‘What do you say?’ he asked, gently pulling me to him. ‘Is that what you want, Liza?’

‘Yes,’ I nodded, finally voicing my heart’s desire. ‘That’s exactly what I want.’

With that he swept me up into his arms and carried me back to the lodge and I spent the rest of the night coming up with inventive ways to warm him up again.

Chapter 26

When I woke the next morning, Ned was sitting on the edge of the bed pulling on his boxers. I reached out and lightly ran a finger down his spine, tracing the length of the tree tattoo which I now knew in intimate detail. The action made him shiver, but not with cold.

‘Good morning, Miss Wynter,’ he lazily smiled, twisting round to face me.

His eyes were aflame and the sight of them caused my insides to dance with desire.

‘Good morning,’ I whispered back.

‘How are you feeling this morning?’ he asked.

‘Wonderful,’ I said, stretching out and feeling more relaxed than I had in, well, forever. ‘Rested, refreshed and raring to go.’

Given that I’d had such little sleep, that wasn’t at all how I’d expected to feel, but apparently love really did conquer all. Even postcoital exhaustion.

‘Good,’ Ned laughed, pinning my arms above my head and straddling me in one swift movement, ‘I was hoping you were going to say that.’

I would have quite happily spent the whole day in bed, but as it was Sunday, the last Sunday before Christmas in fact, Wynter’s Trees was going to be open for business and there was work to do. Although, not by me, apparently.

‘Are you sure you can manage without me?’ I asked Ned a while later, once he had eventually forced himself back into the shower and then into some clothes. ‘What about clearing up from the party? Surely you’ll need some help with that.’

Ned shook his head.

‘Maya and I sorted most of that last night. It gave us more opportunity to carry on talking about my feelings for you.’

I still felt guilty about that and as much as I wanted to talk to Maya, and clear the air, I didn’t think I could find the words just yet. Neither did I feel ready to face David and the Wynter’s Trees beach hut brigade either, but that was for a different reason. Ned and I had agreed not to tell everyone our news so soon and I knew my expression, and the not so secretive smile lighting up my face, would give the game away.

‘Right,’ I swallowed, feeling jittery about Maya again.

‘She really doesn’t mind, you know,’ Ned insisted, before swooping down and planting a sensuous and lingering kiss on my willing lips.