Maybe their relationship had been petering out before the accident. Certainly no one in the Sydney office had given any indication they knew she and Conall were together. Because they were both naturally discreet? Or because they knew what they had was time-limited?
But Conall’s lovemaking told her that couldn’t be the case. He was invested in this. Whateverthiswas.
It was like walking into a play in the middle of the second act and wondering what her lines were.
No! She refused to be negative. For weeks she’d let those missing months eat away at her when there was nothing she could do about them. Yet here she was, cherished by Conall in ways she’d never dreamt possible. Whether they had a future together or not, life was good. She had the job she loved and she had Conall.
Grinning, she pushed open the door to the wardrobe and found herself in a spacious dressing room. Conall’s business clothes hung on one side in a beautifully crafted wooden robe. She made for the first set of drawers. Surely he’d have a T-shirt or something she could wear. She didn’t want to put on her work clothes yet.
But as she moved further into the room a pop of colour caught her eye and she saw that some of the hanging space on the other side was occupied.
Curious, she padded over on bare feet and found herself staring at a collection of women’s clothes. The bright colour was a poppy-red dress. A colour she’d always loved but didn’t wear.
When she was young her mother had dressed them both in neutral colours, as if trying not to draw attention to either of them. Greer had automatically continued that habit into adulthood, especially when she began working in the corporate sector. She thought she’d be taken more seriously if she looked serious.
Yet her hand lifted towards the bright colour. Whose was this? Riffling through the garments, she felt a jolt, as if from an electric shock. She paused, fingers clenching on the sleeve of a blue-grey jacket.
Greer gulped, fighting a roiling sensation in her stomach as she tugged it closer. Tingles ran up her arm and circled her neck, lifting her shoulders and making her gasp for air.
Holding the jacket to her, she collapsed onto the sofa in the middle of the room. She closed her eyes, bending forward, head almost at her knees as she fought sudden all-consuming wooziness.
Slow breaths out. She propped her head in one hand, the other hand still clutching the jacket. That was when she realised she recognised the feel of the fabric.
Eyes closed again, Greer lifted the jacket onto her lap, running her fingers over it. That sense of familiarity intensified. Without letting herself think, she undid the buttons and put it on, feeling it settle around her shoulders.
Another tingle lifted the hairs on her nape. Snapping her eyes open, she stood and spun around to face the full-length mirror. The jacket wasn’t meant to be worn over a towel, but itwasmeant to be worn by her. She’d had the waist taken in because she liked the tailored look.
Greer gasped as she remembered taking it to a little shop for the alteration. Collecting it in her lunch break. Wearing it to work and Conall stripping it off her that evening. He’d kissed her throat and told her he’d been waiting all day to touch her. His voice was thick with longing and she’d been scrabbling at his shirt, tearing the buttons undone as they fell back onto a bed.
Not the bed here. The one in his penthouse.
Greer stumbled back to the sofa and sank onto it again.
Her mind whirled, disjointed images chasing one another, even snippets of conversation.
Her apology for ripping off his buttons. Conall’s mock-severe tone as he said he’d have to make her pay for that, his smile slow and lascivious. Her surprise at seeing him, rumpled and sexy, sipping morning coffee on the penthouse terrace while he sewed the button back on.
His father, he’d said, had insisted all his children learn self-reliance. That included everything from changing a wheel to mending, feeding themselves and managing a spreadsheet. But Conall’s expression had held a grimness that made her glad she’d grown up with her mother and not his father.
Heart racing, Greer let the memories come, slowly at first. A flow of small, everyday things. She tried not to direct them, but was stunned by how many featured Conall.
He’d been the centre of her world for so long, hadn’t he? Now she was getting her answer to how she’d felt about him during those five months.
Her crush had become so much more. She’d tried to be sensible, but once she’d stepped beyond the constraints she’d set herself, it was like opening the floodgates. She couldn’t remember everything, but enough to know she’d secretly opened her heart to him.
In each new recollection he was as he’d always been. Focused, hardworking, but with a lurking humour that made her smile. Now there were more intimate memories too. Of his tender touches and powerful passion. Of his husky-voiced midnight loving. His off-key singing in the shower. And his smile that turned her knees to jelly.
Greer breathed deeply, telling herself to be satisfied with the disjointed snippets for now. It was a start. A wonderful start. Proof that her brain was healing and soon she’d be back to normal.
Relief burgeoned. She was light-headed with it. She wanted to race to Conall and tell him. But that was a conversation to be had in private, not while he was on a business call.
Yet she couldn’t just sit here. The excitement was too much. She’d go outside, explore the gardens and get some fresh air until he was free.
Greer carried the jacket back and placed it on its hanger. Her fingers brushed the poppy-red dress and she pulled it out, admiring the cut. The sound of laughter echoed in her ears and she remembered a buzz of happiness as she’d worn it. She and Conall had been out to see a play and had eaten later at a tiny Basque pintxos bar and restaurant in a narrow city lane. It had been romantic and fun.
That recollection decided her. She swapped the bath towel for the red dress, smiling as she twirled in front of the mirror. She looked forward to seeing Conall’s expression when he saw her in this.
As she turned, something pale caught her eye.
