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up over something that had happened a long time ago. A series of events had morphed together into a tangle from which heā€™d drawn conclusions that werenā€™t necessarily true. She could understand how he had when such deep, devastated emotions were at play. That was because of the person Ash was. And that was the point.

ā€˜Youā€™re different from your father,ā€™ she said urgently, aching for him to believe her. But she saw his instant negation. ā€˜You areā€”ā€™

ā€˜Some things canā€™t be changed,ā€™ he interrupted bitterly. ā€˜I am who I am.ā€™

ā€˜Workaholic, fiery, full of energy and independence,ā€™ she said. ā€˜And you try to hide it, but youā€™re a man who cares.ā€™

He turned a burning gaze on her but she held it defiantly, daring him to deny it.

ā€˜I donā€™t believe you want to give this place up, Ash.ā€™

ā€˜I canā€™t keep it like this.ā€™ He glanced across at the lawn again. ā€˜He destroyed everything she built.ā€™

ā€˜Then rebuild it. No one says you canā€™t do what you want with it. Things can change, Ash. People can too.ā€™

ā€˜Eternally optimistic, arenā€™t you?ā€™ But his small smile didnā€™t reach his eyes.

ā€˜I donā€™t see that as a negative.ā€™ She put her hand on his arm, hoping to somehow get him to believe her. ā€˜Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone screws up. Everyone hurts someoneā€”intentionally or not. Thatā€™s part of being human,ā€™ she said. ā€˜Maybe the trick isnā€™t to try to erase it, or even to ease it, but just to accept that it happened. That itā€™s there. So thereā€™s a little weight you carry and maybe youā€™ll always have it, but thatā€™s okay.ā€™ Beneath her hand, she felt his tension. ā€˜Because youā€™d do things differently now, right?ā€™ she said softly. ā€˜Facing the same situation now, you wouldnā€™t do that again.ā€™

ā€˜Of course not.ā€™

ā€˜Soā€”ā€™ she smiled ā€˜ā€”youā€™ve learned something. Itā€™s just very sad you didnā€™t get to see your mother again so she could see that too. And itā€™s sad your father took everything of hers away. Iā€™m so sorry he did that.ā€™

Ash looked directly at her again. She saw pain in his amber eyes. And tiredness.

ā€˜Thanks, Merle.ā€™ A gruff whisper of appreciation.

Yet Merle felt as if he was slipping away from her. That her words hadnā€™t comforted him at allā€”theyā€™d been futile. Like seeds scattered on hardened, dry land.

He stepped away. ā€˜I think I need a swim.ā€™

She watched him walk away, feeling oddly bereft. This morning sheā€™d dressed in the scarlet jumpsuit sheā€™d worn last night. Partly because the silk felt heavenly against her sensitive skin but mostly because she hadnā€™t wanted her fairy-tale night to be over yet. But the heat of the day had built and now the sunlight was harsh. Heā€™d been right. It had been seconds away from burning her skin. And what heā€™d told her lingered. The parallels she felt with Rose made her wince. How easy it wouldā€™ve been to wish there might be more meaning in Ashā€™s actions. Heā€™d have been spellbinding, a force of nature even then, with that ferocity of intent. But she also knew how easy it was to misinterpret someoneā€™s intentions. And heā€™d certainly learned from the resultant horror. He didnā€™t let any woman get the wrong impression now. Not relationships. Only sex. And in business heā€™d been driven to succeed on a scale impossible to most people, desperate to build something bigger and better than his father.

Her heart ached for him as she showered and dressed. He was still swimming length after length, so she didnā€™t interrupt him. She sensed he needed time to clear his head. So she went in search of a displacement activity of her own.

It was another two hours till he came in. He was back in his shorts, a white tee skimming his broad chest. Her heart bumped against her ribcage.

ā€˜What have you been up to?ā€™ He didnā€™t quite meet her gaze.

She didnā€™t want things to be awkward, so she tried to keep it light as she surveyed the mess sheā€™d made in the kitchen. ā€˜I cooked dinner. Elevated instant noodles.ā€™

He shot her a glance. To her relief the old smile flickered in his eyes. ā€˜Elevated? Theyā€™re still instant noodles.ā€™

ā€˜Are you not prepared to give them a chance?ā€™ she asked primly.

ā€˜Iā€™ll try them. For you.ā€™

The merest hint of his old flirt lifted a bubble of hope in her. She set dinner out on the table of one of the smaller dining nooks, still with a stunning view across the bay, and opened another bottle of champagne.

ā€˜Champagne with noodles?ā€™ he queried.

ā€˜The perfect accompaniment.ā€™

ā€˜And is that lobster tail I see in there?ā€™ He stirred the contents of his steaming bowl with a fork and began to laugh.

ā€˜Elevated, as I said.ā€™ She grinned impishly at him. ā€˜Isnā€™t it amazing how satisfying something can be, even when itā€™s pulled together from sparse ingredients?ā€™

He shot her a look across the table. ā€˜I donā€™t think we can consider lobster sparse.ā€™

ā€˜Still full of flavour and delicious. Still satisfying.ā€™ She wilfully ignored his interruption. ā€˜And yet it can still leave you wanting more.ā€™

His lips twitched and she finally saw him fully relax with a long sigh. ā€˜Oh, Merle. I definitely want more.ā€™

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MERLE WALKED THROUGH the eerily quiet house. It was stupid but she was almost afraid to call out to himā€”afraid there would be no reply. So she crept quietly, slowly searching each space, hoping to find him. Fearing she wouldnā€™t. While ā€˜playfulā€™ Ash had reappeared last night at dinner, by the time theyā€™d gone to bed heā€™d fallen silent. But he hadnā€™t slept. Heā€™d turned to herā€”touched her, taken her with a wordless, gentle intimacy that had been different yet again. The tender intensity had devastated her, yet sheā€™d held him tooā€”feeling the emotions humming within him. It hadnā€™t been a fiercely passionate escape into the physical. It had been deeper than thatā€”thereā€™d been no escape from the emotion, thereā€™d been a silent exposition of it. Of need. Of wonder. Of connectedness. And sheā€™d loved it. Loved him. Until sheā€™d finally fallen asleep, still holding him close.

But when

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