Bella woke to an empty bed on Sunday morning and when she snaked her hand across the sheets and felt how cold they were, it was evident the bed had been empty for some time. Had he left without saying goodbye? That hurt more than it should for two people who were just having a bit of fun. She tried to ignore the voice in the back of her head that told her this was a hell of a lot more than that.

They had spent the whole day together the day before, walking their dogs over the hills, having lunch in town, making love and talking, and it was wonderful and lovely. She couldn’t remember ever being with a man who made her so ridiculously happy. But why did she feel like she had to hold back? Why did she hold her breath in fear every time he looked at her fondly just in case he decided to tell her he loved her? In truth, she wasn’t that scared about Isaac loving her. She had been let down in the past by people who loved her. Isaac would walk away just like everyone else and she was prepared for that. What scared her was falling in love with him. She had never felt this way about anyone before and she knew if she fell in love with him, and it ended, it would break her heart all over again. She didn’t think she could go through that pain again.

These two weeks away from him would help put things into perspective. A break would be a good thing. Life would return to normal, as it had been before she met him instead of spending every spare second with him. And she would see that she didn’t need him to make her happy.

Isaac suddenly walked into the room and her body betrayed her when a huge smile spread across her face when she saw he was still here. He was dressed in trousers and shirt and a wonderful waft of his spicy clean aftershave reached her nose.

He was carrying a mug of tea and he placed it down on the drawers next to her bed.

‘I need to go soon,’ Isaac said.

Bella lifted the duvet for him and, without hesitation, he climbed into bed with her fully clothed and pulled her into his arms, kissing her head as he held her.

‘Don’t go. Stay here in bed with me. We can call in sick at work and spend the whole week having mad passionate sex.’

‘Seriously tempting but I can’t,’ Isaac said.

She ran her hand down his chest. ‘Can I tempt you to stay for a quickie?’

‘You say the most romantic things to me. But sadly not. The taxi will be here in a minute. I need to take my boat to St Mary’s, fly from there to Exeter and then catch another plane to London and there’s only one plane a day. So I can’t miss it.’

‘I can’t believe you’re going to be gone for two weeks. I’m going to miss you,’ Bella said then suddenly reprimanded herself. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t going to miss him. She was perfectly fine on her own. She would miss the sex. That was all. So why did her chest hurt at the thought of not seeing him?

‘I’m going to miss you too. But we can call each other and text and Skype. Plus there’s always phone sex.’

She looked up at him and laughed. ‘I’ve never done that before.’

‘I can’t say I have either.’

‘What will it involve?’

‘I don’t know but from the films I’ve watched, you’ll tell me what you’re wearing—’

‘Mickey Mouse pyjamas?’

‘Yes, that will work.’

‘That will turn you on?’

‘You turn me on, it doesn’t matter what you wear.’

She grinned. ‘Good answer.’

‘It’s the truth.’

‘OK, so we’ll try phone sex and I’ll marvel you with how good I am at seducing you over the phone.’

Isaac laughed. ‘Yes, as the last time you tried to seduce me ended so well.’

‘Hey. It ended with us having sex so I can’t have done too badly.’

‘Pretty much any time you’re naked is going to end with us making love.’

‘I’m naked now,’ Bella said, stretching herself against him.

‘I know and if the taxi wasn’t going to be here in thirty seconds, I would be happy to oblige.’

‘The taxis are always late round here.’

A horn beeped outside.

‘Damn it.’

Isaac rolled her over, pinning her to the mattress under his glorious weight. He kissed her deeply.

He pulled back slightly to stare into her eyes. ‘I promise when I come back, I’ll more than make it up to you.’

‘You better.’

‘And I’m going to continue in my mission to get you to fall in love with me.’ He winked so she knew he was teasing but there was something in his eyes that hinted he was being serious.

Bella decided to play along. ‘Bring me back those chocolate-covered strawberries from Godiva and I think that might just seal the deal.’

He smiled. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

He dropped a lingering kiss on her forehead and with a groan he climbed out of bed. As the horn sounded again, he quickly pulled his shoes on. ‘Are you sure you’re OK to have Rocket for me?’

‘Of course. She’d only be sitting in your hotel room getting bored if you took her to London. At least Alfie can keep her company while I’m at work.’

‘Thank you.’

He leaned over, gave her another peck on the cheek as if he couldn’t tear himself away and then he left the room.

Bella quickly got up, grabbed a robe and rushed to the window. A few moments later she saw Isaac leave dragging a suitcase behind him. He instinctively looked up and gave her a wave and she watched him get in the taxi and disappear down the hill.

God she really was going to miss him and that worried her.

* * *

Monday morning, Bella was already sitting at her desk by half past eight. There was so much to do and so little time to do it in. She took a sip of her coffee that Elsie had made her and looked down the list of people she needed to call that day. The funfair was going to start arriving this week and she knew that she would have to spend most of the day down there on Thursday to make sure everything was set up for the grand opening on Saturday. Although the fair would be there for a little under a week, she knew the biggest day would be Saturday and she wanted everything to run smoothly. She also hoped to be able to launch the egg game by the start of the next week in the lead-up to Easter the following weekend.

Her computer beeped with an internal message and she looked up and saw it was from Isaac.

Her heart leapt. He had texted her from his hotel when he’d got there on Sunday afternoon and he had texted her to wish her goodnight, but she hadn’t heard from him today.

She quickly opened the message, her workload forgotten.

She couldn’t help the huge smile that erupted on her face. She quickly typed back.

The phone suddenly rang on her desk. She picked it up.

‘Bella.’ Isaac’s voice sounded so deep and masculine and indescribably sexy over the phone.

‘Isaac.’

‘What are you wearing?’

Bella looked down, what a weird question. ‘Umm, black trousers, pale blue shirt, blue ballet pumps.’

She heard him laugh a little. ‘You really are good at this seduction malarkey.’

Bella laughed. ‘Oh. Sorry. I forgot we were going to have phone sex. Ask me again.’

‘What are you wearing?’

‘I’m naked, Isaac. I’m sitting at my desk stark naked.’

‘No clothes at all?’

‘No, I got some really funny looks when I walked into work today. It was quite chilly too. I even walked the dogs while I was naked this morning. Though I had to wear my wellies obviously, but they don’t count.’

It was so easy talking to him, flirting with him. It was as if they had been doing this for years not just a few days.

‘Are you still wearing the wellies now?’

‘Do wellies do it for you?’

‘I’m still hung up on the thought of you sitting at your desk naked, I’m not really focussing on your shoes right now.’

‘I’m wearing black high-heeled shoes and nothing else.’

‘I take it back; I’m very interested in your shoes.’

‘Well maybe, when you come back, I’ll greet you at the door wearing nothing but black high-heel shoes.’

‘Now that’s an image that will keep me smiling for the rest of the day.’

‘Well now I’m naked, what would you like me to do next?’ Bella said in her best seductive voice.

‘I’d like you—’

He was suddenly interrupted by a woman’s voice in the background and Bella recognised that it was Claudia that spoke.

‘Isaac, we need to go downstairs to the meeting in five minutes.’

‘Thanks Claudia, I’ll be out in a second.’ There was a pause, presumably while he waited for Claudia to leave the room, and then Isaac spoke again, his voice returning to his sexy purr. ‘Bella, I have to go, but when I next call you, I want you to think about where you want me to touch you.’

Just the thought of that sent shivers down her spine.

‘OK.’

He said his goodbyes and then rang off. Immediately the phone rang again.

‘Bella, I got so distracted with your wellies and high-heel shoes that I forgot the main reason I called.’

‘Having phone sex with me was not the main reason? I’m offended,’ she teased.

‘Of course that was the main reason,’ Isaac laughed. ‘But I did have a smaller reason. I’m talking to Oak and Acorn this afternoon.’

‘The bank?’

‘Yes and I’m trying to persuade them to come in as permanent sponsors for the Umbrella Foundation. Would you be happy to do a telephone conference at four this afternoon and just talk through with them some of the ways their logo will be used at our events?’

‘Oh sure, I can do that. I can send through a quick PowerPoint as well if you want.’

‘That would be great. And I’ll phone you at two for our phone sex session.’

Bella laughed. ‘Will you be naked too?’

‘Of course.’

‘Then I look forward to it.’

She put the phone down and a few moments later her diary was updated with two events. One was the telephone conference at four with Oak and Acorn and the other at two o’clock was simply titled, ‘Phone call with Isaac.’ A thrill ran through her at the thought of that phone call.

If him being away was supposed to make her realise that she didn’t need him or miss him, it was having the completely opposite effect. She was falling for him and it scared her to death.

* * *

Bella found herself so busy for the next few hours, eating at her desk over lunch as she created the PowerPoint, that she barely noticed that two o’clock came and went without the promised phone call. She didn’t mind. She was sure she would catch up with Isaac after work that night and then she might be able to enjoy the phone sex a bit more in the privacy of her own home. Something had clearly come up for Isaac which meant he couldn’t call her.

When two thirty came and there was still no phone call, she ran down to the marketing department to talk through the Facebook adverts and the other promotions they were going to run for the egg game. She came back to her office around three just as the phone was ringing.

She quickly snatched up the phone and grabbed an orange from her desk.

‘Hello?’

‘Bella.’ Isaac’s quiet authoritative voice was enough to make her knees turn to jelly.

Determined to do better at her seduction than she had in the previous conversation, she decided to start the ball rolling straight away.

‘Isaac, I’m so glad you called,’ she purred. ‘I’ve been sitting here naked waiting for you to call. I’m touching my breasts and thinking of you.’ Bella quickly checked her emails to see she’d had a reply from the council in London about the zombie run she had planned in Hyde Park in the summer. She popped a chunk of orange in her mouth and scanned through the email to see if it was anything important.

There was a sudden clatter on the other end of the phone as Isaac’s voice suddenly became louder and clearer.

‘Um, Bella, I’m sitting in the conference room with the representatives from Oak and Acorn. The meeting was brought forward. I did update your diary accordingly.’

She quickly swallowed the orange segment and nearly choked on it. ‘Oh my god. Please tell me I’m not on speakerphone.’

‘You’re not at the moment but you were. That’s sort of the whole point of a telephone conference call.’