As the music started and boot heels started thumping the wooden floor, someone tapped Anna on the shoulder. She turned to see the smiling face of a groom from one of her big horse stud clients.
‘Hi, Anna.’
‘Hi, Bob.’
‘Dance with me?’
Anna tried not to let her surprise show. ‘Yes. Sure.’ She handed her beer to Justin and followed Bob onto the floor. The dance was fast and fun, with a certain amount of yelling ‘yee haa’ by both the band and the dancers. Anna was a little disappointed when it ended and Bob escorted her off the floor. Justin was waiting to claim her.
‘That was fun. Thanks, Bob.’ She took a step closer to Justin and retrieved her beer.
‘That was a surprise,’ Anna said after Bob had walked away.
‘Why?’ Justin asked.
‘Well. You know.’ Anna made a small motion with her hands, a gesture that could refer to her face.
‘No, I don’t know. Come with me.’
Once again, Justin took her hand, but this time he didn’t lead her onto the dance floor. They left the hall by a side door and walked out into the night. The breeze was refreshing after the crowded hall, but not even a breeze would make the evening cooler. The children’s play area was dimly lit by the lights from the hall and by a full moon shining in the clear midnight blue sky. It was also empty.
They sat on one of the wooden benches and Justin took both her hands in his.
‘I cannot begin to imagine what you have been through.’
He didn’t have to say what he was referring to. She knew.
‘And I cannot imagine how hard it’s been for you. The things thoughtless people have said and done.’
She felt tears pricking the back of her eyes and he squeezed her hands as he carried on.
‘But I hope you realise that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever known. And I’m not just talking about your heart and your kindness and humour. Nor even about your courage.’ He let go of her hands to cup her face in the palms of his hands. ‘You are beautiful. Your face is beautiful. It’s part of who you are. Nothing—no scars, no years—nothing will ever make you less than beautiful.’
He kissed her forehead, where the scar crossed it in a jagged line. He kissed her cheek, where the skin had been pulled so tight by the stitches. Her chin, where the pain of a chipped jawbone had added to the agony of the wounds. And he kissed her mouth. A gentle kiss that quickly grew deeper. Grew into something more as he pulled her into his arms.
She kissed him back, believing both his words and the feel of his body against hers, the taste of his lips and the passion as they moved with hers. She put her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. She wanted to feel every inch of him. Wanted him to feel every inch of her. Wanted … him.
‘Anna …’ He breathed her name as they broke the kiss, his breath caressing her cheek. Maybe washing away the remembered pain. His eyes were dancing with light and passion. Maybe love?
Anna did something she had not done since that day. She reached for Justin and pulled him closer to kiss him, confident at last that he would not pull away.
The kiss lasted a very long time.
Then an alarm sounded, loud and raucous and almost painful in the stillness of the evening.
CHAPTER
32
Justin heard the alarm on his phone with a sense of dread. If this was Ben messing around, he’d have his little brother’s hide. But even as that thought formed, he knew that wasn’t the case. Not even Ben would mess around with a fire alert. He pulled his phone from his pocket as the alarm programmed just for fire alerts continued to sound. He silenced it with a touch and swiped the screen to see the message.
Beside him, Anna was silent.
‘I’m sorry. It’s a fire warning. I have to call in.’
She nodded.
Justin hit the call button as he stood and moved a couple of steps away. The other end rang once before he heard his brother’s voice.
