Page 93 of Obsession Under the Southern Stars

She nods. “Okay.”

I kiss the top of her head. Then I move back a little, take her face in my hands, and kiss her properly. “Thank you for the last few days,” I say softly. “It’s been a rollercoaster, but I have enjoyed our time together.”

Her lips curve up a little. “So have I, I swear.”

I hesitate. I have the horrible feeling she’s slipping away from me. And as determined as I am to make this work, I can’t force her to be with me. “It was fun, wasn’t it?”

“It was, if somewhat terrifying.”

“But sunlight is always brighter when it’s contrasted with shadow, right?”

She gives a short laugh, recognizing her own words. “Yeah.”

My gaze caresses her face as I stroke her cheeks with my thumbs. It’s a beautiful, blustery day here in Wellington, and her hair dances around her face. She’s so fucking beautiful. I don’t want to let her go.

“I want to be with you,” I murmur. “I want to get to know you properly, Zoe. I want to take you out for dinner, and to the cinema, and to the theater, and take you back to my place afterward and make love to you all night. I want to sleep next to you and wake up next to you. What we shared—beneath the ocean, and in the storm—it’s no small thing. So tell me you’ll think about it. Please.”

“I will,” she says. “I promise.”

“All right.” Reluctantly, I release her. “I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”

“Okay. See you soon.” Pulling her case, she heads off to the nearest taxi.

Sighing, I go to the one behind her, put my case in the back, and get in. Her taxi heads off into the traffic, and mine joins it before eventually heading in the opposite direction toward the flat that I share with Fraser when I’m in Wellington.

It’s over in the suburb of Brooklyn, high on the hills surrounding the city. The taxi drops me off outside, and I go down the steps and let myself in.

The place is large for Wellington. A big living room leads onto an impressive deck with a terrific view across the city to the harbor beyond. There’s a substantial kitchen and a dining room that doubles as an office for both of us, three good-sized bedrooms, and two bathrooms, which helped when Elora lived with us.

Fraser is at work, so I’m not surprised to find the apartment empty. I drop my bags in the doorway and walk through to the kitchen, open the fridge, and help myself to a bottle of water. I unscrew the lid and have a couple of mouthfuls.

Then I stop and lower the bottle, and stare at the bar stool tucked under the breakfast bar. Hanging over the back of it is a navy-blue jacket.

I put down the bottle and pick the item up. It’s not Fraser’s. Clearly, it’s a women’s jacket. I’ve never seen Elora in it, but I’m pretty sure it looks like the one Hallie was wearing last time I saw her.

My lips curve up, and I replace the jacket on the stool. Did she come over as a friend? Was it a one-night stand? Or something more? There’s no point in asking him; he’s a private guy, even with me, and he’d never admit how he felt about her.

I pick up the bottle of water, go over to the sliding doors and open them, and walk out onto the deck.

I’m away so often that it hasn’t made sense to rent an apartment of my own before. I spend all my time traveling around the North Island from office to office and excavation to excavation, and I’m only in Wellington maybe one week in ten or twelve. Sharing worked well when Elora was with us as Fraser and I could both keep an eye on her. But I guess deep down we both knew the situation would change eventually.

He’s had a few girlfriends over the years, including a semi long term one called Ginger over a year ago, but he spent most of his time at her place, and never talked about her moving inwith him. It’s going to happen, though, whether it ends up being Hallie or someone else.

If I get the Director of Operations gig, I’ll be spending more time in Wellington anyway, and if this thing with Zoe works out, maybe it’s time for me to start putting down roots. Get my own place. Settle down. That’s what my dad keeps telling me, anyway.

I close my eyes as the breeze blows over me. My stomach flips at the sensation of change in the air. Am I ready for it? I love my current job. I like the traveling, the diving, the excavations. It’s what I’m good at. I get twitchy when I’m behind a desk. But everyone has to grow up at some point, right? And I don’t want to start dating Zoe and then be away from her for eleven weeks out of twelve.

I sigh and lean on the barrier. Nothing’s ever easy. We all have to make sacrifices, and I’m prepared to do that, to get the woman I love.

*

I keep busy for the rest of the day. I have chores to do like washing my clothes and getting some food in from the supermarket, and then I spend the rest of the afternoon working on the excavation notes. Soon, I need to start work on preparing for my interview on Monday. But for now I concentrate on my current job, catching up on the stuff I’ve missed while I’ve been away.

Fraser comes home around six thirty. I’m sitting at the dining room table, surrounded by my laptop and papers, and I hear the front door open and close, then his keys land on the breakfast bar.

I rise and say, “Hey,” as he comes into the dining room.

He walks up to me, and we exchange a big bearhug. “Good to see you,” he says. “You know, not in a coffin.”

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