‘Hey. Don’t you want to sleep?’ He broke off, groaning as Chloe’s hand found its way inside his boxer shorts.
‘No. I want to let go of the past. Don’t you?’
He levered his body over hers, rolling her backwards on the bed and pinning her down. ‘Yes, I do. I want to promise you...whatever you want.’
She knew he was sincere, even if he was struggling with the idea. He did want to let go of the past and promise her at least a part of his future. But she couldn’t ask him to do it. Asked-for promises didn’t work.
‘Don’t promise me anything, Jon. This is what I want. Exactly this.’
‘You’re sure?’
She pulled him down for a kiss. His kisses held nothing back and promised her everything. ‘I just want you to make love to me.’
He smiled down at her, tenderness in his face. ‘Take your clothes off, sweetheart.’
* * *
He loved watching Chloe undress, and she knew it. When she came to him, all of Jon’s resolve, every last bit of his determination to let her just sleep tonight was shattered into tiny pieces.
This time broke the mould yet again. They’d already spent more time than they might reasonably have been expected to spare over the last three days in learning each other’s bodies. And each time they’d found some new way of giving each other pleasure.
But when Chloe came to him, stripping off his T-shirt and boxer shorts, all he wanted to do was hold her. Be close to her in every way. Their lovemaking was tender, a reminder of good things when there were so many difficulties threatening, and it touched Jon more deeply than he’d thought possible.
Afterwards, feeling her curled up in the curve of his body, he held her close.
‘Chloe...?’
‘Hmm?’ She snuggled up against him, winding her hand around his, kissing his fingers. It answered all of the questions he wanted to ask.
‘Go to sleep, sweetheart. Tomorrow’s another day.’
* * *
Over the next few days they did all the things that tourists might. Driving to a local chateau that was open to the public, taking a picnic out into the countryside. Chloe and Hannah spent a lot of time talking, sometimes with Jon there and sometimes on their own, and slowly Hannah was beginning to open up.
‘Are we going home?’ Jon lay in bed, last night’s lovemaking still tingling through his senses, watching Chloe brush her hair in the morning sunlight.
‘I think so. If that’s all right with you. How did you know?’
‘You were muttering in your sleep last night.’ Chloe had come to bed late and fallen asleep almost immediately in his arms.
‘Was I?’ She turned to face him. ‘What did I say?’
‘Just a few words. Home was one of them.’ His name had been another. He’d loved it that she’d cried out for him, even in her sleep.
‘Hannah’s agreed to come back with us, whenever we’re ready to go. She’s going to stay with me for a while, along with Amy.’
‘And you’ll see how things go?’
Chloe shook her head. ‘No, we’re not leaving things to chance. I’m going to sort out someone for Hannah to talk to and work things through with. I’ll go along too, if there are issues that we need to work out together.’
‘That sounds like a good plan. So Hannah will be taking over the spare room.’
‘There’s always room for you. You’d have to sleep with me, though, if that’s not too onerous for you.’ She smiled at him.
‘I’ll put a brave face on it. And when you get tired of me, my own place has a bathroom now. The builder texted me last night.’
There was an uncertainty about all this. They were covering it up well with jokes and smiles, but there was a slight tremor to Chloe’s tone, which matched the tremor in his heart. They knew how to make love, but neither was quite sure how they fitted into each other’s lives.