3 BOOK BUNDLE "Her Last Love Affair", "Her Last Love Affair: Breathing Without You" AND "Her Last Love Affair: The Final Journey" (19 page)

“Right now,” he sighed serenely,
“we’re going to love each other. We can worry about the rest tomorrow.” With
that, he captured her mouth in a sweet, calm and tender kiss.

by

Clara James

Copyright
© 2013 by Clara James

This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons,
living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.

Her Last Love Affair III: The Final
Journey

All rights reserved.

This book is protected under the
copyright laws of the United States of America.
No part
of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording and faxing,
or by any information storage and retrieval system by anyone but the purchaser
for their own personal use.

This Book may not be reproduced in
any form without the express written permission of Clara James, except in the
case of a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages for the sake of a review
written for inclusions in a magazine, newspaper, or journal—and these cases
require written approval from Clara James prior to publication. Any
reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is
prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

A
llie McLaren thought she had everything
she wanted: a successful career.  However, at just thirty-one, she learns that
she has a severe form of leukemia. Unwilling to put herself through what will
likely be fruitless, and certainly unpleasant, radiotherapy. She determines to
live the rest of her life with a much more cavalier attitude than she had up
until that point.

Seeking out old boyfriends
and other male acquaintances, she set about making up for lost time by engaging
in a string of purely physical flings. However, her quest for sexual freedom
hit a bump in the road when she hooked up with her first love, Reece. Unable to
simply engage in a one night stand with him, she finds herself having a
quasi-relationship, which she knows is becoming harder to break with each
passing day.

Eventually, Allie feels she
has no option but to tell him the truth about her condition. Shortly after she
does, she loses consciousness and awakes in a hospital bed. The news is bad:
her cancer is progressing faster than initially anticipated. She’s given just
months to live.

Allie doesn’t want to hurt
Reece, so feels she has to let him go. When he argues, she tells him about her
plan to make up for the sexual experiences she missed as a younger woman, and
that she wishes to continue with that while she still has the chance. Hurt,
Reece reluctantly accepts Allie’s decision and walks away.

However, he can’t stay away
for long and is soon making efforts to contact her. Allie, on the other hand,
is trying to block him from her thoughts, but her mind is constantly drifting
to him; even when she’s with other men. After a night with a fellow reporter
she met at a press conference, she arrives home to find a tipsy Reece at her
front door.

He tells her that he loves
her and wants to be with her, no matter what. She’s less sure and she’s
unwilling to put him through a couple of months of happiness only for him to
have to watch her slowly slip away. Reece, however, is determined not to let
the matter drop this time. Eventually, unable to resists her feelings, she
agrees that she wants to spend the time she has left with him and him alone.
However, they are both very aware that their happily ever after won’t last
long...

What Next

T
he sun dappled through the gap in the curtain and
Allie watched it dance across the carpet by the side of her bed. She was
transfixed by the movement of light and sighed deeply as she grasped the hand
that was held at her waist.

A low, semi-conscious moan vibrated through the chest that
was held against her back. “You okay?” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

“Hmm,” she replied lazily, tipping her face over her
shoulder. She blinked at his exhausted face. His eyes were struggling to focus
on her and his chin was covered in a light layer of stubble. His dark hair was
a mess; some at the back sticking up at an awkward angle. And he was still
wearing the shirt he’d worn the night before. Nevertheless, Allie didn’t think
she’d ever woken up to a more wonderful sight. “Hey you,” she smiled.

“Hi,” he replied, lifting his free hand and rubbing the heel
against his right eye. “You sleep okay?” he managed to ask around a muffled
yawn.

“Wonderfully,” she replied. “You?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, his lips drawing up into a smile. “Pretty
good.”

“I was worried that last night was a dream,” she added, with
a light chuckle.

“Nope,” he tells her, shaking his head without lifting it
from the pillow. “Definitely not a dream, because I’ve got a shocking
headache.”

An explosion of laughter was not held back by Allie, as she
turned her whole body toward Reece and snuggled closer to him. Burying her
cheek against the soft cotton covering his chest, she draped an arm around his
waist. Her giggles subsided, as she felt the reassuring thud, thud, thud of his
heart. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” she asked, not looking up at
him.

“I know I was a little drunk,” he began, the smile in his
voice evident without having to see his face. “But I’m pretty sure we went over
that last night.”

“We did,” she agreed, still keeping her face nestled against
the firm, reassuringly solid, muscles of his chest. “But, I just wanted to make
absolutely sure.”

“Listen,” he sighed, pulling back so he could hold her at
arm’s length. “I meant every word I said,” he whispered, looking deep into her
eyes in an effort to express his sincerity. “I realize it’s not going to be
easy, but as long as we’re together...” he sucked in a breath, seeming to have
second thoughts about whatever had been about to come out of his mouth. “Look,”
he smiled, changing tack. “I just want to be with you.”

“I know,” Allie nodded, tears beginning to form in her lower
lids. “I just wish it could be for longer,” she admitted, as a single droplet
zigzagged its way over her cheekbone.

Reece quickly stopped the tear in its tracks, wiping it away
with the pad of his thumb. “We’ve got all the time in the world,” he murmured,
still beaming broadly at her. “Well, all the time that matters anyway.” Gently,
he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in an all too brief kiss. “You
wanted to make up for lost time, right?” he urged, tapping his sock-covered
foot against her bare toes.

She silently nodded, regarding him quizzically.

“Well, we’ll do it,” he stated adamantly. “All of the things
you ever wanted to do; we’ll do them.” Excitedly, he pulled away from her and
jumped out of bed. A pained expression crossed his features momentarily, and he
gripped his forehead with his right palm, regretting the speed of his movement.
However, he brushed it aside quickly. “Where do you wanna go?” he asked,
striding to the foot of the bed and resting his hand on the frame. “What do you
want to do?”

Much more slowly than Reece had done, Allie eased herself
into an upright position and shuffled backwards until she was propped up on the
headboard. “What are you talking about?” she asked, shaking her head in
amusement.

“Anything you want,” he insisted, running his free hand
through his sleep-tussled hair. “Everything you’ve ever wanted. Just say the
word.”

“You can’t be serious,” she smiled, her head still swaying
incredulously from left to right.

“Of course I’m serious,” he grinned. “I want to make all of
your dreams come true.”

“And what if my dreams involve...” she hesitated, trying to
think of something suitably extravagant. “A private jet or a luxury yacht.”

Reece’s eyebrows shot upwards, “Well,” he hedged, cocking
his head to one side. “There might be something we can work out,” he suggested,
smiling mischievously and wiggling his brows. “But those aren’t really the kind
of things you’ve always dreamed of, are they?” he added, eyeing her warily.

With a lazy half-smile, Allie shook her head.

“Hmm,” he nodded. “So, come on. There must be a whole bunch
of things you’ve always wanted to do. Disney World?” he asked, grinning.

Allie pulled a face at the suggestion, which turned his
smile into a full-blown laugh.

“Then, what?” he sighed, exasperated.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged.

“When you were a little girl, what did you want most in the
world?” he probed, his voice still excitably trying to coax the same enthusiasm
for the subject out of her.

“A Pulitzer,” she said in all seriousness.

“Okay,” he conceded, his smile fading slightly. “Well, if
you could wish for something now, what would it be?”

“I’d wish that I wasn’t dying,” she replied somberly.

Reece’s face fell, and his hands flopped uselessly by his
sides as he realized it really was that simple. There was only one thing that
Allie wanted and it was the only thing he could not give her. “I’m sorry,” he
mumbled, dipping his eyes to the floor while he wandered around to her side of
the bed. Perching his butt on the mattress, he turned to her. “You know, if
there was anything I could do,” he said. “I would give anything,” he added,
stressing the final word.

“I know,” she quickly replied, trying to brush away the
melancholic atmosphere that had descended between them with a dismissive flick
of her hand. “I’m sorry for bringing it up,” she apologized, shaking her head.

“Don’t be,” he insisted. “I just...” he began, before
sighing frustratedly. “I want to do something for you.”

“You are doing something for me,” she smiled, reaching
forward and resting her hand on his denim-clad thigh. “You’re here.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, mirroring her expression as he slipped
his fingers over hers. “But there has to be something more,” he urged,
desperately.

Allie recognized the look in his eyes. Reece could never sit
back when someone was in trouble. No matter who they were, Reece would always
want to help. In high school, there had never been an occasion when Reece had
stood by when someone was being bullied. If anyone needed a lift, he’d offer,
regardless of how far away that student lived. He was, as Allie had branded him
at the time, a chronic do-gooder. She recognized, of course, that there was an
element of that in her, too. Her drive to become a journalist was based on more
than just a love of writing; it was a desire to expose wrongs and fix them.
However, she would never admit to him that she shared his inexplicable desire
to put the world to rights. Instead, she used to gently tease him about his
‘boy scout’ nature. Truth be told, she would never have wanted him any
different.

Shaking herself from memories of their youth, she fixed her
eyes on his. “This is something neither of us can mend,” she told him softly.
“But you have to believe me when I say that your being with me means more than
I can ever tell you.”

He pursed his lips, considering that for a moment, before
finally accepting her statement with a nod. “All right,” he sighed. “You will
let me know, though,” he added, gripping her fingers more tightly. “If there’s
anything, ever...”

Grinning, Allie nodded. “I promise,” she assured him.

“Okay,” he said, this time visibly relaxing. As his
shoulders slumped from their tense posture, he allowed himself a smile. “So,
umm,” he hesitated. “What are you doing about work? Does your editor know?”

“No,” she responded, leaning back and resting her head
against the cool, wallpapered wall. “I haven’t told him, and I haven’t been
into work for almost four weeks now.”

“Are you going to...” he stopped, not feeling it necessary
to complete the question.

“I think Needham’s tried to call a couple of times,” she
told him. “I’ve dodged him. I just didn’t want to talk about it, you know?” she
added, rhetorically. “And I certainly didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me.”
With a shrug, she tried to suggest that her job no longer mattered. “I figure
he’s probably replaced me by now.”

“Don’t you think-”

Whatever Reece had been about to say was abruptly cut off by
Allie’s sharp, “Don’t start. I don’t need mothering.”

“I know,” he quickly offered. “It’s just that...”

“Look,” she sighed. “It doesn’t matter, does it? I mean, I
might as well live my last months as a lady of leisure, right?”

Reece watched her smile and noted that it didn’t quite reach
her eyes. However, he decided to proceed carefully, not wanting to anger her
over the subject. “That sounds nice,” he admitted, flashing her a false smile
of his own. “Are you going to be okay for money, though?”

She chuckled, her eyes moving to the bedclothes. “I haven’t
taken a vacation in six years,” she told him. “I live easily within my means,”
she added gesturing to her small bedroom and the modest apartment that existed
beyond the door. “I’ve got some cash saved,” she concluded.

“Yeah, but-” This time Reece stopped himself from
continuing. “I was just going to say, if you ever needed any help, you only
have to let me know.”

“That’s sweet of you,” she replied. “But I should be fine.”

“So,” he breathed, determined to move off the topic, but
unsure what to discuss instead. “If you’re not going to be going to work, what
do you want to do with the time we’ve got together?” he asked, releasing his
hold on her fingers and gently rising from the bed. “There’s got to be
somewhere you want to go,” he added. “Paris? London? Rome?”

Allie contemplated the offer for a minute, wondering whether
there was a place she’d wanted to see. However, it quickly occurred to her that
what mattered was not where she was but who she was with. Silently, she lifted
her right hand and crooked her index finger at him in a ‘come here’ motion.

Reece responded by bending at the waist and leaning his
upper body toward her face, as though he expected her to whisper something.
However, Allie rapidly grasped his shirt front and pulled him closer, until she
could feel his breath on her skin. His eyes widened and his jaw fell slack, the
surprise of the sudden force of her motion catching him off guard.

“I just want to be somewhere with a bed,” she whispered
suggestively. “And I’ve got one of those right here.”

He grinned down at her, as he slipped his hands onto the
mattress either side of her thighs. “You’ll soon get bored lying here,” he
informed her. “I know you, remember? You’re not the kind of person who can sit
still for more than five minutes at a time.”

“I’ve turned an emotional corner,” she told him tartly.
“Besides, I trust you to make sure I don’t get bored in here.” As she spoke,
her face drifted forward, until their lips were just barely touching as they
moved.

He closed the gap, gently caressing her mouth with his,
while his eyelids drifted closed. “Hmm,” he groaned in protest, as she began to
pull away.

“Still think I’ll get bored?” she asked, rising a
challenging eyebrow at him.

“Well,” he grinned. “I’ll err...certainly try to keep you
entertained.”

“You’d better,” she demanded, yanking him forward and
causing him to lose his balance. He landed on the bed, half on top of Allie and
half on the mattress. Both of them giggled like teenagers, as they fumbled with
zippers and buttons.