A Is for Apple by Kate Johnson Page A

into the dark bedroom, peeling off my dress as I did, and then got a hell of a shock when Luke’s low voice came from the bed.
    “Nice of you to check in.”
    Shrieking in surprise, I clutched my dress to me (why, Sophie, why, he’s seen you in a lot less than underwear many, many times) and flipped on the light. Luke was lying in my bed with his back to me, and I stood there staring, noting objectively what a fine back he had.
    The nerve of him!
    “If you think I’m going to sleep with you,” I began, spluttering, unable to think of a dire enough threat to finish that sentence.
    “I don’t give a bloody damn where you sleep,” Luke said, not moving, “so long as it’s not touching me.”
    At that I hurled something at him. I think it was my dress.
    “Why are you even here?” I screeched as Luke threw my dress on the floor and rolled on his back to look at me. I tried to look dignified, but it’s hard when you’re wearing a mismatched pink bra and green knickers.
    “SO17 can’t afford two rooms.”
    “I mean in New York!”
    He stared at me in disbelief. “Because Macbeth got recalled. You do remember that, don’t you? You didn’t think Karen would let you do this on your own, did you?”
    Patronising git.
    I snarled at him, while something in the back of my mind remembered Macbeth’s garbled transmission. Was he going back? Was that what he’d said? That Luke was coming out here? Damn bloody useless phone!
    I slammed the light off and threw back the covers and hurled myself into bed, turning my back to Luke when he did the same to me.
    I waited all night for him to thaw, and I knew it was early in the morning when I eventually dropped off to sleep, but there’d been no reaction from Luke.

Chapter Four
    My body woke up before my mind did, and what my body registered was this—I’m curled up half naked with Luke and he has his arms around me.
    I snuggled closer without really thinking what I was doing, but the realisation must have hit Luke at the same time it hit me, because as I opened my eyes I heard him say in a furious voice, “If this is some plan of yours—”
    “No plan,” I said, heart sinking.
    “So why are you here?”
    “Well,” I said, voice heavy with as much sarcasm as I could muster thirty seconds after waking up, “this is my room, and SO17 can’t afford—”
    “I mean right here,” Luke squeezed me, and I paused for a second to appreciate the effect. Then I looked up at him, and scowled.
    “I don’t know. I woke up like this.”
    “Well, I didn’t—”
    “Don’t you yell at me. It’s not my fault.”
    He glared at me, but I noticed he didn’t do anything to push me away.
    “You didn’t go back to your boyfriend?”
    “Boyf—Luke, will you shut up? I explained that—”
    “Hardly—”
    “I told you—”
    “Sophie, if you walked in and saw me kissing another woman, what would you do?”
    I’d get out my gun and shoot the both of them.
    “I’d expect a rational explanation,” I said with dignity.
    Luke snorted.
    “Liar,” he said, but there was a hint of fondness in it.
    “Look,” I said, “you really don’t need to worry about Xander—”
    “Oh, I wasn’t worrying about him.”
    “I mean as a threat!”
    “Why would I be threatened by an all-American jockstrap like him? Just because you seem to have an affection for that type—and when I say affected—”
    “Oh, fuck off,” I snarled halfheartedly. “Harvey is in love with Angel—”
    “And Harvey Number Two?”
    Had he been speaking to Macbeth?
    “His name is Xander, and there really is absolutely no chance of him stealing me away from you. In actual fact, you’re probably in more danger than me.”
    There was a pause, then, shaking like he was trying hard not to laugh, Luke said, “What?”
    “He’s gay, Luke. At least, I’m pretty sure he is.”
    “Pretty sure?”
    “Well, yes. He knows his designers and he loves shopping, and he thinks you’re really cute—”
    “He