Plus One Is a Lucky Number

by Teresa F. Morgan

  “Night,” he said as he got into his bed.

  “Adam, you sure you're okay on that sofa?” She watched him try to get comfortable.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Sophie leaned over and turned the lamp off. She shuffled to get comfortable, pulling the sheets up over her.

  She lay there, in the dark. Hotel rooms were always so dark. No streetlights – although a rarity here on the coastal edges of Cornwall – could stream in through the thick lined curtains. Blackness. If it was a clear night, the stars would be on full display. She closed her eyes. Adam on that couch. His feet dangling off the end …

  She let out a sigh and switched the lamp back on.

  “What’s up?”

  “Adam, this is ridiculous. We’re both two mature adults. This bed is huge. It can practically sleep a whole football team in here, and still have plenty of room.”

  “Now you’re exaggerating.”

  “Please, get in this bed.”

  “I’m fine, honest.”

  “You can’t sleep on that sofa!” She jumped out of the bed, her hands on her hips, defiant. “There is so much room in this bed. I won't be able to sleep knowing you‘re on that thing. I feel guilty enough as it is.”

  “Sophie, I don’t mind.”

  “Adam, I’m not taking no for an answer. I’m not turning this lamp off until you are in this bed.”

  “Now there’s an offer, a woman ordering me into her bed,” he teased. Seeing she was still deadly serious, his tone sobered. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am sure,” Sophie said impatiently, sighing. “I am sure I’ll be able to control myself. How about you?”

  He chuckled, shaking his head in defeat. “Okay, okay.” He grabbed his pillows and walked around to the other side of the bed. Sophie got back in. He stripped back the sheets that had been tightly tucked in by the maid and slid into the bed. “Happy now?”

  “Much better.”

  Adam pulled the sheets over him. “Okay, I’ll be honest – this bed is much more comfortable than the chaise longue.”

  “See?”

  Adam fidgeted for a moment, turning onto his side, and then back. “Do you mind if I take off my top?”

  She shook her head and he stripped off his T-shirt and threw it beside the bed. Sophie glimpsed muscular shoulders.

  For a workaholic he’s certainly well defined.

  Stop it.

  “You know, I’m not quite use to, well, wearing –”

  “I’d guessed that,” Sophie interrupted him, laughing.

  Once she’d seen he had settled in his side of the bed, she turned off her lamp. Darkness surrounded them.

  She turned over to her side and then back towards Adam – not that she could see him. She giggled.

  “What?”

  She lay on her back, still giggling.

  “Am I the first woman you’ve shared a bed with that you haven’t –?”

  “Yeah, and if you tell a soul,” Adam cut in, chuckling, “I’ll make you work on the shop floor for a week, providing all the Oilers cups of tea.”

  “You can’t.”

  “I can. Best of buddies, me and Mr Thomas.”

  Sophie laughed loudly. Once she’d controlled her laughter, Adam spoke again. “So what are we doing tomorrow, if the wedding is Saturday?”

  “Oh, sorry.” Sophie chewed her lip. “I got bullied into it by Cassie. They want to go to the beach. Can you surf?”

  Adam let out a groan.

  Chapter Seven

  Sunlight streamed through a small gap in the curtains. Although subdued by the double-glazed windows, the Cornish wind racing off the Atlantic whistled and howled outside the balcony enough to rouse Adam.

  He opened his eyes to the sight of Sophie asleep only inches away. During the night, they’d both managed to find the middle of the bed. She slept on her side, facing him. One of her hands curled round the sheets, the other almost touching him.

  Gently, fearing he’d wake her, he rolled over and glanced at his watch, relieved to find it wasn’t too early, nearly half past seven. He looked back. Sophie still slept.

  He was glad she’d insisted on him sleeping in this comfortable bed; it was large enough he'd felt like he had it to himself. A first, too - sleeping with a woman and not expected to perform, even if she had made a joke about it. Maybe that was why he’d slept so well.

  Sleeping, she looked pretty and peaceful. He studied her face more than he'd have dared to if she were awake. Her long, dark eyelashes covered her brown eyes. His mind travelled back to their kiss. He smiled. Her lips were inches away from him, relaxed in sleep. Kissable, soft, full lips. He shifted uneasily. It was morning, and watching her was not helping dull his arousal. He could quite easily kiss her, wake her …

  He threw cold water over his thoughts and turned them instead to their conversation last night. Well, now he knew the truth about why she was on edge around Simon. Last night Simon had obviously done something to upset her, although she wasn't letting on what. Keep an eye on him, Adam told himself. Even with what Sophie had confessed, he still couldn't quite understand how a woman like her had fallen for a guy like that. Maybe he'd find out.

  Fighting the urge to scoop Sophie into his arms while she lay there, like he would do with any other woman, Adam decided he didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in. Not while she slept. Not while his brain resided lower down. If he touched her, she might wake, and that could be embarrassing … or get him into very hot water.

  He’d get up, order breakfast and a paper. Yeah, that would work, too. Make the most of the quiet time. Bring himself back to his senses.

  ***

  Sophie awoke, stretching and sighing. Opening her eyes, she realised Adam’s side of the bed was empty. Adam was sitting on the chaise longue in his pyjamas, one hand clutching a paper, the other holding a cup of coffee.

  “Hey, morning,” she drowsily groaned. “Did you sleep okay?”

  Adam looked up from his paper and gave her a smile. Would she ever get used to his smile? It made her quiver inside every time. If she were a puppy, she’d be wagging her tail in response.

  “Yeah, great, thanks,” he said.

  “What time is it? How long have you been up?” She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

  “Not that long. It’s about eight o’clock.”

  “Eight! I said we’d meet Cassie for breakfast at eight.” Sophie abruptly sat up.

  “Relax. I’m sure Cassie will forgive you. Besides, I thought breakfast in bed would be better.”

  “Better why?” Sophie scratched her head and stretched again, trying to clear the fog from her brain.

  “Think about it. Not being down there, well, can act for us.” He gave a sly smile.

  “Oh.” Sophie blushed, now feeling very awake.

  “This way, we can let it work for itself, for very little effort.” His tone deepened sexily. “I could be feeding you fruit. Let them think we’re at it like –”

  “I get the picture!” The thought sent guilty sensations through Sophie’s body. Visions of him feeding her grapes, wearing only a short towel tied around his hips, was a very awakening experience; one she needed to bury at the back of her brain.

  “And we get to relax, not having to pretend to be something we’re not.” He smiled reassuringly.

  “Though Cassie will tease us about it later, I’m sure.” Sophie pulled the sheets back and got out of bed.

  “Let her. She’d probably tease you anyway. In the meantime, coffee and a croissant, sweetheart?” Adam smirked, leaning across to the low table in front of him and holding up the coffeepot.

  She narrowed her eyes playfully. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  If only she was his sweetheart …

  ***

  During breakfast, they both read the papers delivered with the room service. Adam was glad they could relax in one another's company. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. The deliberation in her face as she read, the way s
he licked her finger to turn a page. He’d never done anything so normal with a woman. He was captivated, watching her concentrate and read.

  He loved women; he’d had plenty of girlfriends, albeit short-lived romances. Some lasted longer than others, but he’d always been honest from the start, never wanting anything complicated or serious. He was too busy for that kind of commitment, and luckily, so were his girlfriends, with their fast track careers. When he started feeling their neediness, he’d nip the fling in the bud, hoping to minimise the damage. Maybe the reason he’d not looked twice at Sophie originally was because his type of woman were immaculate, morning and night, rushing off the morning after with a ‘ciao, I’ll call you’. They never relaxed, they didn’t have time to. That was the way it went. It was his choice. He was happy with his lot.

  But was he now?

  This felt strange, yet good. Relaxing. Maybe James had been right. He did need a holiday, a change.

  Sophie sat in her conservative cotton pyjamas - which Adam found tantalising - her hair still tangled from sleep, not a trace of make-up on her face. Absolutely natural, and there was something so gorgeous about it, it unnerved him.

  “What?” Sophie looked up from the newspaper, catching his stare, and frowned at him.

  “Nothing.” Adam went back to reading his paper. But he couldn't concentrate. “Um, when are we going to the beach?”

  “Oh, I’d forgotten about that.” Sophie reached for her mobile phone. “Maybe we’d better start getting ready.” She sent a text message.

  It beeped back a minute later. “We’ll meet them down on the beach.”

  Adam nodded, trying to hide his anxiety. Not so much about the beach, but he couldn’t surf, and imagined Simon could, being a local. He had the impression Simon would be trying to show Adam up wherever he could – especially after last night. Was Adam about to be moved out of his comfort zone? He made another note to himself on how to kill James – slowly.

  Sophie sighed. “I'm sorry for dragging you down here,” she said, obviously spotting his tension. “Especially without letting you know what you were in for. You don’t do weddings, do you?”

  Adam folded the newspaper. “No, no, I can’t say I do.”

  “You’re not sure about marriage, either, are you?” Sophie said. She’d read him easily. His parents’ divorce hadn’t been pretty, even though he’d been old enough to not be involved. But he’d seen the signs at a young age of a failing marriage. His father working late, his dinner left in the oven. He’d be already tucked up in bed but the arguments kept him awake. He wasn’t prepared to risk putting anyone else through that, not with his father’s blood running through his veins.

  “I do wonder if it’s overrated,” he replied. “As you said, I’m a workaholic; hardly fair on a wife.”

  She put her newspaper down, frowning. “Is that what happened? I mean with your parents?”

  Was his past written all over him? He could open up but …

  “Sophie, it’s not something –”

  “Sorry.” She shook her head. “You’re right, it’s none of my business.” She stood up, grabbed some items from a drawer and headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  Adam sighed. His family wasn’t something he talked about.

  ***

  Sophie had lied to Cassie last night. She had brought a bikini with her, in case she and the girls needed a tanning session or a special spa treatment, but not to gallivant around in on the beach.

  She stared into the mirror, having a momentary panic at how revealing the bikini was. Yesterday, when Adam had mentioned the pool, she’d dreaded the idea of him seeing her in a costume. It was never going to happen. Until Cassie had this bright idea to go to the beach today and it hadn’t rained.

  Did she really want to reveal so much flesh? He was a stranger – almost.

  Stupid really, as there would be lots of people on the beach and they’d all be strangers and yet she wasn’t worried about what they thought.

  Sophie emerged from the bathroom with a sleeveless, cotton blouse and denim shorts over her bikini. Adam was ready, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and knee-length shorts. She filled a bag with a beach towel, sun cream and sunglasses, slipped her feet into some sandals and they headed for the beach.

  “It’s windy today,” Adam said, taking Sophie’s hand as they wandered along the coastal path from the hotel.

  “Yeah, there’s a sheltered part on the beach,” Sophie said, taking lead on the narrow path. As the tide was low, they could take a short cut onto the beach. She’d been reluctant to let go of his hand, but within five minutes they were walking on the wet sand, strolling towards the sea and her hand was firmly back in his.

  It was blustery but not cold, with the sun burning down on them and no clouds in the sky. They soon found their friends on the beach. Natalie, Gareth, Simon, and Cassie were all sitting on beach mats and towels. Cassie had huge sunglasses over her eyes, drinking from a large bottle of water and groaned frequently.

  “Ah, there you are. How many tequilas did I have, Soph?” Cassie asked as they approached, her voice hoarse.

  “A lot more than me,” Sophie said, unable to hide her smirk. That would serve her right. Sophie’s head felt fine, amazingly. Maybe it had something to do with the good night’s sleep she had.

  Simon was sunbathing on his towel, his surfboard beside him and his golden torso on full show. Yes, he still had his perfect physique. His manual job and obsession with sports and surfing contributed to his six-pack. He was good looking, Sophie didn’t doubt that. The thing which made him unattractive – especially now – was he knew it. At least Adam seemed to carry some modesty about him.

  Sophie and Adam sat down on their towels.

  “Who’s for a surf? Adam?” Simon said, looking over, removing his sunglasses.

  Adam chuckled. “I don’t surf.”

  “Ah, yes, a city boy.”

  “I got Gareth to bring down the volleyball net,” Natalie interrupted, possibly aware Simon would try to score points against Adam. “I like volleyball.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Adam said.

  “I’m in,” Simon added, grabbing the net.

  While Gareth, Adam and Simon set up the net, Sophie removed her blouse.

  “You told me you didn’t have a bikini!” Cassie squealed.

  “Shh! I wasn’t really sure I wanted to do the beach,” Sophie said, scowling.

  “Oh, I get it. Simon.” Cassie was so wrong. “Hun, you have nothing to hide. You’re gorgeous, I say flaunt it and let him realise what he’s lost.”

  “I’m sure he hardly cares.” Sophie tied her hair back into a rough ponytail and started applying sun cream.

  As Cassie opened her mouth, Sophie gave her a warning look. Adam returned to Sophie’s side.

  “Do you want some help?” he asked.

  “Uh, okay, thanks,” Sophie nervously mumbled. Adam knelt behind her and gently massaged the cream into her back and shoulders, sweeping any stray hairs off her shoulder, and knowing Cassie was watching, laid a kiss on her neck.

  Sophie was turning into some sloppy mess internally. It’s an act. Just an act. Yet, she could have easily relaxed onto the towel and let him rub cream into her back all day long, his firm hands gently caressing her.

  “Can I borrow some?” he said, bringing her back to the here and now. “You can even rub it in.” He smiled mischievously. Adam stripped off his shirt and Cassie wolf whistled.

  “City boy’s giving you a run for your money, Smarmy,” Cassie said, giving Adam an appreciative glance. For someone who worked in an office all day, Adam had an equally toned body. Like Simon, Adam had good muscle definition and broad shoulders, and beautiful biceps. “Sophie, you’re one lucky cow!”

  Adam chuckled and looked at Sophie, who quickly remembered to close her mouth.

  “She’s right. For a workaholic, when do you find time to work out?” Sophie teased, starting to apply the cream to Adam’s back. She so wanted
to rub the cream into his stomach and that chest, but realised he could reach those parts himself. Damn shame... Sophie licked her lips, for fear of drooling.

  “I use my gym regularly, and swim,” he said.

  “When you’re not playing golf.”

  He grinned, showing off his sexy laughter lines. Sophie wanted to kiss him.

  “Right, that’s you done.” Sophie decided she couldn’t take it any longer. She was losing all self-control and forgetting this was pretend.

  “Shame, I was enjoying that.” He leant in, whispered in her ear, his lips brushing her cheek. Everything he did was for show. And it worked. He even had her convinced. Sophie worried whether she should actually be reacting to it the way she was, and tried not to let on. If Adam realised the effect he had on her, would it turn sour? Or would he play on it further? Hopefully he’d think she was pretending too.

  “They want to play volleyball, remember?” She winked.

  He stood up, brushed the sand off, then held out his hand to help Sophie up. He held her hand walking over to the make-shift court. It was windier out, away from the rocks, but Sophie was grateful for the cooler air.

  The group chose the teams and Sophie, crap at volleyball – it was a sport after all – decided she would stay at the back, out of the way. Gareth and Simon teamed up with Natalie, while Cassie, Sophie and Adam were the opposition.

  They played for about half an hour, Cassie’s hangover disappearing. Cassie, good at the game, high-fived Adam each time they scored. Sophie loved how her friends got on with him. Simon was starting to become a distant memory, even with him staring her right in the face.

  They took time out to have a drink and all sat on the sand, laughing and joking. But Sophie’s good mood evaporated when she noticed a couple of women heading their way. One of them was Zoe. Cassie must have noticed her expression, because she put an arm around her.

  “Sorry, hun, that’s me and my big mouth last night,” Cassie spoke softly so only Sophie could hear. “I told some of the girls we were meeting on the beach, and she must have overheard.”

  ***