They finished their lunch in silence and Bea relished being with him in such a tranquil place, with nothing but birds and the sound of the waves breaking against the rocks to disturb them. After tidying up, Luke helped her to her feet. ‘Fancy seeing more of the islands?’ he asked.
Bea nodded. His dark blue eyes, shining with a carefree enthusiasm she didn’t often get to see, made her want to take his face in her hands and kiss him. As if he’d heard her thoughts, he abruptly stopped walking, turned and grabbed hold of her. Then, pulling her tightly against him, he kissed her; his cool lips hard against hers. Bea forgot everything and was lost in the moment.
Then, gently letting go of her, he sighed. ‘You’re so beautiful,’ he said, before taking her hand once more and leading her across the sandy beach.
Bea felt like she’d been hugged on the inside somehow. The touch of his firm hand around hers as he told her all about the old Abbey on the little island of La Maitre, and how the French had invaded twice in the nineties, meant that she couldn’t quite concentrate.
‘I remember my Dad ranting about that,’ she laughed. ‘I’m glad they didn’t get them back though.’
Luke looked surprised. ‘They’d have a fight on their hands if they really tried to.’
‘Typical Jersey boys,’ she giggled. ‘So patriotic about your island.’
Luke helped her back into the dingy and passed over the bags containing the remnants of their lunch. ‘And why not? It’s worth fighting for, don’t you think?’
She wasn’t sure if there was more to what he was saying, so decided to simply nod her agreement.
Luke drove her home, entertaining her all the way with anecdotes about Barrington and how he had upset one woman for not letting her pay for three ice creams with a credit card.
‘But that’s ridiculous,’ said Bea. ‘Surely she couldn’t expect to pay for so little with a card?’
‘She did, and was irate when he asked for payment in cash. Caused quite a stir down at the café, that did.’
Bea giggled. She could picture Barrington sending the woman on her way. ‘He’s the most generous man most of the time, but I’ve never known him have a problem telling someone exactly what he thought of them.’
Luke laughed. ‘Me, neither.’
Not wanting her perfect day to end, Bea asked Luke if he wanted to come in for a drink. She finished her second glass of wine and looked up at his tanned face. ‘I’ve had such a lovely day today,’ she said. ‘It was like being on holiday somehow.’ She felt heady and more alive than she had in years, and couldn’t help noting Luke’s muscles. ‘I don’t suppose you ever need to go to the gym, do you?’
Luke laughed. ‘Never have the time. I’d rather get my exercise outside in the fresh air than in some sweaty gym.’
Bea pictured Simon and Tom, who worked out at the gym religiously each week. She had been so absorbed in admiring Luke’s physique she’d forgotten to listen to what he was saying. She wasn’t sure how she should answer. ‘Um, yes?’ she offered hopefully.
He laughed, ‘You haven’t been listening to a word I’ve said, have you?’
‘No. I mean, yes,’ she stuttered, her face reddening. ‘Sorry, I was in a world of my own.’
‘Somewhere enjoyable, I hope.’
If only he knew, thought Bea trying not to smile widely. ‘It was very enjoyable.’
Luke sat at his side of the table, glass of wine in hand, sipping it slowly, and watching her intently from over the rim. ‘You’re very beautiful.’
‘Shall we move into the drawing room?’ suggested Bea, feeling mellow, but unsure how to reply. It was so long since she had felt such an attraction for anyone she couldn’t quite remember how to react to it. ‘It’s getting rather chilly and I can light the fire in there.’ She didn’t like to add how she’d prepared the fire earlier expecting to be spending a quiet evening alone with a good book and a glass or two of rosé.
‘Of course.’ Luke carried their drinks and followed her into the vast, cream room, settling down on the sofa, as she lit the fire.
Bea took her place at the opposite end to him. Dragging a cushion onto her lap, she drew her legs up underneath her.
‘Why do you do that?’ he asked, passing over her glass.
‘Do what?’
‘Feel awkward, when being given a compliment.’
‘Well, how do you think I should reply?’ she asked.
He moved towards her, gently taking the cushion from her hands and tossing it over to the opposite chair. Then, moving closer to her, he put one hand behind her head and he kissed her. ‘You taste wonderful, too.’
Bea’s heart almost stopped. The pressure from his firm lips, and the feel of his tongue gently exploring her mouth, caused her senses, already hazy from alcohol and long-suppressed lust, to go completely haywire.
One minute, there were light delicate kisses on her face, neck, her throat; the next urgent discarding of clothes, as he kissed her lips, his hands moving deliciously over her skin. Bea sighed as Luke laid her down gently onto the Persian rug in front of the fire. He kissed her before lowering his head to her breasts, sending exquisite shards of ecstasy through her entire body.
‘You’re so perfect,’ he whispered hoarsely, a hand caressing her thighs, moving slowly upwards between her legs, the dampness there betraying her feelings for him. Then, just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, Luke finally entered her. Bea clasped him to her as they moved, her pleasure increasing until she climaxed seconds before he did. Luke groaned, holding her tightly, as Bea’s felt her body exploding into a million, tiny pieces.
Nine
Not a Bed of Roses
The next morning, Bea woke to the sound of heavy rain battering against her bedroom window. Wearily opening one eye, she took a tentative look towards the chink of grey light beaming through her heavy, silk bedroom curtains. Her head felt fuzzy, and her mouth was parched. Reaching over to her bedside table, she patted around aimlessly, until her fingers touched the plastic of the ever-present bottle of water. She took a sip in an effort to wake up.
As Bea leant forward to sit up, her foot skimmed past a warm leg. Someone murmured behind her. Her eyes snapped open, sending a shooting sensation burning through her dehydrated brain. Turning slowly, her gaze fell on Luke, lying asleep on his back, muscular arms bent above his head, his tousled dark hair framing his handsome face, looking peaceful and content. Bea’s heart contracted and more than anything she wanted to kiss him again.
Taking the opportunity to survey his hairy chest, she managed to retain enough self-control not to push her fingers through it. It didn’t stop her from feeling like a voyeur, though. He was beautiful, even more so when he was sleeping and the intensity in his face disappeared. The rest of the time he appeared to be concentrating, on what she wasn’t sure, but hoped it was his partner leaving him with so many financial difficulties and not his own involvement in them. She pushed away the thought.
The sheet only covered him from the waist down, but Bea could tell he was completely naked underneath. She had for so many years only ever shared her bed with Simon, and couldn’t help gazing on this perfect specimen of manhood lying right next to her, completely relaxed, as if he was perfectly at home. She felt different with him, somehow, wanted him more desperately than she could recall wanting any other man. Her intense attraction to him unnerved her. So unlike Simon or Tom, the only other men she’d ever slept with; they’d made her feel beautiful and cared for, and had always wanted to please her, but never like Luke had done. She hugged herself at the memory of making love with him.
She pulled the sheet up around her as Tom’s words about Luke being investigated seeped, unwelcome, into her mind. Losing Aunt Annabel was hard enough, being betrayed by Simon was a different kind of cruelty, but to let herself fall in love with this man when she’d been warned about his financial problems was nothing more than careless.
‘Damn,’ she murmured, wishing, yet again, that Tom had thought
to keep his information to himself. She needed to distance herself from Luke, however much she felt the urge to be with him. She tried to get more comfortable in the bed, but moving her legs woke him up.
‘Morning, beautiful,’ he murmured, his voice croaky, as he stretched. He smiled up at her and, noticing her expression, narrowed his eyes. ‘What’s the matter? Didn’t you sleep well? Hangover, I suppose. I must admit, I’m feeling rather heavy-headed too.’
‘Luke?’ she whispered awkwardly.
‘What is it, sweetheart?’ He pushed himself up on his elbow, his expression gradually changed to one of concern. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘We had sex.’
He smiled. ‘Yes, we did.’
‘And?’
‘And, it was wonderful,’ he replied, placing his hands behind his head.
This felt too perfect, too dreamlike. Why had she not simply refused to go with him on his boat the day before? She wasn’t an idiot and knew what she could and couldn’t say. Bea couldn’t help smiling as she looked down at him.
Luke put his arm up and, placing it around the back of her neck, gently pulled her down on to him, kissing her. Bea melted into him, relishing the feel of his mouth on hers as she lay on top of him.
His hand moved down towards her bottom. The shrill ring of his mobile startled her. ‘Ignore it,’ he whispered.
The ringing continued.
Eventually, with the mood broken, Bea pushed away from him. ‘You’d better answer it. Maybe it’s something important.’
‘I’m sure it can wait.’
Bea wondered why he was so determined not to answer the call right now. ‘I’ll go and take a quick shower, leave you to it,’ she said, handing him his still ringing mobile.
She got out of bed and with a quick glance back at him could see he was frowning at the screen. He looked up at her and smiled, probably waiting for her to leave the room. Bea went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She could hear his voice though the door. He sounded irritated. She stepped into the shower and, turning the tap on, stood under the spray of water and soaped her body. Something was wrong, or was she just being overly sensitive? Maybe Simon’s deceit had coloured her perspective of how others lived their lives.
Bea found Luke standing in her kitchen wearing only his faded blue jeans. ‘Feeling better?’ he asked, passing her a mug of steaming black coffee and kissing her lightly on the neck, making her shiver. ‘Mind if I take a quick shower?’
Bea’s heart pounded as she watched him walk out of the room. His toned arms, back, and tousled hair making her wish they were once again back in her bed. She smiled. He was delicious and so opposite to everything Simon had been. Such a relief.
The phone rang and Bea answered it after a couple of rings. ‘Hi, Shani,’ she said, recognising the number. ‘I can’t really talk now. Can I give you a call later?’
‘Yes, of course, but let me quickly tell you about that hunky builder of yours.’
Bea groaned. ‘You’re such a gossip. Go on, what tittle-tattle have you learned at the gym this time?’
‘Did you know he was living with a model; legs up to her armpits, or so I heard. They’ve been together on and off for years.’
Bea’s legs seemed to lose some of their strength. She quickly pulled out a chair and slumped down onto it. ‘What?’ she whispered. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Damn right. They were seen together only the day before yesterday. She lives on his boat with him. Lucky cow.’
Bea felt as if Shani had slapped her. Hard.
‘Bea? Are you there?’
‘Yes,’ she murmured. Hearing Luke’s footsteps on the landing as he walked towards the stairs, she took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind. ‘I have to go, Shan, but I’ll call you later.’ Bea ended the call without waiting to hear Shani’s answer and took a sip of her coffee, ready to confront Luke.
‘That’s better,’ he said, taking her in his arms and kissing her, his damp hair sticking up at all angles. Bea shivered at his touch, hardly able to look at his tanned face. She knew he could never be hers, not in the way she would like him to be. She let him hold her for a second longer, not wishing for the moment to end and lose the weight of his arms around her. The pain of knowing how perfect it felt to be made love to by Luke only compounded her misery that he belonged to someone else and she was probably nothing more than yet another conquest.
She pushed him away. Luke frowned. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘This can’t happen again,’ she insisted, staring at the steam coming from her cup and ignoring his confused, but gentle, expression.
‘Why ever not?’ He frowned, ignoring the drop of water falling onto his face from his wet hair.
Bea struggled to find her voice. She had to look away from him. She wanted to be with him, but she could not ignore he had a girlfriend. Wasn’t the threat of the investigation against him enough to put her off, she mused? I’m so stupid, she decided, aware that by spending time with him she might be putting into action something that could result in her losing her home. Annabel’s house. No, she owed too much to her aunt and her trust in her to let that happen, despite how much she couldn’t help feeling attracted to him.
A black look shadowed his face. ‘If you don’t want it to happen again, then it won’t.’
Bea moved away. She’d hurt his feelings and didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. ‘You have a girlfriend.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘You knew that when we slept together last night?’
‘No, Shani phoned a few minutes ago and told me.’
He shook his head slowly. ‘It’s not like that.’
‘OK, then,’ Bea said, determined to know for certain the extent of his relationship with this woman, ‘just answer me this? Do you live together?
He smiled and folded his arms. ‘She stays on my boat sometimes, but that doesn’t mean …’ He shook his head. ‘Bea, we’re just friends.’
Bea swallowed the lump forming in her throat. ‘Have you ever slept with her?’ She didn’t want to know the answer, but wasn’t going to be made to look a fool yet again by some man, however gorgeous he might be. ‘Well?’ she asked when he didn’t answer right away.
Luke sighed. ‘Yes.’
Bea stepped back and leant against the sideboard. ‘So she lives with you and you’ve slept together, but you’re just friends. Sorry, Luke, we’re not looking for the same things, obviously,’ she said. ‘I’m going through a divorce and however it may look to you, I really don’t go in for one-night stands.’
He walked up to her and stood so close she could smell the soapy scent of his skin. ‘Bea, look at me.’ He lifted her chin, but Bea kept her focus on the floor. ‘I don’t know what you think I’m looking for, and I can see that the situation with Leilani sounds a little odd, but you must believe me when I tell you that there really isn’t more to our relationship than friendship now.’
‘Now?’ Bea couldn’t hide her anger towards him. ‘I really think it’s best if you just leave.’
Luke stared at her for a moment. She could see he was upset, or was it annoyance with her for being so, what was it Simon called her, oh yes, middle-class. Well, middle-class or not, she wasn’t going to put up with being anybody’s second best again.
‘You’ve obviously made your mind up about me already, so I’ll let you get on. Goodbye Bea,’ he said, leaning forward and kissing her on her cheek. ‘I’m sorry it had to end this way.’
Me too, thought Bea, letting him see his own way out.
‘I can’t believe he has a live-in girlfriend,’ Bea admitted to Shani on the phone the following day after work. With her voice lowered, she gave a vague outline of what she’d said to Luke.
‘How could you have known if he didn’t tell you? Bastard. If nothing else though, it’ll do you good, getting a taste of a new man. Out with the old, and in with the new, I say. So it’s not the end of the world, is it?’
That’s a matter of opinion, thought
Bea miserably trying to push away the memory of her night with Luke. ‘I feel so stupid.’ She wished she’d never taken his number from Mel and called him about the building work. She’d been doing so well before that. Her house might have been crumbling, but she’d slowly been learning to cope without Annabel and her anger towards Simon had helped her deal with his betrayal. Now, it all seemed so raw once again. ‘He wasn’t happy when I argued with him about his girlfriend.’
‘Are you surprised?’
‘No,’ Bea said miserably. ‘He’s probably relieved to have had a lucky escape from the mad divorcee.’
‘Relax,’ Shani said. ‘He had fun that night too, don’t forget. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. You’re young, free, and single. You’ve been firmly crapped on by your louse of an ex-husband, and you deserve a bit of spice in your life. Sleeping with a guy doesn’t have to mean you should then have a full-blown relationship with him. This isn’t the Dark Ages, you know.’
Shani was right. ‘Yes, look at you and Harry. How is he by the way? I still haven’t met him, as far as I know,’ Bea said.
Shani groaned. ‘He’s hot and sexy and driving me nuts.’
‘Why?’ Bea couldn’t help smile. Shani was always so in charge of her men; she only wished she was as tough on hers.
‘Nothing much, just a little disagreement we’re having at the moment.’
Bea could tell something wasn’t quite right. ‘You’re always so in control of your men. You are OK, aren’t you?’
Shani sighed. ‘When have you known me not to be? Tell you what, I’m booked up for a few extra classes this evening, but I’ll give you a call tomorrow. Maybe, if you’re not already busy, we can take a walk on the beach with Flea.’
The thought appealed to Bea. If only she could discuss what Tom had told her with Shani, but she’d signed a confidentiality agreement when she joined Malory’s and couldn’t divulge any information about a client, even if it was about Luke. ‘Lovely, and Shani?’
‘Yes?’
‘Why don’t you bring Harry along sometime? It would be good to get to know the man in your life. It feels weird not knowing him at all. A bit too mysterious, if you ask me.’
A Jersey Kiss Page 10