Page 211 of Modern Romance January 2025 1-4

‘Pack your bag—wheels up in twenty.’ He backed away from her.

‘We’releaving?’ She sat her coffee cup down with a clatter. ‘Already?’

‘I’ve done all I need to here,’ he said roughly.

Cristina would know from the flight records that he’d been here. He could blame the trip’s brevity on work. It would have to do.

‘By turning up for two minutes—just long enough to prove you were here? Well, good for you,’ she said sarcastically. ‘Ihaven’t even been down to the beach.’ She scrunched down in the bed. ‘What happened to five days? It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.’

He saw her slight wince as she moved and realised she was tender from their encounter last night. Fire licked, distracting and tempting. It had been sensational—the most erotic experience ever, and she’d been right with him, pushing him every bit as he’d pushed her. She pushed him differently now.

‘You can’t make me get on another plane,’ she said mutinously. ‘I’ve flown back and forth across the continent this week too many times already. Your carbon footprint must bemonstrous.’

‘I offset it with carbon credits from several forestry plantations,’ he snapped back—adrenaline rippled through him at her challenge.

This was what he needed. Sparring with her stopped the worst memories resurfacing.

Grief. Betrayal. Abandonment.

None of it he wanted to feel ever again. This was why he didn’t come here. Why he didn’t let anyone close. Yet he found safety in Elodie’s sarcasm, heat in the sexual tension that twisted them together.

‘Of course you do.’ She shot him a look from over the sheet. ‘You have answers for everything.’

Not quite. He didn’t really have answers for why the last forty-eight hours had been such a roller-coaster of the most fantastic and freaking awful moments ever.

‘You keep bringing me to beautiful beaches and not giving me a chance to swim.’ She glared at him.

‘I’ll take you to a better beach sometime.’

She shook her head disbelievingly. ‘Promises, promises.’

The bitterness in her answer was more than sarcasm and hit harder than he expected.

‘I haven’t the time to waste here,’ he gritted, battling the bad feeling. ‘I’ve got work to do. Be ready to go in an hour.’

He left her, desperate to pull himself together. He even manned up and stepped outside. A long time ago this place had been a haven. He’d enjoyed summer holidays here with both his parents before he’d realised the betrayal. It was the one place his father never brought any of his lovers. Which eventually made it the one place his mother felt safe. After his father had died and the worst exposed, she’d come here and never left again. Ramon had tried to get her to at least visit other places. Tried to get her to accept help. Never could. He’d stand here and watch her walking down this path towards the dunes and her damned beloved lizards. He’d noticed her thinning frame but she’d denied his concern. Denied him so much. Her time. Her forgiveness. She wouldn’t let him help. Wouldn’t let him care for her. She’d been furious when he’d brought a doctor—another betrayal.

Ramon lasted less than twenty minutes before turning back to the house. Elodie was dressed, sitting on the deck and eating an ice cream.

‘For breakfast?’ A chuckle escaped even though he couldn’t feel less like laughing. ‘Where’d you even find it?’

‘Freezer.’ She offered it to him.

‘I don’t eat sweet things.’

‘Maybe you ought to.’ She blinked oh-so-innocently.

‘Not good for me.’

‘All or nothing?’ Her eyebrows lifted. ‘You’re afraid of losing control.’

He slung himself down beside her and faced the sea, so he didn’t have to look into her eyes.

‘I lost control with you last night,’ he admitted gruffly.

He saw the little raw spots on her knees and knew they were from the plush carpet. He wanted to kiss them.

‘I was too rough.’ He coughed.

---