She wondered what drew them together; what continued to draw them together? She could have run away while he was inside, couldn’t she? She could have taken Jake and emigrated. She certainly had the means to. But instead, she had stayed exactly where she was. Right where he could find her. Did some twisted part of her still want him too? God, surely not! Perhaps, they were some kind of perverse soulmates, destined to have their lives entwined for eternity. Maybe they were always destined to be in each other’s lives. Their childhoods ran almost parallel, one different decision at any moment could have resulted in their paths crossing. As though fate was just biding its time, confident that one day they would meet – knowing that once they did, their worlds would never be the same.

For a very long time, she thought that one day Nathan would change; that she could change him; that she could save him. By the time she met him, the damage had already been done. She could see that he was entirely beyond redemption – wasn’t he?

But if that was true, then surely she was too.

Chapter Seventy-Five

The sound of a dog barking nearby woke Nathan and for a moment he forgot where he was. He was tangled up in someone’s arms and legs so he knew he wasn’t alone. As he opened his eyes, he remembered he was with Grace. She was still sleeping soundly so he just looked at her. He wanted to wake her, to kiss her face and for her to kiss him back the way she used to. He wanted to kiss every inch of her body. He was hard just thinking about it. He knew if he tried then she’d let him, but probably out of fear, or even worse out of pity, and not because she wanted to.

She opened her eyes then and looked at him. ‘Nathan?’ she said, as though she’d forgotten he was there too.

He untangled himself until he was leaning over her, propped up on one elbow.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked him.

‘Yes,’ he answered, wanting to forget about the reason he was there. ‘Thanks.’

She nodded and he knew he need not say anymore. It took all of his resolve to get out of that bed and leave her lying there, but she deserved that. He put on his shoes and kissed the top of her head before he left.

Nathan went home to shower and change before heading to The Blue Rooms. When he got there, John was waiting for him; pacing up and down Nathan’s office with a face like a Rottweiler sucking a nettle. Nathan knew that his day was about to get interesting.

‘What’s the matter with your face?’ Nathan asked.