Meg shut the door behind her and flung her handbag on the bed. She scanned her hotel room and sighed. It already felt empty and wrong coming back here on her own.
She kicked off her shoes and gazed through the double doors to the palm trees and the blue sky beyond. Jack may have given her a kiss on the forehead and assured her nothing between them had changed, but it still bothered her knowing she'd hit a nerve.
She had to keep reminding herself not to take their time together so seriously. It was supposed to be all about fun and sex, not feelings and intimacy. He'd made it clear he knew the rules. Meg just had to work on embracing them herself, so she could ignore this inherent need to delve beneath the surface.
She headed for the bathroom, hoping a soak in the tub would help her relax and clear her mind. While the bath filled with steaming water, she stripped off her clothes and grabbed her purple satin robe from the hook on the door, fastening the sash in place as she went back into the bedroom.
There was one person in her life who could help guide her through this mess. Meg had been texting her best friend with a few details here and there, letting her know she was seeing Jack on a casual basis.
Being late afternoon in Melbourne, Allie would be finishing up last-minute orders and getting ready to close for the day.
Meg dug her phone from her bag and pulled up her friend's number, picturing her moving around the shop with her dark hair in a bun and her usual flower-of-the-day decorating one side.
"Hey! You're calling. Why are you calling me?" Allie's tone reminded her that phone contact was supposed to be kept to a minimum. Emergencies only. Allie put the rule in place so Meg could enjoy her holiday, and so that she could run the shop without the uptight owner breathing down her neck.
Meg tucked her mobile between her chin and shoulder and piled her hair into a bundle, securing it with the clip she'd left on the dresser. "Can't it just be because I miss you?"
"Nope. What's really going on?"
Allie had always been able to read her well, even with little information to go on. Meg let out a laughing breath that turned into a sigh. "Man trouble, or more to the point, me trouble."
"You mean the hot guy? It's a casual thing so no big deal, right?"
Technically correct, but why did it feel so wrong hearing Allie wrap up her time with Jack in such a dismissive way?
Meg wanted to defend him and convince her friend it was more complicated than that, but she'd only be lying to herself as well as Allie. "We had a date this afternoon that ended kind of awkwardly. Now he's spending some time on his own."
A sigh sounded in her ear. There was a hint of laughter there as well, but Meg sensed her friend's frustration. "Some time on his own? Megsy, do you understand the friends-with-benefits thing? The idea is that you only get together to fu--"
"Yes, I know! It was my suggestion to keep it simple in the first place." Not her preferred option, but sometimes you had to be a little flexible to get what you wanted.
"So, why are you with him all the time? If you don't take a break from the guy, you'll just end up getting attached, then he'll wave goodbye at the end, and I'll have to hunt him down for hurting you."
"You're right. I know." Meg wandered into the bathroom to shut off the water. They were all good points and fine in theory, but Allie hadn't seen Jack. If she'd had any idea of the constant temptation Meg had to deal with, it wouldn't be so hard for her to understand this dilemma.
A knock sounded at the door, which turned out to be a blessing since her conversation with Allie was becoming a lecture. "Someone's at the door," she said. "I've gotta go, but thanks for the pep talk."
"Okay, okay." The resignation in Allie's voice suggested she knew Meg would ignore every word of advice, and it would be up to her to pick up the pieces of her shattered, pathetic existence when she got home. "Please, at least try to focus on having fun. Fun without feelings. Love you."
"I will. Love you, too." Fun without feelings. It sounded like such a simple concept, but she'd have to wrestle back control of her own body before that ever happened. Not an easy task since Jack only had to look at her to send her senses into a tailspin.
Meg ended the call and slid her phone onto the bathroom vanity. She hadn't ordered room service, and the cleaning crew had been through hours ago.
Only one person could be standing out there in the hallway, and her heart pounded as she padded to the door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"A groveling idiot."
Her stomach flipped at the sound of his voice. "But I didn't order one."
She heard his soft laughter and couldn't hold back any longer.
Meg opened the door, and there he stood, still wearing the same clothes he'd had on earlier. He looked a little rougher around the edges now, as if the alone time hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped.
Jack's gaze dropped to her bare legs and painted toenails, then lingered on her breasts on the return trip. Meg wondered if he'd worked out that she was naked under there, because she was suddenly very aware that only a thin layer of satin separated her from him.
His eyes met hers again, and his mouth quirked on one side. "So... I came to apologize."
She moved aside to invite him into her room. When he stepped over the threshold, he stopped as if uncertain whether he'd made the right decision coming here.
Meg's gaze narrowed as she looked him over, taking in the swirl of emotion in his eyes, the tension in his features. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and offer comfort that she wasn't even sure he needed.
