{Wattys Shortlist 2022}
A one night stand is turned inside out when two strangers discover their shared past.
After a skydiving excursion that ends in a whirlwind one night stand, Camilla writes off ever seeing her handsome instructor again. That...
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I awoke to the smell of coffee filtering into the small bedroom. I rolled onto my side to check the time.
Seven.
Wow. I almost couldn't remember what it was like to wake up this rested.
South eased open the bedroom door, and my mouth fell open. He looked like a damn snack.
Completely naked. No clothes at all.
The sight of all those tattoos and muscles made my cheeks flush with heat.
He flashed me a lopsided grin before pushing a cup of coffee and a bottle of water in my hand.
"I don't usually make coffee, so I hope it's drinkable."
I glanced down at the color and immediately knew there wasn't enough cream, but whatever. I was too distracted by his body to care what was inside the cup. He eased down onto the edge of the bed, shifting my feet into his lap.
"How'd you sleep?" I asked, while South absentmindedly ran his hand along my calf.
"Great. Which is crazy."
I gave him a quizzical look.
"Most nights, I don't sleep. And when I do, it's not for very long." He paused, taking a sip of water, then added, "It's like my body won't let me relax. I've been stuck on seek and destroy mode for the last nine months. I mean, I know all the calming techniques, I do the breathing or whatever, but my body doesn't give a shit. It's like my brain thinks..." his voice trailed off and my eyes fell to that chunky scar on his abdomen.
He was stuck on survival mode. Fight or flight. It reminded me so much of my list of fears.
Everything in life boiling down to learning how to live moment to moment.
I sat up, wanting to set my hand on his shoulder, but stopped. South didn't seem like the kind of guy who wanted to be coddled.
Then he looked at me, and I swore something inside my chest cracked open. Whether it was all the regrets hidden inside my heart spilling out, or the feeling that I wanted to wake up next him each morning just like this, I wasn't sure.
"Camilla, last night was the first night I was able to just... fall asleep."
I couldn't have looked away from South if I tried. "I know what you mean. I haven't slept well in ages, but last night... I did."
The silence that followed our confessions was only interrupted by the rocking of the boat and the creaking of the anchor chain.
Pieces of sleep-tousled hair had fallen in his pretty hazel eyes, and for the first time, I thought he looked truly vulnerable.
"What does that mean?" South asked. "Why is this so easy?"
