Free Spiralling Skywards: Falling (Contradictions #1) by Lesley Jones

felt as if I were taking advantage of the age difference between us.
    “What’s . . .” She cleared her throat, which sounded raspy from crying and sexy as fuck. “What’s a servo?” I couldn’t help but smile.
    “The petrol station, as you call it here.” She smiled a little, and I spotted the merest hint of her dimple. Nodding her head, she said, “Coffee sounds good.”
    “Don’t move, I’ll be right back,” I told her before grabbing my card and heading back out.
    I’d used the coffee machine at the servo a few times, and it was passable, better than the instant shit they provided in the room.
    I stood waiting for our coffee to brew and battled internally with what the fuck I was actually thinking. I’d taken her out for dinner tonight, made her cry, and now she was sitting waiting for me in my room. If Luke had any clue, he would crucify me, and I’d totally deserve it.
    I made two coffees, and then, after noticing the tea and hot chocolate, I made one of each of those too. I grabbed extra milks and sugars before spotting the biscuits sitting on the shelf next to the machine. I’d discovered these things called Chocolate Hob Nobs my first night here, and the fucking things were addictive. I badly needed to find a gym to work off the ten kilos I felt I’d gained since I’d arrived four days ago. Or was it five? Jet lag and time zones suck. I’d had no clue which way was up since I’d been here.
    I put the drinks in a cardboard tray, grabbed a packet of Hob Nobs, and just for good measure, a bar of Galaxy, a Twix, a Mars, and a Twirl. After all, girls liked chocolate when they were sad, right? At least my sisters did.
    My heart dropped to my toes when I stepped back into my room and didn’t see her. It then catapulted through my chest, settling somewhere around my ears when she walked out of the bathroom with all of the make-up washed from her face.
    I smiled.
    She attempted to but instead managed only to stare at me while blushing beautifully. I almost mentioned how gorgeous she looked without all that shit over her face but decided against it. My big mouth had done enough damage for one night.
    I put the cardboard tray down on the small table that had a chair on either side of it and pulled the contents out of the carrier bag.
    “I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I got—”
    “Everything?”
    I laughed. “Yeah, I reckon I got a bit carried away.”
    “Ya think?” She smiled again as she spoke, which at least made me feel a little better.
    “There’s coffee there, but I got a tea and a hot chocolate too.”
    “I’ll have the hot chocolate please and a Hob Nob, if you’re happy to share?”
    For you, Sarah Carter, anything. Hob Nobs, hot chocolate, my heart. All yours if you want it, I’ll share it all.
    Jet lag, yep, I was still sticking with that.
    I passed her the paper cup containing the chocolate, and she transferred it into one of the cup and saucers sitting next to the kettle on the desk.
    I did the same with one of the coffees, grabbed the biscuits, and then moved to sit on the bed. Kicking off my shoes, I sat with my back against the headboard and my legs stretched out in front of me.
    I watched her look from the table and chairs to the bed and could almost hear her brain ticking over as she battled with herself over where to sit.
    “Come and sit down, I don’t bite—much.” I winked, hopefully reassuring her that I was joking.
    She kicked off the sky-high black heels with red soles that she’d been wearing and hesitated for another second. I put my cup down on the chest of drawers next to the bed and held out my hand to help her onto the bed, which I knew wasn’t going to be easy considering how tight her skirt was. Instead she passed me her cup to hold and climbed on without my assistance.
    Once she was settled in next to me, I passed her cup back to her and opened the biscuits.
    “These things are lethal,” she stated, taking three from the packet I offered