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‘Is that right?’
‘I wouldn’t lie to you,’ he said softly, tracing a lazy, sensual path down to the swell of her bottom. ‘Not about anything.’
His eyes met hers in the mirror and she stared back at him dizzily.
Before yesterday, she would have told herself it was just words, but she could see the truth written across his face—no, not written, she corrected herself. It was deeper than that. As if it were cut into him like letters into stone.
And the strange thing was that in the past she had hated to be looked at. But here in Oxford, she liked it when Trip looked at her in that fierce, focused, incisive way of his that told her he liked what he saw. Maybe that was why being here felt as if she were in a dream, she thought, but then he leaned down and his mouth found hers and she had no thoughts for anything but him and as her hunger flared, white and brighter than any sun, she reached for the towel around his waist, reached for him.
Punting was a good choice, she thought, two hours later as they took turns to push the flat-bottomed boat through the rippling waters of the Cherwell. Away from the centre, it was quiet and cool on the river. Now, as she lay back against the cushions, gazing up at the sky, it was easy to feel outside time, adrift.
And Trip was great company. Smart, funny, curious and he had that incredible energy and excitement. But it was when he talked about his plans for the business that she started to realise that he was a lot more than just a pretty face. A whole lot more.
Another punt was gliding into view now. Not a couple but a group of women taking photos of each other. She felt an instant flutter of panic as they glanced over at Trip but then her gaze snagged on the magazine one of the women was holding. On the cover, next to a photo of some soap star who’d split from her husband, was the same photo Trip had shown her back in New York, the one from the auction. No doubt because it was one of the few in existence of the two of them together.
So far.
‘Hey...’ Trip turned towards her, and she felt her stomach swoop upwards by the curving uptilt of his mouth. ‘Where’d you go?’
‘Nowhere,’ she lied, watching as the women disappeared. ‘I was just thinking about how different it is here from New York.’
‘Are you missing it?’ There was an edge to his voice that hadn’t been there before.
No, she thought, but as she opened her mouth to reply there was a crash and the punt shuddered sideways. Gripping the sides, she looked over her shoulder to where another punt occupied by a couple had rear-ended them.
‘Sorry.’ The man was getting to his feet, grimacing. ‘That was my fault,’ he said in that clipped, English accent, his cheeks flushed pink. ‘I wasn’t looking where I was going.’
‘It’s fine.’ Trip smiled easily. ‘Really. No harm, no foul.’ To Lily, he murmured, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got this,’ his hand squeezing hers.
The woman in the punt was smiling and crying a little. ‘He just proposed.’ She held out her hand and the small diamond solitaire winked in the sunlight. ‘And I said yes,’ she added unnecessarily.
‘Congratulations!’ Trip turned to Lily and there was a glitter of excitement in his eyes that made her pulse hum with happiness. ‘We actually got engaged earlier this month, didn’t we, darling?’
‘Oh, congratulations.’ The woman leant forward, smiling at Lily. ‘Can I see your ring?’
Beside her, Lily felt Trip shift his weight as he reached to take her hand. He was smiling too, but as she stared down at the glittering band on her finger, she felt a lump form in her throat. The jewels in her ring trumped the other woman’s in size and worth, but they felt cheap and gaudy in comparison. Because of course they were not a declaration of love. Her ring was simply an expensive but impersonal prop selected by Trip, or more likely Lazlo, to persuade the world that their engagement was real.
And it wasn’t that she didn’t know that to be the case, but seeing this couple, feeling their love and hope and excitement, was a crushing reminder that her relationship with Trip was a sham.
She shivered as the sun momentarily disappeared behind a cloud. She couldn’t let herself think about that now. ‘I love the shape of yours,’ she said quickly, ignoring the ache in her chest.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Trip added smoothly. ‘But I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than talk to us. Congratulations again—’
As the couple moved off downstream he met her gaze.
Reaching out, he touched her cheek lightly. ‘You know, I don’t know why you were ever worried about getting people to believe in us. For a moment there, even I believed you. And the shareholders are going to believe you too.’ He smiled then, one of those miraculous smiles that made the earth tilt on its axis. But for once it was hard to smile back.
And that was what mattered, she thought, over the dark ache in her heart. She knew if she sat there, leaning into Trip’s warmth, living the lie, she might shatter.
‘We should be getting back.’
The punt wobbled alarmingly as she jerked to her feet, and she would have lost her balance if Trip hadn’t grabbed her wrist.
‘Don’t.’ She shook him off. ‘What’s the point of being in disguise if you’re going to draw attention to us?’
Grabbing the pole, he steadied the punt calmly. ‘Be fair, Lily. You’re the one who nearly capsized us.’
He was right.
