Page 29 of Finding Love in Micklewick Bay

‘You felt the same?’ His smile grew wider.

She nodded. ‘Mm-hm. I was instantly attracted to you, but on a much deeper level than I’ve ever experienced.’ She felt suddenly vulnerable at revealing this part of herself. She’d never done anything like it before, never felt anything like this before. She hesitated, considering whether to go on.Don’t forget, Alex has just bared his soul to you.‘I… um… Oh!’ Before she knew it, Alex was standing before her, offering his hand. Looking up at him, she took it, letting him pull her to her feet.

‘Stella,’ he said, his voice husky as he cupped her face in his hands, stars twinkling in the inky-blue sky above.

‘Alex,’ she said in a whisper. In the next moment, his mouth was on hers, all hot and sensual. She closed her eyes as a groan escaped her lips, a bolt of electricity shooting through to her core with such an intensity it took her breath away. She pushed her fingers into his hair, their kiss deepening, growing more urgent by the minute as he pulled her closer to him. Fireworks started going off down at the beach, but they were no match for the ones currently exploding in her heart.

SEVENTEEN

Stella lay in her king-size bed, the thoughts that had been crashing around her mind for the last hour had been making sleep frustratingly elusive. At almost one a.m. a balmy warmth lingered in the air. She’d cracked open the balcony door a little, in the hope of tempting in even the smallest breath of the tiny breeze that whispered in from the sea. From what she could hear, the party on the beach was winding down, the music having long-since been silenced, the voices thinned out.

She peeled off her short, silk nightdress and switched her pillow for the one on the opposite side of the bed, savouring the crisp coolness of the twelve-hundred count Egyptian cotton. She puffed out a sigh. Stella would never have guessed her day would end the way it had. It was hard to believe that her morning in court and the following confrontation with Vaughan Elliott had been part of the same day that had finished off with Alex. She closed her eyes, savouring the feeling of his kisses all over again. Wow! She’d never experienced anything like them. Never felt her body react with such an intensity, every inch of her had tingled. No one had made her feel like that before. But then again, no one had ever made her heart lift in the way it did by simply looking at him, and that was before his lips hadever touched hers. It unnerved her slightly, but not for long. She found herself craving the feeling all over again.

Was this what her mum had meant when she’d said Rhys had made her feel different? she wondered. Because, if Stella was being truthful with herself, even though she’d only just met him, something about Alex Bainbridge felt very different indeed. It was as if they were meant to meet. It was as if she wasn’t meant to fall for a man until their paths had crossed. Was he the reason she’d never had a long-term relationship? Had fate been waiting for the right moment to throw them together?

‘Ughh!’ Stella punched her pillow and turned over roughly. ‘You’re beginning to sound like Lark!’ All the same, Alex had said something pretty similar, she reasoned with herself. And he didn’t strike her as someone who would believe in airy-fairy stuff like that. Not that she was saying Lark was “airy-fairy”, but… Well, maybe she was… A little bit… Not that Lark would mind one jot. She was happy being that way. But these feelings for Alex Bainbridge had to be explained somehow. They couldn’t just “happen”! She had to be experiencing them for a reason.

How about love at first sight?said a tentative little voice.

‘Go away! Stella pulled the duvet over her head. She wondered if she’d wake up in the morning and discover it had all been a bizarre dream. After all, she didn’t believe in love, never mind at first sight! What utter rubbish!

She closed her eyes, her mind leading the way to Alex and his rather fine kisses.

Adding one more thing to her to-do list, Stella scooped up her coffee cup and headed out to the balcony. She was fresh from the shower, dressed in a light, silk dressing gown, her hair wrappedin a towel as she gazed out towards the sea. Cradling her cup in her hands, she stole a sideways glance in the direction of Alex’s balcony to see that, though his door was open, there was no sign of him. She felt a pang of disappointment, but it was soon nudged out of the way by the memory of how his kisses had made her feel the previous night. As usual, her heart flipped the way it did whenever she thought of him, though she did her best to ignore it. It didn’t stop her from hoping it wouldn’t be long before they got a chance to pick up where they’d left off.

At not quite seven thirty, an early-morning haze still hung over the horizon as the sun gained strength before burning its way through – if the forecasters were to be believed, it was going to be another hot day with temperatures soaring to record-breaking levels; the warmth already circulating certainly hinted at it. Despite the early hour, there were already people on the beach, including the usual keen surfers, and a clutch of ladies who went sea swimming several times a week. Though she was a keen swimmer, taking an early-morning dip had never appealed to Stella. The North Sea was bitingly cold even during a heatwave – as her paddle previously had reminded her. These days, with her lifeguarding well behind her, she much preferred a pool, particularly if it was under a Mediterranean sun. Her mum, also a keen swimmer, had mentioned she’d been invited to join a sea swimming group – The Goosebump Gals, she’d said they’d called themselves, the mere name made Stella shiver. As she sipped her coffee, she wondered if her mum was amongst the gaggle of ladies on the beach. She certainly seemed keen to try new things recently. Relationships, foreign holidays without her group of friends. Sea swimming. Whatever next? Stella wondered.

With an hour-and-a-half’s form-filling under her belt – an increasing bugbear of the bar owing to how much it ate into brief prep time – Stella headed out of her apartment building, the heat hitting her like a brick wall. ‘Phewph!’ She slid her sunglasses on, glad that she’d opted for a cool, knee-length linen dress, the aquamarine shade complementing her colouring.

Arriving in the town centre, she felt just about ready to melt and was glad of the air-conditioning when she reached Oscar’s Bistro. She grabbed a refreshing drink while she waited for the preparation of a gift voucher; her contribution to the auction at The Cellar. The place was busy with customers enjoying the bistro’s hearty breakfasts, an easy-listening playlist murmuring away in the background.

As Lark’s shop was just around the corner, Stella decided she’d head there next. ‘Thanks, Theo,’ she said, downing the last of her drink, the ice cubes rattling, before heading out of the door.

The window display of Lark’s Vintage Bazaar was as deliciously quirky as Stella expected it to be. There were a couple of mannequins dressed in an array of bohemian summer clothing, set to a backdrop of a tropical-looking beach, and decorated with an eclectic range of props, including several colourful faux parrots. You couldn’t help but smile; it had Lark’s handiwork written all over it.

Pushing the door open, Stella was met with the sound of magical chimes and a powerful waft of essential oils. Her eyes were treated to a host of clothing displays in bright, jewel colours. Lark had always been artistic, and here, in her domain, it showed.

‘Stells, flower! It’s fab to see you.’ Stella turned to see Lark heading towards her, a wide smile on her face. She was achingly pretty. Her small, heart-shaped face made her look a good decade younger than her thirty-three years. Her long, blonde hair hung in loose waves, but for the fine plaits that were threaded through it. She was wearing a loose-fitting pair of cotton dungarees in shades of mermaid-green and had a pair of silk jewelled slippers on her feet. Her armful of bracelets jangled as she pulled Stella into a hug.

‘Hiya, Lark. I’m afraid I might be a bit sweaty, it’s absolutely scorching out there.’

‘Hey, no worries, flower.’ She stood back, her hands resting on Stella’s shoulders. ‘Hmm.Interesting.’ She gave a mysterious smile.

Stella knew instantly what Lark was referring to.You don’t hang around, do you?‘What’s interesting?’ she asked, knowing full-well what it was.

Lark’s smile deepened, lighting up her pale-green eyes. ‘I’ve never seen your aura like this before, young lady. It’s positively radiant. And as for that sparkle in your eyes, I think we both know what I’m referring to.’

There was no point denying it. ‘Okay, I’ve been rumbled.’ Stella laughed, holding her hands up in defeat. ‘It’s Alex.’

‘Alex? The one who was with his girlfriend?’

Stella nodded. ‘The very one, only the girl we saw him with wasn’t his girlfriend, she’s his twin sister.’

‘Ah, I thought you couldn’t be right about him being a rat.’ She reached for Stella’s hand and led her towards the room behind the counter. ‘Come on, let me make us a drink and you can tell me all about it.’

‘Hmm. Okay, but just water for me, thanks.’ Lark favoured herbal teas which Stella thought tasted like the juice from a compost heap.

‘Come on then, missus, fire away.’ Lark grinned at her from her squishy seat.

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