Thirteen
Bel soaked in the scenery, excited to be in a new city. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue with only a few fluffy white clouds to break up its vastness. A winding, pristine river was skirted by lush green parkland and in the distance was a sprinkling of high-rises. When the taxi finally reached Tate’s apartment building, Bel climbed out, shooed away by Tate and the driver unloading their bags. The gleaming building overlooked the river in what looked like a very upmarket part of the city and Bel itched to explore her surrounds—although possibly after a long hot shower and a sleep. It had been a big day: getting up early, driving to the airport and then lots of waiting. But they’d made it and her adventure was well and truly under way.
Bel followed Tate inside the impressive lobby, and she tried not to gawk like the tourist she was at the sparkling chrome and glistening tiles as they walked across to the elevators.
‘Doing okay?’ Tate asked as the doors slid closed.
Bel nodded and smiled up at him. ‘I can’t believe I’m here.’
‘Better believe it. Tomorrow, we’ll play tourist and you’ll get a proper look at the place.’
Tate held the door open for her to walk into the apartment and Bel let out an audible gasp as she took it all in. It was like something out of a movie. Wide glass windows and sliding doors opened out to views of the river, bridges and wharfs below. Bel stepped outside onto a large balcony entertainment area. A cluster of outdoor lounge chairs sat up one end with a fire pit in the middle then a dining table at the other end. A built-in stainless-steel barbeque gleamed in a modest outdoor kitchen area. Huge pots with lush green palms were scattered around, a row of them stretching off to one side along the glass-panelled balustrade. Four high bar stools were tucked under a timber bar top, the perfect place to take advantage of the stunning, uninterrupted view.
‘What do you think?’ Tate asked, coming up beside her.
‘This place is … Oh my God, I can’t even …’ she stammered, lost for words. ‘I don’t know how you tear yourself away from it to go to work.’
‘It’s not easy. Come on, there’s more to see,’ he said, taking her hand; she followed him reluctantly away from the view.She couldn’t wait to come back out here in a few hours and watch the sunset.
‘Hang on,’ she said, releasing his hand to take out her phone. ‘I’m texting Emma to let her know I got here.’
‘Bel, she’s not your mother.’
Bel glanced up after hitting send. ‘She’s my best friend.’
‘She’s a little overprotective, and seems to have a lot of say in your life.’
‘Emma?’ Bel said with a chuckle. She was surprised to see he was serious. ‘She’s just looking out for me.’
‘Don’t you think it’s time you lived your own life and stopped worrying about what other people think?’
‘I’m here, aren’t I?’
‘Yes, you are, and I plan on showing you how great it is over here.’
He planted a gentle kiss on her mouth that melted into a tender, lingering moment, wiping away her confusion about his comments. ‘Come on.’
Inside, the apartment was tastefully decorated in oatmeal and creams with lots of Tasmanian oak-like timber, giving the interior a light, airy feel. It was beautiful but it wasn’t what she’d call cosy. It was too sophisticated for that. Bel felt a small pang for her little house back in Wessex, but firmly pushed it aside.You’re here now. On an adventure.
The kitchen was open-plan, sleek and modern, and Bel imagined herself cooking dinner as she looked out over the magnificent view.
A hallway behind the living area was lined with doors, and Tate opened one on the right to reveal a huge suite, including a small balcony overlooking the city with a glimpse of the river. A walk-in wardrobe was next to a substantial bathroom with a double shower and a giant sunken bathtub that took pride of place in front of a massive window. Bel eyed it warily, noting the absence of anything as unsightly as curtains or blinds, and wondered if many people in the building not so far across the way had telescopes.
‘Across the hall is the spare room and another bathroom,’ Tate said, cutting into her thoughts.
This place was sophisticated and expensive—exactly the kind of place Jax Lexington would live in.Stop it.She knew she had stop thinking about Jax and making these kinds of comparisons. It didn’t seem like a healthy thing to do to compare your real-life boyfriend with your fictional one. In fact, it was rather delusional, if she were being honest. And yet … at times, she couldn’t help making the comparisons. Both were charming and handsome and had a smile that could melt hearts. It had seemed like Jax had stepped out of a book and turned into Tate. She’d spent so long fantasising about Jax, it wasn’t an easy thing to turn off overnight. She knew Tate wasn’t a storybook hero; he wasn’t an ex-special forces operative who could survive almost impossible odds and walk away from exploding buildings. He was just a man. And so what if Tate hadn’t really done anything outrageously heroic? It wasn’t as if they were living a danger-filled worldlike the one in the Lexington Millionaires series. This was real life, and these comparisons simply weren’t practical—and were possibly a little bit crazy.
Whether he was the real-life Jax Lexington or not, meeting Tate was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her. Taking a chance meant taking risks and trusting that everything would be okay. For way too long, she’d taken the safe road, too scared to let go of what she was comfortable with. Where had that gotten her? She was almost thirty and she hadn’t even lived.
Tate had been sent to her for a reason, and she wasn’t going to throw away her chance at finding her happily-ever-after just because this had happened fast and without much warning. People did wild things for love all the time. Why couldn’t she?
Had she fallen in love? She wasn’t exactly sure. Itfelthow every single romance she’d ever read said that it was supposed to feel. She had the butterflies in her stomach, and that breathy feeling when he kissed her. Washein love? He’d asked her to come back here with him. Surely men didn’t randomly ask that of complete strangers? She knew these feelings had caught him by surprise too—he’d said so—but … was it love? What else could it be?
Bel opened her eyes and for a fleeting second was confused. Then all the sensations came crashing down around her. Shesmelled the clean, fresh smell of new furniture and barely walked on carpet and saw the early morning sunlight filtering in through huge glass windows. She felt the feathery light touch of expensive sheets and the heavier weight of an arm across her torso. She rolled her head sideways and soaked in the image of the man beside her. He was perfection. Seriously, how did he manage to look so damn perfect even when he was asleep? Something no mere mortal could achieve, especially her. When she woke up, she mostly resembled a cockatoo, and she didn’t want her first morning on her new adventure to start out with bed hair.
She slowly slid out from under Tate’s arm, dug out her toiletry bag and tiptoed her way to the bathroom across the hall so as not to disturb him.
She’d intended to climb back into bed and wait for him to get up, but after brushing her teeth and splashing her face with water, she found herself too wide awake to go back to sleep. Instead, she went out to the kitchen, greeted by a view through the ceiling-to-floor windows that was nothing short of breathtaking. The pale pinks and purples in the sky suddenly gave way to a glowing ball of golden light that bled across the horizon and filled the room with a warm yellow glow. She’d never seen anything quite like it before. Sure, she’d seen her share of sunrises—she did have to open the store early every morning—but the view in Wessex was nothing like the view from a high-rise building overlooking a magnificent river.
