‘You’re Ms Beckworth from the laboratory, aren’t you?’
She nodded, raising her eyebrows. ‘I’m surprised you know who I am. I mean, you’ve got hundreds of employees.’
‘Who couldn’t help noticing you? You’re gorgeous,’ he said, smiling.
‘Well, I’m not exactly at my best right this minute,’ she said tartly, continuing to pick leaves and debris from her hair and clothes. ‘But then again, I don’t usually make a habit of spending my time in ditches.’
Alan smiled down at her, and she noticed how very tall he was. ‘I’ll pop your bike in the boot, and give you a lift home,’ he said, effortlessly hoisting it out of the ditch. ‘It’s the least I can do. I feel responsible for what happened – it’s obvious that I drove too close to your bike and gave you a fright.’
‘Thank you,’ Ellie said, climbing into the front passenger seat and telling him her address while hoping she wouldn’t leave too much debris in his pristine car. The interior was magnificent, and she looked appreciatively at the leather seat covers and the elaborate walnut-and-chrome dashboard. ‘Very nice,’ she said, running her hand along the edge of her seat. ‘How the other half live, eh?’
He laughed. ‘It’s not mine. All the company cars are leased.’
‘Well, I’d be happy to drive something like this, even if it wasn’t technically mine,’ she replied, trailing her hand along the dashboard’s walnut fascia. ‘Right now, I don’t even have a bike!’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of that,’ Alan said, starting the engine and pulling out onto the road. ‘I’ll order a replacement bike right away.’
‘Well, if you’re feeling generous, maybe you’d get me a leasehold car instead of a bike?’ Ellie said, smiling impishly at him.
He laughed. ‘The fall doesn’t seem to have affected your brain, does it? You’ve still got all your wits about you!’ He smiled at her kindly. ‘How are you managing? It’s about a year since your husband died, isn’t it?’
Ellie nodded, surprised once again that he knew so much about her. Then she remembered that she’d seen him at John’s funeral, and had considered it a nice gesture that the company’s owner had bothered to attend a mere employee’s husband’s funeral.
‘I’m fine, thanks,’ she told him. ‘Anyway, work keeps me busy.’
Alan darted a glance in her direction. ‘If the fall’s genuinely shaken you, please don’t hurry back to the laboratory tomorrow,’ he told her.
Ellie gave him a scornful look. ‘Do I look like some ridiculously dim damsel in distress? It would take more than a fall off my bike to wind me!’
‘Yes,’ he said softly, ‘I can see that now. You strike me as quite a remarkable woman.’
As Alan turned in off the road and drove up Ellie’s driveway, he whistled in admiration. ‘Wow, I’d no idea there was a house tucked away in here – it’s so secluded! And you’ve quite a bit of woodland behind the house, too. It’s lovely! I really like the veranda, too.’
‘Thank you.’ Ellie smiled sadly to herself, remembering that she and John had bought the house with a future family in mind.
As the car drew up outside the front door, Ellie hesitated, unsure what to do.
‘Would you like some tea?’ she asked.
‘Yes, please.’
In the kitchen she filled the kettle, knowing that Alan was watching her. It made her feel intimidated and excited all at once. To have such a powerful and attractive man looking at her was a strange yet heady feeling. At the same time, she felt embarrassed at her untidiness, and hurriedly tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear. She knew she must look a fright.
‘Here – there’s a bit of grass stuck behind your ear.’
Suddenly, he was beside her, removing the offending grass and placing it in her outstretched hand. It seemed such an intimate thing to do, as though they’d known each other for a long time.
‘Oh, thanks.’ Flustered, she took the piece of grass and dropped it into the bin beside the worktop. ‘I must look a mess,’ she said self-consciously. ‘Excuse me, I’ll just go to the bathroom and tidy up –’
She felt his hand on her arm, restraining her, and it seemed to sear through her skin.
‘You don’t need to do anything. You look lovely the way you are,’ he said softly.
His eyes searched her face, and she felt herself drowning. When he reached out and touched her face, she felt as though her whole body was on fire. He seemed to know it, because he said softly, ‘I’m married,’ as though waiting for permission to advance his suit.
She nodded. ‘I know,’ she said, trying to smile. ‘All the best ones are usually taken.’
‘It doesn’t stop me wanting you.’
He didn’t remove his hand from her arm, and she didn’t move from where she was standing – so close to him that she could feel his breath. She shivered with excitement. It had been so long since a man had touched her. In fact, she’d never wanted any man to touch her as much as she wanted this man to touch her. Desire raced through her like a forest fire.
‘I want to kiss you,’ he whispered, and she had no time to reply before his lips found hers and she was kissing him back.
It was as though that first kiss ignited a raging fire in both of them. Her hands were suddenly all over his body and his were on hers, and she was aching for more. Like two people possessed, they began tearing off each other’s clothes, leaving a trail of garments across the kitchen and hall as she led him upstairs to her bedroom.
In a frenzy of desire, they kissed and explored each other’s naked body, unable to get enough of each other. And each time he took her, she reached a shuddering crescendo of pleasure.
Later, as they lay sated, their bodies drenched with sweat, they looked at each other and smiled shyly.
‘I’m not going to apologise,’ he said, kissing her nose. ‘You are the most exciting woman I’ve ever met, and I want to make love to you over and over and over again …’
‘Then I’ll have to make sure I fall off my bike more often!’ she said, smiling.
Suddenly, his voice was husky again. ‘Please tell me I can visit you again tomorrow?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered.
‘In fact,’ he said, leaning towards her, ‘I don’t think I can wait till tomorrow.’
As he reached for her, desire coursed through her again. And even though she was exhausted from their earlier coupling, he brought her to ecstasy once more.
The following evening, just as she arrived home from work, a delivery van arrived and deposited a shiny, new, state-of-the-art bicycle with five-speed gears at her front door. An envelope was taped to the front basket and as soon as the deliveryman had gone, she tore it open with shaking hands, pulling out the note inside. It read: ‘I’m so glad you came crashing into my life yesterday. I can’t wait to see you again.’ He’d signed his initial at the bottom.
Clasping the note to her chest, she felt a surge of joy running through her body. Yesterday clearly meant as much to him as it had to her. All day at work she’d been thinking of him, and when she’d caught a glimpse of him in his office as she walked by, her heart had leaped in her chest with joy.
Because of her excitement, Ellie didn’t give much thought to the fact that this was a seminal moment in her life. There was still time to alter its course. But she silenced the warning bells that reminded her he was married, and the father of a young son. The excitement she felt – the feeling of being more alive than she’d ever felt before – negated everything else.
CHAPTER 3
In a sumptuous room off the hotel lobby, the champagne reception was in full swing. Laura smiled appreciatively at her new husband, who was talking to some friends of his from the badminton club. Jeff looked so handsome in his dress suit, his blond hair curling over his ears, his eyes a little glazed from all the champagne he’d been drinking.
‘Congratulations – you look radiant, Laura!’ her lecturer colleague, Maria, said, giggling as she emptied her
champagne glass and deftly grabbed another from a passing waiter. ‘Jeff’s such a handsome guy – and a stockbroker to boot! Some women have all the luck!’
Laura nodded. She couldn’t be happier, and she loved being surrounded by all her colleagues on this very special day. She smiled as she watched Timmy, another lecturer from the Sociology Department, trying to impress Greta, the department secretary, with his version of the moonwalk, which wasn’t an easy feat, given the amount of champagne he’d already consumed. Several of Kerry’s colleagues from Sea Diagnostics, the engineering company where she was a partner, were also hovering around the bar. Laura waved across the room to Kerry’s colleagues, Norma and Jack, who were involved in some kind of shot-drinking competition. She suspected there would be quite a few hangovers needing a cure the following day!
She glanced across at Jeff, who was now talking to Kerry – she was glad that her best friend and husband seemed to be chatting together happily. It was so important to her that they got along. She was well aware of Kerry’s initial apathy towards Jeff, but she’d noticed that Kerry had been making a real effort to be friendly towards Jeff, and she silently applauded her for it. Her best friend was bound to feel a little left out – after all, they’d been friends since childhood, separated only during the six years immediately after Laura’s family died, when she’d moved away to live with her grandfather. But they’d always kept in touch, and had eventually managed to attend the same university. Their lives had been closely linked for many years, which meant that Laura’s marriage would undoubtedly bring about a change in their friendship, although she intended making every effort to ensure that Kerry didn’t feel left out.
Professor Darren Coyle, head of the Department, sidled up and slipped an arm around her. His thick glasses were askew, his normally neat, dark hair was falling untidily over his forehead and he was inebriated from the champagne. Laura felt a surge of affection for him as they hugged. She was pleased to have him with her on such an important day.
‘You look the picture of happiness, Laura!’ he slurred, planting a kiss on her cheek. ‘I hope you won’t let Jeff take you away from us? You know how much we all love working with you!’
‘Of course not!’ Laura told him, smiling. ‘I love my job too much.’
For a moment, Darren looked puzzled. ‘Oh. I thought Jeff said something about you giving up work – ‘
Laura shook her head. ‘Definitely not! It’ll take more than marriage to prise me away from all of you!’
On the other side of the room, Jeff was still in conversation with Kerry.
As he looked down triumphantly at her, he raised his glass of champagne. ‘Now Laura’s mine – all mine!’
Kerry smiled. ‘Congratulations to you both!’ she said, choosing not to let him know that she’d got his message. In effect, he was telling her that he’d soon see to it that he became the centre of Laura’s universe, and that his new wife would have little time left to spend with her friend.
Kerry kept the smile on her face as she walked across to the bar to top up her champagne glass. She’d be there when Laura needed her, as she suspected she eventually would. Kerry had no doubt that Jeff would soon reach his sell-by date. But Laura would be the last to realise it.
ISBN: 978-1-472-07477-5
STILL WATERS
© 2012 Linda Kavanagh
Published in Great Britain 2014
by Harlequin MIRA, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
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