Page 105 of Ashes
“Give it back,” I said as I pushed down the strap of my seat belt and stretched to snag it from his grip. “Jamal.” I chuckled. “Promise, I won’t?—”
He locked my phone and turned his head, thenplaced a kiss on my lips to shut me up. His hand snaked around my head and he pulled me closer by the neck. When he released me, I felt a little dizzy, his kiss blurring the reason why I was halfway out of my seat.
I heard the click of a camera and realized he’d taken a picture on his phone.
“For keepsake,” he stated before putting his phone back on the dashboard and giving mine back. “You looked too beautiful not to immortalize.”
“You’re impossible,” I said, shaking my head and stifling the smile that wanted to burst all over my face.
The light turned green and I settled back into my seat, adjusting my seat belt.
The sun was setting when Jamal drove up a sweeping gravel driveway.
When he said he’d rented a small cottage, I’d pictured asmallcozy house tucked somewhere in the countryside of the south of England. Not the gigantic manor that erupted in front of us.
The only thing I’d gotten right was the location. The English-style country house stood in the middle of two acres of land that we had all to ourselves, lush greenery surrounding it.
I would like to say I was shocked, but I was married to him after all and even if it hadn’t been for long, I knew my husband didn’t do anything simply.
I laughed under my breath.
“What’s so funny?” Jamal questioned as he parked in front of the residence and turned the engine off.
I aimed a skeptical look his way, cocking a brow. “Jamal, you said we were staying in a small cottage.”
“Thisissmall,” he replied.
I chuckled, shaking my head. “If you callthis”—I gestured to the mansion in front of us—“small, then I’d be curious to know what you call something that’sactuallysmall,” I teased him.
He reached over and gripped my chin, then placed a kiss on my lips. “Smart-ass.”
He got out of the car and grabbed both of our suitcases and my backpack from the trunk, then walked back over to my side as I stepped out. I closed the passenger door behind me and followed behind him.
He left our bags on the porch and reached into the small mailbox attached to the side of the doors and grabbed a pair of keys from inside.
When we stepped through the double doors, a large living room with floor-to-ceiling windows greeted us. The house was surprisingly cold, so Jamal went to the back and grabbed a few logs to start a fire after placing our luggage at the bottom of the staircase.
While he did that, I explored the rest of the house.
There were so many rooms I lost count. It wasn’t until a few more rooms later that I eventually found the bedroom where we’d be sleeping.
It was filled with blue and cream tones, a FrenchNightingale wallpaper decorating the walls. I walked past the large mattress, my fingers skimming over the luxurious sheets, and stepped out onto the small balcony attached to the far right of the master bedroom.
The view was breathtaking. Luscious green trees. A garden beneath with thriving flower beds. I could even make out a small lake nestled between the trees afar before it expanded into rolling hills on the other side, moonlight reflecting on the moving surface from the faint gusts of wind.
I rested my elbows on the concrete balustrade, taking everything in.
I couldn’t believe I was here, in London, only hours away from my first ever Grand Prix. I’d always dreamed of attending one but never had the time or the money.
I’d loved F1 for as long as I could remember. It was one of the only things my father and I had in common and although I hadn’t found it in me yet to forgive him for what he did, I couldn’t help the bittersweet feeling that overtook me that he wasn’t here with me.
The sound of luggage being dragged up the stairs shook me out of my thoughts. I glanced over my shoulder as Jamal entered the room and placed our luggage next to the bed before joining me on the balcony.
“Baby, it’s cold out here.” He placed his hands on either side of me, enveloping me in his warmth.
I turned to face him and his hands grabbed my waist as I rested my back against the banister. “Good thing you’rehere now,” I said teasingly, tucking my hands in the back pockets of his pants and bringing his body closer.
“Thank you again, for all of this,” I said breathlessly.
