Chapter 30
CHAPTER
The routine had soothed her, made her feel grounded, when everything in her life felt beyond her control.
After Cruz left, she’d fallen into a lull, quashing her resentment of Mac, because it wasn’t healthy for her.
She’d been polite but detached, relying on friends in town and her involvement in the CWA for social support.
If they suspected the dire state of her marriage, they never said.
Her closest friends, Mae and Lori, regularly bitched about their husbands, but in that vague, jokey way that some women did.
She’d play along, giving snippets about Mac’s faults, and they’d gloss over it before returning to drinking wine and talking about the latest blockbuster thriller they’d read.
She’d existed rather than lived, intent on making the most of a bad situation for the sake of her son’s inheritance.
Now, thanks to Taj, she’d started living again.
‘This Thai dumpling soup is fantastic,’ she said, scraping the bottom of the bowl to get the last tasty drops.
‘It always tastes better after exercise.’ He winked, and the memory of how he’d pleasured her over the last few hours brought heat to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the spicy soup.
‘It’s been so long since I’ve exercised I’m glad it went so well.’
‘Too much emphasis is put on intercourse, when there’s so much else that constitutes sex,’ he said, matter of fact about the way she’d frozen when he’d tried to enter her.
She’d been mortified, but Taj had continued to pleasure her with his hands and mouth, before finishing himself off as she watched.
His focus on making her comfortable ensured she’d enjoyed every single moment.
‘I agree, but I’m not sure why it happened,’ she murmured, embarrassed by this discussion but glad he wanted to have it. ‘I know you and every inch of your body, and while it’s been decades, I shouldn’t have reacted like that.’
‘Hey, it’s okay.’ He reached for her hand. ‘I’m not going anywhere, so we have plenty of time to get reacquainted.’
As he squeezed her hand, she looked away, because they didn’t have plenty of time.
As soon as her ankle healed, she’d be on the first flight out of Melbourne.
Not that she had to share that yet. Taj had always been transient and if anyone understood the need to move on, he would.
They’d be in this for the fun, a time to indulge mutual passion before going their separate ways again.
She wasn’t willing to offer him anything else.
‘We didn’t chat much when you arrived,’ she said. ‘Tell me about what you’ve been up to.’
‘Okay, but first let me clear away our midnight picnic.’
He picked up the tray from her lap and walked to the kitchen completely naked, a man comfortable in his skin.
He’d always been like that, and she’d teased him about it during their initial relationship: ‘letting it all hang out’.
Nice to see that even though his body had aged, he still had that same confidence, whereas she wanted to pull the sheet higher to cover her nakedness.
When he’d first found the trays in the kitchen and suggested they eat in bed, it had sounded decadent and thrilling.
Until she wondered how many times Mac and Jesse had done the same.
She hated that thoughts of her husband intruded at inopportune moments, even the good ones, and she wished she knew how to stop them.
You could confront Jesse.
‘No way,’ she muttered, the thought alone making the soup in her gut slosh uncomfortably.
Taj grinned as he re-entered the bedroom. ‘Talking to yourself, huh? Hopefully good things about me.’
‘Of course.’ She forced a smile and hoped he couldn’t read the brittleness beneath it.
‘I’ve been thinking.’ He slipped beneath the covers next to her. ‘I’d love to have you over to my place. Lunch, so you could meet my friends?’
That had been a feature of their relationship first time around, hosting impromptu dinner parties, usually involving more wine than food, that lasted well into the night and were filled with camaraderie, stimulating conversation and laughter.
It had been way too long since Ferne had genuinely laughed.
‘Sounds lovely. When were you thinking?’
‘Is today too soon? I have a few people coming around and I’d love to spend more time with you.’
His keenness surprised her. A small part of Ferne had wondered if she’d ever see him again after they slept together, especially after she’d frozen.
Taj could never be tied down—he’d made that abundantly clear when they’d dated—and considering his current job involved delivering groceries, he probably still lived a transient lifestyle.
And while she shouldn’t judge him, who knew how many women he’d charmed into his bed with the cavalier attitude that had been the reason she ended their relationship?
‘I hope your hesitation isn’t due to my cooking skills, because as you attested to, that soup was delicious,’ he said in jest, but she saw hurt in his eyes.
‘My hesitation is due to amazement that you’re here and not some figment my wishful imagination dreamed up. I mean, seriously, this serendipity stuff never happens to me, so to have you turn up on my doorstep … my head is still spinning a little, you know?’
His expression softened as he took her hand. ‘By the sounds of it, if anyone deserves good karma, it’s you, Fer. So, let’s go with the flow and accept this chance meeting for what it is, an opportunity to reconnect and enjoy every moment while we can.’
He lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles. ‘We’re not getting any younger.’
‘I beg to differ,’ she said, warmth spreading through her as he continued to kiss her hand, tracing her fingers with his lips. ‘The way you make me feel, I’m sure my biological age is regressing.’
‘In that case, let’s notch it back by another decade,’ he murmured, drawing her into the circle of his arms before pressing his mouth to hers.