Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
‘Oh God,’ she breathes, and I smile around her lips, thrown into bliss.
The track, our track, continues to play, building to the crescendo. ‘No, baby. That’s me.’
She jerks and flies off my body, making me hiss from the sudden, unexpected withdrawal. ‘Fuck!’ I cup myself, gritting my teeth, and find her sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the wall. What’s happened? Didn’t it feel right? ‘Ava, what’s wrong, baby?’
I quickly shuffle to the edge of the bed and wrap an arm around her body, instantly getting a hint of her shaking form. She’s trembling. ‘Ava, talk to me, please.’
She shakes her head, looking up at me with eyes that are disturbed. ‘I had a flashback.’
I try not to recoil. Is that good? ‘Of what?’
‘I don’t know.’ She looks at the carpet, her fingers twiddling in her lap. ‘It happened so quickly. Oh my God, please turn this music off.’ She looks around the room, as if searching for the stereo. ‘I can’t bear it.’ Her hands cover her ears, and my damn heart splits.
I quickly find my phone and shut it off.
‘Rowing boats,’ she mumbles, her forehead heavy. ‘That track. Your words. I saw rowing boats.’
‘Rowing boats?’
‘Yes.’ She gets up and starts pacing the room, naked as can be, though she’s too preoccupied to notice, or maybe give a toss. ‘Why the hell would I be seeing rowing boats?’
It clicks, falls into place. I get up and take her hand, leading her to our own bedroom. ‘This is why.’ I open the bedside table drawer and pull something out, handing it to her. She glances down at the book. ‘Giuseppe Cavalli,’ I tell her. ‘You had one of his pieces hung in the master suite of my penthouse at Lusso.’ I sit next to her and open the book to the page where the photograph is, eager for her to see, hoping it’ll spike more than a flashback. ‘There.’ I point to the picture. ‘The original is hanging in our dining room. He was the master of light. You told me all about him when you gave me a guided tour of my new apartment. It was the first time we . . . well, made love.’
‘We did?’
‘Yes.’ I frown. Haven’t I told her this already? ‘In the bathroom at Lusso on launch night. I bought you this book.’ I flick to the back where the note still sits. ‘With this.’
Ava pulls out the piece of paper and reads it aloud. ‘“You’re like a book I can’t put down. I need to know more.”’
‘Do you remember, baby?’ I ask, watching her scan the words, hoping and praying she finds something to match the flashback.
Her eyes clench shut, as if she’s desperately searching for any recollection. And I know she is. But when she sags and a tear falls, splashing the paper in her hand, I know she hasn’t. ‘It was so vivid.’ She looks at me. ‘So real. I felt someone there with me, looking at the boats. It was you. I couldn’t see you, but I felt you. Like I’m feeling you since I woke up after the accident. I feel you all the time, even when we’re not touching. Even when you’re not in the room.’
I smile sadly and pull her onto my lap. ‘Time, baby. Give it time.’ While I’m reassuring her, I’m working hard to reassure myself. That flashback must have been fucking powerful to launch her off my body like that. Nothing can ever distract her from me, especially when I’m inside her. Facing the fact that there’s a force more powerful than me in my wife’s life right now is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to contend with. Because, of all the things in this world that can make her better, I just know I am her strongest chance.
Chapter 24
‘Three.’ I’m stalking my prey, closing in, watching as she backs away from me with a teasing smile on her face. ‘Two,’ I growl, picking up speed, laughing on the inside when she turns on a squeal and pelts off up the stairs. ‘One,’ I shout, taking them three at a time and bursting into our bedroom. She’s standing on the far side, a can of squirty cream in one hand, a jar of chocolate spread in the other. And she’s gloriously naked, except for the seductive smile she’s wearing.
‘Do your worst, Mr Ward.’
‘Zero, baby.’
I start and jerk awake, frantically scanning my surroundings.
‘Jesse?’
Ava comes into my vision, standing at the end of the bed in her dressing gown. ‘I must have dozed off again.’ I scrub at my face with my palms, wondering how I could be so tired after such a good night’s sleep.
‘I just spoke to Kate. She wants us to meet them for dinner tomorrow night.’
I can think of nothing worse than putting myself in front of people and trying to smile. I just want to hide away in our little manor until things are back to normal. I’m on the cusp of suggesting we do exactly that, but Ava speaks first. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing her.’