“I’d honestly just like to return to hiding out. Just you and me.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Then that’s what we will do. I’ll have them ready the jet.”
Never in a million years would I expect to be used to sentences like that, but this time it was welcome.
Hand in hand, we joined Mitch and Melinda.
Elijah addressed them both. “Change of plans. We’re going back to Deadwater. Melinda, you’re welcome to stay on here.”
She blinked. “That would be awesome. If you’re sure?”
Elijah raised a shoulder. “I’ll even throw in Mitch to take you out to dinner. How does that sound?”
To my surprise, Mitch, who I was ready to judge as he’d done me, blushed. Even the tips of his ears reddened.
In the back of the car, heading to the airport, I cuddled in to Elijah.
“What was that with the dinner invite?”
“Didn’t you notice? Mitch was all big eyes for Melinda, and she ducked her head when he spoke to her. Thought I’d give them a helping hand.”
“You matchmaker.”
“What? I’m a happy man. I want everyone else to be the same.”
I buried my face in his shoulder. My run around London had stolen a lot of my fire, and all I wanted now was to curl up with him and hide. Somewhere no one else could find us, and where I wouldn’t have the chance to ruin things again.
“I’m sorry,” I finally managed to say.
Elijah kissed me. “Why do I get the impression that I’m privileged to hear you say that?”
I sniffed. “Because most of the time I’m right?”
His smile healed something inside me I didn’t know was broken.
When we got to the plane, Elijah held my hand to stop me leaving the car. He eyed the aircraft then came to me. “If you don’t want me spending money on you in stores, will you let me treat you in another way?”
I lifted an eyebrow in question.
There was something so loving in his eyes. It almost took my breath away.
“You’ll be doing me a favour,” he tried again.
“Out with it, Westwood.”
“What if we grab our passports and disappear someplace hot? Just us, no interference. No expectations. A week of sun and sea in a tropical paradise.”
Unbelievable. More so because I didn’t even try to protest. A week away with him sounded perfect.
But I’d underestimated my man.
With only two hours in Deadwater to pack and get back to the airstrip, it was a race against the clock. At my flat, he met Genie and Jessie, both of my girls wide-eyed at the boyfriend reveal, but quickly jumping to help me find bikinis and sandals. Genie even lent me a gorgeous gold sarong to wear on the beach. Then a short stop off at the hotel apartment gave us everything else we needed, and we flew into the sunset.
When we got to our destination, after a long flight, a short hop on a sea plane, then a little boat, I realised I would barely need clothes at all.
Elijah had somehow magically organised a private island for us. He carried me off the boat to a beautiful beach house on white sands, surrounded by a teal-blue tropical sea. Insidewas a hanging bed, gauzy curtains, and purple flower petals everywhere. At the far corner of the property was a jetty with a boat, and the man who hadn’t let me go quietly informed me that meals were bought in twice a day from somewhere unseen.
We had the whole place to ourselves.
