Читать книгу The Butterfly Cove Collection - Sarah Bennett, Sarah Bennett - Страница 25

The sun warm on her back, Mia stretched and wiped her brow as she surveyed the decimated border in front of her. The weeds had run rampant and although she would never have much of a green finger, she had followed Madeline’s instructions to the letter about what to cull and what to keep.

Mia looked across to where Luke was cursing and doing battle with the old lawn mower for the third time that day. He had seemed happy to turn his hand to every task Madeline gave him. She couldn’t see Aaron, but the noise of an electric hedge trimmer pinpointed his location somewhere deep in one of the overgrown thickets.

Daniel and Richard were still in the barn. They’d been in there for a long time, only appearing now and then to haul out various pieces of furniture Mia had earmarked for the next bedroom. She had decided on an exotic boudoir theme after discovering a beautiful chaise longue under an oilcloth in the back of the barn. It would be a room to tempt and delight the senses, full of different, luxuriant materials, scented candles and lush greenery.

The name in her notebook was the harem room and she wanted the space to be one of utter indulgence, something for couples to use. The room was in the back wing of the house, which would offer some privacy to the occupants. Mia was toying with the idea of turning the room between it and the beach room into a sitting room so that it was a completely private haven for whoever rented the space.

She decided to speak to Luke about it, see if he could come up with some alteration ideas to expand the bathroom so she could install a small steam cabinet as well as a shower and a large bath. She looked across again and smiled at his crow of triumph as he got the stubborn old petrol mower going again.

They had been blessed with a bright day but the sun wouldn’t last for too much longer so Mia headed towards the house to prepare dinner. She waved at Luke and pointed towards the kitchen so he would know where she was. She kicked off her muddy boots in the doorway.

Dinner was a calm, quiet affair and no-one objected when Mia placed a pack of cards on the table with the pot of tea and some shortbread afterwards. A quick discussion established a couple of games they all knew although it soon became apparent that there was some familial licence in the rules they each played to.

An easy hour passed and Mia felt much more relaxed with these men in her home. Aaron started to yawn as he surrendered his final hand. ‘I’m bushed. All this sea air and honest work is doing me in. I’ve never been ready for bed before 10 p.m. before.’ He laughed around another jaw-dislocating yawn.

Luke looked wide awake despite his exertions in the garden so she fetched her notebook and started to discuss her plans for the harem rooms with him. He dived head first into the distraction and they headed upstairs whilst Daniel promised to clean the kitchen. Aaron retired to his bed.

Luke surveyed the three rooms that would comprise the suite and started scribbling furiously in his own notebook. Mia sat quietly with her hands curled around her knees, which were drawn up under her chin. He was a live wire and when he set his mind to something his level of concentration and focus was a little daunting. Mia shivered as she tried to imagine being the sole focus of that much energy. She decided that it was too intense for her.

Daniel was so much more matter of fact about things. He was a good foil to her more sensitive nature. Mia watched the wild blond curls of Luke’s hair fall over his forehead again and he shoved them away in an unconscious movement. He was an impressive man, thick through the shoulders, like his brother, in contrast to Daniel’s taller, more slender build. They were all men who would make a woman feel safe and sheltered.

Mia stood up and stretched her aching body. The work in the garden was starting to take its toll and she wanted a soak in the bath and half an hour with a good book. She patted Luke on the shoulder and left him to it with an instruction that the space was his to do with as he pleased. He flashed her a sweet, shy grin before he bent back to his sketches and calculations.

She paused on the landing and saw that the lower floor was in darkness and only a soft light was spilling down from the third floor. She urged her weary, sore legs up the stairs to find Daniel clad in a T-shirt and jogging pants, sprawled in the middle of his bed with all the pillows propped beneath him.

He had certainly made himself at home in the little bedroom next to hers. A laptop rested across his knees and clothes hung over the back of a rocking chair he’d come across in the barn. The iron-framed bed he sat upon was a sea of flowers and lace; she ought to buy him some more suitable bedding. The green set had been washed and left on the bed downstairs for Aaron to use so Daniel had ended up with one of her spare sets. He made a dark shadow amongst the frilly pillowcases and flowery duvet cover. The contrast made her smile.

She leaned against the door frame. ‘Everything all right?’ There were dark shadows under his eyes, and he’d been subdued over dinner.

He lowered the screen on his laptop and smiled at her. ‘Yes, fine. Just uploading a few of the pictures I took today.’ She noticed then the camera connected by a cable to the computer.

‘Ooh, will you show me?’ She hovered on the threshold, eager to see but not wanting to invade his privacy. He hesitated just long enough for her to feel awkward before patting the quilt beside him.

‘Sure.’

‘You don’t have to…’

He shook his head. ‘I’m being daft; don’t mind me.’ He turned the laptop towards her, showing an image of Aaron holding Luke in a headlock. The brothers were laughing, caught completely off guard, and the natural joy Daniel captured in the image drew her closer.

‘It’s wonderful.’ She perched on the edge of the bed and he set the screen down between them.

‘I thought I might send it to their dad. He was always good to me whenever I went for visit.’

‘I bet he’ll love it. Jamie’s parents always moaned about not having enough pictures of him and his brothers once they grew up.’ Daniel stiffened beside her and she cursed herself for bringing Jamie’s name up.

‘You must miss him, terribly,’ he said, eyes fixed hard on the laptop.

‘I do. But it’s getting better every day.’ She touched his arm to make him look at her. ‘You being here is making it better.’ Her fingers tingled with awareness, and she stroked the fine hairs on his forearm.

‘Mia, I—’ Colour suffused his cheeks, disappearing into the dark hair of his beard. What would it feel like if he kissed her? Scratchy or soft? Overwhelmed with curiosity, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. His lips parted beneath hers, a soft groan escaping, which she captured as she opened for him. He took control, curling a big hand around the back of her head to hold her in place as he explored her mouth in slow, leisurely strokes.

Her head spun, and things long dormant stirred low in her belly. She gripped the back of his arm tighter, somehow afraid she would float away without an anchor to hold her down.

He broke the kiss on a gasp of air. ‘Go to bed, love. Before I make you regret this.’ His smile was sweet in contrast to the glittering need in his eyes. Thankful he had enough sense for them both, she slipped off the edge of the bed and scampered to the safety of her own room.

***

He shoved the laptop to one side and flopped onto his back, chest working like a bellows. Fists clenched at his sides he counted slowly to twenty, willing the fire in his veins to calm. It took more willpower than he knew he had to lie still instead of sprinting after her. The kiss was a gift. A sweet, sexy gift he didn’t want to throw away by going too fast.

She hadn’t come to his room with the intention of seducing him; that much had been clear by the surprise on her face. The taste of her lingered on his tongue and he forced himself to count again, reaching fifty this time before he got himself under control.

The groan and clank of old pipes startled him and he opened his eyes as he listened to the water hiss through them. Her little bathroom lay just the other side of the wall. His wash kit perched on the window ledge in there mixed together with the myriad bottles and tubes all women seemed to accumulate. He’d felt a bit strange going into her room but it was the only working bathroom on the top floor. At least he’d kept his eyes to himself, crossing her bedroom as quickly as possible whenever he went in there.

An image of Mia slipping into the roll-topped tub filled his head and he buried his head in the pillows with a groan. Being so close to her was torture. With a sigh, he sat up and threw his pillow towards the foot of the bed in frustration. He needed a distraction. Dragging his laptop back over, he did his best to focus on the images on the screen rather than the ones in his mind.

The ache in his neck from leaning forward too long forced him to stop in the end, and he put the laptop into shutdown mode and stowed it on the bedside cabinet. There was no sound from next door, and he frowned trying to recall if he’d heard the bath emptying. He strained his ears for some sign of movement next door, but heard nothing. He was being stupid; she must have got out while he was focused on his work. Crawling under the covers with a tired sigh, he clicked the lamp off and shut his eyes.

Bollocks.

Daniel threw back the quilt and crept quietly from his bed and down the hall. The door to Mia’s bedroom stood slightly ajar, soft light shining through the gap. He peered through, hoping she didn’t catch him acting like some Peeping Tom. The bed lay undisturbed, so he nudged the door a bit wider and took a careful step into the room. A neatly folded pair of pyjamas sat on the foot of the bed. ‘Mia?’

No answer. He crossed to the bathroom and tapped lightly on the door. ‘Everything all right?’ What if she’d slipped over and banged her head or something? Filled with trepidation he turned the handle, raising a hand to his chest in relief at the sight greeting him.

Mia lay in the tub, head pillowed on a folded towel, fast asleep. A few stray bubbles lingered on the surface of the water. He crouched beside the tub, keeping his eyes on her face rather than the blurred outline of her body. ‘Hey, sleepyhead,’ he murmured.

Long dark lashes blinked slowly at him. This close, he could see the ring of dark grey edging the deep brown of her irises. A frown creased her brow. ‘Did I fall asleep?’

‘Mm-hmm. Come on, you must be freezing.’ Keeping his eyes averted, he stood up to grab a bath towel from the rail and held it out to her. Water sloshed and the drain began to gurgle as she pulled the plug and climbed out. He engulfed her in the towel and rubbed her dry with more vigour than finesse.

Satisfied once her skin was pink and glowing, Daniel fetched her pyjamas, leaving the room again to let her dress in private. He glanced around the bedroom, not sure whether he should leave or wait for her to emerge. Deciding he had trespassed enough, he took a step towards the door. The soft gleam of the bedside lamp caught the edge of a silver-framed photo and he paused. He couldn’t make out the detail, but the pose of the couple and their outfits told him it was a wedding picture. A black and white photo stood next to it and he blinked in disbelief. It couldn’t be.

He walked around the side of the bed and picked it up. The picture was of a woman’s delicate hand cradled protectively in a larger, masculine grasp. The man’s thumb was caressing the thick wedding band on the woman’s ring finger. The hands in the photo were not young, but creased and spotted with age and the ring she wore was scratched and nicked. It was a beautiful, simple image of enduring love. In the bottom corner of the image was a familiar scrawled word, Fitz.

‘Oh, you’re still here.’ Mia padded over to his side, smiling as she saw the picture in his hand. ‘Jamie gave it to me on our wedding day.’

‘It’s mine.’ He croaked, unable to tear his eyes from the image.

‘What do you mean it’s yours?’ She peered over his shoulder then up into his face. ‘You took this?’ He didn’t blame her for sounding incredulous. It seemed an impossible act of serendipity, but there was no denying it. The picture was from an early collection he’d done, a study of different hands. You could tell a person’s life story by their hands his dad had always reckoned, and the collection had been an homage to him.

‘Jamie said he wanted our own hands to look like that together one day. But some things are just not meant to be, I suppose.’ She eased the frame from his hands and placed it carefully on the table, staring at it for a long moment before turning back to him.

‘Do you believe in signs?’

He shook his head. He’d always been of a practical nature. Dreams and portents were flights of fancy to be captured through his lens, but that’s where they stayed, frozen in a single moment in time. She raised her eyebrows at him and he saw something in her eyes. ‘But you do?’

She shrugged. ‘I don’t know, maybe. Or maybe I’m just looking for something to help me find the right answer.’

She looked so forlorn, like a little girl lost in her striped pyjamas and her hair all tousled from the bath. He took her hand, rubbing her fingers, marvelling at the contrast between the softness in their skin. ‘And what’s the question?’

Dropping her head forward so it rested on his chest, she heaved a huge sigh. ‘You’re the question.’

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, then took a step back before he did something foolish like tug her down onto the bed with him. ‘Maybe you should sleep on it and see if the answer’s any clearer in the morning.’ God, he hoped so.

She gave him a nod. Opened her mouth to say something and ended up smothering a huge yawn instead. That was his cue to leave her in peace. He placed a kiss on the top of her nose and lifted the bedcovers. ‘Let’s get you tucked in.’

Mia climbed into bed and settled onto her side. She stared up at him. ‘I won’t keep you dangling for ever. I just need to be sure.’

‘Don’t rush. I’m not going anywhere, love. If, and when, you’re ready, I’ll be around.’ He hoped she understood he meant every word.