Page 62 of The Forbidden Fling

“I don’t know why I’m surprised. It makes perfect sense.”

“Yeah, you’ll have to…” The words died on her tongue. Diana couldn’t meet them sometime. Even if it were something she wanted to do, she was going back to America, and Faye back to England. She’d be naïve to think otherwise. She swallowed the lump in her throat. The harsh truth stung like someone had torn off the world’s largest wax strip on the back of her legs. “You’ll…er, have to get a cat. When you’re home. Cats are great.”

Cats are great? She repressed the urge to scoff at herself. Smooth recovery, Faye.

The hill curved upwards, the ruins poking their stone heads out of the trees in the distance. Faye directed her attention to the different flowers and plants on the way, pointing them out to Diana. She needed distraction.

As the incline steepened, she pushed through the burn in her muscles, the path turning to stone steps taking them higher. She actually enjoyed the feeling. The pain. The breathlessness. Her body proving it wasn’t always a complete failure. She always erred on the side of caution, always doubting, always preparing for the worst. But how far could she go without giving up? The fresh sea air encouraged her to go further, stand taller, be more, and so she did, relishing the ache in her legs until they reached the top.

She wiped her forehead, pulling the water from her bag and gulping it down. She didn’t realise she’d left Diana behind until she joined her a minute later.

“If that was a race, I guess I lost,” Diana said, turning to look out over the view.

“Sorry.” Faye managed between breaths. “I got a little carried away.” She tried to hide the tightness in her chest and the dizziness between her ears. It hurt, but the sense of accomplishment pumping through her veins overpowered the pain. “That felt good.” She felt Diana’s gaze on her and turned to meet it. “What?”

But Diana just smiled, making her way into the crumbling castle. Faye’s focus fell on the slow swish of her hips as she followed, the silk flowing around Diana like water.

Inside the ruins, Diana tilted her head back to look at the tower, the windowless hole where Princess Inês was rumoured to sit.

“Would you live here?” Faye asked.

Without breaking her gaze, Diana answered, “On the island or here in the ruins?”

Faye imagined Diana’s apartment. Judging by the woman’s exquisite taste in clothes, it had to be grand. Large open windows, marble counters, expensive furniture. Why she was choosing to spend any time with Faye was mindboggling. She probably has nothing better to do.

The sick feeling tainted her mouth again. Stop ruining this, brain.

She placed a hand on the cool stone, trying to ground herself. “Would you live in the ruins,” she clarified.

“It’s a little…sparse for my liking.”

Faye pushed off the wall, letting her eyes wander the empty space. “Oh, I don’t know. A lick of paint, some light reconstruction work…I think it’d scrub up nicely. Realtors would go bananas over the view alone. So what if it’s missing a roof?”

“I suppose the archways are still surprisingly intact.”

Faye ducked inside, waving her arms like a fairy godmother. “A giant bookshelf here, an even bigger sofa by the window, some cosy, fluffy rugs. I’m not sure about the empty space over there, though.”

Diana joined her, pursing her lips. “A bar would be nice. Then I can sit and drink my cosmopolitan while you do your sudoku.”

Though said in a playful way, her reply warmed Faye’s cheeks, sending sharp tingles across her skin. She tried to hide her body’s response, playing into the game. “A good addition. Might I request a butler or three so the lady’s hands don’t get tired holding her glass?”

Diana hummed. “Most thoughtful. To repay your graciousness, the lady will demand a cluster of cats to fill these empty halls.”

“A cluster? That would be exquisite!” Faye laughed, surprised by Diana’s willingness to indulge the fantasy. She took her hand and pulled her into the centre of the empty space. The ground, hard from the lack of rain, was almost like that of a sleek ballroom—if you ignored the debris in the corners and the stench of earthy moss. She wrapped her arms around Diana’s waist. “Did you know they call a group of cats a clowder?”

“I did not,” Diana said. “But I’m not surprised that you know that.”

“I’m full of useless animal facts, my queen.” She spun Diana, a little less graciously than their time dancing in the courtyard. “But thou dazzle me with thy kindness.”

“You’re very cute.” The corner of Diana’s mouth lifted. “But I thought you didn’t enjoy Shakespeare?”

She remembered. Warmth filled Faye’s chest. She laughed. “I don’t enjoy him. But that’s what I imagine rich people in his day spoke like.”

“Probably not Princess Inês.”

“Probably not.”

Diana tugged their bodies closer, caressing Faye’s hips. The subtle smirk curling her mouth made Faye want to kiss it off her gorgeous face.