Page 64 of The Wedding Pact

Taking my hand back, I rub my eyes, trying to wake myself up fully. It was a late one last night and a lot of energy was expended. Memories of what we got up to flash though my mind and my morning boner twitches.

But I probably shouldn’t initiate any more sex right now or there’s a chance we’ll never get out of this bed.

I have a lot to do today.

‘Speaking of dull,’ I say reluctantly, ‘we should probably get up and go and mingle with the other wedding guests this morning so my stepbrother doesn’t accuse me of deliberately avoiding him now the wedding’s over and done with.’

‘Which would be a fair assessment,’ she says, looking at me from under her brows.

I frown. ‘Whose side are you on?’

‘I refer you back to my previous statement: no one’s side. I’m just making an observation. If I had a sibling, even a step one, I think I’d make the effort to at least pretend I’m having a good time during their wedding week.’ She sits up and folds her arms. ‘Maybe you should be the bigger man here. Forget the past for the time being and let the guy enjoy his time here without worrying about any fallout from sibling rivalry.’

‘The bigger man, huh? When you put it like that…’ I flash her a suggestive grin.

She gives me a gentle, teasing shove on my shoulder. ‘You really have to win at everything, don’t you?’

I blink at her, my eyebrows raised in incredulity. ‘Who wants to be a loser?’

‘There are different levels of victory though. This thing with your stepbrother could be verging on the pyrrhic for you.’

I let out a small moan and roll onto my back. ‘Yeah, okay. Fair enough. Far be it for me to come out looking like the dick here.’

‘Okay then, let’s get into it. Fruit shots at the breakfast buffet?’ she suggests, already getting out of bed.

I turn to watch her. ‘Wow. Hardcore.’

‘I don’t mess around when it comes to powering up for the day.’

I laugh, enjoying the sight of her standing unashamedly naked in front of me. ‘I like your style. It’s refreshing to be around someone so tenacious.’

‘Thanks. I take that as a huge compliment.’

‘It was meant as one.’

* * *

Ida

There are a surprising number of people already at the breakfast buffet in the hotel when we get there.

I guess all that dancing last night has made people hungry this morning.

A lot of people are wearing sunglasses though, so I expect a load more alcohol was consumed after we’d left to have our own party.

We take a seat at the edge of the room, which affords us spectacular views across the lush green gardens surrounding the hotel, with glimpses of the turquoise sea appearing in flashes through the gently swaying foliage.

Picking up the menu, I glance over it, my mouth already salivating at the sound of the amazing-sounding options.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Raffa glance at his mobile, which seems to be ringing. I fully expect him to pick up the call and walk away to chat business for an hour, leaving me alone here, but to my surprise he refuses it and puts the phone back in his pocket.

I give him a questioning look. ‘Not answering?’

‘I make business calls, I don’t take them,’ he says with an alpha-type of confidence in his voice that hits me deep inside in a very pleasant way.

‘Really? You never answer your phone?’

‘I didn’t say that.’