AFTER THE RAIN (Bonus edition)

25. It reminds me of Chinese new year

There was something so pure and innocent about her. Child-like, even. The way she laughed out loudly and played with the sand. The way she looked at things like she was looking at it all for the first time ever. She was like a child at Christmas, opening a brand new shiny toy. Ripping open the wrapping with excitement. It was such an endearing quality; it was the quality that he liked most about her.

The problem was, Marcus was starting to like everything about her. She was a perfect balance of sweet and naughty. The thing that had happened in the helicopter...there were almost no words to describe it. To describe how erotic and raw it had been, yet intimate as well, in some strange way, even though there had been a complete stranger only a few feet away. Because he knew now, from the expression on her face as she smiled up at him, that he wasn't some pervert who'd taken advantage of her close proximity during the helicopter ride. She'd responded to the closeness of his body as he'd responded to hers; she'd craved that intimacy as much as he had.

Her smile seemed to light up the world around her. Her hair made everything bright and colorful. She literally was like a rainbow after a storm.

She was all of those things and more. On top of all that, the thing that most people probably overlooked was her intelligence. Her fiery personality, her sense of self-sufficiency. She didn't rely on others for anything, and she gave Marcus a run for his money. She was passionate about what she did and what she believed in. Okay, so maybe he didn't believe in the power of Tarot cards and ancient aliens, but he admired her conviction. Despite her size and appearance, she was probably one of the strongest women he'd ever met.

Perhaps she'd had to be, because of the tough life she'd led. It killed him to think of her like that. No family to support her and care for her – not unlike him in a way, of course, but he'd never wanted for money and material things. He'd never needed to barter for goods because he had no money, or take dangerous taxis around town or worse, walk. He hated that she had to do those things. Because she deserved it all. She deserved everything. And fuck, he wanted to give it to her.

He couldn't say how it had happened – it was total madness and completely illogical and against everything he wanted or believed in or planned for – but he wanted her. He wanted her in other ways; not to fuck her against a car, or date her for only six weeks. It was bigger than that.

Perhaps many would say 'rebound', and believe that this was just some mad fling he needed to get over Emily. But it wasn't. He was sure of that – he'd never felt like this before about anyone, and it frightened him. It amazed him and terrified him all at once. But he also knew that he was the one who was bound to get his heart crushed and broken, in exactly six weeks' time. He knew that if he let his feelings run away with him and he acted on them, he was going to end up being the sucker...

But maybe it was worth it. It certainly felt like it might be. Were a few moments with Stormy better than nothing at all?

He couldn't take his eyes off her now as they walked to their rooms. The receptionist had given them the keys and his heart had almost fallen out of his chest when he noticed that their rooms were right next door to each other. He was so tempted to slip the receptionist some money and whisper, "pretend you only have one room left"... but he hadn't.

And he was so reluctant to say goodbye to her when they both slipped their keys into the locks. His mind was drawing a blank as he scrambled to think of something to say to make her stay. To make her not close that door behind her...