He started rubbing the cream on the back of my neck, and then down my back. The places that I would not have reached.
“My life panned out in a way that there was no one really there to reach the difficult spots. I had my friends, but I had to learn to reach those spots on my own. I couldn’t sit around waiting for someone to be there to help me all the time. I’ve had to get on with things by myself.”
“I know. I wish I could have been there, though.”
“Well, you weren’t,” I said. “You were gone, my mom was, my sister was, my dad might as well have been. I had to do stuff on my own. I didn’t have a family, or a boyfriend to fall back on all the time.”
“I’ll never leave you again, Ash. If you give me another chance, I promise you I’ll be there for you whenever you want my help. Because I know you don’t need it.” He wrapped his arms round me and pulled me into him. I rested my back against his chest. It felt so good here. But was it safe to be here? Safe to be letting go so much that I was actually contemplating a life with him?
“What if I shared the room with you?” I whispered, wrapping my arms over his.
“One room? One bed?”
I nodded, the back of my head against his chest.
“You do know what will happen if we share a bed together?” he asked.
“I do.”
“And do you know what that will mean, Ash,reallymean?”
“What does it mean?” I asked. He turned me round so I was facing him.
“If we do this, and you stay the night, I don’t think I can ever let you go again.”
I took in a slow, deep breath, and in that moment it all became so very, very clear. I knew what I wanted to do about it, and I knew it was the right thing to do. Because nothing had felt this right for the last thirteen years. And I also knew that was worth risking my heart for, again. I met those icy blue eyes of his with mine. “So don’t ever let me go again.”
CHAPTER 62
Max
“You weren’t kidding when you said lap of luxury,” she said, standing in the middle of the room once she had finished all her work. It was a huge space that opened up completely to the wild, untouched African bush outside. The enormous bed was set up again the back wall, which was made from chunks of grey granite rocks that sparkled in the light. In front of the bed was a huge, free-standing granite bath, which had a view down to the watering hole. There wasapatio beyond the bath, and beyond that a plunge pool. This was one of the oldest private game lodges in South Africa, steeped in history, and it had a nostalgic feel that swept you away. She looked down at the bath.
“You can take a bath, if you want.”
“Will you bath with me?” she asked.
“You seriously thought you needed to ask me that?” I walked over to the enormous bath and turned on the taps.
“I see an ice bucket with champagne over there.” She pointed with a smile and I walked up to it.
“So much better than African Dreams.” I poured us two glasses and then walked them over to her.
“Bubbles?” I asked, looking at the array of bottles they had on the rim of the tub.
“Yes.”
I opened one and poured the liquid in. The bubbles were instant.
“Lavender bath salts?” I picked up a bottle and read off the label.
She chuckled. “The last time I used lavender bath salts was that night.”
“That night?”
“I’ve never used them again. They remind me too much of that.”
“Lavender! That’s what it was.” I smiled at her, the thirteen-year mystery over. “You smelled of something I could never recognize that night. Lavender.”
