Chapter 43: And So It Begins

Chapter 43: And So It Begins

On the cab ride from the port back to the hotel, he could sense her tension, and he had some of his own. Before they could even think about moving forward, there was something he had to do.

"We're going out for dinner," he announced as they arrived back in their suite. "But first, there's something I need to show you."

He took her hand and led her to the couch where they sat. On the laptop, he cued up the footage of her from the Edinburgh airport. Softly, he said, "I shot this, and forgot about it, actually. But do you remember that night, the first night we made love? I came rushing back to the hotel?"

"When you acted like the hounds of hell were after you? I vaguely remember something like that," Bella answered with irony, aiming for confident and carefree but falling slightly short.

"I was afraid you'd see this and think I was some kind of perv. I wanted to be able to explain. But then you hadn't seen it, and we got sort of distracted, and…" He