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‘Last year I went to Australia to visit an old schoolfriend She’s settled down there—an to forether, Hashim?’ She looked around at the lavish yet soulless bedroom ‘Somewhere that wasn’t in a hotel?’

He played along with her fantasy as she had played along with so o?’

Sienna put her head to one side and considered ‘I guess we’d stay in England Travelling abroad would be too much hassle, and you travel too much anyway It would be sonito—completely free’

‘Does such a place exist?’ he mocked

Sienna nodded ‘I know of a beautiful old converted farht in the middle of nowhere I hired it once for a rock star’s fortieth birthday and everyone was raving on about it’

‘But where would uards stay?’

‘There’s a cottage in the grounds Not too far and yet far enough…’

Her voice tailed off and he read the erotic promise in her eyes An unbearable teive in his life soon, and he knew that it was going to be his relationship with Sienna But before it did…

Couldn’t he have the briefest taste of what it was like to be ‘nor a holiday with a woman who excited and cal succession? Someone as part of his past and now his present, but could never be part of his future…

‘Can you arrange it?’ he questioned suddenly

Sienna blinked ‘You’re serious?’

‘Yes’ He did a quick calculation in his head ‘I can e next weekend, if that fits in with your job?’

She was too excited to notice the faint sarcasm in his voice Or to question whether teekends on the trot was not pushing their luck

She nodded ‘Well, yes—of course I can If we can get it It’s quite short notice—but it should be fine I lish countryside in the middle of February?’

‘Well, I do’

They looked at one another and Sienna started giggling

‘So do I’