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‘Hi, Mrs. B. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’
Mrs. B turns out to be a warm, bustling character. As soon as Dom disappears into his study to make some calls, she takes me upstairs to a huge master bedroom with floral curtains, cream carpets, and a massive bed full of pillows. She shows me how everything in the bathroom works and then she asks if I have any allergies. I tell her no and she tells me dinner will be at eight.
That evening we set off on one of the walking trails. The air is clean and there’s no noise of traffic—only the sounds of birds in the trees. Everywhere there are feeding posts. A red squirrel races up a tree. At a water fountain a pair of courting pigeons are kissing and flirting with each other.
A feeling of peace like I’ve never experienced growing up and living in London steals into my body. I take large breaths of fresh air. We hardly speak because words are not necessary, and I think I’m too stunned by how much my life has changed. How much fuller and richer it is. How much I love him. There, I’ve said it. I love Dominic Eden.
I know he has promised me nothing, but oh, how I do love this man.
How could I not? He came into my life like a tornado. Inconvenient. Unwanted. Destructive. He overturns everything I thought I believed in and fills me with the kind of passion I never knew existed. So yes, I do love this complicated, damaged, rich, strange, kind, beautiful man.
I stop and he stops too, and looks down at me. In the last rays that filter through the trees and catch his face, he is beautiful beyond any prince I could have dreamed of as a child. I entwine my arms around his powerful neck, he dips his head and we kiss. The kiss is different. It is different because of me, because of where we are, and because of him, too. When he raises his head, his eyes are dark and enquiring.
I just smile mysteriously and carry on walking.
When we arrive back at the house, we eat in that country dining room with the black and white curtains. Mrs. B has lit candles. In their yellow glow Dom looks impossibly mysterious and romantic. When he smiles, my heart actually lurches. I truly cannot believe my luck. Here I am jobless, but so incredibly, unbelievably happy.
We have coffee out on the long terrace overlooking lush green lawns.
‘Until you find another job, I want to take care of you,’ he says suddenly.
‘Thank you,’ I say softly. ‘But I’ll be OK. I have a little bit put away for a rainy day.’
He touches my hand. ‘Ella, it’s not a rainy day while I’m around.’
Something in his statement jars, but I don’t dwell on it. I’m living for the moment. The future is far off and could even be beautiful.
‘I didn’t mean to say rainy day. Honestly, I have savings I can dig into,’ I say with a smile. I don’t tell him that it is a pitifully small amount.
He looks at me intently. ‘But I want to help, Ella. It will give me great pleasure.’
‘How about I’ll ask if I need help?’
He looks at me with a flash of irritation and I just laugh. He’s cute even when he’s annoyed.
Eventually, Mrs. B comes to say goodnight. We watch her toddle off down the path and disappear from sight when she turns at the side of the house. I lean back and breathe in the night-scented air.
‘How quiet it is here,’ I say.
‘Mmmm’ He turns his head to look at me. ‘It won’t be so quiet when I get a hold of you.’
I laugh, the sound rolling into the dark night.
He crooks a finger at me.
I point to my chest and widen my eyes as if to say, me?
He smiles slowly. ‘Yeah, you with the gorgeous ass.’
I make a big production of sensuously uncrossing my legs and stretching my body out. I slink out of the recliner and glance at him from under my lashes. While keeping an eye on me, he is taking an ice cube out of his glass. Gosh. He really is one super-tasty dish. I actually can’t wait to get to his skin. Can’t wait for him to touch me, kiss me, take me. It’s never been like this for me. Ever since I met him it as if I am in a dream world where only he and I exist.
I take my shoes off and the grass is springy and cool under my feet. When in an animal sanctuary… So I leave
my independent, strong self in my handbag and getting on my hands and knees on the sweet-smelling grass, I slowly, and I mean slowly, ccccccccraaaaaawl to him. Yup, that’s right. I will meet him animal to animal. Tonight is going to be a wild ride or my name is not Ella Savage.
I reach him purring like a tiger and angling my mouth I suck at the ice cube. Melted ice runs down my chin.
He puts his hand on my head and smiles. ‘I don’t like your pussy lower than my mouth.’
