Despite his sleepy state, Jake was aware that he felt vaguely put out. ‘Clubbing? I like clubbing.’ Although he could only remember once in living memory that he’d been to a club and that had been the start of all this business. He didn’t think he was too enamoured with the idea of Neve going to a club on her own—not now that he knew exactly the sort of thing she was likely to get up to. ‘Can’t I come too?’

‘Saturday is girls’ night.’ Neve pouted. ‘We always go to Blackout.’

Jake propped himself up in her bed. ‘This wasn’t quite how I’d imagined our first weekend.’ He took her hand and tried to pull her back towards him. ‘I thought we’d have a romantic dinner for two.’ He gave her his most appealing smile. ‘Somewhere special.’

Neve wriggled away from him. ‘Then you should have given me more notice,’ she said. ‘I’ve already arranged it.’

She blew him a kiss across the room.

‘What am I going to do?’

‘I don’t know.’ Neve grinned. ‘Phone Pip. I can’t organise your life for you. You’re a big boy.’

Jake rolled over. ‘Flattery will get you everywhere.’

‘Not now or I’ll be late,’ she said, and with that she left.

Jake watched her go with an empty feeling inside. He heard the familiar purr of her BMW as it started and a screech of tyres as she shot off down the road. He rolled over again, but he was awake now and there was no way he was going to be able to get back to sleep without some sexual relief. And there was no way he was going to do it for himself—that held too many bitter memories.

‘Bloody hell,’ Jake muttered to himself. ‘I didn’t even get a cup of coffee.’

He forced himself out of bed and wrapped a towel round his waist. What could he do when he hadn’t got any of his stuff here? He didn’t even have a dressing-gown, let alone his squash gear. At some point soon, he was going to have to go back and face Lyssa to collect some of his clothes and a few essential items.