headed for the first table. I clutched the remnants of the cocoa, the jug acting as a shield.
Pasting a distinctly wobbly smile on my face, I held out the jug. “There’s some cocoa left. Would anyone like some?”
A couple of mugs were raised in answer. I took my time to pour, my hands shaking so much I feared I’d drop the thing. My lungs were tight and my heart pounding, but I had to ask—I needed to know. “Can you tell me, please…?” I hesitated, and several faces lifted to meet my gaze. My voice disappeared, and I croaked my next words. “C-for-Charlie. Are they back?”
It happened in slow motion. Two men looked away, matching flushes across their faces. One sad pair of eyes met mine. Behind me, Juliet wailed. The sad-eyed airman rose to his feet, speaking as though he were miles away, his voice sounding distorted. “I’m so very sorry.”
I dropped the jug and watched it bounce against the edge of the table, the dregs of the cocoa arcing out across my apron as it spun majestically in the air, dropping to the floor in a messy puddle.
I didn’t hear it, though, couldn’t hear anything over the buzzing in my head. The noise that told me my world had just fallen apart.
Chapter Eighteen
The first day after Davy was gone, I’d pleaded illness and stayed in bed. I was ill. The pain that had taken up residence in my chest was eating me from the inside out. My heart had been ripped out and devoured. If I was body-scanned, they’d see a bloody hole where it used to be.
All I had left was memories. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and remembered every detail.
We lay in the wooded glade, dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, the buzzing of nearby bees soothing enough to make me sleepy. Or maybe that was due to the warmth of Davy’s arms, the heat pouring from his bare skin.
“Do you believe in fate, Isabella?”
He lay on his side propped up on one arm, the other draped across me, his fingers tracing lazy circles over my naked stomach. I tilted my head to press a kiss onto his throat. “Fate?”
“That everything has been preordained. That you and I were meant to meet, to be together.”
His fingers were trailed farther down, sparks of excitement flashing in their wake. I longed for him to kiss me again. “What do you think?”
My wish was granted. He leaned forward and claimed my lips in a kiss so hot, I was scorched. “I think I’ve been waiting all my life for you, Isabella.” Kiss . “No matter what happens,” kiss , “I will love you forever.”
Gathering me to him, slanting his mouth against mine, our lips met, and we surged together. I felt strong enough to take on the world. The kiss grew more demanding, hungrier. Davy moved so that I lay beneath him again, his hips wedged securely between my thighs. He’d removed his shirt, and his golden chest pressed against mine, skin to skin, the dusting of chest hair tickling against my breasts. I shifted to lick his nipple, the firm brown nub deliciously tight beneath my tongue, and his groan of delight rumbled through me.
“Tease,” he murmured, “but I can tease too.” One hand slipped between my legs, easing into my folds and flittering across my clit, as he called it, making me squirm. The sensation was intense, driving me to distraction. I could only writhe and beg for more.
“Please,” I whimpered, and he took pity. Dropping his head, he closed his mouth around one nipple, the shockwave making my back arch as another groan fell from my lips. At last, one finger penetrated me, easing inside, a second following, his thumb keeping up the pressure on my clit. I gasped, the breath tight in my lungs as I began the spiral, climbing higher, the spring in my belly coiling tighter with each feverish stroke from his thumb. And yes, God, at last. One final caress and I tumbled over the edge, moaning against his skin, my hands clutching his hair, electric shocks tearing me apart while Davy’s mouth glued me back together
Pasting a distinctly wobbly smile on my face, I held out the jug. “There’s some cocoa left. Would anyone like some?”
A couple of mugs were raised in answer. I took my time to pour, my hands shaking so much I feared I’d drop the thing. My lungs were tight and my heart pounding, but I had to ask—I needed to know. “Can you tell me, please…?” I hesitated, and several faces lifted to meet my gaze. My voice disappeared, and I croaked my next words. “C-for-Charlie. Are they back?”
It happened in slow motion. Two men looked away, matching flushes across their faces. One sad pair of eyes met mine. Behind me, Juliet wailed. The sad-eyed airman rose to his feet, speaking as though he were miles away, his voice sounding distorted. “I’m so very sorry.”
I dropped the jug and watched it bounce against the edge of the table, the dregs of the cocoa arcing out across my apron as it spun majestically in the air, dropping to the floor in a messy puddle.
I didn’t hear it, though, couldn’t hear anything over the buzzing in my head. The noise that told me my world had just fallen apart.
Chapter Eighteen
The first day after Davy was gone, I’d pleaded illness and stayed in bed. I was ill. The pain that had taken up residence in my chest was eating me from the inside out. My heart had been ripped out and devoured. If I was body-scanned, they’d see a bloody hole where it used to be.
All I had left was memories. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and remembered every detail.
We lay in the wooded glade, dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, the buzzing of nearby bees soothing enough to make me sleepy. Or maybe that was due to the warmth of Davy’s arms, the heat pouring from his bare skin.
“Do you believe in fate, Isabella?”
He lay on his side propped up on one arm, the other draped across me, his fingers tracing lazy circles over my naked stomach. I tilted my head to press a kiss onto his throat. “Fate?”
“That everything has been preordained. That you and I were meant to meet, to be together.”
His fingers were trailed farther down, sparks of excitement flashing in their wake. I longed for him to kiss me again. “What do you think?”
My wish was granted. He leaned forward and claimed my lips in a kiss so hot, I was scorched. “I think I’ve been waiting all my life for you, Isabella.” Kiss . “No matter what happens,” kiss , “I will love you forever.”
Gathering me to him, slanting his mouth against mine, our lips met, and we surged together. I felt strong enough to take on the world. The kiss grew more demanding, hungrier. Davy moved so that I lay beneath him again, his hips wedged securely between my thighs. He’d removed his shirt, and his golden chest pressed against mine, skin to skin, the dusting of chest hair tickling against my breasts. I shifted to lick his nipple, the firm brown nub deliciously tight beneath my tongue, and his groan of delight rumbled through me.
“Tease,” he murmured, “but I can tease too.” One hand slipped between my legs, easing into my folds and flittering across my clit, as he called it, making me squirm. The sensation was intense, driving me to distraction. I could only writhe and beg for more.
“Please,” I whimpered, and he took pity. Dropping his head, he closed his mouth around one nipple, the shockwave making my back arch as another groan fell from my lips. At last, one finger penetrated me, easing inside, a second following, his thumb keeping up the pressure on my clit. I gasped, the breath tight in my lungs as I began the spiral, climbing higher, the spring in my belly coiling tighter with each feverish stroke from his thumb. And yes, God, at last. One final caress and I tumbled over the edge, moaning against his skin, my hands clutching his hair, electric shocks tearing me apart while Davy’s mouth glued me back together
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