Chapter 16

Sixteen

F earing she might be hallucinating from heatstroke after spending too long in the sun earlier, Tamara asked, “Is this real?”

Ethan smoothed her hair back, his other hand holding her tight against him. “Very.”

“What are you doing here?” She touched his face, her fingertips skimming his cheek, his jaw peppered in stubble, savouring the rasping prickle, still not believing this was real.

“I came to see you. To be with you.” He brushed his lips across hers, soft, tender, the barest of kisses. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

She couldn’t comprehend this. One minute she’d been alone and confused, the next he was here. For her.

“But after what happened in Delhi—”

“I was an idiot.” He clasped her face between his hands, his beseeching gaze imploring her to listen. “I owe you an explanation.”

Her response of ‘you don’t’ died on her lips. Considering the retreat and parry he’d been doing and the way they’d parted, he owed her that at least.

“I’m staying in that hut you just passed. We can talk there.”

She stepped out of his embrace but he swiftly pulled her back into his arms, hugging her so fiercely the breath whooshed out of her lungs.

“Tam, I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” she murmured against his chest, her cheek happily squashed against all that lovely hard muscle.

He held her, their breathing in sync with their beating hearts, and for that one, brief moment, Tamara understood the incredible power of the emotion that drew her mum and dad together on this very beach all those years ago.

There was something magical about this place, something transcendental, and as the first stars of the evening flickered overhead and the faintest tune of a soulful sitar drifted on the evening air, she wondered if it was time to take a chance on love again.

“Any chance this hut of yours has a fully stocked fridge?” He patted his rumbling stomach. “Feels like I haven’t eaten in days.”

“Better than that. The hut is part of a resort, so I put in an order for my meals first thing in the morning and they deliver.”

“Great. What’s for dinner?”

She laughed. “You can take the boy out of the restaurant but you can’t take the restaurant out of the boy.”

“Too right.” He slipped his hand in hers, squeezed. “So, what’s on for tonight?”

For an insane moment she could’ve sworn he wasn’t talking about food as his steady gaze bore into hers, questioning, seeking, and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what she’d ordered that morning.

Chuckling at her bemused expression, he fell into step beside her. “Never mind, whatever it is, I’ll devour it.”

He paused, shot her a significant look. “Happiness does that to a man. Gives him an appetite.”

“So you’re happy?”

He pulled her close again. “Considering you didn’t run in the opposite direction when you first saw me, you’re still talking to me, and you’ve invited me to dinner, I’m downright ecstatic.”

Joy fizzed in her veins, heady and making her feel punch-drunk. They needed to talk, but for now, she was happy too. Happier than she’d been in days. Heck, happier than she’d been in years.

She’d found a surprising peace with Ethan in India. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone she wasn’t, to fake a smile, to be poised and elegant and refined, all in the name of appearances.

He saw her for who she was; a woman determined to make a fresh start, a woman happiest with no makeup, no artifice, and no platitudes.

“I’ve never seen you like this.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, twisting the end around his finger, brushing the delicate skin beneath her ear.

“What? With my hair frizzy from sea water and wearing a peasant skirt and top from a local market?”

His gaze searched her face, her eyes, focussing on her lips. “I’ve never seen you so relaxed. You’re truly happy, aren’t you?”

She nodded, filled with a sense of serenity she’d never had elsewhere. “Maybe it’s a mental thing, knowing my mum spent half her life here and I feel more connected to her here than anywhere.”

“It’s more than that.”

He was right. It was the first time in a long time she’d been on her own, content in her own company. She’d been alone in Melbourne since Richard’s death but that had been different. There’d been the whirlwind of funeral arrangements, countless trips to the solicitor’s, endless paperwork to tidy up, and the personal fallout from Richard’s bombshell in the form of his mistress Sonja.

Here, there was none of that. She could finally be true to herself, true to her needs.

She smiled. “You’ve got to know me pretty well, huh?”

“Enough to know I’ve never seen you so at ease.”

“It’s this place.” She waved at the endless stretch of sand, the shimmering azure sea, the purple streaked sky scattered with diamond-like stars. “Not just the tranquillity, the pace of life, but everything about it. I can be myself, you know?”

“I’m happy for you, Tam, I really am.”

His genuine smile, the sincerity in his tone, made her like him all the more.

“But a part of me can’t help but wish I’d found you with unwashed hair, chewed-to-the-quick fingernails, pale and sallow from pining away for me rather than the picture of glowing health.”

She’d pined all right. Struggled to sleep the first night, moped around while sightseeing, dragged her feet through this sand on more long walks than she’d ever taken.

Nothing had soothed the hollow ache in her heart, the anxiety gnawing at her belly that she’d lost her chance at exploring something new, something exciting, something that could potentially be the best thing to ever happen to her.

Yet here he was, in the flesh, wearing his trademark rakish pirate smile, khaki shorts, and a white T-shirt setting off his newly acquired tan. By coming here, she hoped Ethan had made a statement he was ready to explore this spark between them.

“You’re staring.”

She raised an eyebrow, fought a blush. “Am I?”

“Uh-huh.” He ducked his head for a quick kiss. “And I like it. That gleam in your beautiful eyes tells me I have a chance.”

“Only if you’re lucky.”

Laughing at his wounded expression, she slipped out of his grasp, hitched up her long skirt, and sprinted across the sand with him in hot pursuit. She’d never felt this carefree, this spontaneous, and while Colva Beach may have worked its magic on her, it had more to do with the man rugby tackling her to the sand as they reached the hut.

“Hey! Don’t go trying out your football moves on me.”

Ethan rolled onto his back, taking her with him so she lay along the length of him. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Besides, those guys are way out of my league.”

“Am I?”

All too aware of their heated skin being separated by thin cotton, she propped on his chest, the teasing smile dying on her lips as she registered the sudden shadows in his eyes.

“Maybe you are.”

“I was kidding, you great oaf.” She whacked him playfully on the chest, disappointed when he stood and hauled her to her feet.

“My ego bruises easily. You need to treat me gently.”

She didn’t buy his rueful grin for a second, something akin to hurt lingering in his eyes.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Eager to restore the playful mood between them, she gestured to the hut. “Maybe you won’t be so sensitive once you get some food into that bottomless pit of yours?”

He instantly perked up. “Did you mention food?”

She laughed and unlocked the door. “Kitchen’s on the left. The dinner that’s been delivered while I took a walk should be on the bench top and ready to be heated. I’ll take a quick shower before we eat.”

While she preferred a natural look here, she felt distinctly grubby in the presence of his sexy casualness. That glow he’d mentioned probably had more to do with a day’s worth of perspiration than any inner peace.

“Right. See you in ten.”

She held up a hand, fingers spread. “Make that five. I’m starving, too.”

Before she could move, he captured her hand, raised it to his lips, and placed a hot, scorching kiss on her palm and curled her fingers over. “I’m really glad I came.”

“Me too,” she murmured, his kiss burning her palm.

She curled her fingers over it as she backed into the bathroom, not breaking eye contact for a second, waiting until she all but slammed the door before slumping against it in a quivering heap, her hormones leaping as high as her heart.