Chapter Eleven
Lachlan woke early the next morning. Dawn was just breaking, irregular beams of sunlight snaked their way through the city creating a mesmerising light show across the curtain netting covering the windows. At night April refused to close the curtains, insisting that you missed the best part of the morning if you blocked out the sun and slept in. At this moment, with the curtain netting awash with various shades of yellow and shadow, he had to agree.
He scoffed at the thought. He was getting sentimental over sunlight and curtains, for god’s sake. He glanced down at the brown-haired beauty currently nestled into his side and pulled her more tightly against him. She rewarded the effort by snuggling in closer, her hand meandering its way across his stomach, an agonising strain on his self-control. Already affected by the morning hour, he had to fight every nerve in his body to gain control of himself.
She was the reason he was ogling the sunlight. She was the reason he suddenly saw beauty in everything. He was in love with her.
When realisation dawned, it didn’t hit him in the face, it didn’t even come as a surprise. Instead it seeped its way into his conciseness so that he knew it to be true without having to question it, without fighting it. He sucked in a deep, satisfying breath, savouring the scent of her, the feel of her.
Her phone vibrated beside the bed followed by a loud rooster crowing and he reached over to turn off her alarm. April stirred in his arms and, instinctively, he tightened his grip, preventing her from pulling away from him. He needn’t have bothered. Rather than draw away, she wrapped herself across his chest and inhaled deeply against his side.
“Morning.” Her voice was thick, sleepy and so goddamn sexy.
“Morning.” He cleared the roughness out of his voice and gently rubbed his hand across her cheek, guiding her chin so she would look at him. He needed to see her face, he needed to know if she had any regrets. Instead her steady green eyes were happy, a small, satisfied smile curled her lips as she reached out to press them to his in a soft, gentle kiss. She groaned when she pulled back.
“I guess I have to get up and take a shower.”
He was just about to suggest he join her when a knock sounded at the door. “Room service.”
Lachlan cursed their foresight at ordering breakfast the night before. April smiled and reached up to kiss him on the cheek, then quickly rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He stood up too and tugged on his pants from where they lay beside the bed.
April breezed through her shower so that by the time she emerged he’d only had enough time to dress and pour the coffee. The waiter had laid out the breakfast on the small table near the sofa, where the sunlight shone gloriously through the window. Before coming over to join him, April quickly tidied up the last of her things into the bags she’d packed the day before.
She was wearing long black slacks that hugged her hips perfectly and a loose fitting grey knit shirt. He couldn’t help grinning at the sight of her. Samantha had always dressed as if a plane ride was just another nightclub and wore only super short skirts and tops so tight she almost fell out of them every time she moved. He pushed the thought away, he didn’t want to think about Samantha.
“You hungry?” he asked, as he helped April into her seat.
“Starved. We never did get round to dinner.” A gorgeous flush coloured her features but rather than looking embarrassed, she looked pleased. Unable to resist her, he leaned over and kissed her long and slow, and then rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed.
“I had a great night,” he whispered.
“Me too.”
“I’m going to miss you.” He’d been trying not to think about her leaving, but now it occurred to him that they had only about half an hour before she would have to leave for the airport. Lost in his thoughts, it took a moment for him to realise she hadn’t said anything and he opened his eyes to look at her. Her eyes were glassy, as if she was trying to hold back tears, and he felt a prickle at the back of his own eyes. He pulled away, blinking hard as he tried to collect himself.
He cleared his throat and reached for a slice of toast. “Dig in.” He smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood.
Although her mouth quirked up at the corners, you could hardly call it a smile. She reached for her coffee and together they both pretended the awkward silence between them was merely on account of their eating.
Finally, when he couldn’t take it anymore, he reached out and grabbed her hand, but when she looked at him, he couldn’t read her expression and a heavy knot formed in his gut. It felt as if all the effort he’d put in last night to break down her walls had been for nothing, because he couldn’t help feeling as if she’d rebuilt them. “So I was thinking.” He cleared his throat nervously. “I have my cousin’s wedding next weekend, but after that Ben and I were planning to hang out for a couple of weeks, maybe take a drive somewhere for a few days. Maybe I could come and see you.”
April hesitated. She hesitated. But then she continued to look at him without talking, panic written all over her face. What the hell was going on? You’d think he’d asked to move in, not just visit. He sat back abruptly in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “What?” He scowled. It dawned on him then that so far she hadn’t said anything about taking their relationship beyond this week. He’d been the one doing all the talking, he’d been the one chasing her and every time she’d tried to make an excuse not to see him, he’d persuaded her to change her mind. She didn’t even want this.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” She reached out and put her hand on his arm, but he shrugged it off. “It’s just Marie—”
“Enough with the bullshit!” He stood up and stalked to the window. “Marie is sixteen, she’s a big girl and if she’s every bit as smart as you make her out to be, then I’m sure she’d understand if you told her about us. But you don’t want to. Do you? Was this only ever going to be a fling for you? Something you could brag to your friends about? I banged Lachlan Kennedy!”
“That’s not true!” she hissed angrily. “I tried to stop this. I didn’t even want to go last night...”
“Are you saying you regret last night?” His voice was hard, angry. Last night after the ball had been the best night of his life. He’d never felt so connected to anyone before. It was as if their minds and bodies had come together in synchronised harmony and he’d felt as if he would drown in the emotions being generated. It was a fate he would willingly walk into. Obviously he was the only one feeling that way.
“No! Yes? I don’t know, maybe.”
“It’s either yes or no April. There is no middle ground.”
“It’s just the timing—”
“The timing?” he shouted, unable to control his volume. “What the hell has timing got to do with anything?”
She stared up at him, tears collecting in the corner of her eyes but she didn’t answer him. He took a deep breath to calm himself.
“Please, April.” His voice cracked. “I want to understand.”
“I can’t,” she whispered.
He strode across the short distance between them and lifted her into his embrace. He kissed her. Hard. Desperation engulfed him. He just wanted her to trust him, to tell him what this was all about. Her arms circled his neck and she gripped him every bit as tight as he held her. She wanted him. He knew it deep in the core of his being, but something was stopping her from acknowledging it. Something was making her keep her distance, shutting him out.
“April.” His voice was raw with emotion, he pulled back to look into her eyes. “I love you.”
She caught her breath and searched his eyes as if trying to read the truth there.
“How can you love me when you don’t even know me?” He pulled his head back sharply, as if the blow had been physical. He felt as if he’d been stabbed with an ice pick, straight in the chest where a sharp searing pain threatened to rip him in two.
“Please,” he whispered hoarsely when he could
finally speak. “Please, tell me what this is about.”
Her tears flowed freely and he brushed them off her cheeks with his thumbs. He stared into her eyes, he could see the pain behind them but he could also read her resolve. She wasn’t going to tell him.
A knock at the door finally broke the stand-off. “Bellboy.”
Relief flooded her gaze and she quickly extracted herself from his hold. When the bellboy walked in, she gestured to her bags and he got busy loading his trolley. No one spoke. Obviously a seasoned professional, the bellboy didn’t even blink at her tears or the scowl Lachlan wore. His job complete, he left the room, shutting the door gently behind him.
“I guess I should head down now too.” Her voice shook and she wiped her tears from her face. When she’d regained her composure she turned back to face him. “Lachlan—”
He held up his had to stop her. “Don’t,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Just don’t.”
Walking to the bedside table, he grabbed his few possessions and tucked them into his pockets. By the time he’d turned around again she had draped her handbag over her shoulder and held her jacket over her arm. She looked ready to leave and his chest tightened at the thought of her walking out of his life. Foolishly, he went over and laid his arm across her shoulder, guiding her out the room. He couldn’t resist holding her one last time.