Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

J udd had the coldest shower on record to wake up—and to douse his libido that hot-wired the moment he opened his eyes and caught sight of Abby lying next to him rumpled and sexy—and waited until he heard the loud click of the main door latch before stalking out of the bathroom.

What the hell had happened?

One minute he'd woken to find Abby, a vision of post-coital glowing woman staring at him with what he'd thought was tenderness. The next, she'd been colder than an Arctic blizzard.

If she'd given him a chance to explain his motivation behind sticking around in Sydney he would've told her the truth. All of it. Instead, she'd acted like she didn't want to know him, let alone spend more time with him back in Sydney and it hurt more than it should.

He'd always doubted the validity of love. Yet he'd been stupid enough to go ahead and fall for her anyway.

What was he thinking?

Unfortunately, he knew exactly what path his mind had taken once he realised he loved her last night. He'd built a cosy little scenario in his head that involved the two of them having a relationship, his first real, honest, relationship in his life.

So much for that fantasy. She'd meant it when she'd said she only wanted an island fling yet he hoped she felt more. There had been times when the look in her eyes…

He sat on the bed, picked up a pillow, and buried his face in it rather than punching the crap out of it. Bad move. The pillow still bore the indentation of Abby's head and he inhaled deeply, savouring the faint jasmine fragrance that filled his senses, the same scent that surrounded them when they had sex.

Damn it, he'd had his fair share of women but nothing came close to the earth-shattering, climactic experience of sex with Abby. Though it went beyond the purely physical between them and he knew it.

Whenever they were together, he felt like he'd finally come home.

She'd always had that effect on him, giving him a constant in his nomadic life. Now they'd taken their relationship to the next level, he felt like he could stay in the one place forever, as long as he had her by his side, and it scared him. It absolutely terrified him.

Not that it mattered anymore.

She didn't want him.

Her reaction to his news sealed it.

So where did they go from here?

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