His Unbearable Desire 1 (7 page)

The kiss kept going and going and when they broke away they were both smiling. They linked hands together and continued strolling along the boardwalk. Ana rested her head against his shoulder as they walked and sighed contentedly. No more words needed to be spoken. The kiss had told her everything she needed to know.

Chapter 7

The day had gone all too swiftly and Ana found herself in her room once again. After their stroll Glenn had to go and make an appearance with the rest of the wedding guests to speak of his well wishes. It had been hard to let him go again but they had exchanged numbers and planned to meet in Newtown soon.

It felt like her life was taking an exciting turn and she was glad she had decided to take the opportunity her aunt had given her. There was something about this lakeside retreat that had always been special to her, and as she thought about the future a possibility played on her mind; that it may not have been the last time she would visit the retreat. She still wanted to fulfil her dreams of one day finally sailing through the tunnel of love and finding out what was on the other side.

Colton had respected her wishes and she was grateful for that. He was kind in his own way, but he was also unpredictable. Glenn was dependable, but she did wonder whether he could ever make her feel as alive as Colton had. She leaned against her window and gazed out at the world, thinking about how good she had felt with Colton. And that was only with his hands! Goodness knows what he’d do to her with every other part of her body.

But no, she was going to see Glenn again. Glenn was good and sweet, and she knew she could rely on him. That was what she needed…wasn’t it?

Her heart was torn and her mind was no use in coming up with a solution. She still had more important things to think about than men, for she still had to sort out moving and everything associated with that, but for now all she could think about were Glenn and Colton. The two men of her dreams. Two sides of the same coin. So similar and yet so different, each offering something unique.

She had no idea how she was going to choose between them but she knew at some point she would have to. Still, at least it had showed her how good and different life could be and it only strengthened her resolve to leave Trinity Falls because she knew there was nothing back there for her. As far as she was concerned the only good things in her life had happened away from Trinity Falls and it was time for a new story to begin.

Outside, the guests started to leave. The bride and groom were first, running through a stream of confetti to the car. The sleek black vehicle drove away as they started their life together. Once they were gone everyone else started to say their goodbyes and slowly moved off in small fragmented groups. The weekend was coming to a close and none of the guests realized it but it had been just as important for Ana as it had been for the happy couple. She continued watching them and saw Glenn being gregarious, talking and laughing with people she didn’t know.

It would be nice to be the woman on his arm, she thought, and smiled as she watched him get into a car with a few other people. She knew she would see him soon but it was still strange to watch him drive away like that. Slowly but surely the field emptied until there were just a few cars left. Aside from everyone, lurking on the outskirts of the party, was Colton. Ana’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him striding through the remaining guests.

He looked unkempt again and he was scowling. The few people that were left tried to talk to him but he ignored them. He was dangerous and brash, and when he got into his sports car it roared away, disturbing the peace. Ana knew he was bad news but there was something about him that was irresistible. As excited as she was about seeing Glenn again she knew that at some point she
had
to seek out Colton.

Her body tingled just thinking about him and she couldn’t ignore that. His car disappeared behind the trees and Ana was left staring out at the woods. There weren’t any pixies or fairies there like her aunt had once said, but there was definitely some magic in the area, and Ana just hoped that it would last until she got to Newtown.

Chapter 8

Ana drove back home, skin still flushed from thinking about her weekend. The wedding party had all gone and she had managed to patch things up with her aunt.

“It’s not that I don’t want you to be happy…” her Aunt Rose had said before Ana had departed for home, “…it’s just that I know what these types are like. I’ve been in this business for a long time and you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve seen the same thing happen. These billionaires come to these parties, get drunk, and think of it as a weekend where anything goes. I know you’re an adult now and you are quite capable of making your own decisions…” she held up her hands as she said this, “…but you are still my niece and the closest thing I have for a daughter, so I feel like I have to watch out for you.”

Ana had immediately given her aunt a hug and lost herself in the soft, familiar scent of the woman’s perfume. Ana had never been especially close to her parents but her aunt had been different, and she felt an overwhelming surge of emotion when her aunt had told her that she was like a daughter to her. Her aunt had never had any children of her own and this meant that she and Ana had a special bond.

Even though Rose seemed happy enough, Ana always felt a little sorry because she knew that she would have made a great mom. She also wondered whether she could live a life like her aunt, and pour her heart and soul into her business. The way things were going it seemed to be that way. After all Evan had broken up with her for precisely that reason but Ana knew it was only a matter of time. Once she got established in Newtown she would be able to focus on things other than her business because deep down she did want the fairytale ending; a house filled with happy children and a loving husband.

As Rose expressed her concerns to Ana the younger woman thought about it and wanted to assure her aunt that the two men weren’t like that, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to convince Rose. Now that she was back in Trinity Falls, Ana was missing the two men dearly, and although she had only been gone for a few days it felt as though she had been gone for a lifetime. The small town seemed even smaller and the world outside seemed much bigger, for new possibilities had been opened to her.

She sighed when she returned to her small apartment and looked out the window, disappointed to not see the shady green glade that surrounded the wedding lodge. She wondered if the weekend had just been a magical product of the universe coming together for the fleetest of moments, or whether it would lead to more.

She flicked through her cell and looked at Glenn’s number, which glowed in the soft electric light of the cell phone. Ana rolled her lower lip under her teeth as she thought about the time they had spent together. She was tempted to call him right then but she didn’t want to appear too eager.

She took a deep breath and collapsed on the sofa, letting the events of the weekend ease out of her aching limbs. She smiled as thoughts of Glenn played over her mind, but then the smile vanished as images of Colton barreled through, and the intense desire, the animalistic passion swelled up within her once more leaving her gasping.

Beads of sweat had formed on her temples as well and she shook her head, trying not to get lost in those fantasies. She moved to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water as she leaned against the sink. It was funny to think that soon enough this place wouldn’t be home anymore. She had spent so much time here, and this was really where her business had flourished. But it was time for a new chapter in her life and she was excited to finally leave Trinity Falls and head off to Newtown, although there was still much work to be done on that front.

She glanced idly at a paper nearby, and a story about bear activity caught her attention. She chuckled to herself because she couldn’t imagine wild bears roaming the countryside nearby. She suspected that it was just the product of peoples’ overactive imaginations. The article was accompanied by a blurry picture, and as Ana peered more closely, she could almost make out the vague form of a bear, and as she did so a deep fear took hold of her soul. She laughed nervously again, and pushed the paper away, for the thought of mysterious wild animals lurking in the outskirts of town frightened her.

She did have mixed feelings about leaving. Trinity Falls had been her home for a long time and although she was excited it was a difficult thing to leave one’s place of birth, even though the happiest moments of her life had happened away from that small town. She supposed that was only natural though, and tried not to let it tinge her hopes with a bittersweet melancholy.

The clouds outside were pregnant with rain and the whole day had a gloomy feel about it, like there was a storm coming. The temperature was high and humid, but she kept the windows firmly shut to not let the stuffy air in. As she ruminated about the two new men in her life her phone buzzed. Her heart leapt with excitement as she thought it might be Glenn, and although the smile flickered when she saw who it really was, it did not disappear entirely for it was her best friend, Angelica.

“What the hell? Are you back in the country?” she said in disbelief.

“Not just in the country, I’m in Trinity Falls! I got back this weekend, just been catching up with family and things. I did shoot you a message but I guess you must have been ignoring me.”

“Oh, I’ve been up at my Aunt’s lodge working on a wedding, the signal is pretty bad up there so it must have been lost in the ether. I just got home myself, want to come by?”

Angelica agreed and Ana excitedly prepared some hot chocolate and biscuits. Angelica didn’t live far. The two of them had been friends ever since school and aside from a period through college where they had lost contact, they had remained firm friends. After Ana had returned from college she reconnected with Angelica and the two of them were like partners in crime, up until Angelica had left on her travels.

Ana hadn’t expected her to be back for a while yet so she was eager to catch up on the gossip, and to tell Angelica all about the latest developments in her life. As soon as the bell rang Ana leapt up excitedly and welcomed her friend with open arms. Both of them had similar physiques and on more than one occasion they had been mistaken for sisters. But where Ana had long dark hair, Angelica went for a brighter look. The last time Ana had seen her Angelica had blonde hair, but now she had added blue and purple streaks to that, creating an almost rainbow effect. There was also a new piercing in her nose.

“I’m liking this new look,” Ana said, lightly brushing her friend’s hair with her fingers.

“Thank you! It’s just something I picked up along the way. That’s not all,” she said, and promptly pulled down her pants to reveal her waist, in order to show Ana her new tattoo.

“What is that?” Ana asked as she squinted to try and make out a recognizable pattern, although all she saw were squiggles and lines.

“It’s Celtic for love,” she said, and then added, “it’s a language they used to speak in Scotland and Ireland, well, some people still speak it now but it’s not that common,” after seeing the puzzled look on Ana’s face.

“It looks great, I can’t wait to hear about your travels!” she said, using all her willpower to stop her own news from bursting out. The two voluptuous women sat down on the sofa and curled their legs up so that they could face each other. They sipped their steaming cups of cocoa and nibbled on biscuits as Angelica launched into her tale.

“Well, I’m not sure I can tell you everything because there’s so much, but I had the time of my life. I mean, you remember how nervous I was when I was planning the trip and when I got to the airport I almost turned around and came home, but by then it was too late and I just had to go for it. I’m glad I did. It was hard at first because I was in this country of strangers, but traveling was just brilliant and I got in the swing of things. There’s something about walking around streets when you don’t know the city or anyone in it. It’s almost like anything can happen and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Soon I made some friends. There were a lot of people traveling too, and they stayed in the same hotel. I went to Madrid first and started to hang around with a bunch of Australians, and damn they can party
hard
. I drank so much I thought I was going to go blind! I tagged along with them for a while and we went across Europe. I saw so much it was unbelievable.”

“What was your favorite city?” Ana asked, interrupting the conversation a little bit to allow Angelica to take a gulp of her drink. After swallowing Angelica licked her full lips and arched her eyebrows as she tried to think.

“Madrid was beautiful, and London was really fun because, well it was full of English guys and you know how much I love that accent.”

“Don’t we all!” Ana said, and the two girls giggled.

“But I think my favorite was Berlin. There’s so much history there, and yet you can see they’re trying to move forward as well, so there’s this contrast between the past and the future.”

“There must be a lot to do with the war?”

“Yes, and some of it is haunting but it’s also informative, but there’s so much about Germany that I just never knew. That place has a fascination with bears as well. I never did find out why, but all through the city there are these six foot statues of bears, all with different patterns and colors. There’s even a checklist you can do to make sure you get them all, but I never completed it.”

“That’s an odd thing,” Ana said, and she didn’t give it another thought.

“Europe is a very spiritual place. Everywhere I went I had this incredible feeling of spirituality running through me. I never thought of myself as spiritual but being surrounded by so much history gave me a greater sense of the universe and my place within it.”

“It sounds like you had a transformative experience.”

“I really did. I met a mystic and they said that everyone has a totem animal, and these animals are tied somehow into your life. I know it sounds strange, but he took me on a vision quest and showed me things…truths about myself that I never knew before.”

Ana looked at her friend skeptically, not sure she believed in this paranormal experience, although Angelica seemed enthusiastic about it. Ana couldn’t help but think there must have been some sort of drugs involved, because although she considered herself to have an open mind she also knew how manipulative and deceitful people could be.

“You should really do one for yourself if you get a chance. It was really creepy at first but afterwards I felt like a new person. I had a lot of fun there too, in the city I mean, and I’d love to go back there again. In all honesty I loved every place I went to. I wandered a hiking trail in Sweden that wound through these gorgeous mountains and it felt like I just left the world behind.

On that one I was glad to be alone for a while because it gave me a chance to really think about my life, and for a while it felt like I was the only person left alive. It’s a strange feeling and I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, but have you ever had a time when you feel like the secrets of the universe are at the tips of your fingers and all you have to do is reach a little further than you ever have done before and they’ll be within your grasp?”

Ana looked nonplussed, “I can’t say that I have,” she said, and for the first time she noticed that her friend had a new look in her eyes. Angelica had always been the free-spirited sort; the life of the party and a friendly smile at the ready, and she had never seemed to let life get to her unlike Ana, who in her teenage years had been plagued by self-doubt. Now there was something more serious in Angelica’s eyes, as if she had gained a deeper understanding of the universe.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d never have thought I’d hear you say something like that.” Angelica slapped her playfully and the two of them laughed again. Angelica shook her head to fling her hair away from her face.

“I know right! I was surprised myself but being away from home and on my own for that long really showed me what the world was all about.”

“And what conclusion did you come to?”

Angelica took a deep breath and her eyes fell downwards. Her tone became slightly heavier and more serious.

“I always used to think that I needed a lot of money to be happy. I wanted a good job, a nice house, and a big car, and I thought that once I traveled that would be it. I’d then settle down and start my life properly but now…I’m not sure. I realized that life is whatever you make it. All those things aren’t going to make me happy. Happiness is a choice you make and it’s possible to be happy without going down the ‘normal’ path. I think I just wanted that because that’s what was expected of me, that’s what feels normal when you look at everyone around you but now I’m actually an adult I see that there are no rules.” She sighed.