Chapter 54
CHAPTER 54
G emma stood and stared at the space. It really was stunningly decorated, but it wasn’t the largest of rooms. There was a small tub chair under the dressing table, but it didn’t look big enough to sleep in, and it wasn’t like one of them could even sleep in the bath, given that the ensuite only had a shower. Added to that, she didn’t have any night clothes to get dressed in, and her jumpsuit wasn’t exactly the comfiest to go to bed in.
“So, how do you want to do this?” Kent said. “Do you want to get undressed and under the covers while I close my eyes, and I’ll do the same?”
“I’m sure I don’t need to close my eyes to see a man strip down to his boxer shorts,” Gemma replied, only for a surge of fear to rocket through her. “You were only going to strip down to your boxer shorts, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” he said, with a look of shock. “Of course I was.”
“Okay,” she said, her pulse going back to normal. “And which side of the bed do you want?”
“I don’t mind, whichever one you don’t want, I guess.”
“Well, I normally sleep in the middle of the bed,” Gemma admitted. “But I’m not sure that’s going to work right now.”
“Possibly not,” Kent agreed.
They were still staring at the bed, pondering what to do, when there was a knock on the door.
“Maybe Magdalen has found us another room, after all,” Gemma said before moving and opening it.
“Apologies from Magdalen.” Despite being nearly midnight, it was a barman from the restaurant, standing there with another bottle of wine in his hand.
“We really don’t need this,” Gemma said. “Tell her thank you, but it’s unnecessary. You can take it back.”
“Do you know Magdalen?” the barman said. “There is no way I’m saying no to her. Just take it and take it home if you want to.”
Sensing that he wouldn’t take no for an answer, Gemma took the bottle, along with the two glasses, and placed it on the dressing table in the room.
“There is no way I need any more to drink,” she said.
“Me neither,” Kent replied. “Maybe we should do as he said and take it home. That way, we can enjoy it together on our next date.”
“Our next date.”
Gemma raised her eyebrows. Her pulse was speeding up again, but it was a different type of nervousness. An expectant one. Like at any moment, something magical could happen. At least she knew she hadn’t been imagining things. Kent was definitely feeling this same attraction that she was. Yet as he stepped towards her, the thought of the two bottles of wine and how he was her boss struck her head. This wasn’t the way something like this should happen. If something like this should happen at all. She edged back, lowering herself onto the bed.
“Can I ask you something?” Kent said.
She nodded. “Of course. You’ve already asked me a lot of questions tonight.”
It was true. Unlike the disastrous date with Angus, where he had spoken only about himself, Kent seemed keen to learn all he could about Gemma. Though there was something about how he looked at her that made her sense this was a little more serious than the conversations they’d had over dinner.
“What happened in your last relationship?” he said.
“My last relationship?”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, it’s just… You’ve got these walls up. I know we didn’t start on a great footing, but I get the feeling that you don’t trust people easily ever, and I thought that might be the reason. But you don’t have to tell me anything. It’s none of my business.”
Gemma let out a long breath of air.
Talking about Robert wasn’t something she liked to do. Robert was in her past, as was the humiliation she had suffered because of him. And that was where she wanted him to stay, but for the first time in years, possibly ever, she felt the urge to tell Kent exactly what had happened.
“Can we get into bed first?” she said. “I think I’d rather be lying down when I talk about him.”