For All Time (Nantucket Brides 2)

“No,” he said, his eyes darkening with passion as she drew closer. When the mirror started to fall, he caught it and twisted to the side to put it on the little table by the bed.

“Oh, my!” Toby said, her eyes wide and her hand to her mouth. “Your back!”

“Is it scarred?” he asked as he turned his back fully toward her.

“No scars anywhere.” Toby was trying to contain her laughter but couldn’t help herself. He handed her the mirror and she held it so he could see. The entire left side of Graydon’s back was covered in a truly magnificent tattoo. It was unmistakably Japanese and in vivid color. The image was of a woman, her hair pinned up on her head. What was unusual was that her hair was a golden blonde and her eyes were blue.

Graydon twisted about as he stared into the mirror. “Is that who I think it is?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it’s me as a geisha.”

“That’s what I thought,” Graydon said as he put down the mirror. They looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Graydon stretched out beside Toby and pulled her into his arms. “I can assure you that in real life I have no tattoos.”

“Not even an ankle butterfly?” Toby was still laughing.

“I must say that this one is rather remarkable, isn’t it?”

“And stupendously flattering.” Toby looked up at him. “I’m glad you were able to negotiate this marriage for them. Any man who loves a woman as much as Garrett loves Tabby should spend his life with her.”

Suddenly, she was feeling very sleepy, which made sense, as they’d been awake all night.

“I want to stay here,” Graydon said. “With you. I want the life we could have here.” He put his hand on her cheek and lifted her face to his. Her eyes were closed. “Toby, do you know how much I love you? Do you have any idea how much it’s going to destroy me to leave you? I don’t think I can—” He broke off because he saw that she was asleep.

He started to say more, but he too was overwhelmed with sleepiness. “No,” he whispered. “I don’t want to sleep.” He was very much afraid that he’d wake up and all this would be gone. But he couldn’t stay awake.

With their bodies tightly entwined, they slept.

Toby awoke slowly and for a moment she didn’t know where she was. It was full daylight but the shades were down so the room was dim. Hanging from the door hinge was the beautiful gown she’d worn to the dinner party last night and she was glad she’d taken the time to put it on a padded hanger. For a moment she looked up at the ceiling, remembering the party. It had certainly been a success! Victoria had agreed to the theme and …

She sat up in bed. Had they really gone to Kingsley House and torn apart the window seat? She rubbed her hand across her eyes. Surely that had been one of her dreams. She also seemed to remember arguing with Graydon over something to do with Tabby and Garrett but she couldn’t remember exactly what.

Feeling a bit confused—too much to drink?—she got up, took a shower, and washed her hair. Last night it had been sprayed and gelled and moussed in an attempt to make it stay up, and she wanted all of it out. She dressed in jeans and a pink cotton shirt and went downstairs. It was going to take some work to clean up after the party.

But the house was in perfect order, with no sign of the previous night’s gathering. Nor was there anyone around.

On the table in the sunroom were a bowl of fruit and a note from Graydon. “Yogurt in the fridge. I’m outside. Take your pick.”

What an odd thing to say, Toby thought as she scooped yogurt onto the fruit and began to eat. Anyone reading it would think there was a great deal more between them than there was. But then, maybe it wasn’t what he’d written but the note itself that was unusual. She seemed to remember Graydon writing something with a quill pen. There had been candlelight and some old document—only it wasn’t old. Some man was saying that the ink wasn’t yet dry.

The vision seemed to come and go in seconds and she couldn’t think where it had come from. When she heard the clash of steel on steel, she went to the window and looked out.

Daire and Graydon, their upper bodies bare, honey-colored skin glistening with sweat, were, as usual, attacking each other. Nearby, Lorcan was watching them intently. Toby started to raise her hand to wave but someone knocked on the front door so she went to answer it.

She opened the door to see her friend Alix standing there.

For a full three minutes there was nothing but hugging and laughing and talking on top of each other. It was the first time Alix had been back to the island since her wedding.

“Did you have a wonderful time?” Toby asked.

“Fabulous. All of it! Has anything happened that I missed out on? Have you heard from Lexie?” Alix asked. “Dad said you have some interesting visitors.”

“Come and see.” Toby linked arms with Alix and led her through the kitchen to the sunroom windows. Outside, the two beautiful men were now wrestling, their strong bodies clad only in loose white trousers that were hanging so low they looked to be in danger of falling off.

“This is what you wake up to every morning?” Alix asked. “Talk about honey on toast!”

Toby sighed. “Yes. Honey. Acres of it.”