Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Perhaps Hannah’s had some luck. I’ll give her a call,” she said, pulling out her phone just as a dower faced security guard approached us. An elderly man and woman were with him, and it almost appeared as though they were being escorted off the premises.
“Oh my goodness, there you both are!” Ada exclaimed with relief.
“These two with you?” the security guard asked gruffly.
“Yes, thank you so much for—” Ada began, but he cut her off.
“Keep them out of the building. They aren’t allowed back inside.”
Ada blinked. “Pardon?”
“They were pestering the hotel receptionist about renting out a room by the hour,” the security guard went on. “Wouldn’t take no for answer. This is a five-star establishment. Not some seedy roadside B&B.”
With that, he left, and I struggled to keep my amusement at bay. It was fairly obvious why they wanted a room for only an hour, but it appeared the penny hadn’t dropped for Ada yet.
“Why on earth were you two trying to rent out a room?” she asked, peering between the two of them.
“Why do you think?” the woman, Philomena, responded with sass as she folded her arms. The man next to her, Archie, looked shamefaced.
Ada frowned, then realisation dawned as she huffed a tut. “Bloody hell. You’re like a pair of teenagers.”
“What? Archie just had his new hip done a few months ago. He’s been wanting to put it to the test,” Philomena retorted, and I swore Archie was going to pass out from sheer mortification.
“Phil,” he muttered. “There’s no need to tell them that.”
“It’s the truth, isn’t it?” she challenged.
“Right, that’s it. Back to the bus the two of you,” Ada said. “You can eat your lunch there since it seems you have no interest in seeing the waterfall anyway.”
“Doesn’t bother me,” Philomena sassed once again, and Ada just shook her head.
I could tell by the set of her shoulders that she found the encounter amusing, but she had to be the strict authoritarian right then. She made a quick call to Hannah to let her know they’d been found, and I heard the woman give a hoot of relief on the other end of the call. When we reached the bus, the driver was sitting up front reading a newspaper and sipping from a takeaway coffee cup.
“These two are going to eat their lunch aboard if that’s okay?” Ada said, and the driver nodded. “Sure, so long as they don’t make a mess.”
“They won’t.”
I climbed aboard with them while Ada escorted Philomena and Archie farther down the aisle. She grabbed a large container and opened it to remove two sandwiches, some juice and little wrapped buns. Once she handed each of them their food, she returned to the front of the bus holding two more sandwiches, two juices and two buns.
“Hungry?” she asked as she slid into the seat next to me. The warmth of her thigh met the side of mine, her arm brushing me as she passed me a sandwich.
“Yes, thank you. All that searching has given me an appetite,” I said, my lips twitching in amusement.
“Don’t,” she warned. “Do not make a joke.”
“What? It’s funny.” I shook my head, grinning as I continued quietly, “Looking to rent a room out by the hour. They could’ve at least sprung for the full night. Couple of randy cheapskates.”
“I’m sure the poor receptionist was thoroughly appalled,” Ada added, just as quietly, her shoulders shaking with mirth.
“It’s a pity, though. Poor Archie never got the chance to test out that hip.”
At this, she turned and put her hand over my mouth as she tried to hold in her laughter. “Stop. I can’t.”
My chuckling was muffled by her hand as her quiet giggles took over. I reached up, gently removing her fingers from my mouth as I gazed at her tenderly, “I love your smile.”
Her breath caught, and the atmosphere changed. A heavy tension fell between us, but it wasn’t unpleasant. The memory of my declaration from earlier shone in her eyes, and it was a sight to behold. Ada was impossibly beautiful on an ordinary day, but today, with her wrapped up in the knowledge that I was in love with her, she was positively radiant.
“It’s terrifying, isn’t it,” she said at last, and I realised I was absentmindedly stroking the inside of her wrist.
“What is, baby?” I whispered low.
“Being in love,” she answered, and my pulse pounded. Was she …? Did she mean …?
“Ada,” I rumbled, my grip on her tightening. “Say it.”
“S-say what?”
“The terrifying thing.”
She blinked, a tear rolling down her cheek that I instantly reached out to wipe away. Inhaling sharply at my tender touch, she finally admitted, “I love you, Jonathan Oaks.”
26.
Ada
I was floating on a cloud of joy. Was this true happiness? It certainly felt that way. I barely knew what I was doing when my lips found Jonathan’s, and I kissed him softly. He cupped my jaw, his tongue sliding along mine as he deepened the kiss, drinking me in. Tingles encapsulated my entire body as a rush of heat spooled between my thighs.