Victoria padded across to him. ‘What is it?’
He raised his head. His mouth was level with Victoria’s navel. His gaze fell lower. No scar. He sighed. ‘At the risk of killing the mood, but in the name of common sense, do we have protection?’ He looked up. Victoria was smiling.
‘Unless you mean anti-virus software, I can’t help.’ She sat next to him, and took his hand. ‘I am, however, on the pill.’
‘Really?’
‘Why are you surprised?’
‘I thought you’d shut yourself away after Ben left.’ That was awkward. ‘Sorry.’ His hand was squeezed.
‘I did, and while I was shut away, being nun-like and celibate, I researched reasons why I should come off the pill. There weren’t any.’ Her sentence came to an end, as she ducked to see him. ‘You do remember I’m naked?’
‘I hadn’t forgotten.’
‘You don’t look like a man on the point of no return.’ She let his hand slip from her grasp, as she rose from the bed. ‘Is there something you’re trying to tell me? Do we need a condom?’
‘I’m no risk,’ Chris said. ‘If that’s what you’re asking. No more than you.’ Damn it! He shook his head at his own idiocy. That was not the thing to say to the woman he so desperately wanted to make love with. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.’
‘No,’ Victoria said, gently. ‘I’m sorry. This was a mistake.’ She retrieved her clothes from the floor, separated out her underwear and began dressing. ‘This isn’t the right time.’ Her tone had a sense of ‘I knew it’.
‘You’ve too much going on, and to be honest, I’m feeling more than a little self-conscious right now.’ She concealed her front with her jumper.
Chris looked on, not altogether surprised by the change of mood. Talk of condoms had that effect, but he had to ask; his years with Lacey taught him to never be complacent. And it was good Victoria cared enough to check. Sensible. Ironically, the only time he’d not used one was the night he slept with her. It had been incredibly stupid of them, but it was a spur of the moment act, and they were young and indestructible. Life had taught them both some harsh lessons.
‘Don’t cover up,’ he said. ‘You’ve nothing to be embarrassed about. You have a fantastic figure.’
‘No, I haven’t. You’re confusing me with Lacey.’
An uncomfortable silence filled the room.
Victoria sighed, and pulled on her jumper. ‘I’ve tried not to think about her, but she must be on your mind. She was the love of your life and the mother to your boys. Who am I? A girlfriend from a different time. How can you want me?’ She stepped into her jeans and wriggled them into place, pausing before fastening the button. ‘But this isn’t about me. My issues are nothing next to what must be going through your head.’ She batted her curls behind her ears. ‘And it must be serious, because you’re not talking it out.’
Chris gave a small shake of disagreement. She’d got that wrong. He wasn’t talking because words wouldn’t pay justice to what he was thinking. ‘Let me show you what’s going on.’ He clambered off the bed, took her face in his hands and kissed her. A proper, full-on, man-on-the-edge kiss.
Her mouth was receptive and giving, and she returned his passion with equal measure. If his kiss was soft, so was hers. If he explored beyond her lips, she teased his tongue, and a caress to her neck was rewarded with a stroke to his. Every reply sent a pulse of pleasure round his body.
And she made no demands, presenting him with the gift of pure acceptance.
For a fleeting moment, the spectre of love floated before him; was it a ghost from the past or a portent of the future? His skin erupted in goosebumps, and he shivered. Whatever it was, life was too short to ignore what was happening in the present.
He kissed Victoria off her feet and carried her to bed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The only reason Victoria broke away was to reclaim the breath Chris had stolen. Twice. He was everything and more than she’d imagined, and she was in no doubt he could have and would have indulged and satisfied her a third time, had she not stopped.
She peeled back the duvet to be greeted by a pair of dark, mischievous eyes; cognac, ready to warm her on the way down.
‘You have an amazing body,’ he said, kissing both breasts, as if to endorse his statement.
‘Lie here.’ Victoria patted the narrow space beside her. ‘Nice to know I’m not the wrinkled old prune you were expecting.’ She kissed his nose as his head landed on the pillow.
‘I’ll keep saying it until you believe me. You have an amazing body. It’s so feminine.’ He laughed. ‘That’s a compliment. Everything about you is real. Nothing is fake. There’s no pretence.’
‘I’m a hundred per cent natural, is that what you mean?’ She gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow. Receiving no reply, she glanced at him. ‘Have I said something wrong?’ She rolled onto her side, tugged at the duvet, and tucked it under her chin. He’d disappeared again, like before. His eyes were glazed. Had their lovemaking triggered a flashback? Was he in bed with Lacey? Victoria counted the seconds. One, two, three. With a deep breath and a palm to his forehead, he was back. She smiled when he focused on her. ‘Okay?’ With her hand wrapped in the cover, she wiped away a trickle of sweat from Chris’s temple.
‘Yeah. I’m with you. I’m safe.’
Victoria freed her arms and hugged him to her. ‘Talk to me.’ She felt his body press further into hers, so she strengthened her hold. ‘Tell me where you go.’
His entire body expanded within her arms as he breathed in.
‘My ranch. Sometimes I’m running to the stunt arena, mostly I’m knee-deep in detritus, trying to find Lacey, or searching for Todd. I never see the whole story. It’s fragmented, but it feels as if each episode lasts for five, ten minutes. In reality they’re seconds, but it’s enough. And I have the fear and panic every time.’ He turned away from Victoria, but their bodies remained in touch. ‘They come, and I deal with them. And I thank God Rick was spared the trauma. The poor lad carries guilt around in a bucket. He thinks he should have got Todd off the bike.’ He paused, and cuddled Victoria’s hand to his cheek. ‘Do you know what happened?’
‘Yes.’ She wished she didn’t, but the digital jungle drums, including those beaten by EweSpeak, pounded the incident out in explicit detail. ‘I cried for you.’
His eyelashes flickered on her fingers, and a tear coursed its way through.
‘It was horrific, and for you to keep seeing it is heartbreaking.’ She blinked away her own gathering swell. ‘I’ve learned a lot recently, lessons that bypassed me or I’d failed to heed, which I’ve now listened to. I have good people around me who will do whatever it takes to set things right. Let me do that for you.’
‘I can’t be fixed, Victoria.’
‘Then I’ll help Rick. Get him to a good place before he has to face all the stuff about his mother.’
‘Yes,’ Chris said, nodding into her palm. ‘I’d like that.’
With Chris returned to his side of the castle, and Seth and Rick safely installed in the annexe’s lounge, Victoria sat in her bedroom and set her mind to Tommy.
It was difficult to believe his anger stemmed purely from his exclusion of Lacey’s secret. The degree of devastation he was threatening indicated there was far more at stake, but Victoria knew so little about him, it was impossible to determine what.
She rumbled her fingers on the dressing table. Her contacts at EweSpeak would have no trouble obtaining background information, but that would mean a trip to London, and there was no time. Tommy’s threats came with an execution date. If she could negotiate a stay …
‘Mrs Noble?’ Rick’s voice echoed through the closed door. ‘Are you coming to dinner? Seth said he loves lasagne.’
Dinner. An informal setting, with social
chatter, and Tommy at the table. If Victoria asked the right questions, she could learn a thing or two. Every little nugget of information would help. ‘We’d love to come to dinner,’ she said, as she entered the hallway. ‘Thank you.’
She pointed the boys towards the internal door, opened it, and strolled into the kitchen.
Tommy was at the counter dishing up. He cast a look in their direction. ‘You’ve brought company, Rick. Just as well I made a trough full. Sit down.’ He waved the serving slice in the air, before returning to his task.
Victoria examined the table, trying to determine the seating plan; she wanted to sit next to Tommy. Scrutinise him. Ask him as many awkward questions as she could. Pile on the pressure. ‘Where are you sitting, Tommy?’
‘At the end.’ He brought two plates across and put them in front of the boys. ‘They’re hot. Don’t touch. And Vicky, there’s garlic bread in the oven.’
It was an instruction rather than a statement, but Victoria pulled out her chair, and made herself comfortable. ‘I love garlic bread.’ She gave a playful shrug, making Rick produce one of his typical teenage lazy smiles. ‘This smells delicious, Tommy. Where did you learn to cook?’
She watched him drag two more plates from the cupboard. ‘Rick’s mom.’ He slopped a portion onto each of the cold plates, and carried them to the table. He put one down at the spare place next to Seth, and handed Victoria hers. ‘She taught me a lot of stuff.’ He collected his, and took the seat at the head. ‘Where’s your dad, Rick? Doesn’t he know it’s rude to keep us waiting?’
Victoria watched for Rick’s response. He shoved a forkful of pasta into his mouth. Seth copied. ‘I think the bread’s burning,’ she said.
Tommy cursed, scraped back his chair, and swiped the oven gloves from the side. ‘That was your job.’
‘We’re guests,’ Seth said in his pragmatic way. ‘It’s your job.’
Victoria thought she heard a growl resonate from within the cooker. As Tommy backed away, and stood up, Chris walked past and sat at the end of the table. It amused Victoria, although now she wasn’t sitting next to Tommy. Opposite was good, though. She could keep an eye on him there.
Tommy banged the tray of bread into the middle. ‘Help yourselves,’ he said, the sarcasm aimed at Chris. ‘You usually do. I’m going to check on my bike.’ He left the kitchen.
‘You took Tommy’s seat,’ said Seth. ‘I think he’s gone to cry.’
‘He’s all right, buddy.’ Rick patted Seth’s wrist, and they both carried on eating.
Turning her attention from the boys, Victoria spoke to Chris. ‘He’s not happy we’ve joined you.’
‘I suspect he was planning a little chat with Rick and me.’ Chris kept his voice low.
Victoria replied in a similar hushed way. ‘I’m planning on a chat with him.’
‘You are?’ Chris’s nose rumpled.
Their conversation was brought to a close by Tommy striding in, taking his plate of lasagne and settling next to Seth. ‘What are you grown-ups whispering about?’ He threw his ignition key onto the table. ‘You looked mighty cosy there.’ He turned to Rick. ‘What do you think, son? A bit too cosy?’
Victoria jumped into action. ‘You have an interesting accent, Tommy. How long were you in the States before you picked it up?’
Tommy pushed back in his chair. ‘Not long. I’m a fast worker.’ He clicked his tongue and winked.
‘I can’t decide if it’s West Country or West Coast. Where were you born?’ Victoria bit into her bread, attempting to give the impression she was making small talk.
‘Ha!’ Tommy ran his tongue around his gums, making wet, sucking noises. ‘I’m from Bristol. You’ve a good ear.’
Victoria forced a smile and hoped it appeared natural. ‘It’s my party trick. What made you go abroad?’ As she asked, it dawned on her that Tommy had no idea she knew about his threat to Chris. The last time they’d spoken, he’d told her Chris was no hero, and she’d run off crying. If she played this correctly, and conveyed to him the suggestion that her enemy was his enemy, she stood a chance of extracting the information she needed to speed up her inquiry. Not exactly moral, but then neither was blackmail, which was Tommy’s game.
‘There was nothing keeping me in this country,’ he said, breaking into her thoughts. ‘I’d been there a few months before I met Chris. Isn’t that right, mate?’
Chris mumbled into his glass of water.
‘Yeah. I was working at the studio as a carpenter’s mate, constructing sets, that sort of thing. I wasn’t qualified, but like I said, it doesn’t take me long to pick things up.’
He bared his teeth in what Victoria assumed was a smile. It was more of a leer, and there was a spot of parsley from the garlic bread stuck to his incisor. Victoria gestured for him to remove it and he picked it off with his nail, wiping it on his trouser leg.
‘I’m very good with my hands.’ He rubbed his palms together and laughed. ‘Lacey was impressed with my work. She often asked me to patch things up.’ He grabbed his glass and slugged its contents down. ‘I often wonder what would have happened had Chris not turned up. What d’you reckon, mate?’
The emphasis on the word mate was so pointed, Victoria flinched. She was aware Rick had finished eating, and he was listening to Tommy with great intent. This was not a conversation to have in front of the boys. A change of direction was called for.
‘Did you come home for visits?’
Tommy scoffed. ‘Why would I? I told you, there was nothing here for me.’
‘What about family?’
‘They washed their hands of me before I left. I was on my own until I met Lacey.’
Back to her again. The ability to make every comment relevant to Lacey was a trait Victoria recognised. She possessed the same skill when it came to Chris, but she’d mastered the art of keeping her thoughts to herself.
It was possible Tommy was bringing her name up purely as a dig, but there was something in the way he spoke her name that led Victoria to think there was more. The bells of obsession were ringing. Time to increase the pressure.
She pushed her plate aside, finished her water, and excused herself from the table. ‘You’re a good cook. I could get used to that standard.’ From the corner of her eye she saw Chris slant his head at her and glare. ‘You did all the hard work, Tommy. Let these three clear up. Come and talk to me.’ It was the most staged, most flirtatious moment in her entire life. She fought the urge to shake off the maggots crawling all over her. She pushed her chair in, gave a warning nod to Seth to behave, and then left the kitchen.
It was a short distance to the living room, but she had more than enough time to think about what she was doing. Tommy was responding well to her; he was relaxed in her company, and enjoyed having his ego massaged.
That was all she would massage.
She let the double shudder out before he entered the room.
‘I thought it would be strange having another woman about the place,’ he said, as he sat beside her.
‘But you’re okay with it?’
He stretched his arm out along the back of the sofa, reminiscent of their meeting that morning. ‘I’d be okay with several if they were like you.’
She forced out a laugh. ‘You’re only saying that because I approved of your lasagne.’
‘There is that. And the fact you’ve kept yourself in pretty good nick.’ He edged closer. ‘What’s the story with you and Chris, then? I don’t mean your history. I know all that. I mean now. Why are you here?’
‘His offer was too good to refuse.’
‘Don’t be fooled by his charm. I thought I warned you about that side of him.’
‘You did. And I’m sorry I took off.’ She paused, realising this was a perfect opportunity to feign further dislike of Chris. ‘It’s upsetting to d
iscover my private life isn’t private. It’ll be the last time I trust Chris with anything.’ She knocked off her shoes and curled her legs onto the seat. ‘Right, enough about me. I want to know about Tommy Stone. You’ve a high profile job. How do you manage to keep out of the spotlight?’
‘I keep my head down. Anyway, it’s not about me, is it? It’s about Chris. It always has been. Lacey gave everything up for him. She went into exile so he could follow his dream.’
Lacey again. ‘Can I ask you something?’ Victoria copied his move, resting her forearm on the sofa back. She knew mirroring was a powerful way to build rapport. It was another business technique she could use to her personal advantage. ‘Were you and Lacey an item, before Chris spoiled the party?’
Tommy pursed his lips, and rubbed his mouth and chin. ‘Nothing serious, but it could have been. I liked her.’
It was hard to know if this was sheer bravado or the truth.
Tommy closed the gap between him and Victoria, clasped his hands together, and shook his head. ‘Lacey and I slept together a fair few times, but after Frampton arrived, she and I were nothing more than friends. I wasn’t happy. I was very fond of her.’
Victoria maintained a straight-face despite the shock of Tommy’s admission. Her stomach was dealing with the fallout. She took a slow, deep breath and refocused. ‘I thought you and Chris were like brothers.’
‘He thought so, too.’
Victoria unfurled her legs and assumed the new identical position to Tommy. ‘So …?’
‘So, at the beginning, I pretended for Lacey’s sake, and when Chris hit the big time, she asked me to help out. I wasn’t going to say no, was I?’
‘But how did you settle all of that in your mind?’
‘I got a great place to live, Lacey close by, and a job that eventually paid well. What’s not to like?’ He reclined and crossed his ankle onto his thigh. ‘Money can buy anything.’
‘You sold out on your friendship?’
‘It wasn’t a friendship. Everything I did was for Lacey. And when she asked me to be the boys’ godfather, I knew I had to stay. What if something was to happen to Chris? They were family to me. Rick still is.’
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