AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Good.’ And, with that, he slid into bed beside her, switched off the light and gathered her into his arms, holding her close.
Katrina felt her eyelids droop; safe and secure in Rhys’s arms, she drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER NINE
KATRINA woke twice in the night. Once when she kissed Rhys awake and, while all his defences were down, repaid him the pleasure he’d given her that morning. And once when she was startled out of a bad dream, and cuddled into him as if having his arms round her would protect her from the nameless fears that still lingered. As if he sensed it, he tightened his arms and murmured something she didn’t catch but which made her feel safe again.
And then it was morning.
Sunday morning, when neither of them had to be at the hospital.
When she woke, she half expected Rhys to be up already, reading the paper or a magazine at the kitchen table and nursing a cup of coffee, but he was still curled around her, holding her close.
It felt very, very odd.
She wasn’t used to waking up in someone’s arms. Not since Pete.
And today was a whole new day. Despite what they’d shared the previous night, would it be different now between them? Would Rhys have had time to think about it and come to the same conclusions that Pete had? Would he back away?
She stretched, very slightly, and was rewarded with a kiss in the curve between her neck and shoulder.
Oh.
So he was awake.
How long had he been awake? Had she snored or embarrassed herself by talking in her sleep or anything? The fears flurried through her mind. ‘Good morning, sleepyhead.’ His voice was clear, slightly amused. ‘I thought you said you were a lark?’
‘I am.’ It couldn’t be much past seven.
Then she glanced at the clock. ‘Nine o’clock?’ she asked in horror. ‘But I never sleep in this late!’ She twisted round to face him.
‘Neither do I. But I didn’t want to move,’ he admitted. ‘I liked waking up with you in my arms, all soft and warm.’
So he hadn’t changed his mind. He’d been awake for ages and he’d just wanted to hold her.
Warmth spread through her and her worries faded away. Maybe, just maybe, she thought, this was going to work out just fine.
‘So what now?’ she asked.
‘I thought we could take a shower. A long one. Together. And it’s miserable weather outside, so I’ll make us some breakfast. If there’s something on at the cinema, maybe we could go out.’ He stroked her face. ‘And if there’s not…Well, I’ll just have to lie with you on the sofa and watch a film here.’
A lazy Sunday afternoon in autumn spent with Rhys. She couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do. ‘Sounds good to me.’
The shower took a long, long time, and Katrina knew afterwards that she’d never be able to see her bathroom in quite the same light again. She’d always remember the way Rhys had lifted her against the tiles, the way the water had poured over their bodies as her body had tightened round his, the way he’d soaped her all over afterwards and dried her in a warm, fluffy towel.
Breakfast was forgotten; it was more like lunchtime when they finally made it downstairs. When they checked the cinema listings, there wasn’t anything on that either of them was keen to see. Glancing out of the window at the kind of drizzle she knew from experience was miserably penetrating, Katrina didn’t really want to go out anyway. They ended up cooking Sunday lunch together and having a quiet, domesticated day indoors—one of the sweetest, loveliest days Katrina had ever spent. They closed the curtains against the rain to watch a film noir, curled up together on the sofa, and afterwards Rhys played the cello for her before making love with her again.
If she’d been able to stop time and bottle it, she thought, she would’ve chosen that day. Because it was just perfect.
The next few weeks were the happiest Katrina had ever known. At work they kept things strictly professional, only having lunch together if it was a case conference on a patient, but outside she spent nearly all her free time with him.
Madison was right, Katrina thought. She had been missing out. And she knew without a doubt that Rhys was The One.
He hadn’t actually told her he loved her. Just as she hadn’t told him. But she knew. It was in his eyes, in the way he touched her, in the way he surprised her with tickets to a rarely shown film, in the way he made sure she could see his face when he said anything to her.
And even though Rhys moved back into his flat when the landlord had given him the all-clear after the roof repairs, he still spent his nights with her—either at his place or hers. She even kept a toothbrush and spare clothes at his places, as he did at hers.
Life didn’t get any better than this, Katrina thought. And he was gradually letting her close. Maybe, just maybe, things were going to work out. For both of them.
