‘I’m so lucky I’m with someone like you,’ he whispered, as if it was meant just for me to hear.
He began to lean closer. I widened my eyes at him, trying to broadcast a clear message:Back the hell off. But as his face drew nearer, as his gaze lowered to my lips, as it lingered there,shit, skimmed them, traced them, something in me began to wobble. I could feel my previous defiance melting away.
‘So understanding. So forgiving,’ Cam said, his eyes still locked on mine. There was something in them now, not playful, not smug any more, butreal.
I leaned back. ‘Of course, it was only when you told thetruththat I was more inclined to be that way,’ I said, making sure the emphasis was clear.
He nodded. ‘Thank you for believing me when you initially didn’t think I was telling the truth,’ he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. I had never – not once, not for a single second – believed him when he said he hadn’t used that map. But surely, after all the time that had elapsed, he would’ve just come clean. What did he have to lose now by admitting it? Nothing. He didn’t even work for the police any more.
For the first time ever, doubt crept in. What if . . . what if it wasn’t a lie? What if he really hadn’t used it? Hadn’t betrayed me like I thought he had. What if everything I’d believed about him for all these years was . . .
‘I didn’t use it, Lizzy,’ he whispered, so softly that I almost didn’t hear it.
I nodded. I think I might have been about to say that maybe I was starting to believe him; that I needed some time to think about it. But then he leaned in again . . .
I bent my head slowly, almost reverently. The world around me blurred, all sound fell away, and for a moment it was just her and that impossibly strong gravitational force she seemed to exert on me. I pressed my lips to hers.
It was like they belonged there. Like they had been waiting six yearsto come home. Her lips were warm, slightly damp from the heat and humidity of the island.
The kiss was brief, but it said everything that I couldn’t. At least I hoped it did. That I was sorry. That I meant it. That I remembered. That I still loved her. That I’d tried not to love her, but she was impossible not to love. Every unspoken word was etched into that one quiet moment, and I let it speak for me.
I just hoped she was prepared to listen.
CHAPTER 22
‘Fuckity fuck!’ I marched back to my villa, happy to be away from Cam and the awkwardness of that dance and that ridiculous, impulsive kiss. The kiss must have worked, though, because the Blade seemed to accept our story and walked off. Luckily for us, or else the evening might have ended very differently, us-chopped-up-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean differently.
God, why had that kiss felt so intimate?
‘No!’ I said out loud, kicking up some sand with my foot. I needed to get what I’d come here for and leave. No more Cam. No more dances, strange kisses, homicidal cocktails, strip-fighting on the beach, and cupboard wars. He was wreaking havoc on my brain, and I was spiralling. I did not spiral.
As I arrived at the koi pond, I crouched down and searched the water for my fish friend, the one who had looked like he wasn’t doing so well. And when I caught sight of him, my fears were confirmed. He was still rather close to the bottom, and when he moved, there was a strange tilt to his body. I knew immediately it was his swim bladder, and if he was going to survive, I needed to do something. The most common cause of swim bladder issues was actually constipation. He needed to fast for a few days, then be given a laxative and taken out of this pond to avoid any stress. I would have to make a plan.
‘Hey, little guy, don’t worry, I’ll fix you,’ I said. People underestimate the intelligence of fish, because when he glanced up at me, I knew he understood exactly what I was saying.
I stood up again. I would leave this island as soon as I had sortedout that fish and retrieved my camera from Victor’s room. In fact, now was actually the perfect time to do that, because he and Amber were still at the bar. I quickly veered off course and made a beeline for his villa. The door was unlocked, and I looked around before slipping inside.
My camera was right where I’d left it. I climbed onto a chair and plucked it from its hiding place. I couldn’t wait to download this footage. I already had the photo, but recordings like this worked wonders in a divorce settlement, making the guilty party much more amenable to splitting their finances generously.
I raced back to my villa, and was just about to open the door when a voice that was becoming way too familiar stopped me in my tracks.
Was Cam wrong? Did this guy know who we were – or at least suspect something? Because why else would he be here?
I turned and looked at him, and he let out a self-conscious laugh, as if he was genuinely embarrassed. Or was he just a great actor?
‘I swear I’m not following you,’ he said. ‘I’ve just been for a quick swim. The party sort of spilled onto the beach over there.’
I looked towards the beach. He was right. Couples were sprawled on the sand, others swaying lazily to the distant music.
‘I didn’t know this was your villa,’ he added quickly. He was shirtless, his broad chest glistening, his blue eyes looking even bluer in the moonlight. Under normal circumstances – i.e. if this man was not a highly trained killer who liked to do bad things to people with very sharp knives – I might have got him into bed for a no-strings-attached evening of guilt-free, feeling-free sex.God, I needed that right now.But that was not an option. I was not into keeping my enemiesthatclose.
‘No worries,’ I said, in my most casual tone. ‘I was just calling it a night anyway.’ I gave him a small wave and turned back towards my villa.
‘Where’s your fiancé?’ he asked. I froze mid-step. My mind blanked. This was so not like me. I was usually great at rolling with the punches; I could come up with a story at the drop of a hat.
‘I hope things haven’t fallen apart already?’
