Page 35 of Best Laid Plans
‘No, you don’t, Indigo. You don’t get it at all. You’re the sexiest, most alluring woman I’ve ever met, but?—’
Unfolding her arms, she flung her hands in the air. ‘There’s always a “but”!’
‘Oui.’ He lifted a hand to cup her chin again and force her to look at him, so she could see the regret on his face. ‘There is.’
His heart thumped heavily against his ribs as he stared into her striking eyes, her pupils so blown he could barely make out the dark ring of her irises in the sinking gloom.
It would feel so good to kiss her right now, to take away her pain. But he knew there would be no going back from it, but also no going forward. He shouldn’t put her through that, not when she’d been hurt like she had.
So he just stood there like a fool, inhibited by a powerful sense of walking to the edge of a cliff and looking down into the depths, feeling an innate urge to jump.
‘Take me back to shore, Julien. It’s time we said goodbye,’ she murmured, her eyes welling with fresh tears.
Taking a shuddering breath, she plucked at the end of the towel, which was still wrapped tightly around her, lifting up the edge and using it to dry her eyes before looking up at him again.
His heart gave a hard pulse at the sight of the pain and humiliation he saw in them.
Seeming to read his concern, she dropped her chin and stared at the floor. ‘I’m sorry. I think I drank too much after being teetotal all week. And I’m tired. So tired.’ She seemed to sag, as if all the fight had left her, and on instinct he pulled her into a tight hug against him, finding comfort in the scent of her that had become so familiar to him over the last few days. Strangely, he felt as if he’d known it forever.
And they fitted so well together. Like two pieces of a puzzle.
Relaxing his hold on her, he moved back a little so he could look into her face.
‘Stay here on the boat tonight,’ he heard himself saying.
‘What?’ Her expression was so full of wounded confusion he knew there was no way he could let her leave now. He had this fierce urge to protect and comfort her, even if it was only for one night.
‘I want you to stay with me tonight. Let me prove to you exactly how attractive I find you. Just one night together, before we have to say goodbye?’
There was a beat of silence, where she seemed to consider his suggestion, before smiling her beautiful smile and saying, ‘Yes. Just one night together. I’d like that.’
Without utter another word, he bent to claim her mouth with his own, his body shivering with desire as he experienced the incredible soft sweetness of her again.
Now they’d made this decision he wanted her so much it hurt.
Before she could protest, he scooped her up into his arms, making for the steps to below deck where the bedroom was housed.
The sound of her giggle was music to his ears. ‘Julien, you don’t need to carry me. I can walk!’
He ignored her, striding down to the forepeak of the boat and into the bedroom, where he lay her gently on the bed.
‘Let me look after you tonight, Indigo,’ he said, brushing the hair away from her face and settling in next to her, dipping his head to claim her mouth once again.
She gave a small groan of need in the back of her throat. ‘Okay. Yes,’ she whispered against his lips, wrapping her arms around him.
And that was all he needed to hear to finally let himself go.
8
Nerano to Sorrento. Walking away from Nerano will be hard, but the cheering lure of Sorrento calls…
When Indigo woke up, she couldn’t quite place where she was. Opening her eyes a crack, all she saw was a plain white wall, which swooped up towards the ceiling like a roof in an attic room. Strange. She didn’t remember going to bed in an attic.
Coming round a little more, she became aware of an unfamiliar rocking motion beneath her and a heavy weight around her waist that pressed gently into her tummy. Despite her disorientation, she felt curiously safe and protected.
Even so, something in the back of her brain told her that this wasn’t where she was supposed to be and as she shifted a little, she felt a warm pressure behind her sink a little harder into her back.
Okay, that definitely wasn’t normal.
