Juliette spoke quite calmly, even though she’d just taken another corner at warp speed. I braced my core muscles, closed my eyes briefly and tried not to think about how fast the next corner was approaching.

“Are you feeling inspired now?” I asked, opening my eyes. “Inspired to keep us alive, I hope.”

She glanced over to me and smiled, the light reaching her eyes. “Trust me.”

“I do, but I’ll be happy when we get there in one piece.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “No sweat.”

My beautiful girlfriend handled the car with the casual competence of a professional race car driver. It was incredibly sexy.

“You’re a bloody good driver. I reckon you could take on the pros.”

She glanced at me and scrunched up her nose. I suspected it was one of the things she didn’t publicise openly.

“Do you think I’m reckless?”

I shook my head. “Pushing limits and feeling the rush is obviously a part of who you are. You have to embrace it and own it. Trying to hide who you are was making you reckless. Those suicidal thoughts of yours just pissed me off.”

“I like driving fast,” she whispered. “Like—I really like it.” She glanced at me again and bit her bottom lip.

I laughed. “Pretty sure I already worked that out.”

“Maybe you’d like to come to the track with me some time?”

“You race? Seriously?” That I had to see.

“You could meet Jim and Shorty, my race buddies.”

I clenched my jaw. Juliette would turn heads anywhere she went, but a racetrack would be awash with testosterone. “I’ll be there.” Damn straight I’d be there.

The farm came into view fifteen minutes later. When she pulled up at the gate, I jumped out to open it. “Park next to the house. You can enjoy my handiwork on the driveway.”

As we rumbled over the cobblestones, I felt the familiar pangs of tension roll through me. When she turned the car off, she faced me. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. I was nervous about being there, but I could do it for her. Her big eyes were willing me to open up to her, but she was better off not knowing.

“Let’s get out of the car and go for a walk. Last time we were here, I didn’t get to show you around properly.”

We jogged down the garden to the drywall boundary, eager to warm up a little. Juliette had her cream coat, a scarf and a beanie on, and she looked stunning. The sun was dropping in the sky and the cold air made her cheeks rosy.

“Wow!” she gasped, the cold air puffing from her mouth. “You’ve done an incredible job, Leo.” She ran her gloved hands over the stone. “Is this the end of your property?” She indicated the grassy field beyond the wall.

“That field is part of my property, but only to the first fence. Beyond that belongs to my neighbours.” I grabbed her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

The grass was dry and a little crunchy underfoot. It hadn’t rained in a while.

“I really love it here, Leo.” She couldn’t stop looking around. “Open space, pine trees, grazing horses. It’s heaven.”

“I like being here with you.” It was true. Being with her made me so incredibly happy. I pulled her to me and hugged her close. She put her arms around my waist and rested her head on my chest. All was right in the world.

“I love this time of year,” she said, pulling out of my arms and skipping ahead. “Cold weather has always been my favourite.”

“Me too.” I loved seeing her like this. She looked so happy and free. I never wanted to see her in pain, or fighting to be someone or something she wasn’t. “What else do you love?”

She stopped and looked at me quizzically. “Actually, lots of things.”

“Tell me your top five.”

We took off again at a slow pace. I kept glancing at her deep in thought with her eyes casting up to the sky then down to her feet, then back up again. She was mesmerising.

Halfway across, one of the horses in the field lifted its head and wandered over to us. He was a beautiful bay gelding with black dapples on his rump and a white star on his forehead.

“I love horses. Cold weather is my number five and horses are number four.” The old boy closed his eyes as she stroked between them.

“Do you ride?”

“Not for a long time. My grandparents have a farm on the Mornington Peninsula. I learnt to ride on a pony they kept for me.”

“Well, this old boy belongs to Bob and Wendy, my neighbours. I let them use my field for their horses. I’ll ask if we can borrow him sometime. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

A smile that could light up New York City erupted on her face.

“Getting dirty in the garden.”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“That’s my number three. I love being on my hands and knees getting dirty in the garden. I love digging the soil and watching things grow.”

I swallowed hard and couldn’t speak.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“You shouldn’t use the words ‘getting dirty’ and ‘hands and knees’ in the same sentence. My brain can’t cope.”

She smacked me on the arm and laughed. “Pervert.”

“Your fault.” I pulled her to me and kissed her. I couldn’t keep my hands off her.

“Kissing. That’s my number two. I love kissing you.”

“Well, I’m glad you clarified.” I kissed her again.

We walked in silence for a while before she stopped and turned. “Why me?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve known me less than two months, and for a lot of that time, it’s been far from smooth sailing.” She locked her eyes with mine and I swore I could see right through to her soul. “So, why me? Why didn’t you write me off the moment you saw me at the charity event with Richard?”

I huffed out a loud breath. “If you beat me back to the wall, I’ll answer your question.”

“Two questions.” She held up two fingers. “I want answers to two questions.”

“And if I win?”

“You won’t.” She took off at a sprint, catching me by surprise. I stood there dumbfounded for a couple of seconds before I realised she was making serious ground. Her long legs were a blur, but I could tell she was laughing at the same time which was slowing her down. I gave her a few more seconds just so I could enjoy the sight of that beautiful girl leaping over rocks and waving her arms around.

I took off after her. My legs were fast and strong from rigorous training, but I didn’t catch her. I didn’t really want to. I enjoyed the back view of her almost as much as the front. She stood at the wall, puffing but laughing jubilantly.

Picking her up, I threw her over my shoulder and walked through the back gate and to the gazebo. She was laughing and pounding on my backside.

“Put me down, you caveman,” she demanded.

I deposited her on the seat and collapsed next to her. She stood up and climbed onto my lap, straddling me before kissing me passionately, wriggling in my lap when she could no doubt feel my desire for her.

“Spill it, Ashlar. Question one. Why me?”

She pushed down harder on my crotch, and I groaned but chuckled at her unnecessary tactic. A deal’s a deal.

“It started at fight night,” I confessed.

“When you saw me getting attacked by the guy?”

“No. The one before that.”

“You mean when you just glared at me through the cage and then disappeared?”

“That’s right.”

She climbed off my lap and sat down on the seat next to me.

“Does that freak you out?”

She looked up from what she was staring at on the floor. “No. I’m not freaked out. I’m blown away. There’s a difference.”

I stood up and paced a few times, gathering my thoughts before standing under the wooden archway, looking up towards the house. “Some dickhead in the crowd called out to me as I was leaving the cage. It hit a nerve and stupidly I saw red. I wanted to find him and pummel his face into the ground.” I turned my head to face her.

“I remember.” She stood up and walked over to me, reaching for my hand.

“I scanned the crowd, hoping he’d call out again when my eyes came to rest on you. Everything other than you faded away. Sounds corny, but you looked like an angel and I no longer felt the urge to hurt that guy. I felt calmer than I’d felt in years, and somehow I knew you were someone special.” I squeezed her hand. “I knew we’d meet again.”