bit of a pause?”
“No.”
“So why were you trying to kill yourself?” he asked.
“You may as well have a shower while you’re in here.There are more towels in the cupboard.”
By the time he got out of the shower, Kate had gone and taken the scrunched-up note, which made him even keener to read it.Under the wash basin, Charlie found a packet of razors, a can of men’s shaving gel and three boxes of condoms.All opened.He wasn’t sure if he was pleased or not about that.He hadn’t checked in the wardrobe for men’s clothes, but Charlie didn’t get the feeling Kate lived with or had lived with a guy.No guy could survive without a TV.Maybe the boyfriend only came around for a shave and sex.Bit like him.Except not the shave, because Charlie waited until he got home.Now, he took a perverse pleasure in shaving with another man’s gear.He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t like the idea of Kate having a boyfriend, although he guessed she wouldn’t have been in the sea if she had.
Could she be pregnant?Maybe the guy didn’t want it.Charlie bristled with anger.Whoever this guy was, he was a wanker.Even as the thought curled around in his mind, filtering like smoke into every crevice, Charlie realized he was being stupid.He knew nothing about her.It was because Kate had shown no interest that he wanted her even more.He still couldn’t figure out how she felt about him.Charlie scraped the razor down his cheek but when he heard banging at the front door, his hand jumped and a bead of blood oozed through the foam.He swore and looked down at his naked body.He hoped this wasn’t Kate’s guy.
“Kate, I bloody well know you’re in there.”
Charlie relaxed when he heard a woman’s voice.
“Your car was there, then it disappeared and now it’s back.Let me in.I want to talk to you.”
“Hi, Lucy,” Kate said.
“Are you all right?” Lucy asked.
“Fine.”
“Fine?” The voice rose to a shriek.
Charlie was glad Lucy could see Kate wasn’t fine.
“We know what happened yesterday.You must be devastated.”
And what did happen yesterday, he wondered.
“Can I come in?” Lucy asked.
No , Charlie thought and called, “Kate, I need some clothes, unless you’d prefer me to walk around naked.”
“Oh, maybe not that devastated,” Lucy said.
Charlie sniggered.
“I’ve got a friend staying,” Kate said.“I’ll talk some other time.”
He heard the door close.Then the door of the bathroom opened.A white T-shirt and a pair of sleep pants hit him in the chest.
Charlie dressed and found Kate in the kitchen.
“Going to admit you recognize me now?” he asked.
Kate turned to face him and a flash of heat rushed to his groin.She wore the same as him and looked so sexy, with her hair damp and messed up, he had to force himself not to pull her into his arms and fuck her nonexistent socks off.
“Charlie, my pet sea hippo,” she whispered.
Did she really not know who he was?“Try again.”
Kate screwed up her eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re rather blotchy,” she said.
Charlie burst out laughing.That was a word never applied to him before—gorgeous, seductive, beautiful, never blotchy.“It’s the razor.”
“Oh.Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Do you eat meat?”
“I eat anything.Almost,” he corrected, in case she was into braised brain or grilled gizzards.“Got any wine?” He looked at the empty bottle next to the sink.
“Only champagne.”
Kate took two containers from the freezer, removed their lids and put them in the microwave to defrost.
“Is the champagne in the fridge?” he asked and opened the door.
Kate lurched toward him and slammed it shut.
“Whoa.” He backed off, hands in the air.
“Sorry.I’ll get it.”
“What do you have in there?Body parts?”
“Oh God, you guessed.I like to feed bits of the last guy to the next guy and so on.A little quirk of mine.I suppose you don’t want to stay for something to eat now.”
Kate
“No.”
“So why were you trying to kill yourself?” he asked.
“You may as well have a shower while you’re in here.There are more towels in the cupboard.”
By the time he got out of the shower, Kate had gone and taken the scrunched-up note, which made him even keener to read it.Under the wash basin, Charlie found a packet of razors, a can of men’s shaving gel and three boxes of condoms.All opened.He wasn’t sure if he was pleased or not about that.He hadn’t checked in the wardrobe for men’s clothes, but Charlie didn’t get the feeling Kate lived with or had lived with a guy.No guy could survive without a TV.Maybe the boyfriend only came around for a shave and sex.Bit like him.Except not the shave, because Charlie waited until he got home.Now, he took a perverse pleasure in shaving with another man’s gear.He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t like the idea of Kate having a boyfriend, although he guessed she wouldn’t have been in the sea if she had.
Could she be pregnant?Maybe the guy didn’t want it.Charlie bristled with anger.Whoever this guy was, he was a wanker.Even as the thought curled around in his mind, filtering like smoke into every crevice, Charlie realized he was being stupid.He knew nothing about her.It was because Kate had shown no interest that he wanted her even more.He still couldn’t figure out how she felt about him.Charlie scraped the razor down his cheek but when he heard banging at the front door, his hand jumped and a bead of blood oozed through the foam.He swore and looked down at his naked body.He hoped this wasn’t Kate’s guy.
“Kate, I bloody well know you’re in there.”
Charlie relaxed when he heard a woman’s voice.
“Your car was there, then it disappeared and now it’s back.Let me in.I want to talk to you.”
“Hi, Lucy,” Kate said.
“Are you all right?” Lucy asked.
“Fine.”
“Fine?” The voice rose to a shriek.
Charlie was glad Lucy could see Kate wasn’t fine.
“We know what happened yesterday.You must be devastated.”
And what did happen yesterday, he wondered.
“Can I come in?” Lucy asked.
No , Charlie thought and called, “Kate, I need some clothes, unless you’d prefer me to walk around naked.”
“Oh, maybe not that devastated,” Lucy said.
Charlie sniggered.
“I’ve got a friend staying,” Kate said.“I’ll talk some other time.”
He heard the door close.Then the door of the bathroom opened.A white T-shirt and a pair of sleep pants hit him in the chest.
Charlie dressed and found Kate in the kitchen.
“Going to admit you recognize me now?” he asked.
Kate turned to face him and a flash of heat rushed to his groin.She wore the same as him and looked so sexy, with her hair damp and messed up, he had to force himself not to pull her into his arms and fuck her nonexistent socks off.
“Charlie, my pet sea hippo,” she whispered.
Did she really not know who he was?“Try again.”
Kate screwed up her eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re rather blotchy,” she said.
Charlie burst out laughing.That was a word never applied to him before—gorgeous, seductive, beautiful, never blotchy.“It’s the razor.”
“Oh.Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Do you eat meat?”
“I eat anything.Almost,” he corrected, in case she was into braised brain or grilled gizzards.“Got any wine?” He looked at the empty bottle next to the sink.
“Only champagne.”
Kate took two containers from the freezer, removed their lids and put them in the microwave to defrost.
“Is the champagne in the fridge?” he asked and opened the door.
Kate lurched toward him and slammed it shut.
“Whoa.” He backed off, hands in the air.
“Sorry.I’ll get it.”
“What do you have in there?Body parts?”
“Oh God, you guessed.I like to feed bits of the last guy to the next guy and so on.A little quirk of mine.I suppose you don’t want to stay for something to eat now.”
Kate
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