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She twists to search for me. “Cain?” Her softly spoken question caresses the walls and meets me up in the corridor of the property.
“They are the first thing I truly loved about you because no one has ever looked at me the way you do, Lauren. No one.” She moves to follow my voice, and I move with her, stepping out of sight but still keeping her in view.
Silence follows as she holds her breath, waiting. Curious. Her palm lifts to settle at the base of her neck, no doubt to calm her rapid heartbeat. My own drums heavily like a brass band delivering an intense percussion.
“Your integrity,” I finally say, and she snorts to herself. It has my lips curling up at the sides. I know, pretty girl. She had none where I was concerned, but we had no hope against one another. It was inevitable. We’d orbited around our attraction until it had swallowed us whole and set us on fire. I’d burnt her more than she could handle. Martin and Kristy had already humiliated her. My actions magnified that pain and drowned Lauren. I don't want her to suffocate anymore. I don’t want to face this pain any longer. I wanted to breathe in the calm she gave me.
“Your beautiful smile.” I move nearer now. However, Lauren steps farther away, so all I can see is the top of her head. I watch as she doubles back, a half smile visible on her lips. She looks sexy as hell in her jeans and simple shirt, baring her shoulders and collarbone. She’s put on a little weight and seems back to her usual self. My initial shock at her weight loss was quickly rebuffed by Matteo, who had confirmed she was fit and well. Her features have always been angular and striking. The little weight she had lost had seemed worse than it was. Standing back, I watch as she looks around, searching the open landing for me. Drawing in a deep breath, I move towards her.
“Don’t blame Perry for leaving you here.” My shadow rolls along the wall, and then I step out from the far arch up on the landing and find my girl already watching the space. Her eyes sweep over my frame, her lip disappears behind her teeth, and I want to drag her up to one of the many bedrooms. I hold her stare, as quietly reserved as when we first met. “It was my idea,” I confirm, jaw clenched as emotion bats my gut into a bruised organ. Stuffing my hand in my suit trousers, I take the stairs. Her breath catches, and the wall I expect to see around her has crumbled in the face of my own.
“Walking away was wrong of me,” I acknowledge openly and fight the urge to eye-fuck her from across the room—she looks good—so damn good, and we are rarely alone, so having her here with me sends a stab of heat straight to my dick. “I'm sorry. It hurts me to know I hurt you like that. I never want to hurt you, pretty girl. Ever.”
We are standing feet apart, and she shifts awkwardly, still unsure why she is here. She licks her lips and skates a guarded look around the room. Compelled to touch her, I twirl a lock of hair around my finger, then tuck it behind her ear, keeping us connected. “You look pretty.” My eyes dance with heat as I sweep them over her full mouth and her pulse, fluttering like a caged bird at the base of her neck.
“I used to play here when I was a little girl,” she surprises me by saying. Lauren looks around the open reception and up the grand staircase, taking the grandeur in with wide, curious eyes.
“I didn’t know that.” I match her tone, light and toeing along the line of desire. Her eyes snap to mine, and I smile. There is a moment when our desire is suspended in the air like the chandelier, and it tethers us. I want to wrap my hand around the cord and haul her to me, but I let it speak for itself. Allow her to feel the same undeniable tug that has drawn me to her since day one.
“There is a shallow pond down by the cornfield—we swam in it as children until the place was sold to a footballer.”
Nodding, I twiddle with her hair. Her tone takes on a nostalgic lilt, and I follow her eye-line down to the water and through the main arch leading to the kitchen. It’s overlooked by the farmhouse and is situated near the property line.
“Why are we here?” Lauren suddenly asks, her voice breathy and hesitant.
I give her my full attention. Pinching her hair between my fingers, I glide down until I’m skimming my fingertips along her collarbone. I need her to know I'm not leaving again, not indefinitely. “I’m not conceding defeat.” Her eyes flick to mine, hold, and something close to fear shines back at me. “One of us was bound to mess up along the way. It's as inevitable as we are. I'm not perfect, Lauren. I don't want to be.” I shrug, stepping to block her in and running my hand up her throat to cup her face. “I want to navigate the highs and lows with you, but until you're ready to enjoy the highs again, I'm giving you space, the time you need to think.”
Her inaudible gasp spears my gut, and her small hand grips my forearm for support.
“This isn't goodbye. We don't say those words. They don't work for us. This is me saying, until next time,” I vow quietly. Her eyes flare with so many different emotions that I get a front-row seat to the inner turmoil she is suffering.
“Cain.” One painful swallow later, and she is blinking back unshed tears. “I’m trying.” Her shaken whisper has me hauling her into my chest.
“I know, Lauren. If you can't take me back now, then I've decided I'll let you come to me on your terms. When you're ready.” I flick my eyes up to hers and lose myself in them for a second. “I don't want you moving away, stuck in some dead-end job, forced to make new friends when the ones you have already miss you.”
“I miss them too.” Her arms finally wrap to grip onto my suit jacket, and my stomach drops in relief.
“The farm is yours, or it will be in a few hours when my lawyer phones,” I finally announce, locking my arms to stop her from stepping out of them in shock when she snaps back at my words.
Her head shakes, her eyes pinned into saucers of confusion. I watch her with a half-smile, cupping the petite curve of her jaw so I can stroke her cheeks. It’s the easiest money I've ever spent. “Your family is here, you need their support, and I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust again. I’m not buying you, Lauren. This isn’t what this is about.”
“So you’re leaving again?” Hurt litters her wide gaze, but it softens when I shake my head. “No, not like that. I’m giving you space. I would never invest my time, money, and energy into you if I didn't think you had what it takes. I wouldn’t be torturing myself by seeing you daily if I didn’t believe we had a future.”
“I torture you?” Her eyebrow pings up, but I know she is trying to skirt around the issue of the farm. It’s thrown her completely. Even now, her eyes are flicking to take in the colossal entryway.
“Greatly.” Smirking, I align our thighs, and her eyes widen in realisation. My cock burns into her stomach, and I tilt her face up to mine. “You know you do, pretty girl.” Her breath catches, and I debate whether to kiss her or not. Instead, I step back and say, “Renovations start this week. Nothing drastic, but the barn needs some work.”
“Renovations? Cain, wait.” She attempts to pull my hands away, only her small fingers slide along mine and stay. “This is all very unexpected… you can’t buy me a house!”
“Lauren, it's done.”
“You can’t just go around buying everything!” she accuses sharply.
My grin is arrogant. I'd buy her every damn star in the sky. Seeing my glee, she drops her arms in defeat.
“Lindel Farm: boutique weddings and spa, is yours. I don't want to lose you, Lauren, and if I have to buy you a property at every mile to get you to slowly come back to London, then I will. I'm starting with the farm.”
“A venue. Cain! I don’t know how—” She goes rigid and shrinks back as the size of the place finally dawns on her.
