IMOGEN STARED AT the doctor the following morning. ‘The lump is benign?’ she repeated.
‘We’re ninety per cent certain it’s benign,’ the doctor clarified. ‘We only have the preliminary results—it’ll be another five days before the full report is available—but the signs are good.’ The doctor smiled. ‘But, sim, I am confident all is well.’
Jasper leaned towards the statuesque white-coated woman. ‘So you don’t think Katherine has cancer?’
‘That is correct.’
With a whoop, Imogen hugged her aunt, though she was careful not to hug her too tight in case Katherine was still sore from her biopsy. ‘Best news ever!’
She turned back to find that Jasper had seized George from his stroller and was holding him aloft like some kind of victory trophy. George loved every moment of it, squealing and kicking his legs.
Katherine seized the doctor’s hand and pumped it up and down. ‘Thank you so much, Doctor. I can’t thank you enough.’
‘It will be thanks enough, minha amiga, if you keep up to date with your mammograms and promise to make an appointment with your doctor if anything ever again gives you cause for concern.’
‘I’ve learned my lesson. So… I can go now?’
The doctor consulted Katherine’s chart. ‘I’m afraid not. Mr Coleman has booked you in for a complete medical check. But you should be done by four o’clock this afternoon.’
Katherine turned to Jasper as soon as the doctor left and raised an eyebrow. Imogen did her best not to think about how she and Jasper would survive another day in each other’s company.
Not after he’d kissed her. And then acted like a jerk. When prior to that he’d been…
She swallowed. When he’d been every dream she hadn’t known she’d wanted. He’d been kind and fun, warm and witty, he’d made her laugh when she hadn’t thought that possible. He’d given both her mind and her hands something to do, and while that hadn’t rid her of worry for Katherine, it had made it bearable.
Until he’d kissed her, that was. She’d forgotten everything then—Katherine, George, herself. The kiss had been perfect.
Until it wasn’t.
‘Imogen, help me out here.’
She snapped back to find an exasperated Katherine staring at her. She’d missed the beginning of the conversation, but she could guess it. ‘What’s the harm in getting the tests done, Auntie Kay? Mum’s wishing she’d gone for an eye test earlier.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s only another six or so hours. I’m happy to hang here and keep you company.’
She didn’t want to spend another moment with Jasper, thank you very much. Their stilted conversation and taut silences were wearing on her nerves. After yesterday’s kiss he’d retreated with so much unholy speed it’d left her feeling tainted and ugly. And stupid.
It shouldn’t matter so much. It shouldn’t hurt so much. But it did.
Katherine blew out an exasperated breath. ‘Fine, I’ll have the tests, but I don’t want either one of you hanging around the hospital. Go out and see the sights. Have fun.’
Ha! Fun and Jasper no longer went together in the same sentence.
Jasper cleared his throat. ‘I actually have some work I need to do.’
He didn’t look at her as he spoke.
‘Work when you get home,’ Katherine protested. ‘You and Imogen should go enjoy yourselves.’
‘That’s okay, Jasper doesn’t need to act as my tour guide,’ Imogen inserted in her most cheerful voice—so bright it bounced off the walls like a shiny new ten-cent piece. ‘What I’d really like to do today is hit the shops. I want to buy souvenirs for everyone back home. I was reading about a market that’s under one of the art galleries and it sounds fab—I’m hoping to pick up some pretty, locally made jewellery, maybe find a fabric store or two. I doubt it’d be Jasper’s thing.’
‘I’d be happy to accompany you.’
But he said it with such a lack of enthusiasm it made even Katherine roll her eyes. Imogen did her best to stop her insides from shrivelling. ‘Not necessary. And I’m happy to take George so you can concentrate on your work.’ George would be a welcome distraction.
‘I can manage.’ He set George back in his stroller.
She folded her arms. ‘You know he hates being cooped up inside all day.’
His eyes flashed. ‘So I’ll take him to the park.’
Ha! So he wasn’t as cool and reserved as he’d like her to think.
Katherine glanced from one to the other, and Imogen immediately curbed her impulse to get another rise out of him. It was childish. And it’d only make her feel better in the short-term. It’d be best to do what he was doing—put him out of her mind completely. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer a bit of company, Auntie Kay?’
‘Absolutely not.’
‘Then is there anything you’d like me to get for you while I’m out?’
Her aunt made a list, and Imogen didn’t know why Jasper hung around if they were going their separate ways for the day. ‘You didn’t have to wait,’ she said as they walked to the elevator.
‘I wanted a word with you before you took off.’
But when several people joined them in the elevator he didn’t speak again until they stood alone in the wide hospital foyer. The waiting made things inside her clench up. ‘It’s great news about Katherine’s results,’ she finally prompted when he’d remained silent for too long.
He turned to her as if he’d forgotten she was there. Which was great for a girl’s ego. She pressed her lips together hard and didn’t say a word.
‘Look, Imogen, about what happened in the park yesterday—’
‘Are you just going to apologise again?’ she cut in. ‘And remind me you’re not interested in a relationship again, blahdy-blah?’
His eyebrows rose. ‘Blahdy-blah?’
She lifted an eyebrow of her own, and eventually he nodded. ‘Pretty much.’
She gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes designed to annoy him. ‘Then puhlease spare me and take it as read, okay?’ She had the satisfaction of seeing his jaw clench, but it didn’t help, not in the slightest. Just as she’d known it wouldn’t. ‘Was there anything else?’
‘Yes,’ he snapped, drawing himself up to his full height and becoming a stranger—an autocrat—and it reminded her fiercely that he was her billionaire boss and she was nothing but his lowly maid. ‘Can you cook?’
That made her blink. ‘I’m no chef, but I can cook a meal without burning it.’
‘I want to give Katherine a week’s holiday. I’d like to reassign your duties to meal preparation. You’ve taught me enough now about how to look after a baby that I’m confident I can take care of George without assistance. Needless to say, I’m grateful for all the help you’ve given me where he’s concerned.’
But her help was no longer required. She heard that message loud and clear. This was Jasper Coleman reasserting his authority. She wanted to tell him he was being a pompous jackass. But he wasn’t. He was drawing strict and rigid boundaries between them, leaving her in no doubt that he’d meant all he’d said about relationships and complications.
And the sooner her heart got that message, the better. She folded her face into polite lines. ‘That won’t be a problem. I’d be delighted to assist, sir.’
He blanched at her sir. She refused to let herself feel anything. She simply waited for him to either give her further instructions or to dismiss her. Actually, this subservience thing wasn’t too hard once she put her mind to it.
‘Have a pleasant day, Imogen.’
‘Thank you, sir.’ She bent down to tickle George’s tummy and then turned and walked away before she cried.
* * *
After her third day of being Tesoura’s head chef, Imogen told herself that she’d finally found her equilibrium. She and Jasper hadn’t been able to maintain such an intense formality with each other, not with Katherine playing spectator. But as they hardly spent any time in each other’s company, maintaining a polite facade proved no great hardship.
As long as she didn’t look at him. As long as she didn’t remember the way he’d kissed her in the park. As long as she recited, You’re just the maid over and over in her mind.
What was proving harder to ignore at the moment was a baby’s insistent crying. She turned her clock to face her—2:38 a.m. It appeared Mr I’m-Confident-I-Can-Look-After-George-on-My-Own-Without-Assistance wasn’t doing so well in the parenting stakes at the moment.
She was tempted to roll over and pull a pillow over her head, and if it was only Jasper who’d suffer she would. But George…
With a sigh, she hauled herself out of bed, mentally checked what she was wearing—a baggy T-shirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms, which were far from glamorous but at least covered her decently enough—before heading in the direction of George’s wails.
She found Jasper pacing the living room with a distressed George, who was refusing to take his bottle.
Jasper’s eyes flooded with relief when he saw her, but he said, ‘I’m sorry I disturbed you. I needed to heat up a bottle and he cries even harder when I put him down.’
She ignored Jasper—it seemed wise—to focus all her attention on the baby. ‘Hey, little man. What’s the problem?’
He lifted his head to stare at her and held out his arms, his cries easing. She took him and cuddled him close. ‘Aw, poor baby. You’re hot.’
He opened his mouth and made angry noises and she cooed back soothing sounds as she ran her hand over his damp hair. ‘I know, you’re trying to tell me what’s wrong, aren’t you?’
His crying subsided into hiccups and she took the opportunity to run a finger along his gums. Poor little guy had a tooth coming through. Without glancing at Jasper—it was better not to look at him or to think about him, especially not at this time of night—she started for the nursery.
‘What are you looking for?’ Jasper said when she tried to search one of the bags one-handed.
‘His thermometer.’
He took the bag, found the thermometer and handed it to her. She took George’s temperature, crooning to him the entire time.
‘Do I need to call a doctor?’
She shook her head, finally risking a glance his way. He looked deliciously dishevelled and heartbreakingly worried. ‘His temperature is only up a tiny bit. How long has he been like this?’
‘Nearly two and a half hours.’
No wonder he looked so frazzled. ‘Why didn’t you come and get me?’
‘Because I didn’t want to come across all feeble and pathetic. But you were my next port of call. How did you get him to stop crying?’
She grimaced. ‘I’m going to try and break this as gently as I can—this is a temporary respite. George is teething.’
The nursery was too small, too intimate, too much. She moved towards the door, nodding at the bag Jasper had discarded. ‘Let’s go back downstairs, but bring that with you.’
She put teething gel on George’s gums. But it evidently brought him little relief, as he soon started crying again.
She watched Jasper pace the floor in growing agitation, biting the inside of her lip. ‘Would it help if I told you this was entirely normal?’
‘A little.’ But his eyes said otherwise.
Whatever else had happened between them, she couldn’t deny that he loved his nephew. She flashed to the day of Katherine’s scheduled biopsy—the way he’d taken her to the exhibition and had then urged her to record a message and playlist for her parents, the way he’d helped draw her mind from her worry. She needed to find a way to distract him like that.
‘Can you access Jupiter’s social media account from your phone?’
‘Yes.’
‘I think we should post something to her timeline now.’
He pulled out his phone. ‘What do you want it to say?’
‘Pacing the floor with a teething nine-month-old. Have tried a bottle, teething ring and teething gel so far, and lots of walking and rocking. So far nothing has helped. Any tips?’
He glanced up and she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. ‘If you say one thing about bed hair,’ she warned.
‘There’s absolutely nothing wrong with your hair, Imogen. You’re hoping Emily reads this, aren’t you?’
She shrugged.
‘You’re a genius.’
‘Not a genius. Just not afraid to ask for help. There’s a wealth of experience out there on social media. Why not tap into it?’ If, at the same time, they could pique a mother’s maternal concern…
His phone pinged.
‘Guardian Angel 27 says “Pray”.’
‘Helpful.’
More pings sounded. ‘Janice sends “lots of hugs”.’
It was nice of her, but not exactly helpful either.
‘“Iced water”,’ he read out.
Her lips twitched. ‘That’s a little ambiguous. Are we supposed to give it to him to drink or douse ourselves in it?’
His gaze didn’t leave his phone. ‘Um… “Hang him upside down whilst you drink a margarita.”’
‘Just…no.’
He scanned through the replies that were evidently pouring in, and then stilled. ‘You won’t believe this, but Emily has just responded.’
She leaned towards him. ‘What does she say?’
‘That last time her bub was teething, putting him in his stroller with his comfort toy and pushing the stroller back and forth helped.’
‘I’m putting him in his stroller.’ She started for the front foyer, which was where the stroller was currently parked.
‘I’ll grab his bunny.’
* * *
Jasper’s heart pounded as the baby’s cries started to abate.
Imogen nudged his foot and he realised she’d been talking to him and he hadn’t been paying attention—hadn’t heard a word.
‘Tell her George’s crying is easing and that it looks like it’s working.’
He started typing on his phone.
‘Georgia!’ she corrected. ‘Say Georgia.’
He backspaced, heart and head both racing. He nearly handed her the phone, his fingers feeling like thumbs, but…
But he was finally talking to Emily. His sister. After two years she’d finally spoken to him again, and he hadn’t realised it would mean so much.
A personal message hit his inbox, and he immediately opened it. Need help.
He wanted to ring, but if Aaron was nearby… ‘What can I do?’ he typed back.
His phone rang. ‘Emily?’
‘Jasper.’
He didn’t bother with preliminaries or pleasantries. ‘What do you need?’
‘I need to get away from Aaron. If he gets hold of me now, he’ll kill me.’
He doubted she was exaggerating. ‘I can get you on a plane first thing in the morning, for either Rio or São Paulo. Hold on…’ He strode into his office, aware of a silent Imogen coming to stand in the doorway with the stroller to watch and listen as he made the travel arrangements on his computer. ‘Have you got pen and paper there, Em?’
He gave her the flight details. He organised a bodyguard to accompany her from Sydney to Rio. He organised a private charter from Rio to Tesoura.
‘Are you safe from Aaron tonight?’
‘I’m at a safe house. He’s away on business but will be back tomorrow. Look, Jasper, he’s involved in some kind of money-laundering racket, and I’ve been helping the police with their enquiries. It’s about to come to a head soon…’
‘Does he know that?’
‘I don’t know, but I don’t want to be anywhere near him when he does.’
‘I won’t let that happen. Give me the address of where you’re staying. I’m sending that bodyguard tonight.’
‘I’m going to have to ditch my phone. He’ll be able to track me on it.’
‘I’ll have a new one couriered to you.’ She needed to be able to contact him in case anything happened.
‘How’s…how’s George?’
‘He’s the sweetest, happiest little guy, Em. I don’t know how you’ve managed it.’
‘I’ve missed him so much, but Aaron has been so…unpredictable lately.’
Jasper closed his eyes.
‘I needed to send George somewhere safe—away from everything that’s happening here—in case things blew up earlier than expected.’
‘Where does Aaron think he is?’
‘With Auntie Pat. I told him I wanted to go and stay with her for a few days while he was away on business.’
He’d bet Aaron hadn’t liked that. Pat was their mother’s sister, and she loathed Keith. Which meant she probably loathed Aaron too.
‘Tomorrow you and George will be reunited and safe, I promise.’
‘I can’t thank you enough, Jasper.’
‘No need.’
They rang off. He turned to meet Imogen’s gaze. She looked as if she meant to take a step towards him but pulled back at the last moment. ‘Emily is coming?’
He nodded.
‘That’s…that’s amazing news.’
She glanced down at the stroller, stopped pushing and lifted crossed fingers. Not a peep came from George. He’d finally fallen asleep.
With a brisk movement, she turned and headed upstairs. Jasper eased past the pram and followed her. ‘What are you…?’
He trailed off when she checked the two currently vacant guest rooms. ‘We’ll give her this one.’
It was the room next to George’s and had its own en suite bathroom. She grabbed a fresh set of sheets from the linen cupboard and started to make up the bed. He immediately kicked forward to help. ‘There’ll be time to do this tomorrow, you know?’
‘I know, but I’m awake now.’
She shot him a grin and it made things inside him burn. He’d missed that smile. And her sense of fun. He shook himself. It didn’t matter how much his heart protested. The distance he’d deliberately put between them was still for the best.
‘I warn you now, though, breakfast is going to be a lacklustre affair.’
‘Forget breakfast. I’ll get some cereal and toast when I’m ready. Sleep as late as you like. I plan to.’
‘Liar. You probably won’t sleep a wink until Emily is here.’
She was probably right.
He followed her gaze as it ran about the room. ‘What?’
‘This is a nice room, but I’m wondering how we can make it more homey. I’ll put a vase of flowers on the dresser.’ She glanced in at the en suite bathroom. ‘I bought some pretty toiletries while I was on the mainland. They’ll do nicely in here.’
His chest hitched. ‘You don’t have to give your things away, Imogen.’
‘I don’t mind. Besides, I think your sister deserves a little pampering. And I know you’ll want her to feel…’
‘Safe? Unafraid?’
She nodded. ‘But also at home. As if nothing bad could possibly happen to her here. That it’s okay for her to let down her guard and rest.’
She put it into words better than he ever could have.
She glanced at him then with unabashed admiration. ‘You thought of everything—on the fly—without a moment of panic, when she rang and asked for help. You were confident and in command of the situation—which must’ve been so reassuring for her. It was amazing to witness. She’s lucky to have you, Jasper.’
An itch started up between his shoulder blades. Nothing could happen between him and this woman—he would not let his family destroy her the way it had him and Emily. But he owed her. And he could give her something now—a part of himself he’d never given to anyone. ‘Immy, I’ve played that scenario—Emily ringing me like that—in my mind hundreds, maybe a thousand, times.’
Shortening her name seemed natural and right, so he didn’t bother questioning it. ‘Ever since I arrived on Tesoura I’ve wanted Emily to call and ask me to help her break free from Aaron.’ He gave a low laugh. ‘Which probably means I have some kind of saviour complex.’
‘Nonsense.’ She moved a step closer, her hands pressed to her chest. ‘It means you love your sister and you want her to be safe and happy.’
He tried to not look at her chest, at the way her hands—pressed against thin cotton—highlighted curves that made him ache. He forced his gaze back to hers. ‘On the outside I might’ve appeared calm during that phone call, but on the inside, I was anything but.’
Her eyes softened and her lips parted. Wind roared in his ears and fire licked along his veins. He eased back a step, feeling anything but calm now. She glanced at him and then at the freshly made bed and colour mounted high on her cheeks. Everything inside him clenched. No! He would not take advantage of this lovely woman. ‘I’ve been meaning to ask, when are you returning to Australia?’
She stared as if she hadn’t heard him, and then her head rocked back. ‘I… I hadn’t set a firm date.’ She swallowed. ‘You evidently think I should.’
He forced himself to nod. ‘You have the launch of your sewing business to prepare for, and…’ His mind went blank as he fought the urge to take his words back and beg her to stay.
Her chin lifted but the sparkle in her eyes had dulled. ‘I’ll talk it over with my aunt and let you know.’ She edged towards the door. ‘I’m going back to bed. George?’
‘I’ll take care of him.’
She left, but it was a long time before he could move, before he could rid himself of the foul taste that coated his tongue.
* * *
The reunion between Emily and George was a revelation. The way George’s face lit up…the love in Emily’s face… It made Jasper’s throat thicken and he had to clear it a couple of times. Imogen, who hovered nearby ready to leap in and help with anything if it was needed, swiped at her eyes.
She went to disappear back into the kitchen, but he caught hold of her hand. ‘Emily, this is Imogen. And heaven help us all if she hadn’t been here to help with George—teaching me all I needed to know about babies.’ And about being an uncle, he realised now. She’d helped to thaw some of the frozen parts inside him. So had George.
‘He’s been a perfect doll,’ Imogen assured Emily now. ‘Haven’t you, little man?’ she said, tickling his tummy and making him gurgle out a delighted laugh.
Jasper froze. The tableau that the two women and the baby made…the fact his sister was in his house…
He recalled a time when he’d once gone skiing. He’d become so cold that when he’d walked back inside the warm lodge, his face and extremities had burned and ached for a full ten minutes before they’d started to feel normal again. That was how he felt on the inside now.
‘I know how long that flight is from Sydney,’ Imogen said. ‘I’m thinking you’d probably love a chance to freshen up. Why don’t I show you to your room?’
He trailed along behind them. So many emotions pounded through him in such quick succession it left him feeling disembodied. Happiness, grief, anger, protectiveness, relief—they all wrestled inside him.
‘It’s a beautiful room.’ Emily’s gaze zeroed in on the photo of George sitting on the bedside table. Imogen had taken it on her phone and had sent it to Jasper to print out before she’d placed it there in a pretty frame. ‘Oh, Jasper, thank you so much!’
She threw an arm about his neck—her other held George clasped to her hip. George cuddled Jasper’s arm and something that had been broken inside him started to knit back together.
When Emily released him, Imogen moved across to the bedside table and opened the top drawer. ‘I took the liberty of grabbing you a few personal items.’
Emily moved across to glance inside. She stilled before meeting Imogen’s gaze. ‘Thank you.’
Curiosity shifted through him and he started to move across, and then stopped. They were probably referring to feminine hygiene products. Not that he was the least squeamish or embarrassed about such things, but a woman was entitled to her privacy.
‘Is there anything else you need? Anything else I can do?’ Imogen asked.
Emily shook her head. ‘You’ve been so kind, thank you.’ She glanced at them both, hesitating. ‘I’d just love an hour to rest and…and to spend some time alone with George.’
She looked scared—as if she was afraid he would refuse her that…as if she’d started to equate all men’s attitudes and behaviours with Aaron’s and their father’s. It pierced him to the core. ‘Take as long as you want. Let me—’ it occurred to him then that she might be more comfortable around another woman ‘—or Imogen know if there’s anything you need or anything we can do.’
She nodded, and he left the room, stumbled down the hall to his own bedroom. Slumping down to the bed, he dropped his head to his hands and tried to stem the tears that scalded his eyes.
There was a soft sound in the doorway, and then a pair of arms went around him and pressed his head gently to the softness of her stomach. Imogen. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know her. He knew her by her scent, by the sound of her movements, and by the way his every atom came to life at her nearness. He wrapped his arms about her middle and held her tight until the burning stopped. Only then did he ease away.
‘Sorry.’ His voice came out gruff. He felt vulnerable, exposed…embarrassed. ‘What a big baby. I—’
She cupped his face and lifted it to meet her gaze. ‘This is a normal human response to an overload of emotion. You’ve been on this island on your own for far too long, have kept too much bottled up.’ She bit her lip, her eyes troubled. ‘And despite her make-up, I know you saw her bruises too.’
He had. They were old bruises and were fading, but it hadn’t stopped him from wanting to punch something—preferably Aaron. ‘She’s so thin.’
She swiped the pads of her thumbs beneath his eyes. ‘That, at least, is something we can fix, right?’
He nodded. She dropped her hands and eased away. ‘It’s time for me to get back down to the kitchen.’
With a smile, she was gone.
* * *
Over the course of the following week, Emily did put on weight—her cheeks filled out and her eyes started to lose their shadows. Katherine received her full test results, which verified the findings of the preliminary report—she didn’t have breast cancer. It gave her the impetus to finish her book and send it off to her editor, and to resume her housekeeping duties. Meanwhile, Jasper desperately tried to think of a way to tempt Imogen back into the water for her daily swims.
She hadn’t been for a single dip since they’d returned from São Paulo. He had an uncomfortable feeling he was to blame, but he didn’t know how or why, and he desperately wanted to make amends. She’d arranged her return flights to Australia and now only had another week before she left. That was all—one single week! He wanted to make it as pleasant for her as he could.
And he definitely didn’t want to think about how he’d feel once she was gone.
‘What’s on your mind?’ Emily said from her spot on the floor where she played with George.
‘Imogen.’
‘Hmm…’
He glanced up at the knowing note in his sister’s voice when the front door crashed open with a bang that made them all jump. Aaron appeared in the doorway. His shadow seemed to darken the room. Emily gave a strangled cry, her hand flying to her mouth. Jasper shot to his feet. Little George pulled himself up on unsteady legs and hurled himself at Jasper, clinging to his leg and hiding his face against it.
‘I knew this was where you’d be, you traitorous cow!’
Jasper fought the urge to move across and punch the other man. Emily and George had seen enough violence, had been through enough.
At that moment Imogen came walking down the stairs with an armful of dirty linen. ‘Do we have another visitor?’ she called out cheerfully. ‘Should I make up another room?’
‘No need,’ Aaron said with a snarl as she reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘My wife, son and I won’t be staying.’
‘I see.’ She pursed her lips, staring up at him. She looked tiny beside him. ‘I take it you’re Aaron?’
He gave a thin-lipped smile that made Jasper’s heart pound so hard it almost hurt. He handed Jasper to Emily and started across the room, but before he could reach them, Imogen calmly lifted an arm and sprayed Aaron full in the face with something that had the other man immediately screaming and dropping to his knees. ‘Agh, help! She’s thrown acid in my face!’
She stepped over him and handed the can of spray to Emily. ‘I knew that was going to be a good investment. Pepper spray,’ she added for Jasper’s benefit. ‘I know it’s not legal in New South Wales, but when I saw a can of it in São Paulo I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have some.’
He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t believe how…how efficiently she’d handled a potentially deadly situation.
Katherine came through from the kitchen. ‘I’ve called the police. They’re on their way.’ She tossed Jasper a roll of duct tape. ‘Tie him up for his own safety. Before Imogen is tempted to hurt him some more. And, Jasper,’ she added, ‘I wouldn’t be too gentle about it if I were you.’
As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t hit a defenceless man, and at the moment Aaron was nothing but a helpless, snivelling mess.
The police arrived an hour later and took him away. Emily and George retired to her room for a rest. Katherine returned to the kitchen. Jasper stared at Imogen. ‘You really are something.’
She shrugged, but it didn’t hide the way her hands had started to shake. ‘I was pretty amazing, huh?’
He pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips to her hair. ‘You scared me half out of my wits.’