Page 160 of When The Night Falls

‘No.’ The corner of his mouth curled up briefly. ‘But for some reason I find that fact rather flattering. I feel special.’

I repressed a smile. ‘You are special. But you know, frankly, I’m the one who should be surprised between us. Last time we had sex, you said you only had one partner. Was that Violet?’

‘Yeah.’

‘So Francesca came after that?’

‘Sort of.’

I tilted my head. ‘Elaborate.’

He sighed. ‘Francesca and I were undefined at the time. There was always a question over whether we’d meet again. Violet was a stable, regular thing.’

‘Right.’

‘Anyway, are you on contraceptives?’

I nodded. ‘I’ve got an IUD.’

‘Right. No need to worry, then.’ He pulled the broken condom off his dick. ‘Have you got a bin in here?’

‘Under the desk.’

He climbed out of the bed.

‘Bloody hate these,’ I heard him say in an undertone as he discarded the condom.

I chuckled. ‘Are you trying to say that you’d prefer not to use a condom when we have sex?’

‘Heard that, did you?’ Facing me again, he rubbed the back of his head. ‘Not really – unless you’re comfortable with it.’

I shrugged. ‘I am if we’re exclusive.’

His eyebrows jumped. ‘Oh, we are most definitely exclusive if I have any say.’

I bit my lower lip, smiling. ‘No more condoms, then.’

‘Great.’ He smiled back. ‘But I’d still appreciate it if you took a test, just to be sure. I realise the chances are slim, but...if you happen to have anything, it’s better we pick up on it sooner rather than later in terms of getting treated.’

I nodded. ‘Yeah, you’re right. I’ll get myself checked later this week.’

His eyes glimmered with affection. ‘Thanks.’

Moseying over, he climbed into the bed again and lay down on his side, facing me. Taking my hand, he raised it to his mouth and kissed the back of it.

I stared at him, mesmerised by the chemistry we shared. I had been so blind, but he had pierced the darkness like a star upon the sky. While I was trepidatious about what awaited me, I trusted him completely to be my guiding light. There was no other man I would follow into the unknown – only him.

Moving closer, I kissed his lips and rubbed my nose against his. I couldn’t remember having felt so content before.

We lay there in silence for a while, caressing each other. My eyes flickered around the room as I basked in the delight of our reunion. Eventually I stole a glance at William, and I noticed that he was looking at my wardrobe – the one he had helped me build. It seemed so long ago now.

‘No more lies, Cara,’ he suddenly said.

My heart skipped a beat and my eyes flitted to his face. His lips were set in a straight, sober line, and his brows were corrugated in a frown.

My face crinkled. ‘I promise,’ I said quietly and squeezed his hand.

‘If you lie to me again, about anything, that’s it – it’s over.’ His tone was so strict that I gulped.

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