Page 104 of Mistaken Intention

He put his arms around me and I rested against him, letting his strength seep into me. He didn’t suggest we go to bed, or ask the way to my bedroom, but after a while, he leaned back, a smile etched on his lips.

“Shall we go?”

“Okay.”

He carried my bag out to the car where we found Hunter waiting for us, as promised. We climbed into the back and sat, side by side on the journey to Newport. Hunter didn’t say a word, and Drew spent most of the time just staring at me, like he was scared if he took his eyes from me, I’d disappear.

My thoughts were all over the place. That mixture of fear and worry about the lies was ever-present, but there was something else.

It was hope.

That wasn’t just because of the things he’d said about us and our future.

It was more than that.

I remembered about five minutes into our journey that Drew had forced an admission out of Hunter that he hadn’t slept with anyone for over a year before the accident. He wanted to know because he was worried he might have put me in danger by not using a condom. That thought had never occurred to me, although I don’t know why. It ought to have done. But I guess I had other things on my mind. I’d waited for Hunter’s answer with bated breath, knowing that, while it wouldn’t change how I feel about Drew, it might make things difficult for both of us when he finally remembers his past. He’d sent me a messagebefore the accident, saying he wanted to see me again, but I didn’t know why, or what about. I had no idea what he’d been doing while Lexi was pregnant and during those early months of Maisie’s life, but it seemed unreasonable to hope that our meeting had meant as much to him as it had to me. It seemed unfair to hope he’d have missed me, like I’d missed him… until Hunter said there had been no-one else.

Could it be?

Could it be that he’d been waiting?

Waiting and hoping that maybe our time would come?

I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but it was impossible not to dream.

When we got back, we left Hunter by the car, Drew thanking him for his help. I felt embarrassed and didn’t say a word. I just let Drew lead me back to the cottage.

Once inside, he dumped my bag and captured my lips with his.

“Don’t ever do that to me again. Okay?” he growled, and I nodded.

And that was when he took me to bed.

I don’t feel like Drew’s nurse anymore. I might have enjoyed that role, but I much prefer being Drew’s lover.

We’ve spent the last five days, since he brought me back here, just being together. We haven’t left the house… in fact, we’ve barely left his bedroom, except when someone knocked on the door the day before yesterday. Drew went to answer it, and came back up to the bedroom, smiling, a package in his hand.

“What’s that?” I asked as he opened it.

“Hunter left it on the doorstep. It’s his way of telling me to smarten up my facial hair.”

He pulled out a box, containing a beard trimmer, and we both laughed. I watched him shave, getting his stubble to thelength he wanted, pointing out the bits he’d missed, and when he was finished, he kissed me.

“It’s not too rough against your skin, is it?” he asked, gazing down at me.

“No.”

He smiled then and kissed his way down my body…

When we’re not making love, or snatching moments of sleep, wrapped up together, we simply stare at each other, like neither of us can believe this is really happening. I know I can’t. I spent too many months living without him, knowing he had to put his daughter first, believing we’d never get the chance to be together. Now we are, it feels like a spell has been cast over us, and even though we’re bound by it, I’m aware it’s a spell that could break so easily.

I want to make the most of it, just in case this is all we ever have.

Just in case he can’t forgive me once he knows everything.

I’m lying across the bed, my head on Drew’s stomach, his fingers playing gently over the side of my breast. We showered and ate breakfast a while ago, before coming back to bed, but I’ve lost track of time.

“We really should go out, you know?” I say.

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