Impact (The Fight for Life #2) (13 page)

“What?” Leo poked me in the side. “What the hell are you laughing at?” He pulled my hands away from my face and held them down.

I bit my bottom lip. “I really liked punching that guy.”

Leo flopped down on his back next to me. “Oh God, Jules.” He laughed a little. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Stay with me.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I gave them any conscious thought.

“Always,” Leo whispered.

We were both quiet for a few minutes.

“How did it go at your parents?” Leo asked, yawning and clearly struggling to keep his eyes open. “The normal kind of crazy?”

“Dad told me about the night you confronted Dick.”

He glanced at me with a concerned expression. “I didn’t want to worry you and I took care of it.”

“You should’ve told me, you know.”

“There’s a lot of things I should’ve done differently, but that’s all in the past now, so—”

I cut him off. “You told me you loved me. Then the next morning you broke my heart.” My eyes filled with tears. “I know I jumped to conclusions and I have to own that, but you should’ve told me what happened.”

He was lying on his back, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. “It was a fucking mess.” He removed his hands and turned on his side to face me. “My only goal was to keep you safe, so I won’t apologise for that. I had to give your dad a few days to ensure your mother’s threats were empty.”

“Information you could’ve shared, Leo.”

“Jules.” He sat up and rested his back on the headboard. “I had just had a gun in my face, thanks to your mother, with a message to stay away from you or you’d be hurt or worse.” He winced. “Forgive me for not thinking clearly.”

“No more secrets. Okay? My mother might’ve been the villain in all of this, but you broke us. I trusted you and you took that away too.”

“I know, baby. It kills me to think you left feeling that way. It killed me that you left at all, but I did what I thought was right at the time, and protecting you will always be my number one priority.”

It wasn’t lost on me that neither one of us had said ‘I love you’ since I’d been back. There was no doubt our connection was still there, and I did love him. I was confident he loved me too, but a part of me didn’t want to hear those words again for a while. That part of me was still a little broken.

I could barely keep my eyes open. It was after midnight and it had been a marathon weekend. We had a lot to talk about, but sleep soon dragged us both into its clutches.

“Do you have to go?” Leo asked after we’d made love the next morning. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine.” I yawned, giving away my lie. “I’ve only been back a week. It’s poor form if I take a day off so soon, don’t you think?”

Leo pulled me to him. “I just want to keep you all to myself.”

“So what are you going to do today?” I asked as I buttoned up a sleeveless cream blouse and tucked it into a black pencil skirt.

I sat down on the bed next to him to put on my favourite Bally heels.

“I’m going out to Lilydale to talk to Nick,” he replied. “He wants to train me again and he’s offered me a job.”

I dropped my second shoe to the floor, a little shocked, mildly unnerved, but mostly excited for him. “Really? Are you considering it?” I asked.

He nodded. “I think I am. I might do some work at the farm today too, but I’ll be back this evening.”

“Well I think that sounds amazing. I can’t wait to hear all about it after work.” I kissed him goodbye and left for work with a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Was I worried he was going to leave me behind this time?

As I walked across the footbridge, I couldn’t help reminiscing about the love locks that used to hang there by the thousand. My body visibly shuddered as I remembered my ex- boyfriend, Richard, presenting me with one, engraved with our initials. I’d known at the time our love hadn’t just been breakable; it had been a complete farce. Council workers had done me a favour when they’d taken to the padlocks with bolt cutters a short time later. My mother had taken metaphorical bolt cutters to Leo and my relationship, but ultimately they were rendered useless. I just hoped we could move forward now and no one else was going to get in our way.

When I got to work, I shuffled through the endless paperwork piled up on my desk. Since I’d returned from my travels, I found myself questioning more and more what I was doing there.

Heath walked past my desk on his way back from the morning meeting with his phone to his ear, not even acknowledging me with a smile or a wave. I was invisible. I was also replaceable. The temp who had filled in for me while I had been away had left things a little more disorganised than I’d kept them, but life had gone on. Heath was certainly happy I was back, but only because he knew I made his life easier than he deserved. I was in no way key to his success, and he wouldn’t blink if I resigned. It was depressing. I slumped over my desk, resting my head on my crossed arms, but was jolted upright almost immediately by the phone ringing.

“Juliette Salinger. How can I help you?” I answered robotically.

“Jules.”

I closed my eyes when I heard Charlie’s voice. “Charlie.”

“It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Yours too,” I said honestly.

“Do you have lunch plans?” he asked.

“I… um…”

“Come on, Jules.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and glanced around the office, not really knowing why.

“Are you there?”

“Why didn’t you warn me you were coming to Melbourne?”

“It was a spontaneous business trip and I thought I’d surprise you.”

I felt immediately remorseful for arrogantly assuming he’d come all the way to Melbourne to chase me. “Right. Okay.”

“So will you have lunch with me?”

I exhaled. “Yes. I’ll have lunch with you, Charlie.”

I agreed to meet him at my favourite café, McQuillens, and as I turned the corner, I could see him standing outside waiting for me. He was looking sharp in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, white shirt and dark silver tie. I’d only ever seen him in casual attire on our travels, so I was a little taken aback by the corporate Charlie. He looked damn good, I had to admit to myself. As I got closer, he turned and our eyes met. His shoulders dropped with what looked like relief, and he closed the distance between us in a few quick strides, enveloping me in a hug so full of emotion it made me want to cry. It brought back the wonderful memories I’d made with him, but also the guilt and heartache I’d felt whenever I’d thought about Leo.

Two months earlier

Standing in line outside The Book of Kells on Dublin’s Trinity College campus, I felt my whole body relax. I closed my eyes and revelled in the fact I was about to be in the presence of books dating back thousands of years. I enjoyed the feeling of infinite insignificance. My dramas were a blip in the overall scheme of things.

“I really don’t think I can face going in.” Sia sounded sheepish. “It’s just a crap load of old books.”

I laughed. “No one’s holding a gun to your head, my friend.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Course not.” She kept glancing over my shoulder, which I found disconcerting. I glanced over my shoulder to the line of people behind me. “What are you looking at?”

“Not what. Who?” Her wide eyes were trying to tell me something. “There are two guys further back in the line and they are hot with a capital H.” She scrunched up her face. “Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

“No way.” I glanced back and locked eyes with a man who made me catch my breath. When he smiled, I turned back quickly. Sia was waving to him and dragging me out of the line.

“I know you from somewhere,” Sia stated unashamedly to the men who looked like they’d stepped off the pages of a glossy magazine. They both had a rugged charm most women would find very appealing.

Both guys stared at Sia then looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders. “Well, you’re clearly Australian, so I’m thinking that has something to do with it,” he said in an Australian accent, holding out his hand. “I’m Charlie and this is my brother, Matt.”

“Sia,” Sia mumbled, shaking Charlie’s hand but looking at Matt. I was left standing there feeling a little awkward.

“And you are?” Charlie asked, looking directly at me, a warm smile lighting up his handsome face.

“Juliette.” I took his outstretched hand and shook it, feeling he held on to my hand a few seconds too long.

“That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

I cringed. Was he flirting with me? Did I like him flirting with me? “Thank you?” It came out more like a question, thanks to my internal debate on how I felt about the situation.

He smiled again. It was a really cute smile. Charlie wasn’t nearly as muscular as Leo, but not many guys were and he was still in great shape. His hair was longer and lighter brown, but he had similar clear blue eyes and a strong jawline that would turn the heads of most women. I needed to stop comparing every single detail of his appearance to Leo, but he reminded me so much of the man who’d broken my heart, and it scared the shit out of me.

He was motioning over my shoulder and I looked at him questioningly, unsure what the problem was.

“We’re up,” he said, gesturing to the big gap that had opened up ahead of us.

“Oh. Right.” I shuffled forward quickly.

“You from Sydney?” Charlie asked in a broad Australian accent.

It was surprising to me how obvious the Australian accent is when you’re out of Australia. When you’re at home, it’s just how everyone sounds. “Melbourne, actually.”

“Ahh. A Mexican.”

I had no idea what he meant by that and my expression must’ve told him so.

“Victoria. South of the border.”

“Well, I do love Mexican food.”

Charlie laughed and I couldn’t help smiling. He was so laid back, and I needed a good dose of that. I couldn’t help but notice he was in great shape. His loose white t-shirt still gripped his defined biceps. Flashes of Leo caused me to close my eyes briefly from the pain. I opened them again quickly, determined to push those to the back of my mind.

“So are you travelling or working over here?” I asked. Small talk wouldn’t kill me.

“Matt and I work half the year in London and half in Sydney.”

We were almost at the door. “So, Sia. Have you changed your mind?” I could see as clear as day that she had taken a shine to Matt, so I thought I’d have some fun with her. “Weren’t you just telling me it’s just a crap load of old books?”

Sia gave me a mock glare. “I might’ve said that.”

“Well, thank God.” Matt laughed, looking directly at Sia, who he was clearly interested in too. “Guinness factory tour?”

“Totally.” Sia bounced on the spot, delighted. She turned to Charlie and me. “You two bookworms okay together?” Then she stepped forward and whispered in my ear. “Rule Number One: have some fun.”

“Go away.” I pushed her lightly on the shoulder and shook my head, chuckling. “I’ll see you later.”

“
Oliver St. John Gogarty
. Three o’clock?” Matt suggested.

“Done.”

Matt and Sia disappeared in what seemed like a puff of smoke, leaving me standing there with a virtual stranger. An extremely good-looking stranger.

Throats being cleared alerted us to the fact that it was my turn to pay. I dashed forward to buy my ticket.

Clutching the brochures, I glanced over to my new friend, who was still busy paying. I felt awkward waiting, but rude walking away without at least a wave. Charlie glanced up just as I was about to look away and held up one finger, indicating I should wait. What harm would it do to make a new friend? He seemed harmless enough.

I shifted from one foot to the other and stared down at my white converse, which had seen better days.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Of course not. I mean. Sure. Why not?” I bit my lip, wondering why I felt so nervous around him. “Is this your first time?”

“Nope. I come here every time I visit my grandparents. This is my fifth.”

“Wow.”

“I’m guessing you’re a virgin.”

An instant blush heated my cheeks. “Excuse me?”

“A Book of Kells virgin.” He smirked and started walking towards the first room.

“Oh right. Yes. I knew what you meant,” I called after him, but didn’t hurry to keep up.

We walked into a dark room with various display cabinets around the edges and one large display case in the centre. I made my way to the first cabinet where a video was playing. I was fixated immediately. It was showing the early method of binding books. I felt almost teary watching the craftsmanship that went into it and was horrified that my brain immediately went back to Leo’s farmhouse and the time and care that had gone into its construction. There was something about traditional methods that created art rather than just function.

“Pretty impressive, huh?” Charlie sidled up to me to watch the screen with what seemed like equal admiration. “I’ve watched it so many times, but am blown away every single time.”

I looked up at his side profile and wished I could be excited to meet someone gorgeous with similar interests to mine. I just felt like I was cheating, which was completely crazy. Regardless of the circumstances, Leo had pushed me away and I needed this opportunity to spread my wings.

When we’d seen all the cabinets, Charlie led me to the centre display case to see the main event: The Book of Kells.

“So is seeing this a bucket list item for you?” he asked.

“It is.” Tears pricked my eyes as I stared at the Book containing, amongst other things, four Gospels in Latin based on Vulgate text completed in 384AD and written on prepared calfskin. (I read that on the plaque. I wasn’t that much of a book nerd.) It was overwhelming to see it in person. “My dad loves books. I guess I inherited that from him.” I attempted to casually wipe my eyes to ensure no tears escaped. I’d only just met this guy, and he didn’t need to know my big sob story. “He has an incredible collection of books at his house and has visited many of the world’s finest libraries. He told me about The Book of Kells when I was quite young. I guess deep down I always hoped I would see it, but this is the first time I’ve left Australia.”