Three's a Crowd (17 page)

Jonno glanced at me, suspiciously. “What’s wrong with him?”

My temper flared. “Nothing’s wrong with me.”

I could feel my face reddening.
Jesus.

“Dad, listen to yourself. You have this one way you think all blokes behave. They don’t all think about sex all the time, you know. Some of them want a relationship.”

I looked at the carpet.

Jonno snorted.

“Luke’s really sensitive. He listens to me. In fact, we talk more than anything else. He’s really sweet – and nice.”

God, she was making me sound like a total wimp.

“You’re still too young,” Jonno said.

“So when will I be old enough?” Eve let go of my hand at last. “I’m not a little girl any more. Why can’t you see that?” She glanced at me. “Luke knows me better than you do. He made me realise. I’ve . . . I’ve acted all babyish around you for years because I was scared you wouldn’t love me if I was grown up.” Her mouth trembled. “But I was wrong, wasn’t I Daddy? You’ll let me grow up and still love me?”

A tear trickled down her face.

Jonno slid his arms round her and pulled her into a hug.

I took a couple of steps away from them. Funny. I didn’t feel jealous at all.

“Of course I’ll always love you,” Jonno whispered, soothingly. He raised his head and glared at me over Eve’s shoulder. “You’re my princess. My number one girl.”

He raked his fingers through his hair as Eve drew back, wiping her cheek.

She smiled up at her dad. “So you’re okay with it? Me and Luke?”

Jonno’s mouth curved into a smile.

It didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’m not ecstatic but, like you say, you’re growing up and so long as it doesn’t go too far, I guess there’s no harm in innocent friendship.”

I frowned. No way did Jonno think it was innocent friendship. What was he playing at now?

Eve hugged him. “Thanks, Dad.” She grinned at me.

“Now you guys better get out of here,” Jonno said, walking back to his desk. He leaned against the edge of it, tapping one of his fat cigars against his palm. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Eve skipped to the door.

I walked after her, watching Jonno the whole way. I didn’t quite trust him not to leap forward and shove his cigar up my nose or something.

His eyes followed my feet to the door, the cigar still tapping against his hand. Then he looked up.

“Luke?”

Now he gets my name right?

I stiffened. “Yes?”

Jonno looked past me to Eve. “Just give us two minutes, Babycakes. Man to man.”

I turned to Eve.

Don’t leave me here.

But she was smiling at her dad. “I’ll wait outside,” she said.

Boom. The door shut. I swivelled awkwardly. Jonno was still leaning against his desk. He put down the cigar and walked slowly towards me.

I gulped, trying to work out where I should try hitting him if he punched me. He was bigger and taller than me, but he did have a slight paunch. I clenched my fist, ready to drive it into his stomach.

Jonno loomed over me. His eyes narrowed.

“You little shit,” he hissed. “You’d be flat on your back right now if I didn’t think knocking your lights out would make my daughter even more convinced you’re God’s bloody gift.”

I gritted my teeth as he clapped his hands down heavily on my shoulders.

“But let me tell you this,” he went on. “If you hurt her, I promise I will kill you.”

What a total idiot.

“I’m not going to hurt her.” I shoved his hands off my shoulders. “Didn’t you hear what she said?”

Jonno snorted. “Yeah. I heard, Mr Sensitive.”

God
. The man was a monster. In spite of being practically psychotic about keeping guys away from Eve, he was actually sneering at me for
not
managing to have sex with her.

“Is that it?” I snarled.

“No.” Jonno gave me a withering look. “Whatever Eve thinks, I know exactly what’s going on inside your filthy little head. And when you do, finally, get up the nerve to go for what we both know you’re really after – know this – you’re not getting it. Ever. Understand?”

Now I wanted to punch him.

I should have just walked out. But I was too angry.

I had to show him I wasn’t some pathetic wimp. That he couldn’t order me about. That whatever Eve and I did was up to us.

“Oh you don’t need to worry about
that
,” I said sarcastically. “I’m Mr Sensitive – remember? I’ll let Eve decide when
that
happens.”

And then I did it. I couldn’t resist it.

I raised my eyebrows and smirked at him.

And it’s going to happen soon, you bastard. Because she wants me. She really does. You should see the way she kisses me.

Jonno grabbed my T-shirt and bunched it under my neck.

Shit.

My whole body tensed. For a second I thought he was going to hit me after all. Then he let go of me, his jaw clenched.

“This isn’t over.” He breathed out heavily, then pushed me away.

I backed away to the door. Opened it. Slid outside.

Eve was waiting for me, her face creased in a huge grin.

As I saw her, I relaxed. After all, what could Jonno do?

I’d got Eve. He was beaten.
Stupid old bastard.

I’d got Eve.

I grabbed her hand and we raced out of the hotel, past the screaming kids in the pool and along the beach – right along to the end.

We stayed there all day.

Bliss. Just me and Eve.

Heaven.

The last few days of the holiday were far and away the best. Everything was exactly how I’d hoped it would be before we set off. Lots of time for me and Eve to be together.

Not that we didn’t mix with other people. We hung out with Ryan and Chloe and Alejandro and loads of the hotel staff. The first time Eve and I went to the Garito I was bricking it. But Ryan had worked his usual charm with Marco’s mates. They weren’t exactly pleased to see me. But at least the guy who looked like Ben didn’t shout at me again.

Eve got a lot of attention. Now it was clear Jonno’s rule about her had been broken and I was openly going out with her, half the blokes who worked at the hotel seemed to think they were in with a chance to steal her away when my back was turned.

I was furiously jealous.

Only joking.

I mean, I didn’t much like them hitting on her, but it was only – what did Ryan call it? – harmless flirting. I even began to enjoy watching her fending them off, knowing she was waiting for me to come back.

We didn’t see Marco and Cat for two nights. Then the next evening, while I was getting a beer, I spotted Marco on the other side of the room. He was chatting with Ryan, Chloe and Eve. I frowned, wondering if I should go over.

A small hand squeezed my arm. I turned.

Catalina. In her micro mini.

“Hi,
Rubio
,” she said.

Some kind of invisible magnet pulled my eyes down to her skirt.
Oh, God.
I glanced over at Eve. She was laughing at something Ryan and Marco were saying. She didn’t appear to have noticed Catalina.

I shook off Cat’s hand and took a step away from her, back towards Eve. She grabbed my arm again.

“Hey.” Her mouth twisted into a smile. “Don’t you want having fun with me?”

I stared at her – at the mean glint in her eyes. “No,” I said.

The music swirled all around us. Loud and fast and hard.

“
Por que?
” she said. “Why?”

“Several reasons.” I pulled my arm free again. “Marco. Eve. Mostly me, actually.”

Cat shrugged. “So what? Who care Marco? He always come back to me.”

I shook my head. Turned away. And walked into Eve.

Our eyes met.

Catalina grabbed my arm for a third time. “Hey,” she snapped at Eve. “I am here first.”

The music pounded in my head. I kept my eyes fixed on Eve.

She stared back for a second, her expression unreadable, then shot an icy look at Catalina.

“Get your hands off my boyfriend.”

There was a long pause. Catalina’s eyes widened theatrically. She peeled her hand off my arm and held it in front of Eve’s face, fingers spread.

“Is all yours,” she hissed. She sashayed off into the crowd.

I didn’t even think about watching her. I just carried on looking at Eve. “I wasn’t going to. . .”

“I know,” she said. “But still. . .”

I grinned and put my arms around her. Across the room Catalina ran her silky fingers across the back of Marco’s neck. He turned and beamed at her.
Poor bastard.
I held Eve more tightly. People were pouring past us onto the dance floor as a new track pounded away. I leaned down and breathed her in.

She was beautiful. She was sexy. She was fun. She was sweet.

And she wanted me. No-one else.

There was no downside.

The last two days sped past. The last pool shift. The last waiting tables shift. The last evening.

I was waiting for Eve by the pool. It had gone eleven and she was supposed to have met me at ten-thirty. Even allowing for her notorious lateness, I was starting to get a little worried. Ryan and Chloe were off somewhere on the beach. I leaned impatiently back in my lounger. The underwater lights of the pool cast soft green shadows through the water.

I’d stationed myself at the end furthest away from the pool bar, which was still busy with hotel guests.

“
Hola
,” Alejandro’s voice behind me made me jump. I twisted and looked up. He was peering down at me from over the top of my lounger. “Hey. We must you know . . . how do you say . . . stop meeting like this.”

I stuck my middle finger up at him.

He chuckled and came and sat on the next lounger. “You are waiting for Eva?”

I nodded, then checked the time. “Why aren’t you playing? The band doesn’t finish for half an hour.”

Alejandro grinned. “I took the night off,” he said. “Jonno said it was okay. He has been great with me. He said nothing to my dad. But he said, like Eva, that I must speak with him. So I did. Today. I told my dad. Told him everything. Being gay. Everything.”

I stared at him. “How’d he take it?” I said.

Alejandro waggled his hand horizontally in the air. “Soso,” he said. “No happy but at least he did no kill me.” He stared at the pool, at the water lapping against the side. “I will be in the hotel for only a few more weeks. Then I will be free to tour. Get away from here.” He looked up. “Hey.” His voice was suddenly concerned. “
Mira
. Look. It’s Eva. Something is wrong.”

I shot up off the lounger.

Eve was running towards us out of the main lobby. Even in the dim glow of the terrace fairy lights I could see she was crying.

We reached each other on the grass between the pool and the terrace. She flung herself into my arms, now sobbing loudly.

“What is it?” I said, suddenly terrified. “What’s happened?”

“It’s my dad,” Eve said. “He’s . . . oh God . . . he’s making me stay.” She hugged me. “Oh, Luke, he’s making me stay here.”

What?

I held her away from me, trying to see her face.

“What d’you mean?” I said. “Making you stay in the hotel? He can’t. For how long?”

“No.” She wiped her eyes. “In Spain. In some school he’s got lined up. I don’t know for how long – he says until Christmas at least. He says now I’ve got my GCSEs it’s a good time for me to try something new. And . . . oh Luke . . . I have to go
now.
Tonight.”

“What?” It came out as a whisper. My stomach felt like it had fallen out through my shoes.

Eve’s face crumpled again. “He says he can’t trust me to behave myself in England. He’s convinced you’re going to try and shag me once we’ve been back five minutes. It doesn’t matter what I say to him. He says he knows from something you said or how you looked at him or something. He’s mad. He won’t listen.” She leaned against my shoulder and wept.

My heart sank, remembering how I’d smirked at Jonno in his office.

And it’s going to happen soon, you bastard. Because she wants me. She really does. You should see the way she kisses me.

“What about your mother, Eva?” Alejandro stood beside me, his arms folded.

I nodded. He was right. Eve’s mum wouldn’t let this happen. She might be a bit pathetic where Jonno was concerned, but surely she’d stand up to him for Eve’s sake.

I held Eve away from me again. “Yeah, whatever your dad says, your mum’s got . . . got rights, hasn’t she?”

“It’s not that simple.” Eve’s lips trembled. “I mean, my mum’s got custody and all that, but my dad pays for everything. Mum hasn’t had a modelling job for five years. Without his money she’d go to pieces.”

“Can’t your mum get a different job? I mean, there must be lots of things she could do.”

“It’s no good, Luke. He owns our house and everything in it. He owns our car. And he says if I don’t do what he says he’ll take them all back. And he’ll take her to court and . . . oh, God, you know how threatening he can be.” Eve started sobbing. “I told him I wouldn’t go, but he just started going on about . . . about how Mum would be the one to suffer – like, how was she going to survive if he took all his money away. And . . . and I called Mum and she’s upset but . . . but Luke, she’s frightened of him. So she’s saying it’s just a few months, like that’s hardly any time at all.” She wiped her eyes. “I can’t bear it. It’ll be
ages
before I see you again.”

Fury surged through me. “I’m going to stop him.” I stormed towards the lobby door.

“How?” Alejandro grabbed my shoulder. “Hey. Luke. Stop. You will make everything worse for Eva.”

“Then I’ll stay too.” I turned back to Eve and pulled her towards me. “He can’t do all this, just to keep us apart.”

“He can.” Eve’s voice was shaky. “He says we’ll both lose interest once we’re apart.”

“
I
won’t.” My mind raced, trying to think of a way I could stay in Mallorca with her. Or come back and find her. “He must have said something about where you’re going?”

“No.” Eve looked up at me. “He won’t tell me where it is. He doesn’t want you to know.”

Alejandro whistled. “He must be really angry at you,” he said.