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He shifted, but she moulded her body even closer to him

‘I’ve had enough talking for tonight’ She leaned over hiroan ‘You said we have twenty-two days tomy husband’s wishes’

She shts froainst each other

Leo sat on the terrace, looking out at theon the choppy waves of the bay Most of theirup for lost ti a call fro annoyed at the interruption, Leo had once again been impressed at how much his wife’s company relied on her

She ran Devlin Events like a well-oiled machine—just as he would expect But still her staff looked to her for guidance, and felt co so This was one of thesuccess Her employees were satisfied, and therefore so were her clients Add that to the fact that she was unbelievably talented and passionate, and it could only be a recipe for success

He watched her through the terrace doors as she booted up her tablet computer and wielded it like a clipboard She was tense, even after a night of being thoroughly made love to

Her revelation about her trips to the orphanage had confused him Dara had never shown any interest in children He had never even seen her speak to a child, not to o and visit one But recently he had begun to feel a distance between them They both had busy careers, but they usually made sure to keep time for each other

Leo stood, suddenly needing to walk He took the path down along the cliff-face—the saht of steps that led down to the old boathouse, re down the stone steps, furiously trying to hold in the tears and escape his night with a mentally ill mother had forced him to live in silence His formative years had been spent in isolation, and in fear of upsetting her with his mere presence

Those er held the same dark power over him—not since Dara had come into his life Now every time he walked down here he was reminded that he was happier than either of his parents had ever been

Right now, he was i He pushed the door open with a creak and ducked his head inside

A row of plastic boxes lined the floor—he had insulated the place last year, once they had decided to use it for storage rather than leave it to rot Flipping the lid of the box nearest the , Leo idly surveyed the contents A collection of coloured yo-yos lay inside, once his favourite boyhood hobby He picked up a red one and spun the yarn tightly between the circular wooden discs

He had spenthis skills and hoping for soht in his hand before letting it fall to the ground and bouncing it back up easily His tricks had been nuift from his father He kne that his father’s secretary had probably chosen it, but at the tie to impress the old man And, as he did with most tasks, he’d poured his heart and soul into it

In a way he was no different from the little boy who had captured his wife’s attention Leo ht not have been an orphan, but he knehat it meant to crave a connection He had that with Dara now—he felt the coood woether with his beautiful wife

SinceDara he had slowly lost interest in the party scene—except for when he opened up a new club As a bachelor, he had spent his leisure ti the fastest cars He’d had no difficulty living in hotels for months at a time He hadn’t knohat it meant to have a home

Dara had shown hiot the feeling that she felt their life was lacking so to Syracuse every chance she could get?

An i in her eyes when she spoke about the child there filled his ly clear that Dara had developed a newfound yearning forshe felt co an uncomfortable knot in his stomach

Leo ran a hand through his hair and threw the yo-yo back into the box He had never once questioned Dara’s steadfast opinion on family She had made it clear that she would never have children, and that had suited the he aspired to His own father had been a spectre in his life—one who had drifted in and out, leaving him uncertain and confused As an adult he had never once considered the idea of starting a family of his own