‘But they didn’t work together,’ Liv pointed out. ‘What happened to you not wanting to date men as they weren’t romantic and just wanted sex? I thought you were looking for more than just a fling.’

‘This could be more than a fling,’ Tessa suggested.

I sighed. ‘I don’t know. I got swept up in it all maybe. But he’s so…’ I trailed off, finding it hard to explain. ‘I suddenly am so attracted to him. God. I don’t know what happened. One minute, we seemed like the least likely pairing ever to being unable to keep our hands off each other.’

‘Freya, you don’t do flings or holiday romances. You don’t want casual sex. You want to fall in love. Just like us,’ Liv said, gesturing to her and Tessa.

‘No need to rub your fairytale romances in my face,’ I grumbled.

‘I’m just worried that you’ve thrown what you are looking for out of the window because this is Jake Richards.’

Liv and I stared at one another. We never fought but I could feel her concern along with a hint of disapproval. She was right, though. I had been waiting for real romance – was I hoping that sleeping with a romance author would make that happen? Jake had shown me the sights of New York and promised me a New York moment, but no more than that. I had slept with him anyway. After three years of not being with a man. The attraction, the desire had been too strong, being away with him had made it seem like not a big deal. But maybe I was just fooling myself about that. Maybe I was setting myself up to get hurt.

I slumped on the bed. ‘I got carried away maybe,’ I admitted.

‘It’s happened to all of us,’ Tessa said. ‘Just because it’s moved quickly, and you’re away, doesn’t mean it can’t turn into something more once you get back home, right?’

Her sentence hung in the room like a crescent moon that we looked up at in silence.

After a few seconds, it seemed like none of us wanted to answer her question.

‘He’s taking me out so we can have a New York moment,’ I said then. I gestured to myself. ‘Hence getting glammed up. Dinner and drinks somewhere.’

‘Sounds romantic,’ Liv said. ‘And you look gorgeous. He will be lucky to have you on his arm. Just be careful. Don’t let anyone from the conference see anything they shouldn’t. Think of yourself, Freya. And don’t give that good heart of yours away to anyone who doesn’t deserve it.’