~
The celebrations continued back at Zander’s villa with a select group of people, a few of the island’s guests including Aisha and Tom, Mia and Blake, photographer Annie, Maryam, and a handful of staff, Meena and Drew among them. Freya had never seen the place filled with so many people. To begin with it felt at odds with the Zander she’d got to know who craved peace and privacy after more than a decade in the spotlight, but she also knew he revelled in entertaining people. He was good at it. She’d seen this with the opening of the bookshop and the cocktail evenings when he’d charmed the guests. She watched him now, taking the time to speak to everyone he’d invited. The waiters took round trays of drinks and canapés and everyone relaxed, lounging outside on the deck or chatting on the sofas inside. Freya revelled in the evening too, getting the chance to spend time with friends old and new, chat to Maryam and Annie, a couple of the guests and of course Zander.
The pool glowed a deeper blue in the darkness, and with Mia and Drew encouraging her, Freya followed their lead, peeling off her maxi skirt and top and slipping into the tepid water. It was revitalising after the night-time heat. Drew’s laughter echoed across the pool. Freya swam the long length of the pool, passing Mia floating on her back gazing up at the millions of glittering stars. She swam back over to Aisha and Tom who were lounging on chairs with Zander. Even in the subtle light, Freya could see Aisha’s flushed cheeks as Zander talked to her.
‘Aisha’s just admitted to being my biggest fan.’ Zander winked at Freya.
‘A long time ago,’ Aisha said with mock indignation.
Freya leant her elbows on the edge of the pool and looked up at her friend. ‘It’s actually thanks to Aisha that I applied for this job; she talked me into it and made me see how good it would be for me. Although the thing that made her most excited was when she saw your name in the post.’
‘I have a lot to thank you for then, not to mention you know every word to every One Love song.’ He winked at Aisha and turned as someone called his name. ‘Excuse me.’ He headed across the deck.
Aisha grinned down at Freya. ‘That’s a total dream come true.’
Tom rolled his eyes and laughed. ‘You’d never believe a thirty-three-year-old pregnant woman could get as giddy as a teenager.’
‘I am not.’ Aisha laughed so much she had to cross her legs and hold on to her bump.
‘You might be making Freya jealous though.’
It was Freya’s turn to blush.
‘He thinks the world of you,’ Aisha said, nodding in Zander’s direction. ‘You should do something about it.’
~
Maryam handed some big fluffy towels to Mia, Drew and Freya as they came out of the pool. Freya caught Zander’s smile as he looked in her direction. She wrapped the towel around her and he continued talking to a couple of guests.
People began to drift away, with Annie the first to call it a night, heading only as far as one of Zander’s guest rooms, followed by Maryam to her bedroom, and Aisha and Tom leaving not long after.
‘I want all the gossip in the morning.’ Aisha raised an eyebrow and kissed Freya’s cheek. Freya watched them go; Aisha’s hand on her bump, Tom’s arm protectively around her waist as they walked across the sand.
Drew was less subtle, pulling Freya into a bear hug and hissing in her ear, ‘Do it!’
Freya laughed as her friend left with a wave. Meena went a little while later with a couple of guests who’d been coming to the island since it opened.
The bar staff who’d been working at both the bookshop launch and back at the villa started clearing away, silently working around the remaining guests, leaving the place as spotless as they’d found it. Mia and Blake were the last to leave. They hugged Zander and then Freya. Mia kissed Freya’s cheek and gave her a wink before they walked hand in hand across Driftwood Cove to the hidden path through the trees.
Zander joined her on the edge of the deck and put his arms round her. They gazed out at the beach. Freya was still damp from her dip in the pool, her top and skirt clinging to her wet bikini.
‘Don’t go, Freya.’ Zander took her hand firmly and turned her to face him. ‘Not tonight.’
She met his eyes. ‘I wasn’t intending to.’
Drew’s plea from that morning about acting on the sexual tension that had been bubbling away for weeks, still rang in her ears. She’d played this moment over and over ever since their first kiss, knowing she wanted more. If ever there was a right time it was tonight; the perfect way to end a perfect evening.
Freya reached up and kissed him. She’d stopped herself so many times over the past few weeks from taking their relationship further, but tonight she didn’t care. It felt so right. Zander kissed her back, his hands slipping beneath her top, smoothing across her back and beneath the string of her bikini. Freya didn’t hesitate. She dipped her hands beneath his linen shirt and across the firm and tattooed chest she’d seen many times in pictures but had yet to see in real life.
They pulled away, looked at each other and laughed.
‘The best thing you did was turn me down that night.’
‘Really?’
‘I was caught up in the moment,’ he said. ‘It had been so good to talk to you and I felt you understood... We had a connection... I hadn’t intended to kiss you, and I certainly hadn’t meant to suggest you stayed the night. It
