Chapter Seventy One

Chloe nodded and lowered her gaze. "You didn't seem so happy to see me," she said. "When I first came, you seemed so upset.”

"I was" His brutal honesty made her lift her eyes up to his again, but before she could speak he continued. "I was surprised at first… then pissed because you were so calm and collected and I wasn't… despite the fact that I was the one who pushed you away. And yet you were not bothered"

Chloe gave a small smile. "You wanted me to be bothered?"

He scratched his head and smiled at her. "Well, a little bit," he replied. "Not only did you look so fucking beautiful, but then you came back with that amazing pitch. I won't lie to you, a part of me was looking for a reason not to give you the account, because I didn't want us working together, but you were so brilliant, you did great and also handed us Bryce Collins. You were so focused, and I could barely control my emotions…That's something that almost never happens. My point is, you're awesome. How could anyone not want that in their life."

Chloe blushed hard and she hoped that he couldn't see her face. Evening had come and the breeze messed up her hair even more, making her tuck them between her ears.

" You should let it be "Timothy said.

Chloe looked up to face him." What?" she asked.

"Your hair. It looks beautiful that way… all messed up"

Chloe said nothing, but when he reached out to run his fingers through the strands, she shivered. She was always so aware of him, and when he was so close, saying the things he was saying, she felt so confused and thrilled at the same time. She felt appreciated and wanted. His hand moved to cup her cheek and she reached up to hold it in her hand. Relaxing and rubbing her warm cheek against his palm.

“So how do you now feel about your dad giving me the account?”

“I was furious at first, but now I'm grateful. For once I'm grateful for my parents meddling. Crazy huh?” He paused, then added. "I’m sorry about the way I reacted when you came back, and most of all, I'm sorry that I cut you off in the first place. I should never have done that. Never should have given into my anger and let you go…All that time wasted. All that time we could have been together…But I wanna make it right now. I just hope you give me a chance to.”

Chloe moved closer to him and placed her hand on his bare chest. “It’s not entirely your fault” she said as she stroked with her fingers, “I share the blame too. I decided to leave and I didn't really consider your feelings as I should have….And for that I'm sorry too.”

‘’We were too young then, but we could try to fix things now’’ Timothy said. “Now that we have a chance, why don’t we?”

“I’m worried,” said Chloe.

“Don't be. Whatever happens, we will deal with it as it comes” He grinned crookedly and shifted so she could feel his straining erection against her stomach. “We can do this, Chloe. We’re adults in charge of our own destiny. There’s no problem we can’t solve together. Trust me.”

Peace descended, enveloping her in its sweet, soothing grasp. In response, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged him down into a long, passionate kiss.

Trust him.

He made it sound so simple, and maybe it was. She slid her mouth up his jaw to his ear. As she nibbled on it, she said softly, “Alright, Timothy. We will give it a try.”

—-----

The night was hot, the sheets were tangled and Chloe decided to give up on trying to sleep for a while. Besides, did she really want to sleep when all she dreamed about was Timothy? He’d been so good to her. Too good, really. He’d spoiled her for anyone else, that was for sure. And now they were together, she wondered how a relationship would work between them. After their talk that evening ,there was no going back now. This was what she wanted. She had her friend and lover back.

She stood by the windows looking out to the sea, trying to catch a breeze, but the night was strangely silent, the sea calm and quiet, with nothing to stir even a ripple through the foliage.

Below her window the moon reflected off the surface of the pool. A swim would cool her heated body. A swim might even cool her heated desires, and that would be welcome, for she’d found it impossible to live in the same house as this man and not have heated desires. She glanced at the time. Insanely late. Timothy was probably asleep and a soak would relax her, she knew.

She put on the bikini she’d brought, noticing how little of her breasts the top covered, and dragged out one of her singlet tops and put that over the top. There. Almost decent.

And then she grabbed a towel and padded through the house, heading for the pool.

The water was cool without being cold and Chloe sighed as she slipped into its welcoming depths. It was bliss against her heated flesh.

She breast-stroked quietly across the pool, relishing the support it lent and the cool slip of water against her skin. She tingled with pleasure, reminding her of another sensual night, another’s sensual touch. Tremors bloomed inside her at the memories, just thinking about his big hands and how they’d felt on her body. Possessive. Deliberate.

She missed them. He didn't want them to rush things and she didn't want to either, but that didn't stop her from wanting him so badly. Halfway back, her singlet bothered her, tight and heavy and dragging with the weight of the water she wanted against her breasts, and out here, alone, she decided she didn’t need it. She tugged it off, tossing it to the side, where it landed with a slap on the stone surrounds, and resumed her slow, gentle strokes. The water whispered past her breasts, sensual currents making her nipples peak and turning alight skin already sensitized by memories that could not be erased. She reached the deep end and stopped, resting her arms on the edge, dangling her legs through the water, feeling suddenly frustrated. So much for a cooling dip. This wasn’t working at all.