AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But it was too late for that consideration. For the next few weeks their relationship charade had to continue regardles
s. That necessitated her being with Zander, and it would take a person with more willpower than she had to turn down the option of more time in his arms and in his bed.
‘That would make sense,’ she said, keeping her voice cool and calm, as if they were simply negotiating a simple additional clause to their deal. Though her tummy somersaulted with doubt and anticipation, relief and anxiety in equal measure.
‘Good.’
His smile was warm, his body language relaxed—a return to the Zander she’d got to know over the past three days and she smiled back.
Now he did start the engine, and pulled out on to the road. They resumed their journey, still in silence, but this time it was a silence that spoke of relief, and of a disinclination to start any conversation that might convince them of the sheer idiocy of their decision.
Four days later
‘Do I look all right? Does this work for a Grosvenor family lunch?’ Gabby surveyed her reflection in the mirror in Zander’s bedroom and then turned to look at Zander, who stood by the bed, smiling at her.
It occurred to Gabby that they’d both smiled a lot since she’d arrived the previous evening, and an illogical frisson of unease touched her. Daft. Smiling was a good thing, right?
‘Hmm... I think I need to take a closer look.’
As he advanced towards her, she gestured at the simple patterned drop-waisted dress. ‘I’ve gone for a casual, I’ve-tried-hard-but-not-too-hard look,’ she explained.
He raised his eyebrows in genuine bemusement. ‘You know that makes no sense, right?’
‘It does to me. The point is, will your family think it’s OK?’
‘My family doesn’t have a dress code.’
Now his smile had deepened, and she looked at him with a hint of suspicion as he stepped closer.
‘But let me quickly check something on the back of your dress.’
She swivelled round and in one swift movement, he’d slipped the straps off her shoulders and bent down to kiss the nape of her neck.
‘I think I’d better inspect exactly how you look,’ he murmured, and now he tugged the zipper down.
Desire washed over her and without hesitation she turned and shimmied out of the dress...
Half an hour later Gabby shook her head as she tugged the dress back on, grabbed a pair of heels and slipped them on, too. ‘I can’t believe we did that. If we’re late it is all your fault.’ She regarded her reflection and groaned. ‘Do you think they’ll guess that we just...?’ She waved a hand at the rumpled sheets.
Zander buttoned his shirt. ‘We won’t be late—and if they do, they do. It all adds verisimilitude to the charade.’
‘Yes. Of course.’ All inclination to laugh left her. Had he instigated the whole thing to enhance the charade?
His blue-grey eyes held concern. ‘Gabs... That wasn’t planned. It just happened.’
‘I get that.’
But she wasn’t sure she did—suddenly wasn’t sure if she was overthinking, on the way to insecurity or neediness.
Rising, she glanced at her watch. ‘We’d better go. I don’t know London that well but, according to my phone app, it will take us at least forty-five minutes to get to Gemma’s.’
In fact, the journey across London took just under that, and they pulled up outside Gemma’s three-storey London house at the same time as Julia and her children.
‘Hey, little bro,’ she said.
But before Zander could reply, Freddy and Heidi tumbled out of the car.
‘Uncle Zan-Zan! Look at my new game—it helps me read and it means I get to use a tablet.’
