‘Oh God, Jack! How terrible!’
‘It hit my chest and stomach,’ he pointed at the smaller scars on his torso, ‘then ripped through the front of my leg and severed my tibialis anterior muscle and tendon.’ He stared down at the long scar. It was thick and red and ugly. He didn’t care so much about how it looked, though, as about how it affected his mobility. ‘It was weird. I collapsed when I was hit but I was so jacked up on adrenalin that I didn’t know what had happened. I kept trying to get up but I just couldn’t. And it was all still going on around me … men, women and children screaming and shouting. Guns being fired. The air choking everyone, thick with black smoke. Rubble still falling.’ He shook his head. ‘I had several operations to repair the area, but there’s so much scar tissue that it pulls my skin whenever I flex my leg.’
It was hard saying it all out loud, as if keeping it in made it seem almost unreal, like something he’d seen on TV a long time ago. But it had happened and he had been there. His counsellor had worked through it all with him but also told him to be realistic about it. What he’d seen – the loss of his friends, the damage done to other people, especially children – would never leave him. He would just have to learn to live with it and there were strategies that would help him cope. He knew others who’d come home but been unable to deal with things, and that was sometimes harder to accept than anything.
The scar was the physical evidence of what he’d endured. Sure, most of the time it was covered up with clothing and he guessed he usually avoided looking at it when he dressed, as if ignoring it would help him to forget. Two of his troop had been killed by the explosion and another three seriously injured. The emotional repercussions were huge and he’d tried to stay in touch with the other men, but somehow they’d drifted apart, as if their shared memories were easier to block out if they didn’t have any reminders of the past.
‘I’m sorry you went through all that,’ Eve said. Then she ran her cool fingers over his skin and he sighed, releasing the knot that had built in his stomach as he’d relived that awful day when his world had changed forever. She touched him tenderly, with interest, as she ran her fingers over the lumps and bumps, the hollows and swellings of knotted tissue. It was as if she was drawn to the scarring, intrigued by its source, and it made his heart swell. He’d seen things that no one should see, and at times, he’d done things in the line of duty that would reduce other people to quivering wrecks. But things had changed, his life had moved on and now he was set on a different course.
He’d enjoyed most of his time as a marine, in spite of the difficulties, and been proud to serve his country. Being a part of the Corps had made him feel, for the first time in his life, that he belonged, that he was part of a family. So his injury, then his decision to leave the marines – because any future tours would be difficult for him, and he knew that a weak link could mean death and danger for his brothers – had changed him.
Then things had gone wrong with Jodie and he’d packed up and set off with no idea where he was going. For two years he’d travelled without purpose, going anywhere he felt like, picking up casual work when he needed to. He’d been alone again, but he hadn’t minded. It gave him time to think, to try to find an inner peace. He’d come to Conwenna by chance, following the coastline of Cornwall with just a rucksack on his back and some of his pension in his pocket, going nowhere in particular, just knowing that he had to keep on moving. He’d literally bumped into Mary in the Conwenna Cafe when he’d been asking Nate if he knew of anywhere in the area to rent for a night or two. He hadn’t wanted to stay at a hotel, finding them too formal, and had been thinking more of a hostel or campsite. Mary had insisted on buying him a coffee, then told him she was looking for someone to help out around her home with odd jobs and so on, and that she had a cottage to rent. He’d been able to provide her with phone numbers for references – which she’d used right there and then in the cafe – from his former commanding officer and a restaurant in Plymouth where he’d washed dishes for a few weeks, then Mary had invited him up to see the cottage.
Since then, Jack had spent time with the dogs, kept active and painted. It was a simple life and one that he enjoyed because he knew what to expect from each day. There had been no surprises.
But now … for the first time in ages, a woman he was drawn to was looking at him with acceptance; was touching him as if his scars were something to be revered. And Jack was having a mighty hard time keeping himself from bending down and kissing Eve hard.
‘Eve?’ His voice was husky. ‘Shall we swim?’
‘Yes.’ She stood up.
‘I’ll go on ahead so you can have some privacy.’ He ran down to the water before she could see how her touch had affected him, then waded through the shallows and dived into the waves. The cold water washed over him, cleansing him and cooling his blood. He loved how the sea had the power to make him feel renewed, as if it could remove all the bad things and let him start over.
When he surfaced, he spotted Eve immediately. She was ankle-deep in the water, stepping carefully as if afraid of splashing herself.
‘It’s freezing!’ she gasped as the waves licked at her knees. She was clad in just her T-shirt and a pair of navy satin knickers. They were those shorts things, modern undies for a modern woman. She paused as the sea reached her thighs, her arms folded over her chest. ‘I can’t, Jack. It’s too cold.’
He swam towards her then stood in front of her. ‘It’s okay. I understand.’
He made out that he was going to help her back to shore, then knelt and splashed her repeatedly. Eve screeched as she was covered from head to toe.
‘Stop it! Jack, you animal!’
He reached out and grabbed her arms. ‘What did you call me?’
She grinned and a drop of seawater plopped from her fringe onto her cheek. It trickled down until it reached her chin. Jack pulled her closer and saw her pupils dilate as their bodies met.
Something changed right then and there.
All the sounds of the beach faded away, from the shouts of the seagulls overhead to the crashing of the waves on the shore and the distant clattering of a bucket against the rocks.
All Jack could see was Eve, as if everything behind her had been smudged into some sort of soft focus. And all he could smell was her skin, her perfume, her shampoo.
All he could feel was her heat and the way her body fitted so well against his. He could even feel the goose bumps on her legs as they brushed his.
He slid his hands under her arms then lifted her so she was the right height. She folded her arms around his neck and pulled her close. Then he kissed her. Gently at first, feathering kisses over her lips and cheeks, but when she wrapped her legs around his waist, he was consumed by desire and he kissed her harder.
They were lost in each other, swept up in need and longing. Jack was completely overwhelmed by the sensations running through him and by the deep emotional connection that surged in his chest. This was right. At last, this was right.
A loud cheering dragged him from the brink, and he gently pulled his head back to peer along the beach. The teenagers had spotted them and were clapping and waving at their rather passionate display.
‘Jack?’ Eve whispered.
‘Yeah.’ He realized that he was cupping her little bottom in his hands and that they were as close as they could be without actually having sex.
‘Perhaps I should get down.’
He nodded. ‘Um … perhaps I should just go out a bit deeper first, though?’
‘Oh. Of course!’
He kissed her gently, then lowered her to her feet and immersed himself in the water up to his chest. The waves lapped at his shoulders and the sandy seabed moved beneath him, but he wasn’t aware of any of it as he watched Eve wade back to shore then walk to their belongings.
Calm down, he told himself as he tried to bring his body under control by thinking about boring things, anything other than how good Eve had felt in his arms, and how good he knew
she would feel if he made love to her.
And he knew as he watched her opening another beer, then waving to him, that he was completely and utterly lost.
Chapter 14
Eve held tightly to Jack’s hand as they walked back up through the lanes. She felt like she had sand everywhere; in her hair, her bra, her knickers and her shoes. Her skin was dry with salt and when she licked her lips she could taste it. But she also felt happy. Contented. And overwhelmed.
What had happened down in the cove had taken her breath away. Being there with Jack on the sand as the waves foamed against the shore, he had told her so much about himself, allowed her access to the inner workings of his mind, and she’d begun to open up to him too. Impossible to believe that it had only been a week since she’d first met him.
They crunched along the gravel road and Eve looked around her. How strange to think that seven days ago she had driven along here, unaware of how it would be to see her aunt after so long and carrying the tension of her job and her grief so tightly between her shoulders. Now she took a moment to think about how her body felt and the differences were clear. Though the tension hadn’t gone completely, it wasn’t as bad. Her left shoulder didn’t hurt when she turned her head. She hadn’t even realized how bad it had been, but now that she could move more freely, she knew just how stiff with tension and grief and loneliness she’d become.
Because she had been lonely. But being around Aunt Mary and around Jack had changed that.
They reached the end of the road and slowed, as if reading each other’s minds.
‘So …’ Jack said as he gently caressed her cheek. ‘What happens now?’
‘Now?’ Eve smiled. ‘I need a shower to get rid of this sand.’
‘Me too,’ he said. ‘You want …’ He paused and licked his lips. ‘Probably not a good idea.’
‘If you mean to share a shower, then probably not.’ This is so difficult. ‘Jack, I enjoyed what happened down at the beach. A lot. But we shouldn’t rush things. I really like you and I don’t want to spoil how this is between us right now.’
‘I like you too.’ He swallowed and she watched his Adam’s apple bob. ‘But you’ll be going back to Bristol in a few weeks. I can’t pretend that’s not going to happen, even though I’d like to.’
Eve nodded, hating that the thought made her stomach churn as if she’d swallowed seawater. ‘Can we just … take this slowly? See what happens?’
‘Sounds like a good plan. If I came on a bit strong then I’m sorry. I know you’re fragile at the moment and it was wrong of me to muddle you up even further.’
Eve shook her head. ‘I wanted that kiss as much as you did. For the first time in what feels like a lifetime, I was free. My body was alive with something other than sadness and stress, and it seemed in that moment that there were … possibilities!’ She held her arms out and laughed, then frowned and scratched her head.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, his face etched with concern.
‘My head’s really itchy. Must be the salt.’
‘Could be. Give your hair a good wash to get it all out. So I’ll see you later at dinner?’
‘You will.’
Jack lifted her hand and kissed it gently and Eve’s heart fluttered. She was relieved that he hadn’t tried to kiss her on the lips again, because she knew that if he had, she’d probably have lost her tenuous hold on her willpower and gone with him to share that shower.
* * *
After dinner that evening, Jack helped Eve to clear away, then he excused himself. Eve and Mary had been reminiscing about the summers of her childhood and he thought they needed some time alone.
As for him, he had an overwhelming urge to go to the shed. It had been a good day and he wanted to continue with a project that, luckily, Eve hadn’t spotted when she’d gone in there. He’d hidden it behind the rest, almost as if he was afraid to admit that he was doing it, as if it was an invasion of her privacy.
He grabbed a bottle of water then stripped off his shirt and headed up the garden path. The night was clear and cool but he knew the shed would be warm from a day of sunshine. He opened the door and switched on the light then padded across the wooden floor as the door swung shut behind him. The woody scent of his creative space was instantly comforting.
He carefully lifted the large sketchpad from behind his other work and flipped back the cover. There she was. Beautiful and pale. Her eyes were so big in her tiny face that they dominated the portrait. He stared at her, captivated by her beauty and her sweet essence of vulnerability. This woman was under his skin, in his heart, and he couldn’t get her out of his head. It was as if an invisible thread had been fastened between them and now he couldn’t sever it – or didn’t want to.
He got to work, shading and highlighting, perfecting and shaping, until the Eve in the painting was at the pretty cove he’d taken her to today, sitting on the beach facing inwards, with the waves lapping at the sand behind her, their froth fluffy as candy floss. The sun sat low in the sky, illuminating the clouds and creating a glow around her. He shaded her hair so that it appeared roughly tousled, just like it had been today when she’d emerged from the water, then he smoothed around her breasts, making the nipples point through her top as they had done after he’d soaked her. She was, he knew in that moment, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
And his heart ached as he thought about how she’d soon be leaving.
Unless I can persuade her to stay.
But how did you ask someone you hadn’t even known for that long if they’d give up everything and spend their life with you? It would take a lot of trust. Could Eve trust him to take care of her? Could he trust her not to break his heart?
‘Hello?’ There was a gentle knock at the door, then Eve called through the gap. ‘Is it okay if I come in?’
Jack quickly pulled the cover back over the sketch, then tucked it behind a canvas under the window. He crossed to the door and opened it. ‘Hello. I thought you and Mary were having a chat then you were going to watch that documentary together.’
‘We were.’ She smiled, her eyes flickering over his naked chest. ‘We are … but it’s not on for another half an hour, so I said I needed to check if it was okay for me to come up to the farm with you tomorrow. I want to take Gabe his treats.’ She plucked at the hem of her knee-length dress. It was made of some lightweight crinkle material and the green leaf pattern brought out the colour of her eyes, while the spaghetti straps showed off a faint T-shirt mark from their time at the beach. Her feet were bare and he noticed that she’d painted her toenails a golden-green colour that shimmered in the light.
‘Of course it is. Gabe will appreciate that, I’m sure.’
‘How was your shower?’ Eve asked. She licked her lips, and when she raised her eyes again he saw hunger. A hunger that echoed his own.
‘It was … lonely.’
They laughed together, both embarrassed by his loaded comment, and he realized that they were also both a bit confused by their feelings. ‘You want an art lesson?’
‘Me?’
‘There’s no one else here.’ He made a show of looking around him.
‘No, I know that, but … uh … I’ve never been any good.’
‘Come on, I’ll show you. I’m a good teacher.’
Jack set up a new sketchpad on the easel then handed Eve a stick of charcoal. ‘Now I want you to try to draw me. I need to see what you can do first, then I can assess how to help you improve.’
‘Okay …’ She frowned and a tiny line appeared between her brows.
‘I’ll stand here like this.’ He stood beneath the light bulb and crossed his arms. ‘Then you draw what you see.’
‘Really?’ Eve tilted her head. ‘But I am so bad at art.’
‘Humour me.’
‘Okay, but let your arms hang down or stick your hands in your pockets.’
‘Why?’
‘Oh come on, Jack. At least let me admire the view.’ Eve gave him
a cheeky wink and Jack was amused to feel heat rush into his cheeks.
He stood there for about ten minutes, occasionally shifting his weight from one foot to the other, but trying to keep his face still.
‘This isn’t going well,’ Eve said. She wiped a hand across her brow and sighed.
‘Are you too hot?’ Jack asked.
‘It is warm in here.’
‘That’s why I work topless,’ he said, shaking with laughter.
Eve peered at him from behind the easel. ‘Oh no you don’t. I see where you’re going with this, Mr Charming Ex-Marine.’
‘What?’ He held up his hands in mock surrender. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘I can’t take my top off because I’m wearing a dress. With nothing underneath.’
‘What?’ His heart raced. ‘Nothing?’
‘Ha ha! Now who’s shocked? I ran out of underwear so it’s all in the washing machine. I didn’t bring that much with me because I didn’t know how long I was going to stay.’
‘So now you’re – as they say – going commando?’
Eve nodded and continued working on her sketch. Jack tried not to think about the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything under her dress, but it was impossible. After another ten minutes, he couldn’t stay still any more. ‘Right, let me see!’
Eve stepped back and he turned the easel around. He had to bite the inside of his cheek. She hadn’t been kidding; she really was awful at art.
‘It’s great, Eve.’
‘No it’s not.’
‘It is. You’ve got my basic shape right and my face kind of looks … like a face.’
‘It looks like a marshmallow.’ She swayed from side to side, hanging her head.
‘Hey, come here.’ He positioned her in front of him so he could see the sketchpad over her shoulder, then lifted her right hand and gently wrapped his fingers around it. ‘Let me guide you.’
He slid his left arm around her waist and moved her closer to the paper. As he guided the hand that held the charcoal over the page, the image began to take shape, and soon it looked more like him and less like a cartoon character. He used her forefinger to smudge and soften the shadows and tried hard to focus on the picture, but it was hard not to be distracted when she was so close. When she slipped her left hand over his where it rested on her waist, he buried his face in her neck and breathed deeply of her fresh apple-blossom scent. ‘You smell so good, Eve.’
Summer at Conwenna Cove Page 14
