Page 72 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

‘Yes, I do,’ he replied, drawing the duvet over her so that she was covered.

He thought she had gone to sleep when, suddenly, she sat bolt upright. ‘I’m not a robot!’ she said, in a cross tone. ‘People love me, you know. I’m warm. And, you know, not a thingy. Robot!’

He was surprised and a little pleased to find feisty Lily Harper back in front of him after all these years.

She reached out and grabbed his T-shirt, pulling him close to her face. ‘I’m a nice person,’ she told him. ‘People like me.’

‘Do they?’ he said, softly.

‘Yeah!’ she said.

Up close, her eyes were emerald green. He looked into them until she slumped back onto the pillows and closed her eyes.

He sat on the side of the bed, watching her. Why was he doing this?

Yes, Lily was beautiful and intelligent. She had always been a good person with a kind heart. Whatever had happened to her in the intervening years when they had been apart?

And why did he care so much? Commitment was for other people.

His father had proved that. He hadn’t been able to commit to either his wife or his son. And then Jack’s mother had abandoned him at the age of four. If he had inherited anything from either of his birth parents, it was an inability to trust anyone. Even blood relatives.

No, it was best to keep things casual. Not to get involved. Of course, he had daydreamed about having a family, but those fantasies were exactly that. Not real.

But then he realised he was involved with Lily Harper even after all these years.

And the thought absolutely terrified him.

*

It was the same nightmare that Lily had suffered from intermittently for years. The sense that the car was going to crash and that she couldn’t escape.

Normally, she woke with a start, sweaty and struggling to breathe. But this time, as well as the usual symptoms, she found she couldn’t move either.

Then she realised that she was in the iron grip of Jack’s strong arms.

‘You’re alright,’ he was murmuring in a soft tone. ‘I’ve got you. You’re safe. It’s OK.’

Gradually, the fog of the nightmare and sleep began to lift and she realised where she was. In Jack’s bed.

And the man himself was lying down next to her, holding her close against him.

‘You’re OK,’ he repeated.

Lily wasn’t so sure. Yes, the nightmare was just that, but this was real. Lying in Jack’s arms in his bed was very much real. Almost too much for her to bear.

She slowly struggled to sit up and he finally released his hold on her. She reached out for the glass of water that he must have placed on the bedside cabinet at some point.

The glass shook in her trembling hand, but she was grateful for the cool water as she gulped it down.

Finally, she turned to look down at Jack, who was still lying on his back on the bed. In the soft light of the bedroom, she could see that he had changed into a tight-fitting grey T-shirt that was nothing to help her racing pulse calm down. The soft cotton shorts he was wearing stopped just above his knee, showing off long, muscular legs.

Her throat was dry again, so she took another drink of water.

‘Was it a nightmare?’ he asked, turning onto his side and propping up his head with his hand.

Lily leaned back against the pillows with a soft sigh. ‘The usual one.’

‘Car crash?’ he said, gently.