“What about the horses?”
“That was another life.” She looked up to the sky and took three deep breaths. “I don’t know, I feel like I’m remembering who I was before Jake, and I remember wanting to be a nurse. The horses were always just a hobby until I met him.”
“I will do everything in my power to help you reach that goal, Ava.”
“Thank you,” she said.
She started to speak again but before she could get anything out I said, “But first I want to know how you feel about me.” The sun was coming up and she shivered in my arms. “I have a hotel room. Let’s get some sleep. But later I want an answer.”
“Okay.”
At the last minute, before I had left the States, I had booked a room at one of the nicest hotels in Barcelona. Ava’s weary eyes opened wide when we entered the extravagant lobby. Inside the elevator, I held her against my side. We were both unsteady with exhaustion, using each other as anchors.
Once inside my suite, she looked around in wonder. “I’ve never been to a place like this.” She gazed at the large four-poster bed, piled high with a rich-looking maroon duvet. She peeled off her dress as she moved past me before throwing herself into the mess of covers. “Oh, this is wonderful,” she mumbled into the pillows. “I wish I weren’t so tired so I could enjoy this.”
I went to the side of the bed and stared down at her. She rolled onto her back, her eyes closed and a small, lazy smile gracing her lips.
I took my clothes off, leaving only my boxers, and slid in next to her. I spooned her from behind, cocooning her.
“In the morning . . . ,” she sighed.
“It is the morning,” I answered.
“Then tonight.”
“What’s that, baby?”
“We’ll start chasing it . . . the dream.”
“I’m doing that now. Let’s sleep.” I kissed the back of her head and listened for a few minutes until her breaths became even.
Dozing off, I could hear thunder in the distance and a slow patter of rain against the window. The room got darker and the constant sound of the droplets against the window, along with Ava in my arms, made falling asleep pure bliss.
In the evening, a light from the bathroom awoke me. The water in the bathtub was running and I could see the blur of Ava’s body moving about. When I entered the bathroom, she was completely naked, bent over the faucet of the huge sunken tub, testing the water temperature.
I came up behind her and smoothed my hand over her backside. She stood up straight, surprised at my presence. I pulled her against me and she let her neck fall to the side, giving me full access. I kissed the space below her ear and felt her relax against my body. Finally, she turned out of my embrace to face me. “It rained a lot today,” she said as she moved in and kissed the hollow of my neck.
“Yes. It’s still raining now.”
She hummed lightly against my chest. “The rain is good.”
“After the bath, I think we should sit on the veranda and wait until the rain stops.”
“What will we do after the rain?”
“After the rain, you’ll make a decision. I want you to come back with me, when you’re ready of course, but I want you to live with me.”
She made no indication that she would say yes or no.
In the bathtub she said few words. I sat behind her, caressing her arm and kissing her shoulder and neck. “What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“I was just thinking that the odds are pretty good that you won’t kill yourself.”
“People would start getting suspicious, don’t you think?”
The sweet sound of her laugh echoed in the bathroom. “I’ve never laughed about it because it’s so tragic.”
“It really was a tragedy that Jake wasn’t equipped to overcome that kind of adversity, but you’re still here.” It was quiet again. She didn’t respond. “Is fear the only thing holding you back? Please tell me it has nothing to do with that night I left you at the restaurant.”
“Nothing is holding me back. I’m here with you, in your arms.”
“But you haven’t told me how you feel.”
“You said after the rain.”
She turned and straddled me and it wasn’t long before there was water sloshing and spilling over the edges. I looked at her warm, smooth skin in the dim light and watched as little droplets of water trickled down to the buds of her breasts. I licked and sucked and then pulled her forcefully against me. “I want you in the bed,” I growled.