Read Online Stranded by Amberly Woodruff - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amberly Woodruff
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cast up on the shore.
Then, totally satisfied at last, he fell asleep, one arm
still encircling her thigh. But Tamsin sat and watched him, his long lashes curling in his cheeks, his face innocent and almost childlike
in slumber, till at last the long night was ended and the rose of dawn touched
the sky.
Chapter 10
The
next two days passed like a dream. They walked around the island, watching
bees foraging for nectar among the broom and heather that clothed the slopes,
and deer starting up almost under their feet; they swam in the cove; Jed took
her fishing in the outer bay in his boat; and they made love constantly, limbs
entwined till their bodies seemed inseparable and Tamsin thought she would
dissolve, consumed by the all encompassing passion that played between them. And
they talked and talked, sharing experiences, finding they had much in common
and seemed to think in a similar way. She had never been so happy and had begun
to hope that what was between them would be enduring. For the rest of her life
she would remember this time: the free and easy repartee between herself and
Jed; watching him throw back his head in laughter, eyes alight, the pure line
of his throat brown from so much sun; the flex and pull of his muscles as he
drove into her, bringing her to the peak of emotional and physical joy; the
grace with which he moved. She knew she was hopelessly and irrevocably in love
with him. Damien had faded from her mind, and it remained only to sever the
link properly.
Then, on the third day she woke to find herself alone. She
could hear Jed moving around in the kitchen and tried to tell herself he was being kind, getting up first to make her
breakfast. But something felt wrong, some small worm of doubt that was
wriggling in her mind, and dread curled through her, stiffening her spine and
clenching her stomach.
Then he was bringing her coffee, touching her hand tenderly
as he handed her the mug, his face sombre.
‘You know there can’t be anything more than this, don’t
you?’ He sat, laid a hand on her arm, but couldn’t seem to meet her eye. ‘I
think the world of you, care for you. I feel a lot of affection for you. In
other circumstances, maybe we could have made a go of it. But I’m a bad bet,
Tamsin, I’ve had my heart broken and I don’t think I can risk it again.’
She kept her eyes down, picking at the blanket with numb
fingers, in her turn unable to look him in the face for fear he would see the
raw emotion there.
‘In a minute you’ll be saying: “it isn’t you, it’s me.’’
Could you be more clichéd?’ she said bitterly.
‘God, I’m so sorry, Tamsin. But you’ve got stuff to work
out yourself. Neither of us is ready for a relationship. Anyway, the helicopter
will be here mid morning - I’ve been telling you for days it would be today.
You’ll be going home. You won’t be stranded anymore.’
And he had told
her, but Tamsin had pushed it to the back of her mind, reluctant to face
reality, telling herself that, when the time came, he wouldn’t be able to let
her go. Even though he had, if she was honest with herself, been gradually
withdrawing into himself for a day now, seeming preoccupied and a little bit absent
even when he was sheathed inside her in the depths of passion.
‘Look,’ he said now, kneeling and taking her hands in his, gazing
seriously at her, ‘this time will always be special to me. You’ve given yourself
to me totally and that’s been a wonderful thing; healing, even. But the whole
situation has been artificial, with us forced together. These things never
last. It’s been like a holiday romance, really intense and unrealistic. If we
carried on seeing each other, we would soon find there was no real basis for
being together beyond the sex - and even that has been heightened because of
the circumstances. Please don’t be angry with me. Wait till you’re back in your
normal life; you’ll soon forget me.’
Tamsin tried to protest, cut to
Then, totally satisfied at last, he fell asleep, one arm
still encircling her thigh. But Tamsin sat and watched him, his long lashes curling in his cheeks, his face innocent and almost childlike
in slumber, till at last the long night was ended and the rose of dawn touched
the sky.
Chapter 10
The
next two days passed like a dream. They walked around the island, watching
bees foraging for nectar among the broom and heather that clothed the slopes,
and deer starting up almost under their feet; they swam in the cove; Jed took
her fishing in the outer bay in his boat; and they made love constantly, limbs
entwined till their bodies seemed inseparable and Tamsin thought she would
dissolve, consumed by the all encompassing passion that played between them. And
they talked and talked, sharing experiences, finding they had much in common
and seemed to think in a similar way. She had never been so happy and had begun
to hope that what was between them would be enduring. For the rest of her life
she would remember this time: the free and easy repartee between herself and
Jed; watching him throw back his head in laughter, eyes alight, the pure line
of his throat brown from so much sun; the flex and pull of his muscles as he
drove into her, bringing her to the peak of emotional and physical joy; the
grace with which he moved. She knew she was hopelessly and irrevocably in love
with him. Damien had faded from her mind, and it remained only to sever the
link properly.
Then, on the third day she woke to find herself alone. She
could hear Jed moving around in the kitchen and tried to tell herself he was being kind, getting up first to make her
breakfast. But something felt wrong, some small worm of doubt that was
wriggling in her mind, and dread curled through her, stiffening her spine and
clenching her stomach.
Then he was bringing her coffee, touching her hand tenderly
as he handed her the mug, his face sombre.
‘You know there can’t be anything more than this, don’t
you?’ He sat, laid a hand on her arm, but couldn’t seem to meet her eye. ‘I
think the world of you, care for you. I feel a lot of affection for you. In
other circumstances, maybe we could have made a go of it. But I’m a bad bet,
Tamsin, I’ve had my heart broken and I don’t think I can risk it again.’
She kept her eyes down, picking at the blanket with numb
fingers, in her turn unable to look him in the face for fear he would see the
raw emotion there.
‘In a minute you’ll be saying: “it isn’t you, it’s me.’’
Could you be more clichéd?’ she said bitterly.
‘God, I’m so sorry, Tamsin. But you’ve got stuff to work
out yourself. Neither of us is ready for a relationship. Anyway, the helicopter
will be here mid morning - I’ve been telling you for days it would be today.
You’ll be going home. You won’t be stranded anymore.’
And he had told
her, but Tamsin had pushed it to the back of her mind, reluctant to face
reality, telling herself that, when the time came, he wouldn’t be able to let
her go. Even though he had, if she was honest with herself, been gradually
withdrawing into himself for a day now, seeming preoccupied and a little bit absent
even when he was sheathed inside her in the depths of passion.
‘Look,’ he said now, kneeling and taking her hands in his, gazing
seriously at her, ‘this time will always be special to me. You’ve given yourself
to me totally and that’s been a wonderful thing; healing, even. But the whole
situation has been artificial, with us forced together. These things never
last. It’s been like a holiday romance, really intense and unrealistic. If we
carried on seeing each other, we would soon find there was no real basis for
being together beyond the sex - and even that has been heightened because of
the circumstances. Please don’t be angry with me. Wait till you’re back in your
normal life; you’ll soon forget me.’
Tamsin tried to protest, cut to
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