Read Online Chasing Circumstance by Dina Redmon - Free Book Online Page B

you.  What time is it?”  I accepted the coffee from him.  It smelled like chicory.  He was showing off his chef skills, and it made me smile to think of the trouble he went through to make coffee special, just for me.  I slowly sipped at the hot fluid so I wouldn’t burn my tongue.
    “It’s just past seven.  As soon as you’re ready, I’d like to take you somewhere.”  Stuart stood up and sat down next to me on the couch.  “How did you sleep?”  He put his hand on my knee and looked into my eyes as he spoke.
    “Well, that means it’s only two in the morning in my time zone, so definitely not long enough.  Honestly, I don’t remember falling asleep.  Last thing I remember is writing in my blog.”  I looked around for my computer.  “Where’s my laptop?”  I was still waking up and feeling pretty groggy.
    “I shut it down and put it back in your luggage.  Don’t worry, I didn’t read anything, though I must admit, I was tempted.”  Stuart was definitely a morning person and had way too much energy for my taste.  I had never been a morning person.  I always had been forced to set my alarm for an hour earlier than I actually needed to be awake because I hit the snooze button so many times I would never be on time if I didn’t.
    “Oh, okay, thank you.  Um, where are we going?  I only brought casual clothes with me and need to get dressed.”  I finished my coffee and sat the cup on the table.
    “It’s a surprise.  Speaking of surprises, I ran you a bath.  There are fresh towels waiting for you next to the tub.  I’m afraid it’s not as snazzy as the Blythswood, but it’s clean and hot.”  He stood up to take our cups into the kitchen.  “Breakfast will be ready by the time you’re finished.  We’re having strawberry stuffed crepes.  I hope that’s okay.”  He busied himself in the kitchen while I went to bathe and dress.
    I grabbed a change of clothes from my bag and headed down the hall to the bathroom.  There were lit candles sitting around the bathtub and all over the counter.  He had also put rose petals in the water.  It smelled like a flower garden after a heavy rain and was absolutely beautiful.  Stuart was making it really hard to not fall in love with him all over again.
    I took off my clothes, folded them, and sat them on the floor next to the door before I slipped into the soothing warmth of the bath.  I watched the rose petals float across the ripples of the water as I moved my hands back and forth.  It was perfectly indulgent and I deserved this treatment from him after what he had put me through… ‘After what he put me through,’ I reminded myself of that almost forgotten fact.
    Leaning against the back of the tub, I felt the coolness of the porcelain against my body.  The contrasting heat of the water and the cold of the porcelain caused goose bumps to rise on my skin.  Closing my eyes, I laid there for a moment and enjoyed the sensation.
    I woke with a startle to Stuart kneeling at the side of the bathtub washing my left arm with a giant, soapy sponge.  “Good morning again, Guapa.  When you were in here for so long, I grew concerned and came in to check on you, only to find you sound asleep.”  He moved the sponge over my shoulder and down my back as I sat up.
    “Oh, I guess I was more tired than I realized.  The bath felt so good that I must have drifted off.  I’m sorry, I’ll hurry and finish.  Be out in a minute.”  I attempted to take the sponge from him so I could finish bathing.
    “No need to hurry.  The water feels so warm and inviting.  Mind if I join you?”  Before I could answer him, he stood, disrobed, and stepped into the bath behind me.  His hands moved over the muscles of my neck and back in a light massage.  My thoughts screamed at me to tell him to stop, but my body told my head to shut up because it just felt that good. 
    Bending my knees to make enough room in the tub for both of us to fit