chest, and reveling in the feel of his strong arms wrapped around me.
Holding me tight.
No pressure, I thought. He didn’t need to put pressure on me to get what he wanted.
Our wants were in sync, as most everything between us was.
And deep down, I was already thinking about applications and visas, and how the next time I flew back to Chicago, my stay would not be a permanent one.
* * *
• • •
The sun set a little later in this part of the world in July than it did in Chicago. Roane told me that the farther north you traveled into Scotland, the longer the days were. I’d crossed the border into Berwick, so I was happy to say I’d visited Scotland, but I wanted to go to the Highlands so bad and was already planning a romantic getaway in my head.
Not that I needed the Highlands as I walked along Beadnell Bay, enjoying one of the most stunning sunsets I’d ever seen. The water appeared dark purple from shore, slowly turning lighter until it was a shimmering pink and then growing darker again toward the horizon. The sky above the horizon was gold edged in orange. But the clouds in the sky were dark pink, shadowed in purple.
Waves lapped gently at the shore, a lulling rhythm that suffused me with peace as I walked barefoot on the sand, my shoes in one hand, Roane’s hand in my other.
Shadow trotted ahead, his nose to the sand, enjoying all the scents he could find there.
We’d spent the evening with Caro after she’d invited us for dinner, and decided to take a walk on the beach before heading back to Alnster. The farther we walked, the fewer people we saw, although there were several dog owners still out on the sand.
Roane and I had been walking in contented silence when he suddenly commented, “You said you’ve never been in love.”
A fluttering occurred in my chest. I had said that.
It wasn’t true anymore, and the words had been on the tip of my tongue for days. But Roane hadn’t said them yet and I didn’t want to push too hard too fast.
“I did say that.”
“I find it hard to believe.”
“Well, don’t.” I shot him an unhappy look. “Before I came here, I was exhausted by dating in Chicago, and that was after a two-year break.”
“A two-year break?”
“From the age of fifteen to the age of thirty-one, I dated. Sixteen years of dating. Three serious relationships among them. There was Chace, and you know all about him. Then there was Brent, who was five years younger. A funny guy but we only lasted five months because everything was a joke to him. He lost his job while we were together and started living off money from his parents, who didn’t have a lot to spare. He didn’t know how to care for himself, expected me to do everything, and threw a tantrum when he didn’t get his way. A year after that there was Devon. We dated for fourteen months until . . .” I winced, still mortified by the consequences of dating Devon.
“Until?”
“Ugh, let me preface by telling you I have regular health checks and I’m good.”
Roane frowned in confusion for a second before it cleared and turned into a scowl. “The fucker gave you something?”
“Chlamydia. And the cherry on top of that cake . . . I went to confront him after my doctor’s appointment. He was a freelance web designer. Expecting me to be at work, he had what I’d soon discover was one of many women on the side over at the apartment. I walked in on him with his head between her legs.”
“Fuck, angel.” Roane let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders and pull me into his side. He kissed my temple as I curled my arm around his waist. “You deserve so much better than that shit.”
“Well, in between those three relationships there was a lot of first and second dates, a few third dates, and not much else beyond that. When I hit thirty, most of my friends were in love, married, and some were even popping out kids. I was exhausted and I took a break for a couple of years until Greer convinced me to get back on the horse. That led to Aaron, the online guy, and my renewed sense of ‘this might not happen for me.’” I squeezed his waist. “Then I came here.”
His hold on me tightened