Page 137 of Enthrall
I’d missed him, even for such a short amount of time, and couldn’t help but grin ridiculously with the thought of spending more time with him. I scooped up our blanket.
Following Richard’s lead, I padded barefoot behind him and he led the way down the pathway. I was excited to see where it led. A little farther down he side-stepped, allowing me room to flick open the wooden gate.
We made our way beneath the archway of shrubs, soon finding ourselves standing on a sandy beach, and there, stretching out before us, lay a vast blue ocean. The sand was warm and smooth beneath my feet. Richard caught my expression of wonder and gave that serious regard of his and I melted all over again.
“Will this do?” he said.
“We’ll make it work.”
He grinned, looking so young and so innocent, the breeze ruffling his hair. It was hard to believe he had a penchant for pain, impossible to grasp this was the dominating Richard from last night. Sweeping the blanket wide, I spread it out upon the sand and we sat snuggled close to each other. It felt dreamy to have him back beside me.
“Oatmeal?” Richard handed me one of the bowls.
He rested his upon the blanket before him and reached for the flask, unscrewing the cap and pouring steaming coffee into it. The scent of fresh brewed beans wafted. He handed me the cup.
I took a sip. “You make great coffee.” I gave the cup back to him and tasted my oatmeal. “This is delicious too.”
“Secret family recipe.” He raised his hand. “Please don’t ask for it.”
“Really?”
His smile reached his eyes. “Trader Joes.”
“How come you’re not down here all the time?”
“Believe it or not it can get kind of lonely.” He shook his head. “Well, hopefully not anymore.”
I reached around his waist and hugged him, resting my head on his shoulder. I breathed him in. The scent of fresh linen mixed with a waft of delicate cologne. That, and the sensation of his hand caressing my back, was a heady combination.
“We’ll come down here more,” he said.
“I’d like that.”
He scooped a handful of sand and let it slip between his fingers. “Move in with me.”
We were moving at lightning speed, actually make that warp-speed, and Richard’s world was threatening to burn me up brighter than a solar flare.
“At least think about it.” His fingers played with my hair. “You certainly know how to make a man’s day, Ms. Lauren.”
“I could say the same about you. This is the most romantic setting on the planet.”
“Only if you’re in love.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek.
I now knew how it felt for my heart to skip a beat.
“Otherwise this place is merely a vastness,” he murmured.
I wondered how many days he’d sat down here on his own with nothing but his thoughts for company.
Lotte’s words came back to me. “There’s something beautiful about a broken man. Maybe it’s some unspoken promise he’ll become more than he is because of it.”
Although I’d not understood her words then, having not known Richard’s story, I now had a sense of what she was saying. Richard’s previous lifestyle of privilege and position and later his fall from the graces of New York society had softened him, made him a kinder man. He certainly seemed more approachable than the Richard I’d first met.
He pointed toward Venice Beach. “I imagine Cameron’s surfing right now. Somewhere in that direction.”
“Maybe Tara’s with him.”
“Maybe.” He shifted to better look at me. “Let’s talk about last night.”
