Page 20 of One Forbidden Night In Paradise (Hot Winter Escapes)

‘You didn’t.’

Although she had. ‘I was just watching the fireworks.’ He gestured towards where lightning was still forking through the clouds accompanied by a distant growl of thunder. ‘Did they wake you?’

She shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. I think it’s just being in another different bed.’ There was a short silence as her eyes juddered across the space between them to meet his, then flicked away, and he noticed a blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.

And just like before, he found that he couldn’t look away.

He cleared his throat.

‘No, it’s fine,’ she said quickly. ‘I just thought I might make myself a cup of herbal tea but it’s really not that important.’

‘Help yourself. The kitchen’s through there.’

Leaning forward, Chase reached for his laptop. ‘Or I could just show you,’ he said, shutting it firmly even though he had definitely been intending to check the weather forecasts again when he’d picked it up.

And yet here he was standing up and walking into the kitchen because he wasn’t sure if she would take him up on his offer and then she would leave, and he didn’t think he wanted that. Although it was difficult to know why he wanted her to stay, but, truthfully, wanting someone, wanting her, was such a rarity for him at this point in his life that he was as fascinated by it as he had been by that blush.

In the kitchen, he dumped his laptop on the counter and switched on the lights. ‘Take a seat,’ he said, directing her to the stools nestling around the breakfast bar, and stared assessingly at the bank of pale oak cupboards.

‘What would you like?’ He pulled open a cupboard, stared at the contents and then tried another. Then another, and another.

‘Do you want me to help?’

‘No...actually, yes, I have no idea where anything is,’ he admitted, opening another cupboard and staring at the jars of various kinds of rice. ‘Mostly Robyn fixes things for me.’

He caught a flash of grey as her eyes clashed momentarily with his and then she leaned forward to open one of the drawers and he forgot all about her eyes as the hem of her T-shirt hitched up to reveal the backs of her thighs.

His body stilled.

It was all too easy to remember those same thighs wrapped around his hips in the moonlight as she lifted her body to meet his. That night that had ended too soon, only now she was here. In his house. In that T-shirt that wasn’t designed to arouse in any way. And yet...

He clenched his hands tight, then tighter still so that he had something to focus on other than the ache in his groin, and, back in control, he turned and yanked open another drawer. Thank goodness! ‘Here we go.’ He stared down with relief at the carefully organised rows of tea. ‘We have peppermint, ginger and turmeric, camomile, lavender and valerian root. I’m going to keep going until you pick one.’

She cleared her throat. ‘Camomile would be lovely.’

During the time it took to fill the teapot with boiling water, she watched him while appearing not to, in the same way that an antelope would watch a dozing leopard.

‘Are you not having one?’ she said as he put the teapot on the breakfast bar and handed her a cup and saucer.

He shook his head. ‘I’m not a fan. But I might grab something to eat. Why don’t you join me?’ Without asking, he picked up the teapot and filled her cup. He didn’t know if she wanted to drink it now but it was something to do while he waited for his brain to offer up an explanation as to why that was a good idea.

It was just politeness, he reassured himself. But his invitation echoed inside his head just like at the beach when he had asked her, in a roundabout way, if she had a boyfriend.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed but he felt his skin grow warm now. Jemima’s life back in England was none of his business and yet, inexplicably, he had wanted to be sure she was single.

She was shaking her head. ‘I’m not hungry.’ But as she spoke, her stomach gave an audible rumble and she bit into her lip, and as their eyes met he felt a rush of triumph as she tried and failed to stop her mouth curving at the corners.

‘Well, maybe I am a little bit,’ she conceded.

‘You’re in luck,’ he said, opening the huge larder fridge. ‘This is one of Robyn’s specialities.’

‘What is it?’ She looked down at the bowl he had put in front of her.

‘It’s apokebowl.’

Watching the flicker of curiosity in her grey eyes reminded him of the clear waters of Lake Superior where he grew up. Of fishing with his father and cook-outs with his cousins. Back then he had been a different person. Back then he hadn’t known what the world had in store for him. He was young and naive. He didn’t know how quickly things could end or how badly. He didn’t know then that there was a pain that could drag you down and leave you gasping for breath beyond the reach of the sun.

His chest tightened. Over time, the scars had healed, hardened and now he didn’t have to worry about feeling pain. He didn’t have to worry about feeling anything. Nothing except basic needs. Thirst. Hunger. Desire. But they could all be contained.

---