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He chuckled, resting his fingers lightly on her waist. She planted a kiss on his cheek and Lucas pulled her in hard, stifling her gasp with his mouth. Sliding one hand up her back, he hooked it over her shoulder, pinning her against him. He’d wanted this for so long.
Then the synchronicity. It was so startling it almost knocked him off his feet. As if she’d suddenly given up any pretence of being separate from him, and her heart was beating in time with his. Every breath he took was matched by one of hers. Every touch had an equal and opposite reaction. He had to let her go now, before he lost control and pulled her down into the water.
He let her down slowly so that she was in no doubt about the fact that he really didn’t want to. Gently pulled his aching body away from hers, knowing that he’d left a part of him behind. The part that had always belonged to Thea.
‘What shall we toast this time?’ She brushed her lips against his in an action that affirmed everything that was good in his life.
‘Things we’ve lost. Things we’ve found.’
She smiled. ‘Yeah. Things we’ve lost. And found.’
Their kiss was tender this time. No more desperately trying to forget the past and not think about the future. Just this moment.
They both knew the exact time to end it, and she nestled against him, her fingers resting lightly on his hips. No trying to claw it back, no trying to repeat it. It had been perfect, just as it was.
Finally, she took a step backwards, yelping suddenly as she trod on something in the water. Standing on one foot, she tried to inspect the sole of the other, laughing as she swayed precariously. Lucas reached out to steady her, but she’d already lost her balance and she fell backwards.
‘Ow-w-w.’ She obviously wasn’t hurt as she was still laughing and Lucas held out his hand, helping her to her feet. Turning around, she inspected the back of her trousers, caked now with sand and mud. ‘D’you reckon I could be any dirtier?’
He inspected the back of her trousers. ‘Nope. You could be a bit wetter, though. Look, you’ve missed a bit, just there.’
‘Don’t you dare.’ She threw him a menacing look, and Lucas resisted the temptation to splash water on her blouse. ‘We’ll walk a bit. It’ll dry off.’
They’d have to walk a long way—she was soaked. ‘I have a towel in the car.’
* * *
Thankfully, it was a large one. Standing next to the car, Thea wound the towel around her waist, tucking it in firmly, and slipped her trousers off. They were soaking, and when she wrung them out a puddle of dirty water formed on the pavement.
‘Time to go home?’ He was leaning against the bonnet of the car, watching her.
‘Guess so.’ Thea slid into the front seat and arranged the towel over her legs.
The soundtrack for the way back was slower, moody late-night songs. The headlights of the oncoming cars were almost mesmeric, and Thea began to doze.
Her eyes snapped open. The heat in the car was suddenly unbearable and when she found the button to wind down the window, the wind that hit her in the face was worse. ‘Pull over… Going to be sick…’
She had no idea where they were, but the sudden deceleration told her that they must be on the motorway. Hard shoulder. Blurred light flashing in her eyes. She had to get out…
As she instinctively reached for the door release, she heard the central locking click. Her stomach cramped suddenly and she doubled over. Not yet. Can’t be sick in the car. She clamped her hand over her mouth.
‘Let it go, Thea. You’ll choke yourself.’ Lucas’s voice, cool and steady.
‘Stop the damn car,’ She groaned as her stomach lurched again. The car finally came to a halt, and she heard the locks release.
By the time Lucas made it around to her door, she’d managed to get it open and had almost fallen out of the car and onto the tarmac. He half carried her onto the grass by the side of the hard shoulder and she fell to her knees, throwing up almost immediately.
‘Okay. That all of it?’
Thea was shaking too much to answer. Her stomach started to twist into knots again and she felt her back spasm painfully as she retched violently.
The sharp smell of her own vomit hit her. Sweat and tears were trickling down her face, and she was suddenly cold. She felt Lucas move her, sitting her down on something, and she sagged to one side, leaning against a fence.
‘Stay there…just for a minute while I get you some water.’
‘Yeah. Sorry.’ The indignity of it all was sinking in fast. On her hands and knees, wearing a towel, being sick by the side of the road. Things rarely got much more humiliating than that.
‘Here.’ He handed her a bottle of water, steadying her hand as she almost sploshed it all over her. ‘Wash your mouth out and then drink some.’
