Page 36 of Until You (Forgive Me)

“Morning, beautiful,” he said, dropping a kiss on the exposed skin above his t-shirt collar.

“Morning,” Isabella said, her hands dropping to cover his, her neck tilting to give him greater access.

“Hmm... that feels wonderful,” she said breathlessly.

Turning in his arms, she raised her hands, sliding them around his neck, her fingers stroking the short hair at the base of his head. Her eyes locked with his, and she smiled. A smile that seemed to send a thousand-watt charge straight through his chest.

“I was hoping to wake you up with a coffee... however, this machine requires a post-grad degree in order to operate it,” she added, screwing up her face.

Christian dropped a kiss on her wrinkled nose.

“Thank you,” he smiled. “I would rather have woken up with you curled into my side.”

He could not believe the words were coming out of his mouth. Not only had she stayed the night, and they cuddled. He wanted more of her.

“Well, you had rather a busy night, and jet lag, of course...” she said, winking and giving him a cheeky glance.

“I did. A siren lured me under her spell. What was I supposed to do? As for plans. I have the day today. I’m attending the opening dinner Monday evening and was hoping my said siren would like to attend with me as my plus one?”

“Siren, eh? You have heard me sing, right?”

Christian’s mind went back to the computer games that required them to sing for points. Scarlett and Isabella had been huge fans. Christian groaned at the memory as Isabella laughed. Her laughter left him with a warm feeling.

“Okay, wrong pet name. I’ll stick with beautiful.”

Isabella went up on her toes and kissed his lips. That was a name she could live with. Christian deepened the kiss until they were both left breathless.

“I think I can live with that,” she added, smiling against his lips.

“So, what are your plans for today?” Christian asked, fishing.

“I am completely at your disposal,” she whispered, her lips millimetres from his.

Christian caught her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking on it. “How can a man turn down an offer like that?” Before deepening their kiss.

Isabella pulled back, Christian already missing their contact. “How much of the area have you seen?” she asked.

If he was honest, he’d seen very little of the area. He usually arrived, attended a meeting, and then flew out again. His trips were not about sightseeing or even relaxing.

Isabella’s eyes widened, and she pulled back, staring at him.

“You come to somewhere as beautiful as Thailand, and you don’t see any of it? Mr Dupree, I’m horrified! You really are all work and no play.”

Christian raised an eyebrow, grinning, when Isabella gently smacked him on the arm.

“I wasn’t talking aboutthatkind of play.”

She grinned, her cheeks taking on an adorable, rosy glow.

“We need to get out and see the sights. Visit the Doi Inthanon National Park. It’s beautiful. The perfect place to connect with the land and rest the soul,” Isabella said.

Christian pulled a face. He had never been one for sightseeing, but Isabella was so enthusiastic. Plus, if he went along, he may get brownie points, and he wanted to earn lots of brownie points.

“It sounds like... fun,” Christian said.

Isabella shook her head and laughed at him.

“I know one of the tour guides. His wife comes to our local yoga sessions.”

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