Chapter Eighteen
Ellie woke up refreshed after her extra-long sleep. Who knew that travelling could wipe you out so much? Or perhaps it was the constant shift work and overtime catching up with her?
Either way, she woke up in the most comfortable bed she’d ever slept in, with tropical sunlight streaming in through chalk-white shutters. When she turned, Alex was sleeping peacefully beside her.
Was she in heaven?
But then she realised her mouth was drier than the Sahara.
Thankfully, there was a bottle of water on the table beside her.
She couldn’t remember seeing that last night, she’d been so dead on her feet.
She cracked open the bottle and poured herself a large glass, being careful not to make too much noise and wake Alex.
Alex had kissed her last night. Not because they were in public or putting a show on in front of his family, but because he’d wanted to… Had apparently always wanted to.
She gulped back the water and then crept from the bed. Not only did she need the loo, she also needed to put some distance between herself and the man beside her. She grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe and hurried to the bathroom, locking the door firmly behind her.
Yesterday had been a revelation in so many ways, from Alex’s luxurious lifestyle to his family and the obvious fractures within it.
His poor mum was battling to patch up and gloss over the cracks, everyone else pretending like nothing had happened, while Alex’s bitterness and anger radiated through every interaction he’d had with his brother.
There was a lot going on and she wasn’t even sure how she could help. Then, after confessing the worst time in her own life, Alex had kissed her. Alex King, star of film and theatre, fancied her.
Surely he was just being kind? After listening to her horrendous confession about David, he was probably trying to boost her confidence, make her feel better about that humiliating disaster.
But that kiss… Still completely PG – but also more.
As if he were asking her a question, but she was too dumb to know the answer.
Did he want more from their relationship?
Could she give more? Her attraction to Alex was unquestionable, but she’d locked it away in a box marked SECRET! Open at your own peril.
She stared in the bathroom mirror at the fruit dancing on her pyjama top, and decided that Alex couldn’t have been serious.
Pretend like it never happened. There was no point in embarrassing herself over a silly compliment. They’d sworn to stay friends for a reason. No hurt feelings – most importantly, her hurt feelings.
After getting ready she left the bathroom, to find Alex awake.
He was sat up in bed frowning at his phone, but quickly put it aside with a thump when she walked in.
He’d slept in just his boxers, or at least she hoped he was wearing boxers beneath the covers.
The bare chest on display was enough to short-circuit her brain for several seconds.
‘Hey,’ he said brightly, almost guiltily.
‘Everything okay?’
He glanced back at his phone on the bedside table, and groaned. ‘I’m falling into the alert trap.’
‘Eh?’
‘I get alerts sent to my email whenever my name is used online. You know, gossip columns, tabloids, that sort of thing. I usually put them in a separate folder and forget about them. But now I’ve read a few, I can’t stop.’
Ellie nodded understandingly. ‘How about we leave your phone here for the day? Go cold turkey.’
‘Good idea.’ He pulled back the covers and she was only a little relieved to see he was indeed wearing boxers. Averting her gaze, she hurried into the lounge of their suite, feeling a lot like a Victorian Miss who’d just been scandalised. ‘I’ll just be waiting in here for you!’ she squeaked.
Breakfast was a delicious buffet served in the ‘casual’ dining room, which looked a hell of a lot like a formal dining room in Ellie’s humble opinion.
Everyone was already eating when they arrived, which was surprising as it was so early, and the room was buzzing with excitement for the rehearsal dinner that evening.
‘I thought you had the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding?’ Ellie whispered to Alex, wondering if she’d misunderstood.
‘Not always. Besides, this is more of a welcome barbecue.’
Ellie relaxed. Alex had said the island they were staying on didn’t have any fancy restaurants, and she’d presumed that meant no fancy clothes, so she’d only brought one formal outfit for the wedding.
Now she was here, surrounded by luxury on a private island, she was beginning to think she might have made a mistake with her packing.
Today she’d put on a pair of long linen cream shorts and a khaki vest, with a shirt, also in cream linen, open over the top.
She didn’t want her shoulders to burn and was conscious that Holly had threatened a tennis tournament, and this was the sportiest outfit she’d packed.
Holly was literally dressed for Wimbledon, in one of those tennis dresses she’d seen famous players wear, a little visor cap on her head with her ponytail sticking out of the back.
The rest of the group seemed far more casual, and Alex’s mum was wearing another spectacularly bright and stylish kaftan.
‘Ready for tennis?’ asked Holly expectantly as people began to push aside their plates or prepared to leave the table.
Savannah leaned towards her sister. ‘Perhaps not everyone—’
‘Oh, come on. It’s going to be so boring if we don’t do anything to break up the day. Just a few quick games and then we can start getting ready for later.’
Savannah looked helplessly at Liam, who opened his mouth to speak, but Ellie interrupted him. She had a feeling they were conscious of what Alex had said last night. ‘I’ll play. But not too many games – the hammock on the beach is calling me!’
Holly smirked like the cat that had got the cream. ‘Still don’t want to play, Alex? Your girlfriend apparently does.’ Why did she say the word girlfriend like an insult?
Alex shrugged and grumbled. ‘Fine.’
A short time later they were gathered at the tennis court, preparing for the tournament. Savannah and Liam had also decided to join, despite Savannah’s fear of flying balls, and Ellie suspected it was to try to keep Holly in check.
Caitlyn frowned as they all lined up. ‘It’s not very fair, there’s all men on team groom, except for Ellie.’
Holly shrugged. ‘Not everyone will be good at tennis. It’s a skills game really, so I’m sure it’ll even out.’
Ellie let the comment wash over her. She could tell Holly had been thinking of her as the weakest link in team groom.
Alex was the first to pick up a racket. ‘So, who am I up against? You, Holly?’ he asked with a lift of his brow.
‘Keen to go against me, Alex?’ She giggled, and then shook her head. ‘Age before beauty. Robert and Jessica first.’
Alex’s parents dutifully did as they were told. Jessica didn’t know how to serve, so by default Robert had to. The match was quick, with a lot of good-natured ribbing and laughing at the expense of their parents’ equally bad skills.
‘My parents only built the tennis court for their friends and us. They’re useless,’ explained Alex, but Ellie was pleased to see that he was enjoying the tournament despite his earlier reservations.
Robert was declared the winner, and Jessica gratefully bowed out of the tournament. Tony and Caitlyn played next – Caitlyn was delighted when she won. Tony was apparently more of a running man, the type to enjoy silence and solitude rather than team sports.
Liam played against Savannah and won – a light-hearted and easy-going game, as it was clear neither wanted to incur an injury before their big day.
Holly then declared that she would play against Ellie next.
They tossed a coin to see who would serve, and Ellie was secretly pleased when she won the toss.
Holly looked incredibly smug as she took a position near the middle of the court. She began to slide her hips from side to side like a pro.
Ellie took a deep breath, tossed the ball in the air and smashed it as hard as she could.
Caitlyn had to leap out of the way as it smacked into the fence on the other side of the court, having bounced just once within the lines.
Holly, on the other hand, was still clutching her racket and clearly wondering what the hell had happened. Alex cheered.
‘Wow,’ shouted Keira, ‘that’s one hell of a serve!’
Ellie shrugged lightly at the scowl on Holly’s face. ‘I did warn you that you might not want me to play.’
The rest of the match followed a similar pattern, with Ellie hitting the ball so hard and fast that Holly could never react quickly enough. She only managed to return the ball once, and Ellie took great pleasure in tapping it over the net lightly before Holly could sprint back for it.
‘Team groom wins again!’ Liam said, calling an end to the match.
Alex roared with approval and ran on to the court to lift her in a bear hug as if she were a champion player, and she dropped her racket in shock.
Ellie gulped with fear as he swung her in a circle before setting her down.
At least he’d managed it without any grunting or straining, which was delightful in itself.
‘Serves her right.’ He snorted as Holly stomped away with a furious scowl on her face. ‘You were fantastic.’
Ellie fought to get her breathing back under control, though she wasn’t sure if her elevated heart rate was due to running around on the court or being wrapped in Alex’s embrace.
‘Mark played for the school. We used to practise at a court in Hackney. I’m actually not that good, but Mark liked me to serve to him so he could practise his volleys. ’
‘I thought you didn’t want to play. You should have said you were the third Williams sister.’
She blushed and swatted his arm lightly, but he refused to let go of her.
The silliness of the moment evaporated. Everything fell away but the summery breeze and his ocean eyes.
His head was turned away from his family, so they couldn’t see him when he said quietly, ‘Now feels like a perfect time to kiss you.’
Excitement raced through her veins and she nodded. ‘It is.’
His head bent and his mouth pressed against hers in their practised Disney kiss. Her heart leapt in her chest, and courage and need rushed through her in equal measure, buoyed by Alex’s confession last night.
The last two days had changed something between them. The chemistry that had always been fizzing between them seemed to have reached a tipping point. They were simply dancing along the edge of the precipice, afraid to leap, and yet too far gone to step back.
Wickedly, she pressed closer, her fingers daring to snake to his hips and ever so slightly pull him closer. He tensed, and she was afraid she’d pushed him too far, but then a low moan rumbled in his chest and his mouth opened and his tongue slowly stroked hers, causing a moan of her own to escape.
It was the best kiss she’d ever had. Fantasy and anticipation melting into perfect harmony. She was lost in his arms, and happy to stay that way for as long as he kissed her back.
But reality intervened and he pulled away. ‘My parents are watching,’ he said, chuckling, but looking as shaken as she felt.
Oh God! What was she thinking? She glanced over to his family and saw the surprise on all of their faces, as well as the absolute disgust on Holly’s. The hatred in her eyes burned through Ellie, and a hot wave of shame flooded her cheeks. She’d seen that look before, on David’s fiancée’s face.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, shuffling awkwardly out of his hug. But Alex didn’t fully let her go, just moved one arm to drape across her shoulders as they walked back to team bride and groom.
She lowered her head, feeling guilty, and mumbled, ‘Sorry, I got carried away… Let’s remember our boundaries in future, yeah?’
Alex’s arm dropped from her shoulder. ‘Sure, if that’s what you want?’
She smiled, even though it hurt to do so. ‘Might be for the best. Don’t you think?’
Alex had to play against Keira next, and he won. Holly’s persistent thunderous face brought down everyone’s mood and, in the end, everyone was grateful to part ways and enjoy the rest of their day alone before the rehearsal barbecue.
Ellie and Alex did the same, Ellie muttering about wanting to read through the career information she’d printed out and brought with her. Alex nodded, an unspoken agreement that they would take some time apart.