Page 35 of Singing For His Kiss

His gaze traveled over Elizabeth, drinking her in. The air changed as she came close, overflowing with the subtle awareness of her energy, the essence of her. She ran her tongue across her lips, trying to wet them against the wind and salt. He wondered if the salt would add flavour to her lips if he kissed her.

He cleared this throat. “I hope Madeline didn’t bully you into bringing her down here too much. She’d pitch a tent and live down here if she could.”

Elizabeth smiled, albeit a little tentatively, as she looked up at him. The word “beautiful” whispered through his mind like the gentlest caress. “It’s okay. I was worried about her being at the beach after…well, I was hoping it isn’t too traumatic for her.”

He ruffled Madeline’s hair, drinking in her happy, upturned face. “I think this is good for her.”

Elizabeth looked out to the ocean and breathed in deeply, filling her lungs. He watched the subtle smile on her face. She closed her eyes momentarily, simply absorbing. He was held in a timeless moment, completely spellbound, simply watching her enjoyment. It filtered through him, as though her wonder was his.

She opened her eyes again and turned her attention to him. “At the moment, I think it’s…peaceful. I’m glad the rain stopped for a little while and we could finally get out of the house.”

It was peaceful. Once upon a time, he’d come here and sit for hours, just watching the ocean unfold. In a previous life. Elizabeth had just reminded him.

“I’d forgotten it could be like this.”

“Can we find an octopus to show Liz’beth? She’s never seen one,” Madeline asked.

“You’ve never seen an octopus?”

“Only in the form of calamari.”

Elizabeth tried to snake a strand of hair behind her ear, but the wind tugged it free again. He wanted to wrap his fingers in the wind-whipped strands, tug it free from her face, lock it against the nape of her neck while he tasted those delicious-looking lips of hers.

That was what he wanted to do. What he needed to do was get himself under some modicum of control. “What do you say we look right over there?” Octopus, concentrate on the octopus. Not on Elizabeth’s very kissable lips. He pointed to an outcrop of rocks nearby.

“Yeah!” Madeline’s face lit with joy. She grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the rocks that were only visible at low tide.

“Don’t go to any trouble.” Anxiousness tensed her features.

He wanted to smooth that expression away. He captured her gaze and held it. “It’s no trouble, Elizabeth.”

“But…you’re going to get cold. You’re only wearing shorts and a T-shirt.” He was touched and equally as affected by her consideration.

“Don’t worry about me. Us locals are pretty tough when it comes to the weather here.”

She frowned, as though she wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. Madeline tugged his hand insistently, and he allowed her to pull him towards the rocks. He was aware of Elizabeth walking just to the side and slightly behind him. He slowed Madeline down so Elizabeth could walk next to him.

“Have you ever been around this area before?”

She shook her head. “No. First time here.”

“Why did you decide to come here in the middle of winter? Most people wait for summer to come to a beach town like this.”

“I’d heard about how beautiful it is. Looked at pictures on Google.”

“Well, it’s about as far away from the outback as you can get,” James said.

A frown creased her forehead. “That’s what I thought, too.” She paused, caught in a memory that looked as though it wasn’t good, then she stirred and offered him a faint smile. “I didn’t think the ocean could get so cold.”

“It’s the wind. The cold front moves across Bass Strait, bringing the cold water up from Antarctica.”

She shuddered. “No wonder it feels like ice in the air. There actually is!”

“I think people associate the beach with sun and heat. They tend to forget it still exists in another form in the winter,” he said.

“Just like it changes personality. Jekyll and Hyde,” Elizabeth said.

He paused. “That’s exactly how I think about it, too.”

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