Eight

A while later Lily rolled over unconsciously patting out to feel where her new bed partner was, but again it was empty. She shot up clutching the sheet to her chest wondering if she’d dreamt everything for a second. But on her bedside cabinet was a small post-it-note. She peeled it off and raised her eyebrow.

Gone to get breakfast, you’re not going into work.
Jon,

Work! Holy shit, she picked up her watch it was after nine am! She reached over to the bedside cordless and waited for a dial tone; the power obviously coming back on in the night. In all the five years that she’d worked in London she’d never been late or sick ONCE.

“Claire, it’s Lily....” did she lie? Did she say she was sick? She always went in if she was dying or not.

“I wondered where you got to, but figured that delicious American gentleman had been occupying you” she said. Lily closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. God, everyone will know. This didn’t happen to her and it was about to be the biggest office gossip since the photocopier guy and Stella were found in the supply room.

“Well he’s just a friend and since he’s over I figured I need to be polite, but I’ll call in a little later and check on things” she instructed.

“Ok Lily, but seriously if I can give you some advice you should...”

“I don’t want it Claire, I’ll see you later on call me if you need to” she disconnected the call. The last thing she wanted was her personal business to become the love affair of the century. She slid from the bed and padded through to the bathroom taking care of business before washing up and splashing some water on her face.

The woman staring back at her from the mirror was a different woman, dishevelled hair, swollen lips and rosy cheeks. Quite the wanton sex kitten look. “Jesus” she said splashing more water on her face and running a comb though her hair. The snick of the door downstairs brought her back into the bedroom reaching for her robe.

“Uh uh... back in bed Miss” she looked up to see Jon standing in the doorway in jeans, a tight black v-neck and sunglasses armed with a large brown paper bag and a tray of exceptionally large coffees.

She laughed and slid back under the sheets sitting up tucking the sheet around her. Dropping his shades he knelt down resting the cardboard tray and bag on the bedside table.

“Don’t lift a finger” he instructed, she chuckled and leant back against propped pillows. She reached over and hit the button on the side of the wall which automatically made the drapes open letting the sun hit the room.

Jon snorted “Niiice work St James” he pulled off his jeans and climbed into the bed beside her. Reaching over her kissed her gently on the lips “Good morning, again” his eyes flicked up from her lips to her eyes.

“Morning to you too” she grinned tugging at the one black tee. “This has to go; I’m naked so you should be its only fair”

Jon laughed and pulled the tee over his head before discarding it. “Happy?” he asked smirking satisfied when her eyes dragged down to his chest.

“No” she leant forward keeping her eyes on him but her arm kept going past him “What’s in the bag?”

He grabbed her hand “Patience dear” he quipped reaching over for the coffee, “now non fat latte double shot?” he asked handing her a polystyrene cup.

“God yes, thank you” she said accepting it and taking a long sip “Sweet mother of mercy that is a good brew”

“You’re not wrong there” he said sipping his own before swapping it for the bag of baked good’s he bought “Now, lets’ see how good I got here” he said crinkling the bag open and diving his hand in to bring out a croissant and holding it in front of her, when she went to grab it he pulled it away.

“Now wait, this is the fun part” he ripped the edge off and popped it in his mouth “Mmm, not bad at all, did you want some?” he asked with a grin.

She narrowed her eyes, he was such a shit sometimes. She hated how she’d just about end up begging for anything from him. That was a trick that no man had learnt to do. “No, I’m good actually” she said nonchalantly looking away sipping her coffee desperately trying to block the warm buttery smell wafting from his side of the bed.

She took a sip of her coffee “You’ll get crumbs all in the bed and I’ll need to change the sheets”

Jon snorted “You’ll need to do that anyway don’t you think?” he grinned.

Her cheeks heated “Just give me the damn croissant” she snapped unsuccessfully hiding the smile on her lips.

“Open wide” he said raising an eyebrow lifting the pastry just in front of her mouth.

“Been there done that already” she muttered before widening her eyes. What the hell did this man do to her? She’d gone from frigid to flirty in a heartbeat around him. Damn.

“Indeed you have LJ” he said directing the fluffy pastry to her mouth. She took a bite and tore into it.

“Good?” he asked.

She moaned in appreciation “I’m starving, it’s delicious” He fed her the rest slowly before reaching for the next one. It was a weird feeling, being so comfortable with him, both strewn in sheets in bed eating pastry and drinking coffee. Nothing uncomfortable about this morning after.

They talked and ate their breakfast learning more about what they were doing, Jon was on a break from touring and was pursuing the idea of an acoustic show performing all their songs as never seen before and Lily just talked about the business and the accounts that she had been working on.

“Do you always want to be based in London?” Jon asked running his finger around the rim of the plastic lid.

She leant back “No, I love London I do... and I love working for the family firm but one day I’d always thought about doing my own thing based back in the US... maybe New York” she pondered. She was pretty sure by now she’d be able to get a job pretty much anywhere with her record but somehow always felt so compelled to stay in London. For her mother.

Jon chuckled “Well it would make the jet setting I’m going to have to do a lot easier if you ever did decide to move to New York” he grinned when she gave him a questionable look.

“You think I’m going to leave London and never come back and see you? You’re not getting off that lightly” he picked up her hand and brought it to his lips.

She didn’t know what she thought, she assumed in her head that things has got past the one night stand situation but that’s as far as she’d managed to work out. She was so far removed from the relationship game these days she didn’t know how to act. The logical part of her brain took over and started to ask a million questions about how would this even work?

“I’m pleased about that, but you think it will work? I’ve got to be here all winter” she asked looking straight into crystal blue eyes.

“I’ll buy more turtlenecks” he said with a broad smile putting his cup back on the bedside table before taking hers and doing the same.

With the bottom of his thumb he stroked her cheek “I’ll make it work, Lily no woman has made me twitch in places, the way you do in a long time” he pressed his lips against hers. She really had become to mean something just more than a one night fling to him and he knew it.

She closed her eyes and fell into the kiss, her hands wrapping around his shoulders. “I’m just not very good at this sort of thing Jon” she admitted, he had to know what he was in for. She commanded the boardroom with ease, but her own love-life was a completely different story.

He pushed back her hair from her forehead with his knuckles “You’re better than you think...and I’m no Casanova either LJ, don’t paint me to be something I’m not. I just want to be with you... that’s all”

She relaxed into his grip her cheek pressing against his shoulder “I do with you...you drive me crazy...in the best way possible” God, she admitted that? Gah!

The slow rumble of his laugh shook against her “Don’t give me ideas woman, you know where that gets you now”

Oh god, she had no idea why she felt the need to say it...”This morning....when you...no man has ever....bothered-“but she was cut off and her face was tilted towards his.

“Well they didn’t deserve you did they?” he asked. Her vulnerability was almost beautiful, the very heart of her he had right in his arms and he was determined not to let it go to waste.