Page 44 of Toy Boy

“It’s a complicated – no, it’s not complicated at all, it’s just, different.”

I arch that eyebrow again, frowning slightly.

“I was a patient of his, a few years ago. Not long after that cruise I’ve just talked about, actually.”

“A patient?”

I didn’t know that. I really didn’t know that.

“I had a heart condition I knew nothing about. One minute I’m fine, carrying on with my life as normal, and the next I’m being rushed into hospital for emergency surgery. And Scott, he – he saved my life. Literally.”

“He operated on you?”

I can’t keep the surprise out of my voice. I genuinely had no idea about this.

“Yes.”

“So, what happened…? I mean, how did you go from patient to marrying the guy?”

Seriously, I need to know this.

“It was almost three years after my operation when we met again, at a charity fundraiser here in Beachcastle. That’s when I saw the man, not the surgeon…” She looks away again, as if she’s losing herself in memories, except, I’m not sure they’re all good ones. “It was a whirlwind romance, you don’t need to know the details.”

No, I don’t, but I’d like to. I’m not going to push it though, that wouldn’t be right.

“Anyway, we were happy, at first, then he started acting like a dick, and I left him.” She sits back, shrugs, and downs the last of her whiskey. “All you need to know, really.” Her gaze dips again, her fingers still wrapped around her empty glass. “I don’t want to talk about Scott anymore.”

Understandable. He’s killing the mood, and I need to lift it back up.

“Thank you, Megan. For tonight.”

She looks up, her eyes locking back on mine, a small smile starting to play at the corners of her mouth. “It was a pleasure. Maybe we should do it again?”

She phrases that as a question, and I nod, because we will, do it again. We absolutely, definitely will.

“Yes. We should. How about tomorrow? My place.”

She laughs in a way that makes me thinkshethinks I wasn’t being serious there. I’m deadly serious. I want as few hours as possible between leaving here and seeing her again, in fact, if it was up to me I wouldn’t leave at all. But maybe that’s pushing things a little too quickly, and that could be a bad idea, even though I’m not sure I have the time to take things slowly. I guess all I can do is let her take the lead, whatever she wants, we move at her pace.

“Oh, were you serious?” She’s still laughing, and I’m laughing too, now, nodding my head to let her know that, yeah, I’m serious.

The smile fades from her face as she bites down on her lip. “Is that a good idea?”

“I’m not seeing it as a bad one. Andyouwere the one who suggested we should do this again. Remember?” I lean forward and take her hand, tentatively at first, until I gauge her reaction. And as her fingers wrap around mine and her smile returns, I breathe an inner sigh of relief. “It’s time to have some fun, Megan. You said you haven’t had all that much of it lately, and I think that’s a crying shame, so, let’s have some. Together.”

She glances down at our joined hands, and then back up at me, and her smile widens, even though her expression is telling me she may now be having second thoughts. “I don’t know… I mean, why would you want to…?”

I shut her up – quite literally – with a kiss. And she responds immediately, her fingers tightening around mine, and I know every reservation she has is to do with her age and this town and… her ex? Is it possible that, despite all her protestations, she still has feelings – albeit deeply hidden, possibly subconscious ones – for Scott Warren?

“I want to spend time with you, Megan, or I wouldn’t be here, believe me.”

She rests her forehead against mine, her thumb gently brushing over my knuckles, her eyes down.

“Alright.” She pulls back and reaches out to cup my cheek, a surprisingly intimate gesture that floors me for a second or two. “Tomorrow night.” She smiles a full-on smile and I can’t help but return it, my hand covering hers as it rests against my skin. And I want to kiss her again, but I don’t, because I’m sensing she’s about to end this night now. It’s late, we’re both a little drunk, and I don’t think she wants to do anything she might regret. “I’ve really enjoyed myself tonight, Xander.”

“Me too. Having fun is good, right?”

She laughs and leans in to kiss me again, and I feel my stomach skip about like it’s on elastic, seriously, I never expected to feel like this. And it doesn’t make anything any easier.

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