Chapter 21
CHAPTER
Elora’s anxiety meant she rarely slept more than a few hours.
She’d often wake in the middle of the night and her thoughts would start to whirl.
It didn’t matter how much valerian and chamomile, doctor-prescribed melatonin, and supposedly drowsy-inducing antihistamines she ingested, or the countless sleep meditations from apps on her phone she tried, she couldn’t get back to sleep.
Reading helped at times but having two to three-hour blocks of sleep broken by insomnia meant she often relied on energy drinks to get her through the day. Not ideal, but she did what she had to do to function.
As she opened her eyes this morning, though, she knew instantly that something was different. No foggy head, no gritty eyes, just a feeling of pure relaxation, like she’d slept a full eight hours for the first time in forever.
She looked around the bedroom—cream walls, navy curtains, pine dresser—and it came flooding back.
Cruz peeling her clothes off like he had all the time in the world.
Cruz worshipping her with his mouth and hands.
Cruz driving her wild.
She may have instigated the best sexual encounter she’d ever had, but the moment they’d reached his bedroom, he’d taken over, commanding yet tender, asking her what she wanted and delivering in exquisite, erotic detail.
Elora stretched, savouring the twinge in muscles all over her sated body. She could get used to this.
Pity she had to leave the best cure for insomnia she’d discovered in a few days.
A stupid thought that catapulted her out of bed.
She grabbed at her clothes strewn across the floor and put them on at record speed.
She had no idea of the time, but sunlight flooded the bedroom from a skylight, which meant Cruz must’ve allowed her to sleep in while he’d risen at the crack of dawn to start work.
Thoughtful, but she had work to do, too.
She’d grab fresh clothes from the studio, pop back here to shower, then get cracking on the website and a few mock-ups for the restaurant so she could show him her useful ideas in the hope he’d hire her.
Not because she wanted to stay longer but because the extra money would ease her anxiety and she was all for anything that did that.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the bedroom door, squared her shoulders and strutted down the hallway towards the kitchen.
She could do this. Face the guy who’d rocked her world several times before she fell asleep in his arms. It had been a while since she’d snuck out of a guy’s bedroom.
Maybe three years ago, after a few dates with a neighbour’s cousin had turned physical.
But that had been transient, and she hadn’t been with anybody until she dated Jason.
She’d been lonely and Jason had been nice to share dinner with, go to movies with and cuddle on the couch with.
The sex had been okay, but nobody wanted ‘okay’ in the bedroom.
Lucky for her, nothing about last night had been remotely ‘okay’.
As she entered the kitchen, her gaze landed on the food laid out on the island bench and her stomach grumbled. Cruz had made her breakfast.
She sighed and perched on a stool as she helped herself to a mini spinach and sun-dried tomato quiche, and freshly sliced kiwi fruit, melon and pineapple. He’d even juiced oranges, and as she poured a glass and took a sip, the sweetness burst on her tongue. She gulped the entire glass.
A small part of her hoped he’d stroll into the kitchen as she ate, while the rest of her appreciated the solitude.
Considering how standoffish Cruz had been since they first met, blowing hot and cold, she assumed their morning after would be awkward.
This way, he could clear his head outside and she could think up all the delightful ways she could torture him when they met later.
She smiled at the thought of his gruffness as she rinsed the dishes and stacked them on the sink rack, then covered the leftovers with cling wrap before popping them in the fridge.
In the few days she’d known Cruz, he challenged her in a way Jason never had.
Silly to compare the two, as Cruz wasn’t her boyfriend and never would be, but the way he verbally sparred with her turned her on, big time.
When she considered dating again—maybe in another decade or so—she’d find a guy like Cruz.
A guy to challenge her, to match her intellectually, to make her scream his name with his prowess.
Yeah, and the avocados on the farm would pick themselves.
She slipped out the back door—no sign of Cruz or Kyle—and dashed to the studio, where she grabbed underwear, toiletries and a turquoise midi dress, before heading back to the homestead.
Aware of water conservation in the country, she had the quickest shower on record, dressed and applied sunscreen with a dusting of mineral foundation over it, ready to face the day.
When she opened the bathroom door, Cruz stood on the other side, his expression unreadable.
Her heart pounded but she said a casual, ‘Hey.’
Their gazes locked and her thighs clenched at the hunger in his eyes. She should be ecstatic that he wanted a repeat of last night, but she needed to remember how little time she had left to deliver the best work she’d ever done or remain indebted to Jason.
‘Sleep well?’ His silky tone caressed her in the same way his hands had skimmed her skin last night.
‘Yeah, thanks. Hope I didn’t snore.’
‘You kept it to a dull roar.’ He ran a hand through his hair, as if unsure what to do with it. Or maybe to prevent reaching out for her? ‘Chef’s hours mean I’m not a good sleeper, but I actually got about five hours, which is a lot for me.’
‘I’m an insomniac too and I got eight.’
‘What keeps you awake?’
He didn’t need to know why, so she sidestepped the question by saying, ‘Thanks for breakfast. That was thoughtful.’
‘You’re welcome. You need to keep your strength up.’
‘For?’
‘Thinking up amazing ways I can promote my restaurant.’
Of course. What did she expect him to say, that she needed to fuel her body for another rousing bout of sex?
‘Have you decided on a space?’
He nodded. ‘One of the sheds. I can show you later, after I meet with Kyle to discuss farm matters.’
‘Great.’
He leaned against the wall, channelling ‘hot farmer’ in his faded denim, grey T-shirt and steel-capped work boots. ‘And if you’re interested, once you’ve seen the space and heard my plans for it, you might be up for doing some brainstorming with me?’
She’d be up for anything if he kept looking at her with that glint in his eyes.
‘Absolutely. I was planning on making notes about a few ideas and doing some mock-ups.’
‘Thanks.’
Cruz didn’t smile as much as she’d like but when he did, it warmed her better than the Rosevale Grove sun.
He stepped aside so she could leave the bathroom, but as she passed, he snagged her arm and murmured in her ear, ‘Last night was unforgettable. Thank you.’
Elora should give him a flippant response like ‘my pleasure’ but she couldn’t get her brain to work in sync with her mouth because when he touched her, the sensual memories of last night flooded back and it took every ounce of self-control not to drag him back to the bedroom for a repeat.
She settled for a sedate, ‘Thank you,’ before forcing her feet to move.
Getting the gig to promote his new restaurant would be a dream come true.
Not only would the money mean she’d be debt free, but she could also look into hiring a small office space and maybe expanding.
Her goal had always been to be the boss of a vibrant, thriving advertising business, and with a little luck—and a healthy cash injection from Cruz—she could see it coming to fruition.
But as his stare bored into her back as she walked down the hallway, she knew sticking to business while around Cruz would be easier said than done.