‘It might be a low ceiling, but if it rains we could at least huddle together and have a tea party.’ Ellie giggled. ‘Makes me feel like a little girl again being in here.’
When he turned to her, eyes meeting hers and staying locked, she suddenly felt anything but a little girl. She gulped, holding his gaze, her body flooded with warmth as he stared at her. It was only a moment, but it felt like hours that she stood basking in his gaze.
Spencer took a step towards her, head ducked low, his frame far too tall for the small space. His eyes dropped to her mouth and her lips parted, her breathing shallow as he placed one hand to her cheek. He dipped down, pressed a soft kiss to her lips that made her forget everything except his mouth on hers.
Ellie kissed him back, not wanting it to end, wanting the kiss to last for ever. Slowly he backed her up, lips still locked as they moved outside. The cool breeze brushed against her skin, in contrast to the warmth of the sun as it kissed them from above. Spencer’s arms went around her, his mouth firmer against hers now, their bodies close.
‘Ellie, are you sure . . . ?’ he muttered against her mouth.
She clutched his shirt, pulled him closer as her back hit the little house. Spencer’s body blocked her from the world, protected her as he kissed her deeply. His hands skimmed her hips, touched down her body, and she’d never felt more alive.
Everything about Spencer felt so right. There was no part of her that wanted him to stop.
Her fingers found the buttons on the front of his shirt and she worked them impatiently. She wanted to touch his skin, needed to touch his skin. Spencer’s hands were still on her, and when he groaned it only urged her on more. She hadn’t been with a man like this before, never felt so strongly about a man, but Spencer was driving her out of her mind.
‘Ellie, please . . .’
She shook her head. ‘Don’t stop.’
‘Ellie, no,’ he said, pushing back, hair dishevelled as he looked into her eyes, his body braced against hers, one hand pressed to the house behind her.
She was breathing heavily, staring up at him.
‘I love you, Ellie,’ he murmured, his voice raspy and barely louder than a whisper. He stroked a strand of hair from her face. ‘I love you.’
She looked up at him, still breathing hard, studying every inch of his face. He’d had no need to say those words to her, it wasn’t as if she’d needed encouragement, and yet he’d stopped her to say it.
‘I love you, too,’ she whispered back, tears in her eyes that took her by surprise.
Spencer gently stroked her face, his eyes never leaving hers, body pressing tighter, warming her. This time when he kissed her, it was gentle. The urgency had gone, his touch lighter. Ellie slipped her arms around his neck, stroked his hair with one set of fingers before running her hands down his back.
‘Why rush?’ he asked, murmuring against her skin as he took his lips from her mouth and dipped them into the hollow of her neck instead.
Ellie smiled to herself, pressing into him, loving the way his hands felt on her. Spencer was right, why rush? But what if this was the only time together, alone, that they ever had?
‘Are you still hungry?’ he asked, his voice a husky whisper.
She kissed his lips when he pulled back, watching her face. ‘The food can wait,’ she said against his mouth, kissing him again and starting to undo the remaining buttons on his shirt, having only succeeded in loosening two of them earlier.
Spencer scooped her up in his arms, making her giggle as her feet left the ground, and he carried her over to the grass. His breath was hot against her cheek as he lowered her down, taking off his shirt and placing it behind her before dropping to his knees and gently pushing her back.
Ellie laughed when he lowered down on top of her. And when he paused and gave her a quizzical look, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him closer. Laughter was not something that came so easily to her now, but today she’d smiled and laughed so much that her cheeks ached.
‘This is your first time?’ Spencer asked gently as his hand ran up her leg, sending shivers through her body as it arched up in response to his touch.
‘Yes,’ she whispered.
‘Tell me if you want me to stop,’ he said, kissing her, making her forget everything.
She wouldn’t. Ellie loved Spencer, with all her heart. He made her smile when everything else around her made her shudder. She only hoped that when the war was over he still wanted her.
Spencer smiled at her in such a knowing way that she blushed. Ellie was fully dressed again, the air curling its chilled embrace all the way into the little cabin they were sitting in now that the sun had gone down. A shiver ran through her, but she ignored it, content to snuggle closer to Spencer and enjoy the last of the food.
‘I wish we didn’t have to go back,’ she admitted.
Spencer placed his arm around her and dropped a kiss into her hair. ‘Me too.’
They’d eaten hard-boiled eggs and bread covered in butter, and a small bowl of preserved fruit as well. It was the biggest meal she’d had in what was starting to feel like for ever, and the taste of real eggs had been heavenly.
‘Spencer, I should have asked before now, but . . .’
He looked down at her, waiting expectantly.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
‘You don’t have someone at home waiting for you, do you?’ Ellie felt silly asking him, knowing that what they had might well just be a wartime fling for him. But it meant more to her, so much more.
‘Ellie, my love, I wouldn’t be here with you now if I did,’ he told her, stroking her hair. It was loose over her shoulders – she hadn’t bothered to pin it back up yet – and his fingers caressing each strand was nice. She leaned into him, hoping he’d keep doing it. ‘I certainly wouldn’t have written home to my mother about you if I was supposed to be with another woman.’
‘It’s not so unusual for men to—’
He stopped stroking, interrupting her sentence and using his other hand to touch her chin and tip her head up.
‘I wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble if that’s all I wanted from you. Surely you know that?’
She nodded. He was right, she did know, but asking made her feel more certain about his intentions.
‘What about when we go home?’
He kissed her head again and went back to stroking her hair when she dropped her cheek to his shoulder.
‘When we’re back in London I’ll be taking you for dinner with my mother. She’ll love you just like I do.’
‘You sound so sure.’
‘If I love you, she’ll love you. Simple as that.’
Ellie doubted she’d ever tire of him saying those words. She loved him right back, only she wasn’t quite so certain that his mother would automatically adore the nurse he’d fallen for while away on active service. Only time would tell, but right now she’d have to take his word for it, and hope that he didn’t fall out of love with her once the war was over and everything went back to normal back home.
‘Spencer, why did you become a doctor?’