* * *
I finished brushing my teeth and slipped on a black and white polka dotted cotton nightdress.
“That’s cute,” Alastair observed as I walked into the room.
“This?”
“Yes, that. Now come here so I can take it off you.”
“Bossy, much?”
I kept my eyes on him as I climbed onto the bed. He was stretched out on his back, hands tucked under his head. The purple bruise near his ribcage stood out against his fair skin. My urge to comfort him was strong. I briefly wondered if this was how he felt after Nathan bruised my arm at the Black and White Ball. Shrugging off the thought of my ex, I curled up next to the only man who mattered.
“You’re very lucky to have a friend like Stephanie,” he said quietly. I lifted my head, stunned to see how sad he looked.
“What’s on your mind, chief?”
He sighed, caressing my back. “I’ve often wondered how different my life would be if I’d listened to my aunt and uncle while growing up. I was so bitter and disgusted with myself. I didn’t want to be bothered with cultivating relationships. It all seemed so useless. Devoting so much time and energy into another person only to have them leave without warning…I didn’t want it. They sent me to therapy but after I turned thirteen I stopped going. No doctor in the world could convince me I didn’t kill my sister and parents.” He gazed at me with wide eyes. “Seeing you and Stephanie tonight and hearing what you both said made me wonder how different everything could have been if I’d just opened my eyes and let someone in.”
“Dwelling on your past mistakes won’t change them. Learning from them will enrich you and make you see the world differently.”
“That’s quite poetic, love. Maybe you do have a way with words after all.”
I smirked. “Smart ass.”
“Cheeky.”
“Numpty.”
He had me pinned on my back and at the mercy of his hands within seconds. He tickled me fast and hard, not easing up even when I begged him to stop. Gasping for air, I managed to wriggle free and sat up.
“Sneaky,” I panted. “No surprise for you.”
His eyebrows arched. “Surprise?”
“Yeah, I bought you something but now I’m not sure I want you to have it.”
“Oh, now Lia,” he said, lowering his voice. The full-bodied sound sent a ripple of pleasure through me.
I slid off the bed and went to my dresser. The laptop was still sitting there. I’d unplugged it and closed it. I planned to toss it in the dumpster in the morning. Buying a new one won’t break the bank too much. Reaching for the box that held his cufflinks, I smiled. I also grabbed another package that was wrapped in emerald green wrapping paper.
“Two presents?” he asked, his excitement and curiosity making him look much younger than his age.
“Yup.”
“Which one should I open first?”
“Um, the little one.”
He eyed me while opening the box. Looking down, he grinned. “Cufflinks?”
“Do you like them?”
“Yes, kitten, I do. I’ll wear them to work tomorrow.” He studied them closer. “‘ARH’, huh? You know you’re the only one who ever uses my middle name.”
“Am I, Alastair Reid?”
He scrunched his nose. “I only like it because your mouth is saying it. I never use it otherwise.”
“Anyway,” I rolled my eyes, “open the other box.”
He picked it up and shook it.
“Don’t do that.” I exclaimed.
“Ah-ha, it’s fragile.”
“Really? That was necessary?”
His throaty laughed filled the room and made my soul soar. I loved the sound of it. He let out a small gasp after unwrapping the gift.
“I remember you said you liked it when you first came here. I thought you could put it on your desk at work or in your home office.”
Tracing his fingers along the edge of the picture frame, he smiled. I watched his eyes move slowly over the photo of me from last summer at Sydney’s lake house. It had been a happy moment in an otherwise tumultuous year. I can still remember giggling as I put on the ridiculously large sunhat and posed on the sailboat in my bathing suit and cover up.
“I love this picture of you. It captures your smile and spirit so perfectly. You look just like a rose in bloom.”
“I, um,” my lip trembled, “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me. I know—”
Placing the frame on the nightstand, he lunged at me, kissing me with feverish intensity. Our lips glided together, seeking out the other with need, want and love. He rolled me onto the bed, taking command, greedily feeling his way down my body. I wanted him to be wild and untamed. I wanted him raw and impassioned.
Breaking our mouths apart, he captivated me with his molten stare. I was exactly where I was meant to be; caught in his magnetic sphere.
“You make me feel so loved,” he whispered hoarsely.
I shoved my hands in his hair, pulling his forehead to mine. “Marry me, Alastair.”
The unguarded, shy smile I adored bloomed on his lips. “I’ve already asked you.”
“I know. Now I’m asking you. Marry me.”
He stared at me with such fervor I thought his gaze might burn through my skull. Swallowing hard, he hovered his mouth over mine. “Yes, love.”
I kissed him and smiled at the same time. I was so happy I couldn’t contain my joy.
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Alastair Holden.”
“I thought that was my line.”
“I stole it.”
He nuzzled into my neck, smiling against my skin. “You stole my heart, Lia.” Rolling off me and onto the bed, he kept his eyes downcast. The last thing I wanted was for him to retreat behind the mask. I pressed my forehead to his, moved by the sound of his soft moan. We’d been through so much, fought through so many obstacles and still managed to find solace in each other’s arms. I couldn’t imagine a scenario where I wasn’t with him. He was firmly embedded in my soul.
I closed my eyes, feeling protected in his arms. Sighing, he pulled me closer. We stayed this way until we both drifted to sleep.
* * *
Pre-dawn shadows stretched across the walls, spurred on by the muted light outside. Soft, measured breathing gently broke through the silent room. I propped up my head, watching Alastair sleep in peace. His youthful face, scruffy and unshaven, looked angelic. Waking up next to him was a gift I appreciated to the fullest. Seeing him this way, so vulnerable and laid bare filled me with such elation it hurt.
Heat blossomed in my stomach and spread through me. He stirred, seeming to sense my heightened exhilaration. Even in slumber I could feel the want and need radiating off his body, mingling with my own.
“Good morning, my love,” he murmured, pressing his fingers into the flesh of my lower back. Shedding off the remnants of sleep, a drowsy smile pulled at his mouth. “You’re up early.”
“Did I wake you?”
He left a trail of kisses along my collarbone. “Not really. Sleep can wait. I only have you for a little while before going to work.”
“Take the day off.”
“I wish I could.” He smirked. “When you’re living with me this won’t be such a problem.”
“We still have to go to work,” I laughed.
“Logic be damned.”
I studied his face, happy to see the markings from the fight were fading away.
“Lia.”
“Hmm?’
“Before you fell asleep last night I wanted to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
Wetting his lips, he fixed a dark stare on me. “You amaze me. I wake up every day thankful to have found you. I may not know how to show it or how to say it all the time but,” he paused, considering his words, “taking a chance on you has been the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Ditto, love,” I said.
“To what’s next,” he whispered.
The story continues in the final installment of the trilogy
Effortless
Coming Soon
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
Romance readers, come and meet the team at our website www.harperimpulseromance.com, our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HarperImpulse or follow us @HarperImpulse!
Writers, we are simply looking for good stories! So, what are you waiting for? To submit, e-mail us at [email protected].
HarperImpulse an imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
77–85 Fulham Palace Road
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk
First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2014
Copyright © Lynn Montagano 2014
Cover images © Shutterstock.com
Lynn Montagano asserts the moral right
to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library
This novel is entirely a work of fiction.
The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are
the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is
entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International
and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted
the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access
and read the text of this e-book on screen.
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted,
downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or
stored in or introduced into any information storage and
retrieval system, in any form or by any means,
whether electronic or mechanical, now known or
hereinafter invented, without the express
written permission of HarperCollins.
Ebook Edition © July 2014
ISBN: 9780007558438
Version 2014-07-08
Digital eFirst: Automatically produced by Atomik ePublisher from Easypress.
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au/ebooks
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollins.com
Unravel Me Page 24