This time they took it slower, savoring, drawing out the pleasure until she rose over him, taking him deep, making him hers in every way.

Finally, after a long shower that was made longer by his determination to explore every part of her, they collapsed on the bed.

He’d opened the doors to the balcony and she could hear birdsong and the soft lap of water against the dock. She wished she could freeze this moment, stay like this wrapped in his arms and warmed by the sunshine pouring through the glass.

The intimacy, the closeness, was something she hadn’t experienced before.

She’d never shared herself with anyone the way she had with Jack. Their relationship was deeper than anything she’d experienced before.

She felt exhilarated, content, lucky, loved.

And Jack had shared, too. She ignored the tiny voice in her head that reminded her he still hadn’t really talked about Becca.

16

Izzy

The pony trundled along the track and Izzy shifted in the saddle, trying to get comfortable. Her neck was burning from the sun, her whole body was sweaty. It was a long way to the ground. When Flora had brightly suggested pony trekking as an activity she should have made an excuse, but she was still feeling guilty about the scene at breakfast the day before and Flora’s anguished confession.

She’d felt so bad about it that she’d been ready to agree to pretty much anything to make amends. She was tired of feeling bad about herself and tired of feeling guilty the whole time. Also, she didn’t want to be left out of an activity that Molly was doing. Her almost childish desperation to cling to the ragged remains of her family was almost as embarrassing as her riding skills.

So here she was on a horse. She’d never been that into horses. She was a city girl. A city girl who was terrified.

Who was the people pleaser now?

If she hadn’t been so afraid of falling off, she might have laughed.

They were riding in a line, with a delighted Molly bouncing in the saddle directly in front of her and then Aiden.

It was kind of annoying that he looked great on the horse, relaxed and in control, like he was a cowboy or something. Izzy scowled at his back, while at the same time admiring his shoulders and his athletic ability.

Maybe he sensed her scrutiny because he glanced over his shoulder and grinned at her and she pulled a face, partly because she was horribly embarrassed to look so red and sweaty in front of him, and partly because she had no idea how to ride. It was an uncomfortable, sticky nightmare and something she would have rather he hadn’t witnessed. By the time she slid off this animal her ego would have shriveled to the size of a peanut.