Page 126 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

She lit the candles carefully, sending a quick prayer to the heavens for the lack of sea breeze this evening that would allow the candles to stay lit.

Stealing back to the bed, she woke Logan with a kiss.

“Wakey, wakey.”

A smile appeared on his lips before he even opened his eyes. “You are insatiable.”

“As if you can talk. Anyway, that’s not why I was waking you.”

Taking his hand, she guided him to the terrace. At the sight of the cake, and the effort she had gone to, his eyes went dark, overcome with feeling.

“A little birdie told me it was your birthday so I baked you a cake.”

She darted back into the bedroom, to his walk-in closet, reappearing moments later with a large gift-wrapped box and a smaller package. “It’s not much — and certainly not if you compare all that you have done for me — but I hope you like it.”

Logan’s heart thumped.

No woman had ever gone to so much trouble for him. They would sleep with him and please him in that way, but outside of bed, the women he had been with tended to require that he make all the effort, and usually in the form of increasingly more lavish gifts.

Not one had ever baked a cake for him.

Opening the box, his breath caught.

Not one had ever gotten him something that he’d wanted, either. The sous-vide machine gleamed under the light of the full moon. Jane stood against a spectacular backdrop of stars, shifting nervously from foot to foot as she waited for his response.

He opened the smaller package to find two editions of the same book. Somewhat nervously, she explained why she’d bought the two versions.

It had been a good few minutes since he’d last said a word, something that was giving her major anxiety. Unable to help herself, she asked, “Well, do you like them?” She really needed to hear that he did.

“I love you.”

She laughed, taken aback by his comment, but was pleased. “I was hoping for a ‘thank you’ so I think I overshot it a bit.”

He knew his words and their meaning had not sunken in. Setting down his gifts, he took her hands in his. He drew her close so that she was forced to look into his eyes.

“I mean it, Jane. I love you. And not because of the effort you made, or the gifts — which, I love too — but because of you. This industry, the lifestyle I lead, it has all tainted me, given me a shell that no one has been able to penetrate before. But with you, I can be myself. There is no acting, no pretence. You accept me for the person I am, and not who I pretend to be. I don’t know what heavenly powers brought you to my shore, but I’ll be forever grateful they did.”

Her eyes misted over. She gazed at him with an intensity that matched his own.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

He took her lips in his, claiming this woman that he loved. Her heart beat against him, their rhythm mingling into a duet that only they could hear. They only pulled away when they heard a strange lapping sound.

It was Loki. Perched precariously on a chair, he was licking the cake. Jane launched herself away from Logan and bolted over to Loki…

But not to save the cake, as he’d thought.

“Loki! Be careful not to burn your nose!”

She blew out the candles, removing them so that their curling smoke wouldn’t bother him. She gave Logan an apologetic smile.

“Sorry. I hope you made a wish.”

“I’ve already gotten it.”

Happy tears brightened her eyes. They didn’t bother cutting the cake, eating it using the forks that were already on the table. Loki wasn’t left out of their celebration too: they fed small chunks of the cake to him, much to his delight.

“If you never decide what to do with yourself, you should open a bakery. This cake might be the best I’ve ever tasted.”

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