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And I can’t kiss her forever, even though I’d love to try.
On a long sigh, I break away, but still remain close, mouth hovering near hers.
“Same time tomorrow?” I ask, keeping her in my embrace.
“You’re hell on my sleep schedule, lieutenant.” She passes me a coy smile. “Don’t you know a girl needs her beauty rest?”
“It’s impossible for you to get any more beautiful.”
She parts her lips, gaze searching mine, as if on the brink of chastising me for my sweet words. Telling me I shouldn’t say these things, not with an expiration date looming in the future.
But she doesn’t, her playful expression returning.
“When you put it like that, how can I say no?” She leaves me with one last kiss before stepping out of my hold. “Same time tomorrow,” she throws my way before starting toward the villa.
I hang back to give her a chance to sneak into the house before me, watching her hips sway in time with her strides.
As she’s about to disappear from view, I softly call out, “Hey, Esme.”
Pausing, she glances over her shoulder, a single brow arched.
“How does it end? In Lady Chatterley’s Lover, do they… Are they ever able to be together?”
She pulls her lips between her teeth, hesitation flashing in her eyes. Then she fully faces me, mouth curving slightly in the corners.
A sad smile.
Making me think I may not like her response.
“When her husband learns of the affair, he fires Oliver. And being the controlling prick he is, he also refuses to grant her a divorce, which back then was perfectly fine. To make matters worse, she was pregnant with Oliver’s child, so you can imagine the difficulty she would have as an adulterer who was now pregnant.
“Even so, she left the estate and lived with her sister while Oliver attempted to find work in order to support Connie and their unborn child. Eventually, she received a letter from him, inviting her to live with him in Scotland.”
“Did she go?”
She exhales a long sigh, a wistful look about her as the ocean breeze blows her hair in front of her face.
“The book never answers that question. It ends with the letter. But I’d like to think they found their way back to each other. That they didn’t let society dictate who they can and can’t love.” She holds my gaze, something unspoken passing between us.
Maybe I’m reading her wrong, but it feels like there’s a deeper meaning in her words. That she doesn’t want this society to dictate who she can and can’t love, either.
But I’m not sure that’s possible.
This isn’t merely a piece of fiction.
This is real life.
As such, there are real consequences to what we’re doing.
And I’m not sure she’s ready to face them. Not like I wish she were.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Esme
A subtle glow finds its way along the horizon as I lay in Creed’s arms. In this place that’s become our own the past week. Our secret world of make believe and fantasy.
In a few hours, it will all come to an end.
