She was only asking me the question I’d been asking myself since James had arrived in Sydney, but hearing it out loud made it even more real. And having to articulate a response was an even bigger dose of reality. This wasn’t some made-for-Netflix romcom. This was my life. And there were two other lives involved.

I thought back to the night James had taken me to Aria.

After dinner and that mind-blowing dessert, he’d asked me if I wanted to walk back to the hotel or take a taxi. The weather had been mild when we stepped outside—in the low twenties—but I’d just wanted to get to the hotel as soon as possible, so we could go to bed.

That’s crass, I know. But it was James, and he was ridiculously handsome and sexy, and when he laughed, his eyes crinkled around the corners and he had the most beautiful voice, and I wanted him.

He hailed a taxi and we slid into the back seat, silently sitting side by side and holding hands for the eight-minute ride. I know it was eight minutes because I watched them tick over on the digital clock on the dashboard. James’s thumb stroked the back of my hand the whole way and my insides turned to mush.

By the time we reached the room and closed the door behind us, the tension was so high, he pressed me up against the wall, his mouth on mine, and I dropped my clutch without a second thought, throwing my arms around his neck.

He rested a hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer, and his other hand found the top of my zipper. He slid it down my back and, still kissing me, peeled my dress from my shoulders. It slid to the floor and he broke the kiss. Okay, so maybe sometimes my life is a made-for-Netflix romcom.

“I want to see you,” he said in his honey-gravel voice. He took a half-step back and his eyes ran the length of me, taking in my lacy bra and matching knickers, looking down my legs to my heels. I didn’t mind the scrutiny. I’d taken extra care with how I looked and felt every bit as sexy as his smile said I was.

“That’s a very sexy look.” You see?

“It’s just for you.” I raised my eyebrows at him, a slight smile on my face. I hadn’t been this Sarah for very long—really, I was just trying her on for size—but I relished being her. She was way sexier and far more confident than regular Sarah.

James must have thought so too. He kissed me again, his tongue seeking mine, and his body pressed against me. I could feel how hard he was beneath his trousers. “Bed,” I said breathlessly.

James took my hand and led me upstairs. He turned to me and, with an arm around my waist, spun me around and lay me back onto the bed, breaking my fall with his other hand. He held himself just above me and kissed my neck, his lips and his tongue tracking the hollow, then trailing along my collar bone. He pulled aside my bra and took my left nipple into his mouth, making me gasp. His tongue played, teasing me.