“You have friends?” She’s laughing at me. “And here I thought you were a robot.”
My face conveys my hurt. “You met Cameron.”
“I knew you’d play that card,” she says, still laughing. “One friend—that’s pathetic.”
I gesture toward the house. “This makes two.”
“Still not healthy,” she declares, not giving an inch. “How’s Cameron, by the way? And Jules?”
“Still heavily pregnant.”
Inside, the cottage is simply designed with polished wood floors, a stone fireplace, and, through a set of sliding doors, a wooden deck that overlooks the ocean.
Rachel loves it, and that’s all I need.
“Your friend is lucky,” she tells me. “I’d live here and pretend to be writing a book just so nobody would ask why I never leave home.”
“You’d miss your job.”
She raises her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have to deal with arrogant billionaires nudging my boss into sending me on assignments just so they can seduce me.”
Ah well. “One day you’ll forgive me for that.”
She flutters her lashes dramatically. “What makes you think I’m talking about you?”
I feel something close to a heart attack. “If anybody else tried to pull a stunt like that with you, I’d probably…” I shake my head. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
She laughs and holds out a hand to me. “Let’s go to bed. I’m tired.”
She doesn’t need to ask me twice.
I dream about happier times: vacations with my parents, Aidan squealing and running around on the beach.
I wake up with a feeling of deep, inexorable sadness. Rachel is still asleep, and I drop a kiss on her cheek. She smiles in her sleep, and something expands in my chest. I want to stay and watch her but don’t want to risk waking her up, so I pull on a pair of pajama bottoms and go out to the deck. There, I spend hours watching the water in its centuries-old journey to the beach.
The sun is already up when Rachel comes up behind me and wraps her arms around me.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Not anymore,” I reply, smiling as my body relaxes into her touch. “Good morning.”
She places her cheek on my back and her arms tighten around me. I take a deep breath. It feels heavenly. She feels heavenly.
“Hey,” she says suddenly. “How did you sleep?”
I turn around so we’re face to face. “Perfectly.”
She smiles and places a soft kiss on my lips. Grabbing her by the waist, I deepen the kiss until all my senses are filled with her.
When I finally release her, we’re both breathing deeply. She grins up at me, her gaze tender.
What is she thinking?
“You must be hungry,” I say quietly, leading her back inside the house. “Let’s eat.”
In the kitchen, I do the cooking while Rachel watches and lays out dishes. After we eat, she gives me a satisfied smile. “I’m going to get used to you making me breakfast.”
“Why not? You have my skills at your disposal, babe—all my skills.”