‘Dance with me?’
He was on his feet too and his arm went across her back, fingers folding tightly around her hand. She felt the muscles beneath his shirt, heady with the freedom to explore, as they danced slowly to a new rhythm.
‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Of course.’ He bent his head to reply, lips skimming her ear.
‘Have you recorded your song, the one you played the other night?’ She was certain he would – he had set up a studio in his house. He nodded.
‘So would you play it for me now? I understand if you’d rather not. If it’s totally private and just for you.’
His reply was to raise her hand and kiss it again as he stepped away. His phone was on the table, and moments later, she heard the opening chords and the lyrics he had already planted in her heart as his voice filled the perfumed night air.
Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck, holding every line, every note close as she listened again to the song he’d written for her. She understood how rarely he allowed himself to feel vulnerable, to open himself up to more hurt. His arms were around her too, their bodies finally touching, reducing every millimetre separating them until there were none left, and she was pressed against him. One arm was across her back, the other in her hair, holding her steady. She tipped her head back and couldn’t do anything other than follow the certainty in his gaze, his heart slamming against her.
‘Are you sure, Cass?’ He smoothed away a tear with his thumb. ‘I had no idea I was going to feel this way until Australia, and then I knew it was you. I know neither of us was looking for this. I’ve spent months trying to pretend it’s not real, and I can’t do that anymore.’
‘Same,’ she whispered. ‘Whatever happens tomorrow and the day after and the one after that, I want this with you, Raf. I want you.’
Was he teasing her now on purpose, making her wait for his kiss as his beautiful mouth curled into a smile, running a finger down her cheek? She caught it between her lips and heard his sharp intake of breath as his arm on her back tightened. After all these months, she couldn’t wait another minute. She placed both hands on his head and dragged his mouth to hers.
It was like no kiss she’d ever experienced before, and Raf perfected it. It was everything, the way he was holding her, keeping her close when she was no longer certain she could stand on her own. His mouth, slow and hurried and insistent all at once, his tongue finding hers and making her moan, yearning for more. His song for her was over, their dance only just beginning, and she had no idea where she ended and he began.
He pulled back with glittering eyes and her quick laugh at the bewilderment and joy in them was almost a sob. The rush of desire, the longing and the pleasure, the promise of so much more. It was everything in this moment, and so was he. His lips were pink and swollen from their kiss, and her fingers were on the buttons of his shirt. She undid the few that were fastened, parting the white cotton to stare at the kneeling warrior offering his sword to an angel.
‘This is how I think of you.’ She laid a palm on the tattoo, the brush of hair rough against her skin, the silver cross nestled close. ‘Defending those you love.’
‘Cassie,’ he murmured. Both hands went to her face, and the way he’d said her name was enough to set her confidence soaring again. She moved his hands to her shoulders and lower still, her breasts tingling in anticipation of his touch, almost screaming when his palms brushed against them. It wasn’t enough, she needed more, and she told him so as she pulled his head down to whisper into his ear.
‘You’re so greedy,’ he muttered, and she laughed.
She wanted to hold that look in her heart forever, to always remind her of this moment. She touched a finger to her own face, her skin tender where his beard had brushed it. Heart clattering, she took his hands and led them to the bow tied at her waist. She loved the dress because it was pretty and he’d bought it for her, had thought to go back and bring her his gift.
‘I’m going to swim. Do you want to join me?’ Slowly, she helped him untie the bow, swallowing nervously as the dress parted. Underneath she was naked, and he dragged in a sharp breath. She watched the surprise and pleasure rush into his gaze as it dropped to drink her in. She almost closed her eyes as she slid the straps from her shoulders and let the dress pool at her feet. But she couldn’t. She needed to know everything he felt and could no longer hide, to draw on his certainty when her own might let her down.
At the steps she glanced back as she undid her heels and slipped them off. Raf was hurrying to join her, his shirt and shorts discarded on the terrace. She began to swim, the cool water dissipating some of the burning heat in her body. He quickly caught her up, tugging her backwards until she was against him. His hands were on her breasts as her head tipped onto his shoulder, his lips roaming hungrily across her neck. He was all angles and firm, hard against her bare skin as he explored every curve, and Cassie was lost all over again. It could only be him, and the words she confessed to say so were a breathless whisper.
‘You’re the strongest, best person I’ve ever known,’ he muttered against her ear, and she gasped as his hand followed the curve of her stomach lower. ‘You’re incredible, and I’m going to make certain you feel it.’
Moments later she was shuddering in his arms, and through the haze, as he held her in the water, she was crying. Quiet little gulps that soon became great heaving sobs as tears poured down her face, and her body shook against his. Raf held her tightly, his arms the only thing keeping her upright. He lifted her easily, carrying her from the pool. He laid her gently on the still-warm grass, her skin super sensitised as the blades brushed against her. He drew her close, warming her with the heat of his own body tucked around hers, soothing her with quiet murmured words and his hands, until gradually her cries faded away.
‘I’m sorry.’ She hiccupped, burying her face against his chest. ‘I have no idea where that came from.’
‘Hey, it’s totally fine. Please don’t ever say you’re sorry. And I think I do.’ He eased back, and she was ready to cry again at that look. ‘It was your body’s way of letting go, of freeing yourself from the stress and the worries. You needed it.’
‘Is that your professional opinion, Dr Jones?’ The shock of her emotions pouring free the way they had was slowly receding, and she was wholly conscious they were naked, his beautiful body facing hers. She raised a brow as his smile slowly widened, and Raf propped his head on a hand.
‘It is. And I recommend as many repeats as you feel are necessary.’
‘You do?’
‘Absolutely.’
Cassie laughed as she leant over him. His hands caught her waist to pull her on top, and she kissed him, dizzy with release and longing and more. ‘Well, in that case…’
When she woke hours later, the night dark and silent, she was in her bed, the white curtains fluttering against the open doors. She reached out, wondering if she was dreaming, until her hand found the warm body sleeping beside her. But Raf was real, and this time her tears were happy ones as she looked at him in wonder. They’d lain on the grass until they were cold and then he’d carried her to the outdoor shower, warming them both beneath the hot water. They’d snuggled together on the terrace, with Cassie wearing his shirt, and when it was finally time for bed, he’d asked if she wanted to sleep alone. Her reply had been to take his hand and lead him to her room. She’d fallen asleep with his arm around her, her head on his shoulder, and it had been perfect.
She couldn’t go back to dating apps after this; it would be like dropping a pin on a map blindfolded and expecting to land on paradise. Until they’d kissed in Australia, she had never dreamt the first time she made love after her marriage might be with Raf, but now she knew it could never have been anyone else. He had been incredible. So tender and thoughtful, and he’d made it all about her and her pleasure. Holding her afterwards as she’d cried in his arms, shocked by her own emotions, the promise he’d made to care for her children always. She couldn’t stop touching him, and she smiled when a pair of gorgeously brown, sleepy eyes opened.
