Page 38 of The Heartbreak Hotel

Perhaps sensing she’d stepped into a sensitive topic, Ella didn’t pry, much to Riley’s relief. She swirled the amber liquid with a smirk. “I can’t believe you’ve had this here the whole time. What about Senhor Arenoso’s rules?”

“Let’s just say I know a guy.” She forced a smile she wasn’t really feeling. The implications of all the rules she was breaking piled on top of one another, pushing her further into sinking quicksand.

Did Ella expect them to have sex? What if Riley disappointed her? What happened when Ella left? Should she tell her about the anniversary? About Elodie? How the biggest secret was that she didn’t really have anything together at all?

What was she supposed to do?

Nausea rose in her throat, and her breaths came quick and fast, the glass shaking in her grasp.

What if someone found out and she lost everything again?

“Riley.” Ella’s voice was soft. “Do you want me to leave?”

Riley opened her eyes. Ella’s gaze studied her, the frown line etched deep into her forehead.

“It’s just…a lot.”

Ella pressed her lips together, her eyes darting over Riley’s features. “I’m not expecting…anything, you know. This is all far more than I deserve.”

“Please don’t say things like that.” The sharp edge in Riley’s voice surprised them both.

“I’m just saying. You’ve already saved me twice.” She stepped forward and caressed Riley’s cheek. “As long as we’re on the same page, we’re fine. Talk to me. What do you want?”

Talking was so simple, yet so foreign. But as Ella stroked her cheek with her thumb, the stress and sickness in Riley’s stomach slowly ebbed away. She leaned into the warmth with a sigh, the soft touch grounding her. The intimate gesture soaked into every fibre of her being, with Ella’s big, emotion-filled eyes looking back at her, searching, yearning to go deeper. Their connection seemed to surge between them, radiating from the point of contact on her skin, speaking of something that stretched for several lifetimes, a feeling that scientists could never quite explain.

Her energy. Just…everything that was Ella. Riley couldn’t fight it.

She met Ella’s gaze and uttered softly, “I want you to stay.”

They sank down into Riley’s sofa, and she pulled the orange blanket over them. Ella tucked her legs underneath her, her knees resting against Riley’s. Even that was enough to send flutters to her chest, even through two layers of pyjama bottoms.

Riley sipped at the whisky, hoping it would ease her nerves. With the blinds drawn, the only light came from the lamp she’d acquired from the market, casting a soft, warm glow over the room. The rain continued to thud on the roof, and Riley realised she’d completely lost track of time.

Luckily, tomorrow was Sunday, her one day off in the week, so she didn’t need to worry about that. Or the implications of any of this. The fact that a client was sitting on her sofa, in her cabin, wearing her clothes.

Or the fact that she’d kissed her, and now she was tracing Riley’s forearm with her fingertips.

She tuned back into the feeling, chastising herself for worrying about work. She needed to be present. Who knew how much time she and Ella had? How fast things would change?

Time is a storm in which we are all lost.

She met Ella’s gaze, feeling her heart speed up at the soft swirl in her irises. “I’m sorry. I don’t do this…like, never do this.”

“That’s okay. I don’t either.”

“Really?” She found that hard to believe. Ella laughed, and she straightened her face out, feeling it pinched. “But you’re gorgeous.”

The corners of Ella’s mouth curled. She brushed her fingers down to Riley’s wrist, leaving tingles in their wake. “I could say the same thing about you. Have you looked in a mirror recently? You’re like an Irish beach babe Thor but like…hotter.”

“I don’t think so.” She chuckled and shook her head, wet strands tickling her back.

“I do.”

Their gazes locked. Ella’s hand stilled on Riley’s. Her focus fell to her lips, and all she wanted to do was kiss her again. To feel her body light up the way it had at the ruins. To explore this with her without any fear.

But fear had her in a chokehold.

“Did you mean what you said at the ruins?” she asked instead, her voice barely audible over her thundering heart.