Page 53 of An Island Promise

Belle sat on the end of a padded day bed that faced the pool. She could see along the coast towards Ibiza Town, the bay studded with gleaming white buildings. She sipped the creamy coffee and basked in the stillness. A leisurely morning was one of life’s little luxuries; she didn’t even have her phone with her. It was refreshing to just sit and think – or not think. To just be.

The sun was higher in the sky and she’d finished her coffee by the time the sound of a door sliding open made her turn. Caleb was barefoot in shorts and a T-shirt, clasping a mug as he strolled towards her.

‘It’s like you’ve read my mind.’ He sat next to her with his coffee. ‘This is where I start every day, gazing at that view and contemplating things.’

‘It’s the perfect spot.’

‘You slept okay?’

‘Really well, thanks.’ They stared out together. ‘Is this your routine then, a coffee out here looking at all of this?’

‘Most days, yes, followed by a swim then a run listening to music. It helps to focus my mind before the day begins.’

‘I popped on a dance hits playlist when I woke up and nearly started my day with a bop about my room.’

‘What stopped you?’

‘Being sober.’

Caleb laughed. ‘It is first thing in the morning.’

‘Yeah, but I don’t tend to dance unless I’ve had a few.’

‘Even if you’re on your own?’

‘Even on my own.’ She sighed.

‘I bet you did when you were younger.’ There was a resigned tone to Caleb’s words as if it was the case for him too. He placed his half-finished mug of coffee on the terrace. ‘How about a swim? Would you be up for that?’

‘I would be but I’m not about to go skinny dipping.’ She refrained from pointing out the fact that she was only wearing a T-shirt and knickers and he did a very good job of maintaining eye contact.

‘You can always keep the T-shirt on.’ His smile was adorably persuasive. ‘I promise you the view from the end of the pool is worth it.’

Without waiting for her to reply he stood, peeled off his T-shirt and dropped it next to her. He paced away a couple of steps then turned back, an enticing smile lighting up his face, but her eyes were drawn to the black dragon tattoo that covered almost one side of his chest. The tail started beneath his arm and the body curved up across his left pec, to where the head finished on his neck, eye-catching in its dominance. He seemed less stressed and emotional than he’d been the night before, when the significance of the day had laid heavy on his heart. It filled Belle with joy to see the change in him.

Sod it, she thought as she stood up and watched him dive into the pool with barely a splash, swimming half the length before breaking the surface.

The sun had climbed high enough to heat the morning air, but Belle gasped at the cool shock of the water as she slid into the pool. Her T-shirt ballooned and she tugged it back down. The combination of the refreshing water and the gentle caress of the sun was magical as she swam towards Caleb at the end of the pool. His arms were resting on the stone edge. She joined him, letting her legs float out behind her. The way the pool jutted outof the hillside gave her the feeling of being on the edge of the world with nothing in front of them except the shimmering sea and sun-kissed sky.

‘It’s magical.’ Belle was unable to tear her eyes away from the view, but she was aware of Caleb watching her.

‘Told you it was worth it.’

Her T-shirt was now see-through and clingy. It wouldn’t have made much difference if she’d taken it off. Every part of her was conscious of an unspoken desire and magnetic pull, yet she was uncertain if he sensed it too.

She felt hidden beneath the water but she had no idea how she was supposed to maintain her dignity once she got out. Perhaps she shouldn’t worry; she was sure Caleb had been privy to plenty of wet T-shirt competitions when he was a young holiday rep, and as a club promoter he would have had semi-clad women thrusting themselves in his face on a daily basis, and yet…

They were walking a tightrope when it came to friendship and maintaining some kind of professionalism. One slip and there was the potential to mess everything up, yet it could be completely and utterly wonderful.

34

With Belle so focused on the view, it allowed Caleb to soak her up. Stare – that was actually what he was doing because he was mesmerised by the dusting of freckles across her cheeks and the way her eyes were wide with wonder. Her lips were slightly parted and the tendrils of hair that had escaped from a messy bun framed her face. His attraction was undeniable and confusing.

As if sensing the intensity of his look, Belle pushed back away from the end of the pool. For a split-second, Caleb caught sight of her out of the water. The image of the now see-through T-shirt moulded to her breasts snatched his breath away. He averted his eyes and powered across the pool to widen the distance between them, although the cool water did little to dampen the blood rushing to a certain part of his body. He climbed out and left a trail of water across the cream-coloured stones. Grabbing a couple of towels, he shook one open and held it in front of himself as he headed back to Belle who was still submerged in the water.

‘I’m going to make breakfast,’ he said, leaving the other towel on the side next to the pool. ‘Do you like eggs?’

Belle nodded, although her confusion at his abruptness was obvious, but he didn’t dare hang about or try to explain, because to do so would mean admitting how he felt. He wasn’t ready for that. He dried himself and retreated to the kitchen where he kept busy cooking Spanish-style scrambled eggs, although his thoughts continued to torment him.

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