Page 23 of Scandal Queen

“Leia!”

I wanted to be mad at her lack of enthusiasm, but I knew she had my best interests at heart, possibly more than I did in the moment. “Molly…”

“Okay, okay. So you don’t need me to come down this weekend?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Whatever. And Janine? What should I say to her? She’s worried sick about you. She’s blaming herself, of all things.”

“I’ll come to talk to her as soon as I can.” I stared at the ceiling and chewed on my lip again, making it sore this time. “I really thought you’d be happy for me.”

“Happy my best friend has finally got a boyfriend, hell yes. Happy she’s going to be hounded forever… It’s going to take me a while to get on board with that one.”

“It might not be that bad.”

Molly laughed. “Sure, sure. Okay, I’d better tell Patrick we’ve changed plans.”

“Thanks, Molly. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Well you wouldn’t have a royal boyfriend that’s for sure. If I’d left you in that awful outfit that day he’d never have given you the time of day.”

I chuckled. “I like to think it was due to more than a push-up bra.”

“And you see, that, my friend, is where you go wrong.” She gasped loudly. “Oh my god! Who is going to dress you now? People are going to see you everywhere.”

“They might not.” I cringed, watching my own reflection in the glass of a cupboard door. “We are going to try to stay private.”

Molly howled, taking about three minutes to stop. “Oh my god, you are so funny. I need to go and stitch my sides back together.”

“Bitch.”

“Best bitch.”

I hung up smiling a little, while also utterly shitting myself. She was right. So right.

Six

How right Molly was, came with startling reality.

The doorbell rang. Groaning, I rolled over and threw my arm over my head. “If that’s Louise with breakfast again we are going to have to thank her but tell her we are starting a healthy eating regime,” I grumbled.

“It will be Bill.” The room hadn’t brightened yet. “He’s not happy with being made to stay in the pub overnight.”

I lifted onto my elbows to look at Oliver. “It would be weird having him in here at night. This place is not soundproofed.”

He still had his eyes shut, but he smiled, all sleepy and sexy. Daisy would be awake soon… Not that soon…

The doorbell went again.

“I’ll go and let him in and put the kettle on.”

“Leia.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me back until I pressed against his warm chest. His lips sought mine and for a moment I forgot all about doorbells, cups of tea, and even what planet I lived on. His kiss had the power to make me forget everything. Even my own name. Until the doorbell rang again.

“You know. If we are still staying a few more days, we should get him a key cut. He’s going to wake the whole street at this rate.”

I slipped out of bed, almost mourning the heat of his body before I’d even left the room.

The stairs were dark, and I gave myself a mental high five that I hadn’t tripped and broken my leg; these things were a daily achievement.