To Love Honour and Disobey

Ten minutes later she stood on the deck and watched him swimming, tireless strong strokes as he went back and forth parallel to the beach. She was fascinated.

And then she cursed her idiocy. She wasn’t going to stand all morning staring at him. So she went to the main complex, quite determined to find something to do to fill in the few hours till they left. She found the perfect distraction in the beauty spa.

‘Where have you been?’ He looked grumpy as she strode to where he waited by the boat, the bags already stowed.

‘I went for a massage.’

‘I’d have given you one.’

She shook her head and laughed. ‘You know we’re over that.’

He met her gaze for a moment and then looked away. She stood on the boat, smiled and waved to Hamim and then turned her back to the island. Determined to look ahead—in everything.

Only hours later Seb led the way onto the big plane. Ana had never flown first class before and looked around at the amazing space.

‘We could have gone another class up.’ He watched her investigate all the things in the toiletry bag.

‘There’s another class?’

‘Beyond first class we could have had our own suite.’ He looked wistful. ‘Big bed and everything. But it was booked.’

Thank goodness for that. She’d already mentally resigned herself to the fact she’d slept with him for the last time. And after what she’d let the beautician on Mnemba do this morning, there was no way she wanted him to see her even partially naked. It had been a good method of restraint.

He read her expression with grim humour. ‘You don’t want to join the mile-high club with me?’

‘Not today.’ It wasn’t even a lie. Then she saw his surprise turn to determination. Felt his shift towards her as the atmosphere between them thickened to intimate. ‘No, Seb, we’ve left Africa.’

‘We’re still in its airspace, aren’t we?’

‘No.’ They were over it and she was not, not, succumbing again.

Their luggage was the first on the carousel—one of the perks of spending ridiculous amounts of money on seats that became surprisingly comfortable beds. Not that he’d slept a wink of the flight. She pre-empted his move to take her bag, swinging it nonchalantly onto a trolley. He felt super grumpy now.

She turned to him ‘Thanks—’

‘I’ve ordered a cab.’ He cut her off. ‘It should be there by now.’

‘Um…I’ll be OK—’

‘For heaven’s sake, Ana, at least let me see you safely to your place.’

They walked to the rank and he climbed into the cab after her. ‘You’re staying with Phil?’ he asked shortly.

‘Yes.’

A flare of jealousy spiked into Seb’s chest. Stupid. He wasn’t surprised Phil hadn’t said she’d been staying with him. His loyalty was greater to Ana than to him. But it annoyed him nonetheless. If Phil had been honest he might have got to Ana before she’d gone to Africa. Hell, how long had she been staying there?

Added to that, the thought of those two guys sitting either side of her on the sofa drinking their soy decaff lattes or whatever namby-pampy juice was flavour of the month, listening to her pour heart and soul out to them, got his hackles on end. She’d talk to them as she didn’t to him. God, had Phil known about the baby—his baby?

The cab pulled in front of Phil’s building. It wasn’t far from Seb’s home. But it was far enough to bother him. ‘I’ll help you with your bag.’

She raised a single brow. It was only the one pack but he was delaying the inevitable.

She rang the bell. ‘I have a key if they’re not home.’

Of course she did. But they were home. The footsteps came faster; Seb glared up at the security camera.

‘Ana!’

It was Jack—Phil’s partner. The most conservative-as-they-come accountant you’d ever meet in your life. Older than Phil by a good ten years, he was the anchor to the flamboyant interior-design genius who’d just appeared in the doorway behind him.

‘Darling.’ Phil pushed past Jack and hauled Ana into his arms. ‘I was beginning to think you’d been eaten by a crocodile.’

‘Something like that.’ Ana’s tone was caustic.

‘Seb.’ Phil’s eyes glinted as he tilted his head to see who was behind her. ‘The crocodile, I presume,’ he added, closing the door behind them.

Ana turned, looked surprised to see Seb still standing there. ‘What about the cab?’

‘It can wait. The meter’s still running.’ He wasn’t ready to leave yet.

‘Drink, Seb?’