“Yes,” I answered.
“Good,” he whispered, touched his mouth to mine and bid, “Go back to sleep. I’ll kiss you again before I leave.”
“Do you want me to hustle down and make you some breakfast?” I offered.
“I don’t want you to move.”
I smiled at him and smoothed a hand over his hair.
He kissed me, no brush on the lips this time, before he slid away, arranging the covers over me.
I watched him walk to the bathroom.
I wouldn’t have thought it possible, hearing the water of the shower going and knowing he was in there, wet and soapy and naked, that I could fall into a drowse.
But that was what I did.
I woke up when I felt the covers pulled up to my shoulder and then tucked in.
I turned my eyes to the sides to catch him dipping in.
He kissed my temple.
“Back to sleep,” he said when he pulled away. “We’ll connect during the week. And I’ll see if Janelle can rearrange my schedule so I can be back Thursday night.”
Janelle, I’d learned yesterday, was his PA.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?” I said unconvincingly.
“If it were up to me, I’d pack all those crates in the Audi and take you with me. But you’ve made the studio your space. I’m not creative, but I know a creative needs their space. Am I wrong?”
“No, but?—”
He sat beside me on the bed. “And I work all day, darling, late. No point you being stuck at Burleigh House alone only for me to come home, us to eat then fuck and me to leave you alone again in the morning.”
I could argue this, but I wasn’t going to.
Because I had work to do at The Downs, and not only book work.
“In order that we can continue to get to know one another,” he went on, “and I can do my part in alleviating Tempie feeling the need to be here to look after Chassie, I’m going to ask Janelle to arrange my schedule so I can work from here half a week. After this week, I’ll try to sort it so I’m home Wednesday evening.”
I smiled brightly.
He kissed it from my lips.
When he lifted his head, he ordered, “Now, go back to sleep.”
“You be careful on that motorway,” I ordered in return.
“Always,” he murmured.
Another lip brush, a sweet, sexy smile.
Then he was walking away.
Late that afternoon, I was in the studio, marking photos I wanted to ask Battle if I could use to reproduce in the book, when my phone, lying on the desk, vibrated.
Since Snowball was napping on it, she let out a displeased mew, rolled and glared at it.
