Page 27 of Once Bitten

“And out.”

The air flowed out of me, slow and warm. My whole body felt filled with sunshine.

Finn moved his hand from my eyes and I felt the late afternoon’s sunrays warm on my face again.

“What did you smell?” He asked.

I shook my head I hadn’t really noticed anything.

“Yes, you do know. Stop and relive it, the air flowing in and out, it had a smell, what was it?”

I closed my eyes again and tried to recapture the experience.

“Coconut.”

“Yes, coconut.”

I turned to look at him, our bodies pressing against each others as we stood there by the window, as if in another time and place.

Finn moved his hand up under my chin, lifting my face up to his. This wasn’t the Finn I remembered. I caught my reflection in his blue eyes. And I wasn’t who I remembered either. When had I turned into this dull, lifeless creature?

“Finn.” I sighed. And he smiled as if simply from the sound of my voice speaking his name.

“Now, every time I smell coconut or...furze, I’ll think of you, Kara.” He whispered and slowly leant down, his mouth poised to meet mine. I held my breath and let nothing but the thought that we were about to kiss fill my mind.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” The voice pulled us apart like two elastic cords attached to our waists.

I turned back to face out the window as Finn turned towards the voice.

“Oh, Rodney, I didn’t hear you knock, I’m sorry. Um, please just leave our bags by the door, I’ll take care of the rest, thank you.”

“Yes, of course, sir. I’m sorry to have interrupted you. Sorry again Miss.”

I waved my hand acknowledging his apology, still too shocked at what almost happened to be concerned with my rudeness.

The door closed with a dull thud, and Finn turned back to me. We stood in silence for a moment.

“Um. Er...would you like a bath? You haven’t seen the bathroom yet, you’re going to love it,” he stammered.

Was he just as shocked as I was at what had almost happened?

“Oh, ok sure. I was just going to take a shower but...”

“No, trust me, you’re going to want to have a bath, why don’t you go get a change of clothes and I’ll draw it for you.”

He disappeared into the bathroom and I knelt at my suitcase, shaking my head, wondering what was wrong with me.

“Come on Kara, don’t let it all go to your head, it’s FINN. You can’t kiss FINN.” I mumbled as I collected my clothes.

“Um, just go in for your bath whenever you’re ready, ok? I’m going to go downstairs and have a chat to Patrick.” Finn said coming back, and I waited for him to close the door behind him before I went into the bathroom.

“Oh my god.” I couldn’t help but gasp when I entered the room.

In keeping with the suite itself, the bathroom was enormous. The stone walls were littered with small fairy lights giving off a soft warm hue and the large oval cast iron bathtub stood on a platform in the middle of the room, surrounded my LED lights embedded in the floor.

Luxury toiletries were lined up on a stand by the tub, along with a collection of books and remote for the sound system. The feature piece was the water tap, long and elegant like a swan’s neck and gilded gold, giving off a stunning glint in the darkened room. Finn had scattered bath salts into the cascading water, scenting the water and room with lavender.

I sank slowly into the tub feeling the scalding hot water seep into my muscles, easing the stress of the flight and being around Finn from my body. I laid my head back on the soft head-rest cushion and moved my fingertips in circles under the water, splashing them one way and then the other, enjoying the feel of the water flow around them silky smooth and warm.

Feeling my body relax more with each passing moment soaking in the sweet scented water, I let my mind drift to the moment by the window.

Even now immersed in water, I could remember the feel of Finn’s body against mine, seemingly innocent at first, as he stood behind me at the window. But then I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d purposefully touched my face and whispered in my ear to turn the moment into a more intimate event.

I couldn’t tell from our time together today, what he wanted. He joked and flirted, well, until I told him to stop, but he hadn’t made any overt moves...until now.

Alone now, in my bath, I had to admit to myself, how my entire body was cleaving to that moment, aching to kiss him. Aching to feel him touch me. Those sparks between us couldn’t have been a coincidence, there was something between us. Something that 15 years hadn’t erased. 15 years of hating him, changing the person I was because of the heart break he caused. 15 years of wondering, what might have, could have happened had things, had we, been different.

I heard him return to the suite and part of me wanted to call out to him. Call out to him, ‘come join me’.

But something stopped me. The same thing that had been stopping me from relationships with men for the past 15 years; fear. I couldn’t bear to think what being rejected by Finn again would do to me.

Business. I reminded myself. This is all business. And I almost believed that I would hold myself to it.