this wasn’t a dream. “I don’t understand.”
Julie took her hand.
“Sometimes mother’s don’t always know best. I know I cannot ask you
to change your mind about this marriage. My son tells me it has
been planned for a while, so you must have come to love him. That’s
how it works.” She turned to leave. “Take care.”
Ash watched the empty
space she’d stood in and wondered if the conversation had happened
or if it was a figment of her imagination. She let her head drop
back on her pillow and closed her eyes, wanting it all to go away.
It did for a while, until she got that familiar scent and her blood
fizzed and came to life. She sighed and whispered the name that was
in her heart and fell into a deep sleep.
A few hours later her
eyes opened and her gaze went to the recliner chair they had placed
in the room when she’d first been admitted. Slowly she shifted so
she could lie on her side and watch Kieran sleep with his hands
tucked under his head like a little boy. This explained the scent
of pine needles so strong in her room.
It didn’t explain what he
was doing here.
She found she didn’t care
until his eyes opened and he realised he was caught out.
“ How long
have you been awake?” he asked yawning as he lifted his head and
stretched out on the recliner.
Ash tried to do the same
but winced at the effort. “A few minutes.”
“ They must
have reduced your pain relief,” he went to the chart at the foot of
her bed and flipped through the chart.
So he’d been checking on
her. “How long have you been sleeping in my room?”
Without answering her
question he came over and sat next to her. Even in jeans and a
loose t-shirt he still was a larger than life entity in the
comfortably sized room. She had no right to have her heart shift
rhythms like she was about to free fall from one of those planes
she jumped out of when she was doing that charity event for Cancer
Kids. She was spoken for.
So why was she leaning
closer so she could close her eyes and relive that kiss on the
beach. The kiss that rocked her world and for a moment made her
forget she was in pain.
He tilted her head to one
side so he could see the bruise on her face. “You have an
impressive purple bruise there.”
Did he also feel that low
current energy flow when he touched her?
His gaze narrowed and the
pressure of his fingers on her chin increased ever so
lightly.
Was he going to kiss her?
She searched his gaze and realised there was nothing but the
unanswered question there. She bit back the sigh that stuck in her
throat. With no memory of how the bruise happened she nodded. “Yes,
I heard it’s an impressive bruise.”
“ You’re being
discharged today. You will need medical care even after your
discharge. Where will you be staying?” he asked.
It was scary that he
hadn’t mentioned anything about Alok or her aunt. Maybe he was
saving it for when she was at full strength. She nipped the edge of
her lip. “Didi is taking me back home. Flights are booked and I
leave this evening.”
He nodded. “We had spent
some time together but I don’t know a lot about you. Where is
home?”
It still hurt to swallow
but somehow this would have hurt anyway. “Alok has a one year
contract in New Delhi and we’ve pushed the wedding forward so Didi
wants me to move there.”
That vein at his jaw was
beating again and this time she wasn’t sure why. Dammit why didn’t
she have the courage to tell him about Alok? Was it too late? Maybe
if she told him how scared she was when she was growing up and how
easy it was to say yes when her aunt gave her the option of a
lifetime of security. A home. Surely he would understand something
like that?
He looked around the room
like he was searching for the exit sign. Moments passed as his
gazed bounced from the door to her, and when she thought she’d
lost, he went to stand at the window. His voice sounded gravelly
and she could swear he was forcing out the words. “I don’t
Julie took her hand.
“Sometimes mother’s don’t always know best. I know I cannot ask you
to change your mind about this marriage. My son tells me it has
been planned for a while, so you must have come to love him. That’s
how it works.” She turned to leave. “Take care.”
Ash watched the empty
space she’d stood in and wondered if the conversation had happened
or if it was a figment of her imagination. She let her head drop
back on her pillow and closed her eyes, wanting it all to go away.
It did for a while, until she got that familiar scent and her blood
fizzed and came to life. She sighed and whispered the name that was
in her heart and fell into a deep sleep.
A few hours later her
eyes opened and her gaze went to the recliner chair they had placed
in the room when she’d first been admitted. Slowly she shifted so
she could lie on her side and watch Kieran sleep with his hands
tucked under his head like a little boy. This explained the scent
of pine needles so strong in her room.
It didn’t explain what he
was doing here.
She found she didn’t care
until his eyes opened and he realised he was caught out.
“ How long
have you been awake?” he asked yawning as he lifted his head and
stretched out on the recliner.
Ash tried to do the same
but winced at the effort. “A few minutes.”
“ They must
have reduced your pain relief,” he went to the chart at the foot of
her bed and flipped through the chart.
So he’d been checking on
her. “How long have you been sleeping in my room?”
Without answering her
question he came over and sat next to her. Even in jeans and a
loose t-shirt he still was a larger than life entity in the
comfortably sized room. She had no right to have her heart shift
rhythms like she was about to free fall from one of those planes
she jumped out of when she was doing that charity event for Cancer
Kids. She was spoken for.
So why was she leaning
closer so she could close her eyes and relive that kiss on the
beach. The kiss that rocked her world and for a moment made her
forget she was in pain.
He tilted her head to one
side so he could see the bruise on her face. “You have an
impressive purple bruise there.”
Did he also feel that low
current energy flow when he touched her?
His gaze narrowed and the
pressure of his fingers on her chin increased ever so
lightly.
Was he going to kiss her?
She searched his gaze and realised there was nothing but the
unanswered question there. She bit back the sigh that stuck in her
throat. With no memory of how the bruise happened she nodded. “Yes,
I heard it’s an impressive bruise.”
“ You’re being
discharged today. You will need medical care even after your
discharge. Where will you be staying?” he asked.
It was scary that he
hadn’t mentioned anything about Alok or her aunt. Maybe he was
saving it for when she was at full strength. She nipped the edge of
her lip. “Didi is taking me back home. Flights are booked and I
leave this evening.”
He nodded. “We had spent
some time together but I don’t know a lot about you. Where is
home?”
It still hurt to swallow
but somehow this would have hurt anyway. “Alok has a one year
contract in New Delhi and we’ve pushed the wedding forward so Didi
wants me to move there.”
That vein at his jaw was
beating again and this time she wasn’t sure why. Dammit why didn’t
she have the courage to tell him about Alok? Was it too late? Maybe
if she told him how scared she was when she was growing up and how
easy it was to say yes when her aunt gave her the option of a
lifetime of security. A home. Surely he would understand something
like that?
He looked around the room
like he was searching for the exit sign. Moments passed as his
gazed bounced from the door to her, and when she thought she’d
lost, he went to stand at the window. His voice sounded gravelly
and she could swear he was forcing out the words. “I don’t
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