Page 42 of One More Sleepless Night

‘So?’ He stroked her wrist and her stomach all but disappeared.

Nicky swallowed and racked her brains for a reason to get up when there wasn’t one. ‘My feet are getting itchy,’ she said even though they’d never felt less itchy.

‘OK,’ he said, sliding his hand up her arm and making goosebumps pop up all over her skin, ‘so how about a trip into town?’

‘That sounds great.’

‘Then into town we’ll go,’ he murmured, and then pulled her down and back into his arms and gave her a kiss that frazzled her brain and made a mockery of her pathetic effort to resist him. ‘Later.’

*

Quite a long time later, Rafael was sitting with Nicky at a table in a square in the centre of town, toying with the stem of his wine glass and wondering if he ought to be worried about what was going on here.

There were certainly things he should be worried about. Work or, rather, his lack of interest in it was one, for example. Nicky’s friendship with his sister and its odd insignificance was another. Above all, he really ought to be concerned about the way that virtually anything that related to life beyond the physical and metaphorical boundaries of the vineyard simply didn’t seem to matter.

Anything related to real life, in fact.

What was going on with Nicky wasn’t real, he reminded himself, glancing over at her from behind his sunglasses and seeing a dreamy, wistful kind of smile curve her mouth. It couldn’t last for ever, and nor did he want it to. Never mind that she was remarkably easy to be with. Never mind that she was fascinating. And never mind that night after night she blew his mind. She’d soon be going home, as would he, and he was absolutely fine with that.

So why did the thought of this being over and of her disappearing from his life for good leave such a bitter taste in his mouth? Why did it make his stomach twist and his chest squeeze? And when had the idea of going home started to sound quite so unappealing?

Rafael’s fingers tightened around his glass and he shifted in his chair as it struck him that perhaps he wasn’t quite as happy about the temporary nature of this thing with Nicky as he’d tried to convince himself.

Come to think of it, why did it have to be temporary anyway? Why couldn’t they continue seeing each other even after they’d returned to their respective homes?

Nicky might have said she wasn’t looking for a relationship but presumably she’d meant one that tied her to one place, that compromised her freedom. But over the last week he’d come to understand and respect her sense of wanderlust and he’d never ask that of her. Besides, why would he even want to when her independence, her self-sufficiency and her commitment to her work were among the things he most liked about her?

In that respect they were perfect for each other, so what would be wrong with a hot, steamy, long-distance affair? Nothing, as far as he could work out, so perhaps he ought to suggest it and see what she had to say…

‘So what did your wife think of all this?’

Nicky’s question yanked him out of his thoughts and he froze with shock at the unexpectedness of it. His wife? She wanted to talk about his wife? Now?

Forcing himself not to tense up, Rafael swivelled round to look at her. She was frowning and she’d gone a little pink and he got the impression that it was a question she hadn’t intended to ask.

He wished she hadn’t because the subject of his marriage wasn’t one he cared to dwell on, but now she’d brought it up he could hardly pretend she hadn’t, however much he might want to. He supposed he was lucky to have got away without having to discuss it for this long.

But never mind. It was fine. Just because she’d asked didn’t mean he had to tell her anything other than the basic facts, did it?

‘My wife?’ he echoed.

‘Well, your ex-wife,’ she amended with a slight smile.

‘She didn’t think anything about this.’

Nicky frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘She never came down here.’

Her eyebrows shot up. ‘What, never?’

‘No,’ he said coolly. ‘I’ve only had the vineyard for five years and she was always more interested in city life anyway.’

‘What was her name?’

‘Marina.’

‘And what was she like?’

---