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But all those woreat character trait And those were only the ones who’d been photographed There were bound to be even ht stands And now she was one of them

A sickly sense of unease rolled through her She could be lying in exactly the saood feeling

Matteo groaned quietly He was coo back under, and then she could slip away—no slances, no shame

His breathing steadied and deepened again and she took her chance, easing out fro out into the cool of the roo toout further

Finally she put one leg down on the floor and backed away fro for the her dress from the chair

She tiptoed across the roo suddenly when it began to squeak But Matteo’s slow, steady breathing carried on as daylight pushed forward, letting her slip out into the hallway

She needed to phone a cab and get out of there as quickly as possible She pulled the door open and paced along the wooden floor, past the photographs of skiing trips and yachting trips, past histhe hallway to the kitchen

There was her bag, and there through the glass was the ice bucket, the strawberries, and her wrap discarded over a chair Midnight’s debris dressed in daylight’s accusing glow

She tugged open the patio door and lifted her bag—but when she turned there was Matteo, fra murkier than the Thames on a winter’s day

‘Hey,’ he said, and his voice was a growl, rough with lack of sleep ‘You’re up already’

He tugged at the waist of his boxers as he walked into the roo the red, raw-looking marks on his stomach Marks that she had made with her nails

She looked away ‘Yes I thought I’d get going I’ve got a lot to do’

He was at the sink She heard the tap running and the sound of water filling a glass

‘You should have said,’ he said, drinking thirstily ‘Could have set an alarm Want some?’

He wiped water from his mouth with the back of his hand and it was co at him made her mouth water, but she shook her head and turned her face away

‘No, thanks Just call me a cab, please’