The quiet hung elephant-sized between us.
I laughed, she joined in. “I’m sorry if I kept staring at you.”
“I was staring back.”
“I know. That made me feel less sorry.”
Her smile was warm and genuine. “I didn’t know you painted.”
“Kind of. I like art. And houses. That was how I ended up being an architect.” I put my hands in my pockets so I didn’t touch her. Right now, I wanted to hold her, to wrap my arms around her like Anders was with Catrin. I wanted to kiss her neck and trail fingers over her stomach across the thin material of her dress. “I’m meeting a new client on the island on Monday.” He’d gotten back to me earlier, confirming he was still interested.
“That’s good. You could get loads of work here. There are always people looking to move here and renovate the older properties. Barn conversions, the old school near Benllech.” Her eyes flicked over my face. “Is this the first project you’ve looked at since the crash?”
I nodded. “The first. Maybe the last. It’s going to feel weird doing this without Ryan. He was the person I bounced ideas off. Even through uni.”
I felt fingers slip under my T-shirt onto my back, pressing lightly on my skin. “I can show you my paintings.” My grin was wicked and I remembered how to give it. There was one painting I wouldn’t show, not yet. Not ever.
She doubled over laughing. “That is such a line, Casanova.”
“Too much too soon?”
She gave a little shrug. “Maybe buy me a drink first.”
* * *
We moved back inside oncethe evening became cooler. The bar was full, a Saturday night on the island just before schools broke out meant an older crowd was here, making the most of child-free evenings. I’d been here through May, and the holidays then, when everywhere was overrun with kids running wild.
The atmosphere was easy and almost euphoric, the good weather effecting everyone’s mood. Various couples had disappeared; Michael and his girl of the month had crept off and then returned. Catrin and Anders had been deep in conversation, lost to the crowd around them. Everyone else was either paired off, or had paired off, including Jim, one of the older fishermen who seemed to have found himself in the company of a woman who looked happy to be his catch of the day.
That left Anya with me. We talked, drank, listened to the music. I held her in front of me when the bar got busy, her ass against my front, my hand on her stomach, praying that if she noticed how hard my cock was she’d be impressed rather than horrified.
Having her in my arms felt good. The women I’d slept with since being on the island had been fleeting. I hadn’t held them like this, hadn’t been like this with them in public. And I hadn’t been with anyone who lived on the island.
Holding her like this meant that I wasn’t going to be a bastard and ghost her, or fuck her and not see her again. That wasn’t going to happen. Although my intentions were anything but pure.
The crowd started to thin out as the music stopped and last orders were called. Catrin and Anders left without saying goodbye, still deep in conversation. I found a bar stool and sat on it, pulling Anya onto my knee.
She sipped at her drink, her head just under my chin so I could smell her hair and wonder what it would be like across my pillows. The rain had started, smacking against the windows. A summer storm to clear the air.
“Everyone’s pretty much gone.” She put her glass down on the bar.
“Pretty much.” I still held her.
“It’s raining outside.” She turned her head to look at me. “Your place is closer than mine.”
I didn’t actually think it was. But it was more private. I could make her scream without anyone overhearing.
“You want to see my paintings now?”
Her hand flattened against my chest. “If you still want to show me them.”
“You didn’t seem too interested before.” I pushed one hand up the skirt of her dress, feeling the top of her ass.
“Maybe I was trying to play hard to get.”
“I’m not sure I want to show my paintings to someone who plays games.”
Her eyes had darkened and I wondered if she was wet. I wondered if I could actually make it back to the barn without fucking her in a field.
