And when it’s over and the ragged beating of hearts finally slow, he pulls me into his chest and locks those arms so tightly around me again and whispers, ‘I wish we could stay here forever.’
‘So do I.’ I inhale his skin, savouring his unique scent, a hint of cologne tinged with his raw masculinity.
‘Let’s send for the girls.’ Ronan’s fingers languidly thread through my hair. He stares at the ceiling, a wistful lookwinding onto his face. ‘We could stay here for the summer, swim in the sea, sit on the terrace, sunbathe all day and have sex all night.’
Would he seriously want that?
To spend the summer not just with me, but with my girls too? It never occurred to me that there might be a man mad enough to take on all three of us. It’s not a notion I allowed myself to entertain before.
But why would I? We’ve always been fine on our own.
Though, here in this beautiful bubble, I can’t deny that ‘fine’ is a far cry from ‘content’.
‘If only,’ I sigh. ‘But you’re forgetting one major thing.’
His head cocks to the side, his huge baby blues tersely gazing into mine. ‘That you said this was only for one night?’
‘Well, there is that…’ I trail off, squeezing his bicep playfully. ‘But more importantly, this is Ireland.’ I point at the balcony door where the sun is blazing through the glass. ‘That big ball in the sky won’t last until next week, let alone all summer.’ I force a giggle, even if it sounds strangled.
It’s far safer to focus on the weather than fathom the future of our relationship. Because as safe and content as I feel this morning, wrapped around Ronan, I’m in serious risk of losing everything I ever worked for if I don’t walk away from this. And apart from the fact my legs are still quivering like jelly and my vagina feels like I’ve ridden a horse bareback across a mountain range, even if Icouldphysically walk away from this thing between us, mentally it’s going to be a hell of a lot harder. As ever, I still can’t separate sex from feelings.
Which leaves me in an awful predicament. But I refuse to waste this glorious morning thinking about it.
‘You’re right.’ Something like relief flits across Ronan’s features. ‘Which is why I propose we hold today’s swimming lesson out there.’ He swirls his pointer finger in a dramatic circle before angling it at the ocean.
‘You want me to swim in the sea?’ I repeat, like a moron.
‘You need to do it before the shoot.’ His hand falls back to my body. ‘When is that, by the way?’
‘Four weeks.’ I received an email with the details from Susie yesterday.
I said I’d rather jump into the sea than into bed with Ronan Rivers, but look at me now, about to tick off both. I’m not sure which is more shocking.
‘You won’t get a better opportunity and I promise you’re in safe hands.’ He palms my bare breast to emphasise his point.
I roll my eyes jovially. ‘Is this the part where you remind me you won two Olympic gold medals? Again.’
A laugh tumbles from his chest and his fingers dip to my waist, tickling me until I squeal. ‘Ha. Funny. Excuse me if I like to relive the best days of my life from time to time.’ His fingers halt and his expression turns serious. ‘Though truthfully, those days have nothing on last night, or today.’
‘Did you pack any swimwear?’ Ronan’s palms caress my skin.
‘Nope.’
‘In that case, we’ll have to go into the sea in our underwear.’ He shrugs.
‘I doubt there’ll be anyone around, anyway. Ballybowen is like a ghost town until the schools finish up for the summer holidays next month. That’s half the appeal of this place. But it doesn’t really matter. There are steps that lead from the terrace directly down to a rocky secluded tidal pool.’
‘Seriously?’ Ronan’s eyes light up. ‘That’s so cool. If this were my place, I’d never rent it out. I’d live in it myself.’
‘I’ve never seen the attraction of the countryside.’ Since I had the twins, life has been hectic. I kept it that way deliberately because if in the moments I tried to slow down andallow myself to stop, that’s when the loneliness creeps in. The bustle of the city is something I’ve come to rely on.
‘I love the countryside. The peace, the tranquillity, the freedom. Allow me to show you the attraction.’
‘Hmm, I think you already did.’
Half an hour later, I’m descending the slippery stone steps towards the rocky shore. The tide is on its way out, which means the rock pool’s been freshly filled with sea water and God knows what else. A shudder travels down my spine.
‘What if there’s fish in there?’ I call to Ronan, who is two steps ahead of me and more eager than a beaver.
