‘Flick wait, I can explain.’
‘No need.’ Flick waved her hand, hurrying to the door on the other side of the room. ‘What you do in the privacy of your own bedroom is none of my business.’
‘Flick, please.’
She stopped to look at him, cautiously, and thankfully his manhood was hidden behind a cushion.
‘I’m so sorry,’ the man, presumably Luke, said.
‘What do you have to be sorry about, I barged in on you,’ Flick said, shaking her head. So much for first impressions.
‘I’m sorry for the way we met,’ he gestured back to his room. ‘I wasn’t expecting you this early, I thought I’d have a shower so I was somewhat presentable and I hadn’t realised you were here.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Oh, you’re not early at all. I must have lost track of time. Look… I’m not a vain person, I don’t spend hours looking at myself in the mirror, styling my hair. I barely glance at myself before I go out, just enough to check that the t-shirt or jumper I’m wearing isn’t too stained. And I’m not ridiculously proud of my… tackle that I like to stare at it in the mirror. I…’ he sighed heavily. ‘My dad died of testicular cancer when he was thirty-one, the same age I am now, and it’s just made me super paranoid about it. I check myself for lumps every week, I know that sounds weird but—’
‘It’s not weird, I check my breasts regularly too.’
‘That’s… important to do.’
‘It is.’
They stared at each other. They had strayed into very weird territory with this conversation. They hadn’t even been properly introduced yet, and they were talking to each other about examining their bodies as easily as if they were talking about a favourite pizza topping. Would now be a good time to introduce herself? Although Flick didn’t exactly think it was appropriate to hold out a hand for him to shake as he was standing there with only a cushion to protect his modesty.
He had a nice body. It was strong, muscular and toned but not defined by hours down the gym; his muscles, large arms and thighs looked more natural than they would if they’d been achieved by lifting weights. He had a lovely face too, behind those black-rimmed glasses he was wearing.
Jesus Christ, why was she checking him out? And he must have seen her do it too, her eyes roaming all over his body. Now really wasn’t the time.
She gestured to the door behind her.
‘I’m going to go to my room and when I see you next we’ll just pretend this whole debacle never happened.’
‘I like the sound of that.’
She moved over to the door and tentatively pushed that open. It was decorated in pale blue but there was nothing in here to suggest this was where her nan normally slept. In fact there was nothing in the rest of the flat that looked like her nan lived there either. Maybe she had cleared the bedroom out for Flick or maybe her nan was a lot more minimalist than she’d remembered.
She looked back into the lounge to find that Luke was still watching her.
‘I’m not being creepy, I just don’t want to show you my bum as I go back to my room.’
She smirked and gave him a wave before closing the bedroom door.
The bed looked so inviting and, despite it being only nine o’clock, she was exhausted from driving so she decided to call it a night and hope that by the morning she could introduce herself to her new flatmate properly.
She changed into her sleep shorts and vest and climbed into bed. She stared at the ceiling, trying to shake the image of a naked Luke Donnelly from her mind, recognising that spark of attraction as it bloomed to life in her chest. She shook her head, she didn’t need complications. She was here to save the art studios and things could get messy if she got involved with one of the artists and her flatmate. She knew her best friend,Tabitha, would say something complicated and messy was exactly what Flick needed, that she should let her hair down and have some fun. But she would keep things friendly but professional between her and Luke. Feeling better after making that decision she rolled over and within a few minutes she’d drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER TWO
Flick woke early hours in the morning while it was still dark. The weather had been so hot lately that even the night times didn’t provide any respite. She opened the window and then walked out into the kitchen to get a drink. The main living area was in darkness but moonlight was pouring through the large windows that overlooked the bay. She got herself a glass of water and then went to stand in front of the window to admire the view. The sea was mirror-calm, the cliffs, houses and the moon reflecting off the water perfectly.
Just then Luke’s bedroom door opened and he came out but stopped when he saw her.
She didn’t know what to say to him, it was still awkward between them. She’d seen him naked and, despite him saying he wasn’t proud of his tackle, he certainly didn’t have anything to be shy about. She rubbed her eyes, trying to scrub that image from hermind. They were supposed to pretend that had never happened but she wasn’t sure how she’d do that.
He stuck out a hand. ‘Hello, I’m Luke Donnelly.’
She smiled and shook his hand. ‘Flick Hunter.’
‘Good to meet you, Flick. I was just going to grab something to eat, did you… did you want to join me?’
‘I didn’t bring any food with me but I can contribute towards your food until I get a chance to go shopping for myself.’
