She carried in a couple of drinks and a bowl of crisps and set them down on the table. ‘There you go,’ she said, indicating the nibbles. ‘Something to keep you going until the food arrives.’
‘Don’t you want any?’
She shook her head. ‘I might have a little something but I’m not that hungry.’
Rain pattered against the windows and the wind howled outside. ‘I’m glad we brought the animals inside earlier today,’ he said.
‘So am I. It was a good thing you suggested it. The weather was so lovely this morning it never would have occured to me that a storm might be on its way to the island.’
He saw her staring at the fire and assumed she was worried about the rescue. ‘Hey, you all right?’
She snapped out of her reverie. ‘What? Of course I am. You’re the one who was in danger, not me.’ There it was again, he noticed. That tone. It wasn’t her usual way, but there was something wrong. He wondered if it was simply that Skye wasn’t used to the intensity of watching a rescue. He realised she was still speaking. ‘Tuck in. You don’t want my culinary delights getting cold after all the effort I went to taking the packet out of the cupboard and opening it to pour these tasty morsels into the bowl.’
Joe laughed. He was being oversensitive. He was tired after all, he reminded himself. Skye was great company and the perfect tonic after what he had faced earlier. ‘Heaven forbid.’
She sat back on the sofa and he smiled at her, enjoying the two of them being in the warm, cosy living room. The storm hadn’t abated at all; in fact he suspected it was still getting worse.
The dogs were snoozing in front of the fire and when the rain increased against the window, Spud opened his eyes, his ears pricked in case of any emergency. Then seeming to presume there was no cause for alarm, he settled back down again.
‘How are you feeling?’ she asked, her face the picture of concern.
‘This is exactly what I needed,’ he said. ‘You, the dogs chilling and crisps.’
‘Don’t forget the Chinese food we have to look forward to.’
‘Oh, I haven’t. I’m looking forward to tucking into that lot very much.’
Skye sat closer to him, sighing happily when Joe put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently against him. He suspected she needed the comfort of them snuggling up to each other as much as he did right now.
Certain there was nowhere else he would rather be, or with any other person, Joe closed his eyes. He felt Skye’s head rest against his shoulder. ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’
She took a deep breath. ‘It was scary knowing you were in that water tonight,’ she said quietly.
‘It was for me too, if I’m honest. Thankfully this situation is rare for us, which is a relief.’
They sat in silence for a while and he wished the evening could last forever.
‘It’s far nicer being warm in here than outside in that dreadful storm,’ she said quietly, making him wonder why she was talking about the weather. ‘Lettie and Brodie will be back here in a few days when Lindy and Gareth return from their trip.’ She snuggled closer to him and sighed.
He looked down at her. ‘I suppose we should be grateful we’ve ended up getting along well. I’m beginning to feel as if I’ve known you for months rather than days.’
‘Me, too,’ Skye said, sounding sad. He sensed she was trying not to let the emotion of the evening take over.
He closed his eyes again, but sensing he was being watched, opened them and looked down at Skye, surprised to see her beautiful face turned up to his, studying him. He wanted desperately to kiss her, but was nervous about taking things too far, or too soon.
Suddenly Skye moved back from him and knelt next to him. Leaning forward, she kissed him. Joe took a second to gather his thoughts, then immediately took her in his arms and kissed her right back.
He was surprised but happy he must have been wrong to sense an atmosphere between them. The touch of her perfect lips against his own sent sensations through him, and he slipped his arms around her and pulled her against him. Hearing a barely audible groan escape Skye’s lips, it dawned on him that she might have been waiting for this to happen again, just like he had been. Could that be why she had been acting oddly since he got back?
Skye pushed him back onto the sofa and, lying down, he drew her on top of him, grateful that they were the only two people on the farm and wouldn’t be disturbed. Her lips moved from his and she began kissing his neck, then undid his shirt and kissed his chest.
Not wishing her to stop, Joe reached up and pushed his fingers through her hair. Then, feeling stirrings in his body he wasn’t sure Skye might be ready for, he drew her up so her mouth was level with his and kissed her again.
A loud banging on the door set the dogs off barking and made them both jump. Skye leapt back from him as if a switch had been flicked.
‘That must be our food,’ he said, trying to gather himself. ‘I’ll go and see to the delivery.’
‘Yes,’ Skye said, looking as shell-shocked as he felt and smoothing down her hair. They stared at each other for a second before she stood and followed him out of the room. ‘I’ll get some cutlery and plates out ready.’
