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He swore in his mind at the stupid and uncharacteristic lack of concentration. “I had a last minute change of plans. I flew in yesterday and came straight down here.” He remembered something she’d said the night before. “That’s why I was a couple of days late.”
“Ah, I see. Well, that’s a nuisance. I have heard that luggage rarely gets lost nowadays, with such great computer tracking. But there’s a nice little boutique in the main street. Probably nothing like you’re used to in town, but it’ll have enough to tide you by. And in the mean time, I’m happy to wash anything for you. I’ll be doing a load just as soon as I get back from dropping Maxie at school.”
Her son entered the kitchen at that moment, school bag by his side. Katie leapt into their well worn routine, plating up breakfast for the three of them and carrying it into the guest dining room, then putting together a school lunch for Maxie. She listened with one ear to Maxie and David’s conversation, a smile of sensual satisfaction playing at her lips as she continued to remember flashes of last night.
“Okay, darling, time to go.” She scooped his bag up and dangled it over her wrist as she glided through the lounge. “David, I’m just running Maxie to school. Will you be needing anything before I go?”
The look he sent her in response was pure volcanic heat. “Do I need anything…? Hmmm. I’ll be able to wait until you get back.” And then, in a voice only she could hear, “Just.”
She felt her pulse skitter and splutter at his obvious allusion to their love making. She cleared her throat. “Maxie. Car. Now.”
David’s car was the only one in the guest parking space. A hire car, she realized, noting the green bumper sticker on its rear window. Strange that he would have hired a car. Then again, lots of people in central London didn’t have cars of their own. With such great public transport, who needed the hassle? She pushed Maxie’s bag into the boot and waited patiently while her son did up his own seat belt, in yet another sign of his fierce independence.
She thought of David Trent the whole way to school. She thought of him as she walked Maxie to his classroom, and put his bag on its hook. She thought of him as she had a detailed conversation with Mrs. Anderson about the upcoming charity bake day. And now, driving back towards Wadeford House, she was thinking of nothing but him.
“David?” She called, walking in the front door. The guest dining table was empty. She scanned the lounge. No sign of him downstairs. She bit down on her lower lip. A dull throb in between her legs was making her very aware of how much she already needed him again, but she balked at the prospect of seeking him out. It was ridiculous to feel coy after the night they’d shared, but strangely, she did.
Finally, she opted for a weak excuse. She walked upstairs and found him, leaning against the wall looking broodingly out over the back of her property, towards the golf course. He didn’t turn around so she said, hesitantly, “David, I’m just making some tea. Would you like some?”
Please say no, she thought, just wanting to drag him back to her bed.
“Sure. Sounds great. Except, coffee?”
She nodded, but didn’t move. “Do you play?”
“Golf?” He turned to look at her, and there was something dark in his eyes. He quickly disguised it with a killer smile, but she was sure she’d seen it. “Not for a few years.”
“It’s a great course. Or it used to be. It’s been a bit run down lately. Would you like me to call and book you in for a game?”
“No.” His denial was a little more forceful than he’d intended. The manager at the golf course would recognize him instantly, having already spent several hours showing him over the course and explaining some of the maintenance issues to him. He softened his reply with another smile. “Do you play?”
“No. My father did.”
“Did?”
She stiffened. “He passed away three years ago.”
Marcus pulled her into his arms, his face compassionate. “I’m sorry. Were you close?”
She bit down on her lip. “We were. But around the time Maxie was born, I discovered he’d been having an affair.” She was amazed at how matter-of-fact she sounded now. At the time, it had torn her in shreds. “In fact, he had a whole other family.”
“You have sisters? Brothers?”
She shook her head. “They’re his new wife’s children, so I guess they would have been my step siblings… but I don’t ever see them. Mum took it hard, and I just didn’t feel like I could forgive dad.”
David’s insides clenched as he knew instinctively she would feel the same about his own deception. “So your dad became just another man who let you down?”
She tried not to sound melodramatic. “I lost Roberto first, and then him, and all in such a short space of time. But it made me determined that Maxie will have a great respect for women. I don’t ever want some woman to think about him the way I do about my father, or Roberto.”
Shame flooded his body. If she discovered the truth, she’d never forgive him.
“You don’t really want to hear about all this,” she said with a shake of her head. “It was eons of years ago. Come on, let’s grab a coffee.”
“I can think of much, much better ways to spend my time.”
She lifted her eyes to his face, and the desire she saw made her melt.
“Coffee can wait, can’t it? His voice was thick with lust. He pulled her more tightly against him, and she delighted in the harsh planes of his body.
