Scarred Survival (Scarred Series Book 5)

by Jackie Williams

  “You okay?” She asked simply.

  He wasn’t but he nodded valiantly and looked intently at her. He narrowed his eyes and glanced up and down before he breathed in deeply. He wiped a trembling hand over his brow.

  “I think I’m going to take a shower before I come down. Not that I fancy anything to eat now, but I’ll have to reline my stomach with something. I might just come for the dancing and grab some supper later. I need to make some calls anyway. They can’t wait.” He gave a weak smile.

  Gemma puffed out a breath.

  “Okay, but don’t forget that you have to put something smart on even if you’re not eating dinner.”

  He grunted as he raised an eyebrow.

  “I’ll do my best but I’m afraid it’ll have to be the boot still. I can’t get my foot into anything else with this casing on.”

  She smiled at him and then let out a great laugh.

  “You should worry. I can’t imagine what Ben’s going to wear. He’s lived in those trackies since the day he arrived here. I’m beginning to wonder if he actually owns anything else.”

  Aaron snorted.

  “I’m sure we’ll all find something decent to wear between us.”

  Gemma wasn’t quite so confidant though she smiled up at him as she backed out of his room and walked back along the corridor to sort through the numerous dresses and outfits that Geraldine had given her. She didn’t want to go over the top, but it would be a nice change to wear something pretty and she was definitely not covering up her hair free legs after going through all that pain.

  She began hanging the obvious wrong choices in her wardrobe and settled on a simple jade green, shift dress that hung to her mid thigh and happened to have a matching bolero cardigan. Geraldine probably would have worn it for a business meeting but Gemma thought it felt right for a first evening dressing up.

  She took a quick shower, taking care not to dampen her hair style and then she spent the next half an hour trying to remember exactly how Delphine had instructed her to apply her new make-up to look natural and unaffected.

  She applied a dab of moisturizer over her face and then a sheer brush of powdered neutral colour. She highlighted her cheekbones and added just a touch of smudged eyeliner and a hint of mascara. The petal pink lipstick that both Ellen and Geraldine had gushed over was the finishing touch.

  The dress was sleekly fitted and would only take the smoothest of underwear. She slipped the dress over her head and sighed as the cool silk touched her heated skin. She grimaced for the tiniest moment as she stared at the unattractive fitting that kept her arm in place but then she covered it up with the matching bolero. She slid her feet into heeled shoes and picked up an evening bag that Geraldine insisted that she take too before she made her way along the corridor and down to the dining room.

  Chapter Four

  Paul stood with Amy at the doors to the lounge. He wore a dark suit that fit every muscle of his finely tuned body. Amy winked at Gemma, stuck her thumbs up and tilted her chin towards her husband as she mouthed the word ‘hot?’ back at her friend. Gemma covered a laugh and nodded enthusiastically. Paul looked more dashing than she had ever seen.

  Paul gave an odd snort and caught hold of his wife’s arm.

  “You two can stop giving me the eye. I know I look great.” He had obviously heard her step and tilted his head quizzically as he heard the light tap of her heels coming across the tiled floor.

  “Gemma? They sound extravagant. And do I hear the swish of pure silk?” His pleased tone made her smile.

  “How on earth can you tell the type of material someone is wearing just by the sound of it?” She asked, genuinely interested.

  Paul tapped the side of his nose and grinned at her. Amy rustled the material of her own dress. She was wearing an outfit of a deep pink that set off the colour of her sunshine blonde hair. A similar sound shimmied against Amy’s thighs and Gemma laughed as she realized the source of Paul’s information.

  Amy linked her arm through her husband’s

  “Doesn’t it feel lovely to dress up? You should go take a look at the rest of the boys. I could get used to this kind of dining.”

  Paul cleared his throat.

  “Huh, we’re not doing this just for you two to enjoy the show, though I confess that there’s a certain atmosphere that I have never noticed before. Karl has arranged something so we can have music to dance to later. Magali and Simone have stayed late so there’ll be some other ladies.” He referred to the two counsellors who worked with the men.

  Gemma nearly choked.

  “Dancing? I thought he was kidding when he mentioned it earlier. I doubt I know how. I don’t think I ever danced properly with anyone before.”

  Paul raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, now is the perfect time to learn. Won’t even matter if you tread on anyone’s toes as half of them haven’t got any. Makes it easier if you ask me.”

  Amy covered her mouth to stifle her shocked gasp.

  “Paul! For goodness sake! I can’t believe you just said that. Show a little decorum.”

  Paul shrugged.

  “Aw, sh...They don’t mind. They’ll probably say exactly the same thing anyway. Come on, let’s go in. Aaron phoned down a few moments ago. He had a bilious attack and is still feeling ill. He says that he has some calls to make and he’s hoping that he’ll feel well enough to come down after he’s made them. We were only waiting for Gemma so we can go in now.”

  Gemma stopped on the threshold of the door.

  “Oh, I hope that he recovers quickly enough to come down.”

  Amy frowned up at her husband.

  “Perhaps I should go up to him?” Her nursing duties were never far from her mind.

  Paul gripped his wife’s hand.

  “Not now. He says he’s fine; thinks it’s the change of water. If he’s been ill then I don’t suppose that he wants to eat right at the moment. He’s finishing some emails that he needed to make and then I’m sure he’ll be down. Aaron can have some supper later if he feels up to it.” Paul turned Amy towards the salon where Ben was serving cocktails.

  There was a sudden silence and then Karl, looking incredibly handsome with his hair gelled stylishly and wearing beige chinos with a pressed white shirt, came up to Gemma and took hold of her hand.

  “You look lovely, Gem. Come and have a cocktail. Ben’s got the drop on the Harvey Wallbangers and he’s mixing up a storm.”

  Gemma laughed while Ben began throwing cocktail shakers over his shoulders, turning full circle and then catching them again as their other two guests, Jason and William placed bets on how quickly Ben was going to drop the lot.

  Amy had arranged things buffet style in the dining room so that everyone could help themselves to their dinner. They all sat around the table, chatting amiably and talking about their day. Everyone complimented Gemma on her new hairstyle and asked what she had done for the rest of the time she was at the hotel. She told them about Geraldine’s generous offer of clothes and showed off her new manicure, but she skipped the part about being waxed bare practically all over.

  They all helped clearing the table together and Gemma loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher while Ben and Karl went back to the lounge and moved the chairs so that there was plenty of room for dancing.

  They turned down the lights but no one danced formally. Paul gave up attempting teaching them all when Ben’s prosthetic foot caught the edge of the rug and he stumbled, nearly toppling a very unsteady double amputee, Jason and partially sighted William, who managed to dodge out of the way of his own reflection in the over mantle mirror and go flying into Aaron as he limped into the room at last.

  Aaron righted William and laughed as the man then walked up to his reflection and reached out to poke himself to make sure that the man in the mirror wasn’t a real person.

  “Shit, damn! That was confusing. I thought that was someone else. Must be because I’d forgotten how handsome I am.” He laughed at his own mistake
as Aaron tapped him on his shoulder gently with his fist.

  “You feel real enough to me. Maybe we had best turn the lights back up a little?” Aaron reached out towards the dimmer switch, but even turning the light up several levels didn’t seem to help.

  William blinked hard. He squinted his eyes through his thick glasses, but after a few seconds shook his head.

  “No, it’s okay. It’s artificial light that I have most problems with. Doesn’t seem to be bright enough however light it is. I can barely see a thing in here even with the lights up. I can see much clearer in daylight, nowhere near perfect vision, but I think I would be able to tell the difference between another man and my own reflection in a mirror. I have to get used to this kind of thing though. Might as well be now as any other time. I’m glad you’re feeling more like yourself though. Want me to get you anything from the kitchen? I can bring you a plate of something in here if you like.”

  Aaron looked the man over. He noted William’s eager features and finally nodded.

  “Yes, that would be great. Thanks. Some bread and cheese will be fine, but I can go and get it. You stay here and enjoy yourself.”

  William shook his head.

  “I think I’ll stick with what I know for a bit longer. Dancing with my own reflection is a more than a little humiliating...You come and join in as you’ve missed so much. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Hand outstretched, he negotiated his way around the other dancers and disappeared towards the kitchen.

  Gemma watched Aaron as he walked further into the room. She tried to breathe normally, but it was a hard task. He wore fitted black trousers one leg of which he had split to fit over his cast. He had then somehow stitched them back together at the bottom so they didn’t flap about. A dark blue shirt skimmed over his broad shoulders, the muscles in his arms filling out the tops of the sleeves. He wore the cuffs turned back and his collar was open at the throat revealing a glimpse of dark chest hair. His one boot had been polished to dress uniform shine and he’d styled his hair to look just ruffled enough. She couldn’t take her eyes from him and it seemed as though he felt the same about her. His gaze flicked down her figure and stopped for a moment too long at where the jade dress stopped mid thigh. He caught himself and quickly looked back up into her eyes. He noticed the flush in her cheeks as he walked towards her.

  “Would you like to dance?” He asked softly as he held out his hand.

  Her voice felt as though it was stuck somewhere down near her stomach. She nodded as she reached for his fingers, but he caught her about the waist, drawing her towards him. The music suddenly changed down and Gemma rolled her eyes at Ben who had slipped over to the music centre and quickly flicked on a slow number. Aaron moved her gently, guiding her to the middle of the room. They danced together comfortably, their steps in an easy rhythm with each other.

  Gemma leaned back and smiled up at him as she became more comfortable.

  “You’re feeling better then?”

  He gave a quick nod and an embarrassed smile. He cleared his throat.

  “Yes. Must have been the change of water or something.” He ignored her raised eyebrow. “I’m fine now thanks. I, I had to make some calls. Send some emails and stuff.” He was clearly uneasy about something.

  She tilted her head, letting the curiosity show.

  “Oh? Everything okay? I might be able to help if it’s anything official.”

  Aaron shook his head quickly. He certainly didn’t want Gemma seeing any of the questions he had asked in his emails.

  “It’s all fine. I probably won’t get any answers for a few days anyway, but it should all pan out eventually.” He turned her into a slow spin and then pulled her tighter against him.

  Gemma kept her breathing steady. She wasn’t sure quite what was happening, but she could feel her heart pounding far too hard to be healthy. This wasn’t right and she knew that she had to put some distance between them. Even though everyone who stayed at the centre was called a guest by all of the staff, Aaron was officially a patient at the château. Her dealings with him had to be kept on a strictly professional level.

  It was a more difficult task than she had thought. Her leg brushed his thigh and she felt her whole stomach flip deliciously. She let out a breath. It was just a dance. It meant nothing. His hand shifted on her lower back and came to rest only inches above her bottom. His grip tightened and he pulled her a fraction closer. Her insides melted and she had to hold back everything to keep herself from plastering her body to his. She squared her shoulders and clung onto her last thread of restraint.

  His gaze was quizzical as he felt her stiffen. However good it felt being held in his arms she knew that it could go no further. The music stopped and changed to another tune just as William returned to the room with a plate almost over flowing with a selection of breads and cheeses. The young man placed the plate on a table and peered around in the dusky light hoping to see Aaron, but there was only a sea of moving shapes and he couldn’t make out exactly who was who.

  Aaron took a long look at the woman in his arms before he came to William’s rescue at last. He released Gemma and walked over to the table.

  “This looks great thanks, Will,” he said as he peered at the odd sized lumps of cheese and hacked off slices of bread. There was a knob of what appeared to be a lump of goose fat rather than butter at the side of the plate and one of the pieces of cheese looked suspiciously like the New York cheesecake they had baked, but had not finished eating, the day before. Aaron grinned as he sat down and began tucking in anyway.

  William beamed delightedly at his apparent success as he headed straight for the green blob that shimmered in his vision. He swept Gemma into his arms and whisked her back out onto the dance floor.

  The evening finished with them all having coffee and agreeing that dressing for dinner was a definite plus. They decided that the next evening was going to be a less formal occasion and they would be playing cards and other board games after their meal.

  Gemma began planning her outfit for the following evening as she walked up the stairs towards her room.

  It was only as she reached her door that she heard Aaron call her name softly. He’d come up the stairs behind her after having taken his plate back to the kitchen and making sure that everything was clean and tidy after William’s desperate attempts at catering. As he had put things away in the fridge he raised an eyebrow at the leftover dishes and was rather glad that the man had made the mistake of cheesecake rather than cold mashed potato.

  She stopped and waited for him to catch up with her.

  “It was a lovely evening. Great idea all the cocktails and dancing and stuff. Amy says we’re going to do something similar every week.” He smiled down at her.

  Gemma nodded.

  “That’s what she says. I really enjoyed it too. I haven’t danced like that since I was a teenager. It was fun. We have a cards night tomorrow and then we’re going to do a ‘Dine with Me’ event next week. We’re going to take it in turns cooking for each other for a whole week and then do scoring on who does best. I don’t think I will win. I’m useless at anything other than breakfasts, but if you are up for a challenge you are welcome to be my partner.” She spoke without thinking and then looked away as she blushed furiously.

  Aaron looked at her. He raised his hand slowly and tipped up her chin until she looked back up at him.

  Gemma could barely breathe. She could feel the pulse in her throat beating hard and fast as she waited for his response.

  He nodded slowly.

  “Yeah, why not? Sounds like a plan, not that I am any sort of cook either. I’ve had too many years with people catering for me, but I’m willing to have a go at it. I love fish. I’d really like to do something with fresh ingredients from around here. When I went for my walk the other day I noticed our neighbour tending his garden, but I swear that the old guy can’t eat all the vegetables he grows. Have you even seen the size of his cabbages?” He didn’t wait for a response. “A
nd his pink onions look great too. Maybe we can ask to buy some accompaniments from him, though before we do any of that we’ll have to get together and decide what we’re going to cook. Better make a date for getting the other ingredients too.”

  Gemma smiled happily at his enthusiasm, all thoughts of keeping her distance from this gorgeous man immediately thrown out of the window.

  “Amy’s going to write up a rota so we all know what day we’re cooking. We begin Monday next week so there’s plenty of time to plan. I’ll buzz a message down to her that we’ll be working together as she’s going to put the list up in the morning.”

  Aaron gave a slow smile.

  “Great. I can’t wait.” He glanced down at his watch as he heard the hall clock strike midnight. “It’s late. I’d make sure that you run away like Cinderella, but I don’t think either of us are going to turn into pumpkins. I wanted to know if you’re going out sailing tomorrow?”

  Gemma shook her head regretfully.

  “We were talking about it over dinner. The tide is all wrong unless we go out super early, and after tonight’s activities I think it’s going to be unlikely we’ll see anyone much before nine. I think we’re going to have a wander round towards St. Pol de Leon instead. The rocks are great to climb and some of them have those funny little look out castles on them. I’m dying to have a look. They were something to do with an early warning system of English invasion way back when. It’s going to be a journey of discovery. Ben’s going to bring a couple of the fishing nets. He’s convinced that he can fish us out a crab to have at dinner. You would be welcome to join in.”

  Aaron looked down at her for a moment and then shook his head. He’d hoped to have her all to himself rather than sharing her company with the rest of the men.

  “I think I’ll leave catching shellfish to the others. I’ll stay here and wait for my emails to come back. There’s some stuff I might need to do depending on the answers I receive and there’s a chance they’ll come in early. What time are you setting out?”