After the End Read online

  He laughs.

  This feels good.

  Looks like Legoland is working already.

  Linc and I walk along the path to the hotel together, him now sporting a smirk rather than a moody half-scowl.

  Inside the hotel lobby is a soft play style ring filled with Legos, which a few children are playing in while their parents check in. I know Lego is predominantly aimed at children and all that, but I wish they had adult-only breaks here. I wouldn’t mind a day on the rides and then an evening of getting drunk.

  “Are you checking in?” a tall, skinny man behind the front desk asks. Behind him is a wall of Lego figures.

  Linc lifts his eyebrows, and I get a small glimpse inside his head. He thinks it’s obvious that we’re checking in. And it is.

  “Please,” I say before Linc. “We have a room under the name Reid.”

  Because being on top of him would be awful!

  He smiles and taps away on his computer.

  “Our friends just checked in a minute ago, under the name Jack Peters. Any chance we can not be near them?” Linc asks.

  I nudge his side. So, I don’t want to be near Hanna and Jack if they’re going to have loud sex, but you’re not actually supposed to ask that of the staff.

  The man eyes Linc like he doesn’t understand the question.

  “Never mind,” I say.

  He looks back down and taps again. “Okay, you are in pirate room three-oh-four.”

  I smile and take the key cards. “Thanks.”

  Linc and I take our bags to the lift. He smirks at me as he presses the call button.

  “What is so amusing here?” he asks as we wait.

  “You do know the rooms here are all one king bed and a bunk bed? Shotgun on the king!”

  He deadpans. “You think I would make you sleep in a single bunk bed while I’m starfishing in a king?”

  “Hmm … no, I don’t actually. But I should take the bunks. You’re a lot taller than me.”

  Linc is a foot taller to be exact, far too long for a kid’s bed.

  “I’m fine, Tilly.” He slings his bag over his shoulder as the lift doors slide open, and he waits for me to step inside.

  I follow him in, wheeling my bag in with a little more force than necessary and almost whacking it against the wall. He laughs, shaking his head.

  “What?” I ask.

  “We’re sharing a room.”

  “Why is that funny?” I question.

  “Not funny, just … you’re okay with it?”

  I fold my arms. “I am. Are you? I mean, it’s expensive here, and the beds are at opposite sides of the room. The bunk bed is in kind of a nook, so I really don’t see how—”

  “Breathe, Tilly. I’m joking. But you’re not convincing anyone. You know that, right?”

  What?

  My heart skips a beat.

  “I’m going to need you to elaborate,” I tell him.

  “The room. You do want us to challenge Hanna and Jack.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. He doesn’t know what I’m really thinking. Or perhaps he’s more accurate than even he knows.

  “Oh, that’s definitely it. I just can’t—”

  “Ah, we’re here,” he says, cutting me off as the lift stops.

  He walks past me, shuffling to the side to get by. I wait a second because he smells good—like him, like the past, like a million times I’ve laughed and felt free and safe.

  Snap out of it, Tilly!

  Gripping the handle of my case, I dash out of the lift and follow after Linc. I hand him the key card, and he uses it to unlock the door, holding it open for me.

  “Thanks,” I whisper, sliding past him.

  The room is smaller than I remembered. Linc somehow seems to take up a lot of space. He’s everywhere in here already.

  “I need a shower before we all go out,” I say, tugging my case into the bathroom.

  What I really need is a few minutes away from him to catch my breath and clear my mind. Linc has this foggy effect on me.

  I close the door and firmly twist the lock. Turning my body, I lay my back against the door and breathe.

  22

  Linc

  Jack texted to tell us to meet him and Hanna at the bar in ten. I showered before we left, so I’m just waiting for Tilly to get out.

  My head is all over the place. She’s naked and only meters away from me. The sound of water spraying from the shower is torture, knowing it’s hitting her body and gliding off. There is a very flimsy door between us. How quickly that could be broken.

  She’s wet and naked!

  I want to see. I want to pretend like I heard a scream to use as an excuse for bashing down the door, but I haven’t lost full control of my faculties just yet.

  She would kill me.

  The walkway from the nook where my damn bunk bed is to her king-size bed is short, and I pace it in seconds. I’ve already tucked away the key in my wallet since I tend to lose those fucking things, put my phone and wallet in my pocket, sorted out my hair a thousand times, and straightened up the room. Anything to keep me occupied.

  Of course, I pass the bathroom in the middle each way, which doesn’t help.

  I turn, ready to do another lap, my pulse buzzing from the knowledge of her bare skin on the other side of the door when said door flies open.

  When did the water shut off?

  Tilly walks out, wearing a pair of wonderfully short denim shorts and a white top. “You okay?” she asks, pulling her case along with her.

  Shit, those shorts barely cover her arse.

  I’ve never been more grateful to a clothes designer before.

  What a legend.

  “Uh-huh,” I mutter like an idiot. “Jack wants us to meet them in the bar.”

  Tilly’s grin widens. “Good. I’m ready for a drink.”

  So am I.

  We have park tickets for tomorrow, so today is all about eating and drinking apparently. At least I can do one of those things. I don’t drink, so this could be a long night for me. Not that I don’t enjoy watching drunk people and then being incredibly loud the next day.

  Plus, I love Tilly drunk.

  “I’m ready,” I reply, gesturing toward the door. “Let’s get you to the bar.”

  She lets go of the handle of the case and raises her arms. “To the bar!”

  “You’ve not even started yet, and you’re being obnoxious.”

  Grinning, she replies, “It’s a talent.”

  Did she pop or snort something in the bathroom there?

  She is so different when there’s a few hundred miles from home and her parents. This Tilly is the one I know and love.

  “How sick are you going to be tomorrow?”

  She shrugs. “I’m not going to get too drunk tonight. Probably.”

  “Great. I’m carrying you back to your bed.”

  “It’s only a few meters past your bed. I think you’ll cope.”

  “What if I can only make it to my bed?”

  “You can barely fit on there, let alone both of us.”

  That would not stop me.

  “Oh, I think I could make it work.”

  She rolls her eyes, and with a wide smile, she practically skips toward the lift. “I’m sure you could.”

  “All you have to do is say the word,” I reply, lifting an eyebrow and leaning against the wall as we wait for the lift.

  “I’ll bear that in mind when I’m alone and horny,” she replies.

  Fuck.

  I clench my jaw as every ounce of blood in my body heads to my dick. “You tell me the moment you’re horny,” I rasp without the hint of playfulness.

  Rolling her pretty amber eyes yet again, she steps into the lift as the doors part. “Linc, you’re more of a horny teenager now than when you were a teenager. What gives?”

  I follow her inside and grip the handrail running the length of the wall. Leaning closer, I bend my head and reply, “Beautiful woman sleeping in the same room a
nd talking about lying in her bed, throbbing—” Or that’s just what I’m hoping.

  Her hand flies up, cutting me off. Her eyebrows snap together in a frown, but her pupils dilate. The temperature in the lift just shot up a few thousand degrees. My mouth parts as I try to get oxygen to other organs.

  The lift has suddenly halved in size. My gaze flits to her pink lips.

  “When did you get so bold, Linc?”

  Laughing, I take a step back and shake the naked thoughts from my mind. “I apologise.”

  We both know I don’t mean that. There is no apology for how I feel about her or what I want. There are a lot of things in my life I’m sorry for, but loving Tilly will never be one of them. I’m not sorry, and she’s not really offended over me coming on to her.

  But I have to be careful. When she’s back to her playful self, it’s so easy to get caught up in what I feel, and I need to watch that. She’s not ready for anything, and I’m sure as hell not willing to be a regret.

  If we get together, she’s not going to have second thoughts.

  That calls for patience. I’ve had an abundance of patience when it comes to this girl. She is worth the wait.

  Tilly walks out of the lift first, brushing past me while fluttering her eyelashes. Yes, she knows exactly what she’s doing.

  Hanna and Jack already have a table when we get into the Skyline Bar in the hotel. There’s a beer waiting for Tilly and a Coke waiting for me. Hanna looks up and waves her hand even though we’ve seen them.

  Tilly takes off, sits down, and grabs her drink. I could be looking at her four years ago.

  Her best friend notices, too, and she watches Tilly with questioning eyes and a smile on her mouth. She sees the difference in her friend, and she likes it as much as I do.

  I wonder if Tilly feels it.

  “Okay, if any of you gets wasted, I’m not sitting near you on any rides,” Tilly says, raising her beer to her mouth.

  “But you said you’re drinking,” I remind her.

  She takes a sip, her lips stretching around the rim of the bottle. My dick thickens.

  “Yes, but I didn’t say I was getting wasted.”

  “Right. Of course.”

  “Tills, you’re the worst one when you’ve had too much,” Hanna chimes in, nudging Tilly’s arm.

  I laugh. “I can’t wait to talk very loudly tomorrow.”

  She turns to me, her body twisting to face mine, and we might as well be alone. “Don’t you dare!”

  “I thought you weren’t going to get wasted.”

  “I didn’t think you were middle-aged yet, Granddad.”

  I lift my eyebrow. “You think middle-aged people are grandparents?”

  She purses her lips. “Some are.”

  “Okay, whatever. Just don’t be sick tomorrow.”

  I’m in love with her, and nothing could ever put me off, but I don’t fancy waking up to her being sick in the bathroom. Going from her being wet and naked in the shower to chucking up in the toilet is a bit of a step down.

  “I haven’t been sick because of alcohol since I was eighteen,” she states proudly.

  “You should put that on your CV.”

  Rolling her eyes, she slaps my forearm. “Sad thing is, that would actually be the best thing on my CV.”

  “You aced your exams. I think an employer would be more impressed with all As than can get wankered without chucking.”

  She laughs, shaking her head. “Wankered. I haven’t heard you say that in a long time.”

  “I think it was Jack who first called getting drunk that.”

  “It was, man,” Jack says, cutting into our conversation.

  Right. We’re not actually alone.

  Tilly’s gaze slides to Jack before returning to me, like she’s just realised the others are with us, too.

  “Drink up, guys. We’ve got a long day of acting like children tomorrow,” Jack says, sitting down and raising her glass.

  Tilly lifts her beer and clinks it to the glass I have against my lips as I go to take a swig. Coke hits my upper lip and seeps down the side of my chin. Lowering the glass, I wipe my face with the back of my hand.

  She looks up at me through her lashes as I pat Coke droplets off my jeans with a napkin. “Oops.”

  I glare. “Tilly …”

  “Shut up. You missed me.”

  You have no idea.

  23

  Tilly

  Stopping drinking after three last night was a stellar idea. My head is clear, and I’m ready to spend the day on rides. At a kids theme park, but who cares? Linc is still asleep in the bunk bed at the other end of the room. He’s far too big to be in a kid’s bed, but he’s a true gentleman.

  I grab the kettle because the least I can do for him for letting me take the king-size bed is make him a coffee. While I busy myself with the mugs and sachets of coffee, I allow my mind to wander.

  Is Linc naked?

  I saw him take his T-shirt off, and when he went into the little nook where his bunk bed is hidden away, I heard other garments hitting the floor.

  Last night took me about two hours to fall asleep because I couldn’t stop thinking about his nude body.

  So, although I don’t have a hangover, I am a little tired. And the way my heart is buzzing and with the fire between my legs, I’m pretty sure I’m turned the fuck on.

  Oh my God, will you stop?

  As much as I’m looking forward to the day, I have a feeling it’s going to be a long one.

  When was the last time I had sex again?

  It must be about ten months.

  Right now, it feels like ten years.

  I pour milk onto the coffee grains and give it a minute while the kettle whistles louder and louder.

  If he’s kicked the cover away in the night, you’ll be able to see everything.

  Okay, that’s enough. Time to stop being a massive pervert and focus on making drinks.

  Behind me—because that’s where he is—Linc takes a deep breath, and I don’t know if he’s asleep or awake now.

  “Linc,” I whisper, keeping my eyes glued to the rattling kettle.

  When there is no reply, I bite my lip and twist my head to look over my shoulder.

  My eyes are greeted with his chest. Lord, that chest. Hard muscles cut perfectly into six slabs on his chest. His lips are parted just enough to make me weak at the knees. The cover is draped over his legs, sitting dangerously low at his hips. I can’t see boxer shorts, but they could be lower.

  Or he could be naked!

  After my coffee, I need to take an ice-cold shower.

  I follow his body back up to his face and drink in the lines of his jaw and those dark eyebrows casting a shadow on his cheeks.

  He’s perfect. Every inch of him.

  Linc stretches his back and rubs his hand over his face. I look away before he opens his eyes, my cheeks feeling red hot at the thought of being caught staring.

  “Tilly,” he says as I pour hot water into our mugs.

  His gravelly morning voice sends a shiver of desire down my spine.

  I put the kettle down and smile as I turn around. “Morning. Coffee is made.”

  He sits up, readjusting the cover a little higher, no doubt not wanting to make me uncomfortable. I already am but for an entirely different reason.

  “Thanks. How are you feeling today?” His voice is rough from just waking, and it’s sexy as hell.

  I swallow. “I’m good. You?”

  His voice might be pure sex, but my voice, however, is full of helium.

  Linc’s head tilts to the side as I walk over with his coffee. My legs feel dead, like I’ve been sitting on them for hours.

  Did he have this effect on me before?

  I don’t think so, but then I didn’t used to sleep in the same room as him, and I didn’t used to get such an eyeful of that Adonis body.

  With unsteady legs—because his lack of a shirt is doing crazy things to my insides—I hand him the drink and
mentally high-five myself for not spilling it all over him. My hands, unlike the rest of me, are surprisingly steady.

  “Linc, you okay?” I ask, realising that he’s not answered my question.

  “I’m good, Tilly.”

  “You slept okay in that child’s bed?”

  “Children are small.”

  I blink. “Yes, they are.”

  His mouth curves at the sides in the cutest and subtlest smile. “I slept fine. Did you enjoy starfishing?”

  “How do you know I was starfishing? You can’t see my bed from your little corner over here.” I cross my arms over my chest and wait for his reply. The thought of him watching me while I slept is, well, creepy, sure, but not entirely unpleasant.

  “I spent the night wanking beside your bed,” he says, losing it and laughing halfway through.

  “Oh, you are disgusting!” I throw my hands in the air and turn away.

  Linc laughs harder, and I bite my lip to stop myself from joining in.

  After caffeinating, we shower—separately, unfortunately—and we head down to meet the others for breakfast in the restaurant.

  The Bricks Family Restaurant is a buffet, which is fine because then no one else is in control of your portion size. I hate it when places give you one rasher of bacon. I mean, what’s the point?

  When we get down, Hanna, Jack, Mel, and Ian already have a table and have grabbed drinks.

  “Morning,” I say, sliding onto a chair beside Hanna.

  Linc takes the other free seat next to me.

  She looks at the Greek god beside me first and then settles on me where she lifts her perfect eyebrow. Not one word leaves her mouth, but words aren’t needed. I know the contents of the Spanish Inquisition behind her closed lips in its entirety.

  “Sleep well, Tills?” she asks.

  Thankfully for me, everyone else has struck up a conversation about what rides we’re heading to first and which ones to avoid because they’ll be riddled with small humans.

  “Yes, thank you,” I reply politely, pushing my feet into the floor so that I’m not tempted to kick her under the table.

  She leans in and whispers, “Well?”

  With a quick, sharp shake of my head, her shoulders drop, and she sits back up. Whatever I’m feeling, whatever my hormones are doing—having a rave is my guess—nothing can happen between me and Linc. It’s messy, and it can’t go anywhere.