Page 42 of The Rules of Their Red-Hot Reunion

Aisha’s blush, Muzi’s deep laugh, and Aisha’s elbow in his ribs told him he’d said that last sentence out aloud. Oh, well, it was the truth.

Pasco shook Muzi’s hand and pulled his friend in for a quick, manly hug. ‘How’s Ro?’ Pasco asked.

‘Hanging in there.’ Muzi grimaced.

‘She’s done well to keep those babies in as long as she has,’ Aisha told Muzi.

‘Yeah.’ Muzi pulled back his jacket sleeve to look at his watch. ‘It’s getting late. I’m off.’

Pasco clasped his shoulder. ‘Let us know if anything happens baby-wise.’

‘Will do,’ Muzi said before striding away.

Aisha sent him a quick smile. ‘He’s a basket case.’

‘He adores Ro and is worried about her,’ Pasco replied, watching his friend’s progress across the room.

Aisha took a champagne glass from a waiter holding a tray and Pasco ordered a bourbon. She sipped and let her eyes drift across the room. ‘Do you want kids?’ she asked.

He wasn’t completely surprised by her question. He’d seen the longing in her eyes when she eyed Ro’s ginormous stomach. ‘I haven’t given it much thought. But if I did, I’d only want to have them with you.’

Aisha stared at him, shocked. ‘What?’

‘You heard me,’ Pasco replied, jamming his hands into the pockets of his suit trousers.

‘But you and I, we’re just—’ Aisha stumbled over her words and her glass wobbled. He plucked it from her fingers and placed it on a high table and linked her fingers in his.

He dropped his head and placed a kiss on her temple, breathing in her feminine, lovely, too-sexy scent. ‘Lovers? Exes? Friends? We’re all of that, but we’re also so much more.’

‘How much more, Pas?’ Aisha asked him, her eyes wide with surprise.

Pasco took her hand, pulled her to the dance floor and into his arms. He rested his cheek against the side of her head as they glided around the floor. Their bodies, as always, were completely in sync, and they moved easily together.

‘I think we should discuss that, discuss us,’ Pasco told her, wincing at the tremble he heard in his voice. Damn, but he was nervous. ‘Would rewriting the rules be something you’d be interested in doing?’

He held his breath, scared she’d say no. His heart slowed down, and he forgot to breathe.

‘Yes.’

There it was, thankGod. He released the tension in his shoulders, in his spine, and closed his eyes in relief. ‘Can I take you to dinner next Saturday night, somewhere wildly romantic? Maybe we can figure something out, to see if we can get from here to...babies.’

She didn’t reply, and Pas could feel tension running through her. He pulled back to look at her, saw her eyes fill with emotion. He couldn’t decide whether fear or excitement had the upper hand, but he intended to find out. ‘Is that something you want, sweetheart?’

‘I don’t know what I want, Pas. And feeling like this again scares me,’ Aisha softly replied, resting her head against his chest.

‘I know, I’m scared too. But maybe we can figure it out together,’ Pasco murmured, before pulling her closer and holding her tighter.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, Aisha sat in her office, sifting through résumés of people applying for the top positions at St Urban—permanent hotel manager, chef, food, and beverage manager—but after reading the same résumé twice, she pushed the folders aside, and her chair back, and captured her hands between her knees, frustrated by her inability to concentrate.

Pasco wanted to talk about their relationship. God, she was in a relationship with her ex-husband... How did that happen?

That had been rule number one, do not fall for your ex, and she’d broken it a hundred times over. What was she thinking? Had she been thinking at all? No, as it had years before, her brain shut down whenever she came within six feet of the man!

Aisha bit her bottom lip and stared at her shoes. She appreciated him wanting to find a way for them to be together, but this time around, she was trying to be sensible, to think things through. She was going to be in the country for another four, maybe five months, and if she got the promotion, she’d have to decide on moving to Johannesburg or London. If she wasn’t promoted, she’d be moving on to the next project, which could be in Canada or Cartagena.

Either way, she’d be hours and hours away from Pasco. And yes, she understood that some people managed to make long-distance relationships work, but she didn’t see how they could. They couldn’t even make it work when they’d lived together in the same apartment.

Yes, they were older and more mature, but realistically, they were already struggling to carve out time to spend together. How would they manage that when they were in different cities, different time zones?

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