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His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Dinner?”
“Yes. But something less … adventurous than your usual fare.” She thought of the jellied lamb she’d tried the night before and shuddered.
“Toast?” He teased.
She rolled her eyes. “Not that basic.”
“Why don’t you decide?”
“Really?” She shrugged. “Do you have a menu?”
“No. The kitchen will make whatever you order.”
She laughed. “You are unbelievable.” When his expression didn’t shift, she sobered. “You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“So I could order … I don’t know. Like, cornflake pizza, and they’d make it?”
“Yes. But I should warn you, I would not eat it.”
She grinned. “Nor would I.”
“What is your favourite thing to eat? Why do you not order that for us.”
“Really?” She thought longingly of the restaurant she’d worked at as a teenager.
He handed her the phone, but whispered, “No breakfast cereals or toast.”
She gave him a mock salute then turned her back on him. She heard him leave the room, and wondered briefly where he had gone. She already felt cold, with his contact withdrawn.
Dinner ordered, she moved through the palatial apartment, in search of her temporary lover.
She found him in the second bathroom along the hallway. A spa bath was perched in the corner, flush to enormous tinted windows that showed a glorious view of Hyde Park. It was half full, and covered in thick, luscious bubbles. They were scented with strawberries and vanilla. A bottle of Dom Perignon sat in a chiller on the edge of the bath.
And Layth was naked.
“Join me.” He held a hand to her and slowly pulled her against his body.
He spun her around so that he could unzip her dress. It slid to the ground and she stepped out of it. Her underwear followed, and finally, her shoes.
The bath was perfect. Warm and fragrant, it served as an antidote to any of her day’s frustrations. She lifted her knees to her chin and watched as he stepped into the water. He handed a flute of champagne to her, then held his own to its rim. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” she repeated, her eyes locked to his as the bubbles danced on her tongue.
“Where in Australia did you say you are from?”
“Adelaide. A little city, in the South.”
“I know where Adelaide is,” he nodded. “Do you miss it?”
She thought of home. The enormous expanse of rugged, wild coastline, the hills that groaned with the weight of grapes and kindness, and the valleys to the north and south. But how could she think of home without imagining her mother and stepfather?
“No.”
Her short answers reminded him of the first night they’d met. She’d been similarly vague then about her past. A small red flag was setting up camp somewhere in his brain. “Have you gone back to visit, since moving to London?”
“No.” She let her gaze drift towards the windows. The city was blanketed by night now, and the buildings glowed with warmth. “I haven’t been home in ten years.”
