Ash ran a hand down Zoey’s naked side and cursed the fact that patience wasn’t one of his many virtues. But he could do it. If it meant he got to have Zoey this way again.
‘You okay?’ he asked softly.
‘Mmm,’ she responded, rubbing her cheek against his bare chest.
See? That was a good start, right?
‘So, do you still want to talk some more?’ Personally, he had some much better ideas for how they could spend their time on the island, but if she needed to talk to feel comfortable with things between them then he’d talk.
But Zoey shook her head, her dark, tangled hair tickling his chin. ‘What else is there to say? The minute we get off this island, this is over and we go back to being just friends. Right?’
A chill settled over him, despite the sunshine. ‘If that’s what you want.’
Zoey pushed herself up against his chest, leaning over him and frowning. ‘It’s what needs to happen.’
‘So you said.’ Ash shielded his eyes from the sun as he took in her expression. ‘Remind me why that is again?’
‘Because...because we’re friends. And that’s all.’
There was something behind her eyes. Something he couldn’t quite interpret. But, whatever it was, it was holding her back.
Ash sat up, pulling her with him so she sat curled up against him. ‘What’s the matter, Zoey? Is it David? Or...’ Grace. It must be Grace.
Of course this was weird—for him as well as her. But he’d lived without his wife for two years now, and he knew that she’d want him to find happiness wherever he could.
But for Zoey... Grace had been more family to her than her own parents. Closer than a sibling even, for a lonely only child. It stood to reason that she’d feel she was betraying her friend, even now Grace was gone.
Well, hopefully, that was something she’d come to terms with in time.
Time. Time passed, whatever he chose to do with it.
For two years he’d never even imagined himself with another woman, despite the blind dates people tried to arrange, or the obvious set up dinner parties his mother kept throwing whenever he was in London.
Now...now it was hard to imagine not being with Zoey again, not having her in his life, his bed.
Maybe it was because she’d always been there. A constant part of his life. Familiar and comfortable and easy. And okay, maybe the last twenty-four hours had seen their relationship take on a different aspect, but in some ways it felt perfectly natural.
Ash had no illusions about for ever or true love—like he’d told Zoey, he’d already found that once and didn’t expect to again. But a friendship that also had passion, the way his and Zoey’s did, that was something more than he’d ever imagined having again.
Quite honestly, now he’d had her in his arms this way, it was hard to imagine letting her go.
But Zoey was already pulling away.
‘It’s not David. Or anything else, really. I just think that we’d be better off as friends. Like I said, your friendship is too important to me to risk it on a fling.’
A fling. Was that what this was? Probably, he supposed. It wasn’t as if he was lining up to be the next groom Zoey ran away from, anyway. He just wanted to enjoy what they had right now.
Ash didn’t spend much time thinking about the future. He’d learned the hard way how easily it could be ripped away from him. He wasn’t imagining for ever or happily-ever-after.
He just knew he didn’t want this to end yet.
But was that just his libido talking? Quite possibly.
And Zoey was right. They couldn’t risk their friendship. It was all either of them had, some days.
‘If that’s how you feel,’ he said neutrally. Because, to be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt. So maybe they’d better go with her instincts.
‘It is,’ she said firmly.
Except Zoey’s instincts were notoriously awful. Could he really rely on them for something as important as this?
‘Just...promise me we’ll keep talking,’ he said, looking up at her as she stood, gloriously naked in the sunshine on the deserted beach. ‘That you won’t shut me out or start avoiding me now. That you’ll always be honest with me about how you’re feeling.’