Blooming in the Wild Page 0,112

kissed her again, and then yawned, wincing as the movement stretched his side.

Bella moved off of him, contrite. “Oh, you need to rest. Here.” She handed him a tissue, and he dealt with the condom, and she dropped the wad of damp tissue into the wastebasket.

“You should get back to your own bed. Or I can sleep there, and you can have my bed.”

He scowled. “Or both of us can sleep here.”

They argued for a moment, but Bella realized that if she wanted him to relax, she’d better give in. She helped him scoot over so that she could climb into bed on his uninjured side, made sure he was covered with the sheet and turned off the light.

Joel turned his face toward her, gave an exhausted sigh and fell instantly asleep.

She lay in the darkness, listening to him breathe, enjoying his closeness, and imagining sleeping with him, like this, in a home of their own.

He’d said he loved her, and he definitely wanted her. In fact, he couldn’t keep his hands off her, and the look in his eyes when he looked at her—she could live off that alone.

But would he stay? If she took him up to the farm, would he fall in love with it as she had a few days before, when Homu and David drove her there to see it?

She was going to find out, she decided. As soon as he felt better.

It took days of getting better acquainted, of sharing past experiences, favorites and pet peeves, for Bella to work up her courage. She and Joel spent a week at Nawea as he got acquainted with her family and her. The two of them talked and talked while they swam, strolled the grounds, and while they lay in bed after making love.

As soon as Grace left for home, Bella moved Joel into her room. She slept beside him, ate with him and fell deeper in love every moment.

She tried not to gush over him, restraining herself. He told her he loved her again, several times, but usually right after he came, so she was just a teensy bit cautious of his pronouncement.

Finally, on a warm, humid evening, she drove him up the mountain and up the winding road to the meadows above South Kona. Melia’s little SUV nosed into the plumeria-bordered lane and rolled into the open area by the small, sunfaded house.

Bella hopped out of the vehicle and walked around to join Joel as he stepped out. She looked around, trying to see with his eyes. The house was small, painted white, the roof and window trim a dark green. A deep lanai ran around the house, with a few empty plant pots and an old table and chairs.

The farmyard was graveled, with outbuildings set around it. And beyond lay the gardens and fields, small ornamental trees in one field, and fruit trees in others.

And down to the west and south lay the sea, stretching to the horizon in an expanse of pewter under the soft rain clouds blowing in.

Behind them, the forest covered the upper flanks of the mountain, and to the west ran a black ribbon of lava that widened as it approached the sea.

“It’s great,” Joel said at last, a smile on his face. “Wow, I can see why you want it, Nani.”

“Oh, I’m so glad you like it,” she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

They walked around the farmyard, poking into buildings and admiring the ripe avocados hanging from the trees around the lawn.

Joel took her hand, moving along, but Bella stopped in the middle of the quiet clearing.

Joel turned to her. “What? Want another kiss?”

She tipped back her head and, as always when he kissed her, nearly forgot what she wanted to say. Sometimes when he kissed her, she forgot where they were and nearly forgot her own name.

But this time, she pushed him away, just a little, because she loved nothing better than having his big body against hers. She looked up at him. “Joel? Do you think you could…you know—”

“No, I don’t know,” he murmured, dipping in for another kiss.

She ducked away. She’d screwed her courage up, and she was going to do this. “Do you think you could stay here?”

He froze, his mouth poised over hers. Then he slowly straightened. “Stay here? As in…?”

“With me. Stay with me.” She waited, her heart pounding in her throat, for his answer. She felt dizzy, nearly sick with fear.

“Stay with you,” he repeated.