Chapter 49 Sarah
SARAH
The taxi pulled up outside the library. It was Sunday night and we were back at Sunshine Bay, which meant my weekend away with Ben was officially over.
Once we’d come back inside the bedroom after screwing on the balcony, we’d had sex twice, then fallen asleep.
Earlier this morning, there was no awkwardness like the first night Ben and I shared a bed. When I woke up, his morning wood was happily poking me and it would’ve been rude to let it go to waste, so we’d had a quickie before breakfast.
Afterwards we’d said our goodbyes to my parents and the rest of my family.
Whilst Ben had gone to the bathroom, Adrian and Debbie gushed about how much they liked him and how good we were together, which made me feel happy and guilty at the same time, because I knew it was likely to be the last time they’d see him.
And just as I was about to leave, Debbie had said, ‘Do you notice that two guests aren’t here? ’
‘Who?’ I’d said.
‘Trent and Esme,’ Adrian had clarified.
‘Oh,’ I’d replied, surprised, but even more shocked that I hadn’t even noticed or given them a second thought.
‘They checked out early because there was a couple going at it all night and screaming each other’s names, so they couldn’t sleep.’ Debbie grinned.
‘Really?’ I feigned innocence as a smug smile spread across my face.
‘And I overheard Esme arguing about how obsessed Trent is about you, and Trent was cussing Esme for staring at Ben all night and accused her of being obsessed,’ she added.
‘Can’t see them two lasting long,’ Adrian said.
‘Sounds like karma to me,’ Debbie replied.
At that point I could’ve done celebratory cartwheels because I’d ‘won’.
And although it was satisfying that they were probably going to break up, once I boarded the plane a few hours later and had more time to process everything, I decided that I didn’t give a toss whether they stayed together or not.
That chapter was now officially closed. I was just glad that I had a fresh start.
Their betrayal was a blessing in disguise.
If they weren’t both arseholes, maybe I wouldn’t have been so open to moving to Sunshine Bay.
I wouldn’t have met Ben and fake-dated him.
And I wouldn’t have enjoyed a weekend of mind-blowing sex.
But now that exciting weekend was officially over and Ben and I would go back to just being co-workers.
It was gonna be so weird trying to act normal and professional around him when I knew all the amazing things he could do with his tongue and how incredible it felt to have him inside me.
The taxi driver opened our car doors and Ben and I got out.
‘You sure you don’t want some cash?’ I asked Ben as he helped the driver take our suitcases out of the boot.
‘My treat,’ Ben said.
He’d insisted that instead of catching the train from Gatwick to Sunshine Bay we should get a taxi to make the journey more relaxed.
Once the driver had gone, we stared at each other in silence.
God, he really was gorgeous.
I’d thought that from the moment I’d first laid eyes on him, but now that I knew how kind and caring he was, and was aware of his many bedroom talents, my attraction to him was off the scale.
We’d only shared a bed for two nights, and although I hadn’t even got back to the B&B yet, I already knew that I’d miss sleeping beside him.
How was that even possible?
‘So…’ I said, breaking the awkward silence. ‘Thanks again for everything. It went better than I could’ve imagined.’
‘You’re welcome!’ Ben smiled and my stomach flipped. ‘I had a fantastic time. Apart from the obvious exceptions, your family were lovely. The wedding was fun and I really enjoyed spending time with you, so thanks for letting me tag along.’
I’d always assumed that he was an arrogant prick.
But having spent the weekend with him, now I realised that was all just a front.
He was actually really genuine. And modest. He hadn’t offered to come to the wedding to get a pat on the back.
He’d done it because he’d really wanted to help me. And that meant a lot.
‘It was my pleasure!’ I said as a flashback of Ben’s head between my thighs popped up. ‘I really enjoyed spending time with you too. You’re a great guy, Ben.’
His eyes widened, then he blushed, like it was the first time he’d ever been paid a compliment.
‘You’re not too bad yourself, Jeffries.’ He smiled. There went my stomach flipping again.
‘So I suppose I should get back to the B&B and work out what to have for dinner,’ I sighed.
‘If you want, you could come back to mine to eat,’ Ben said sheepishly. He didn’t have his normal swagger. He even seemed shy, like he was a teenager asking me to the school dance and was worried I’d say no.
‘I didn’t realise you cooked!’ I said enthusiastically.
‘I’m no Jamie Oliver, but I have some fresh pasta and veg in the fridge that should still be good, so I can whip something up quickly.’
‘You had me at pasta!’
‘A girl after my own heart!’ He wheeled our suitcases to his flat’s main entrance. ‘Pasta’s the best. It’s the first thing I order when I get to Italy. Have you ever been?’
‘Nope. Always wanted to. This weekend was my first time in Spain too.’
‘If we had more time, I would’ve taken you to Madrid.’
‘How close was it to Malaga?’
‘Only a few hours on the fast train. They have some really stunning libraries there. Maybe we can visit one day.’
‘I’d like that!’ I beamed as butterflies flooded my stomach.
‘Anyway.’ Ben’s gaze shifted to the ground. ‘We should, er, go upstairs and I’ll get the dinner on.’
He walked ahead, acting slightly flustered.
Maybe he was nervous about cooking. He shouldn’t be, though. I was just grateful that he’d even offered to make me dinner and take me to Madrid one day.
I knew this was only supposed to be sex and I shouldn’t hope that it could turn into something more, but what could I say? I was a romantic at heart.
Of course, I didn’t know what would happen in the future with Ben or how things would be at work between us tomorrow.
But what I did know was that I was going to enjoy what was left of what had surprisingly turned out to be one of the best weekends of my life.