Rob says, unconvinced. She touches the back of her hand to my cheek. “Hmm, your temp is fine, but you do look a bit peaky. Maybe go home straight after breakfast and get some rest? It’s been a bit mental. You’ve been through a lot.” She inclines her head in the direction Jake went.
“Sounds like a plan.”
She nods. “Okay, well, I’ll be back in a week with a camera roll to choke a horse,” she says before pulling me into a tight hug. “Love you.”
“Love you back. Have the best time, okay? And don’t worry. I’m fine.”
She releases me and cranes her neck around the door. “I swear, if you’ve fucked it up again by the time I get back, I’m going to kill you.”
“Rob.”
“Not this time,” Jake says.
“Glad to hear it. Right. Talk soon. Love you,” she says again before whisking herself off down the corridor.
I hook the “do not disturb” card on the door and close it before walking back to the bed. Jake’s sitting on the edge looking delicious in the white toweled bathrobe.
“So, Rob just saw you naked.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s her honeymoon ruined.” His smirk is smug and arrogant, and I can’t help but burst out laughing as he pulls us down on the bed.
We kiss for a few long, languid minutes before I pull back just to look at him and marvel. He’s here. He’s here. I rest my head on his chest, his heart thundering beneath my cheek.
“Where’s she going on her honeymoon?” he asks, his tone conversational.
“Venice.”
“Nice.”
“Have you ever been?”