‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered. ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’
They were both gasping and their bodies were still pressed together. He extricated himself from her and helped her off the island. They straightened their clothes and Thora felt shame wash over her as she realised what she’d just done. This was where she worked and she’d let all that slip away as she’d kissed her former lover, acted like a teenager.
She snorted then at how awful it was as nervous laughter fizzed in her stomach. ‘Oh god!’ she said, and Lucas tilted his head.
‘What’s funny?’ he asked.
‘Us! Acting like kids again.’
He chewed at his bottom lip, then he smiled too. ‘We are, aren’t we? But … I don’t know what came over me. I felt like I was eighteen again and I couldn’t help myself. Over the years, I’ve thought about doing that so many times and it was like I lost control.’
‘We always had amazing chemistry,’ Thora said.
‘The best.’ He cupped her face in his big hands and held her gaze. ‘It’s still there, isn’t it? Tell me I’m not wrong about that.’
‘You’re not wrong. But … so much has happened, Lucas. We’re not eighteen anymore.’
His eyes searched her face. ‘We’re not. But we’re still human beings with needs and wants, desires and … there’s a connection here still.’ He took her hand and placed it on his chest. She felt the strong heartbeat beneath her palm and tears pricked her eyes.
‘We can’t just go back, Lucas,’ she said as a tear escaped and trickled down her cheek.
‘No, but we can go forwards.’ He brushed the tear away, then kissed the trail it had left on her cheek. ‘We have that opportunity.’
‘I’m a mum.’
‘That doesn’t mean you can’t have a partner by your side.’
‘No, but?—’
He kissed her and silenced her objections, words she felt she should say but didn’t want to. This man had once been her everything but now she had other priorities and he could never be the centre of her world as he once had been. Could he accept that?
‘I know things are very different now, Thora, but that’s not a bad thing. We’re older and wiser, hopefully, and maybe we can see if this connection is still strong enough to bring us together. No pressure, but I care about you still. I never stopped and there has never been anyone else for me. You still own my heart. You always have.’ He pressed her hand to his chest again, and she nodded. ‘Now how about we have that coffee and then I’ll walk you home?’
‘G-good idea,’ she said.
‘I’ll put the dishwasher on, and you make the coffee.’
Thora went through to the front of the café, her whole body buzzing with electricity that Lucas had aroused with his kisses and caresses. There was no way she could deny that they still had chemistry, but whether or not they could embrace it and move forwards together remained to be seen.
All they could do was take things one step at a time. As discretely as possible because she had Rosie and Reggie to think about, as well as her own vulnerable heart.
15
LUCAS
Lucas waited while Thora locked up the café and went around to the back garden with her to check that the chickens were all settled for the night. The coop was well insulated to keep the birds warm through the winter. When Thora was satisfied that everything was secure, he offered her his arm, and she accepted it gratefully.
‘Thank you. I always worry about slipping when it’s icy,’ she said.
‘Me too, so we can hang on to each other. Plus, it’s another way to keep warm.’
Thora pulled a bobble hat on over her curls and they walked along the path that led through the gardens and then out of the gate. On the path down to the village, they walked slowly, keeping their eyes on the ground.
Frost sparkled in the moonlight like someone had sprinkled a carpet of diamond dust and their breath emerged in mini clouds that disappeared in the chilly air. Lucas kept Thora’s arm in his and glanced at her every now and then to check how she was. It felt surreal to be walking with her at night in Porthpenny oncemore. They’d walked the coastal path and around the village many times during their youth, and being here again like this was something he’d thought about but never imagined would happen.
‘How’s your dad?’ Thora asked.
‘He’s OK. Better than when I arrived, I think. He’s apologised for things that happened in the past.’
