Chapter 10 #2
“The problem with you, Edward, is you’re too strait-laced.” Leonard narrowed his eyes and shook his head.
“Being straight is a problem now?” Edward responded, his gaze cold.
“Not necessarily, but you’re so fucking straight I could use you in a geometry class!” Leonard shook his head again and took a deep drink from his glass.
“Still don’t see the problem.” Edward simply shrugged, enjoying the fact he was getting under his brother’s skin.
“You’re so stuck in your ways with your head wrapped up in this place, you’re not even vanilla, you’re just cream at this point.”
“I quite like cream,” Edward said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Fucking magnolia more like, and to be clear, that’s not a compliment.”
Edward paused and watched Leonard. He could see the wine was clouding his younger brother’s cool exterior, and he was becoming visibly irritated.
“I know it may be difficult for you to get your head around this, Leonard, but I don’t live my life for your or anyone else’s approval.
And if you want to fuck your way through every county, or country for that matter, with any individual on the rainbow spectrum, that’s entirely your prerogative, but don’t get the arse because that’s not what I choose to do with my life.
” Edward drained his own glass of wine. “And that doesn’t make me homophobic or bigoted.
I just don’t feel the need to expand my experiences beyond whatever I’m comfortable with. ”
Leonard released a bitter laugh. “You’re slightly bigoted. Let’s be honest.”
“I’m a traditional man with traditional values. That doesn’t make me bigoted,” Edward shot back.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, brother.” Leonard scanned the room as though looking for another bottle of wine. Finding none, he settled his gaze back on his brother.
The pair stared at each other, the alcohol bringing their thinly masked contempt closer to the surface.
“Do you know what helps me sleep at night?” Edward finally said.
“What’s that?” Leonard raised an eyebrow, his tone sarcastic.
“When you’re five and a half thousand miles away across the pond.” Edward scraped back his chair and stood up. “Get your fiancée and her Buddhist monk over, sort out your wedding, and then all of you fuck off back there, okay?” Edward didn’t wait for a response and left the room.
He knew regret would set in soon enough.
For starters, he rarely allowed his feelings to be aired openly and, although he cared little for Leonard, he was still his brother. Albeit his half-brother.
It was something none of them ever spoke of, but the reality sat between them as wide and deep as the Yosemite Valley.
They shared the same father, but their mother was only Leonard’s by birth. Edward was less than a year old when his own died, and his father remarried a year later.
Verity had been a wonderful mother to Edward, and whether he was truly her son was never in question, but the truth placed a large wedge between the brothers– especially because of their father’s will and the guardianship of the estate being given solely to Edward.
Their mother hadn’t cared– her money and estate, which the boys would have equal shares of after her death, far outweighed what Haddon House was worth– but the principle grated on Leonard to the point of obsession. It was something that Edward was aware of but did his best to ignore.
As Edward readied himself for bed, he knew he’d have to make peace in the morning.
He wouldn’t apologise, but he would improve his tone, at least briefly, and take a more active interest in wedding planning.
He would swallow the bitter pill and show an element of familial affection.
It was the right thing to do and would make Lily and his mother happy.
Edward went to the window and paused when he saw the lights from the stables. The Hope women were still awake. He could see that both bedrooms were lit as they had a sideways view over the gardens themselves.
He leaned against the wall and wondered what Scarlett was doing.
Was she a keen reader like her mother? Or was she on her phone, scrolling through social media, or talking to someone? Was she still in contact with her ex?
He didn’t like the idea of that and pulled the blinds closed.
Removing and kicking his boxers into the corner of the room, he got into bed, his thoughts drifting back to the first moment Scarlett set eyes on him.
The memory of their first meeting was seldom far from his thoughts, and feelings of embarrassment were now surpassed by fantasies of how it may have been different in another situation, or life, for that matter.
Frequent and unwelcome thoughts of her in bed with him had plagued him since her arrival, which had barely been a week ago.
Jesus, man. Pull yourself together.
He shook his head. He must be going soft. Or mad. Or potentially both.
But he couldn’t help himself, especially in moments like this when left alone, imagining what it would be like to have her in his bed with the freedom and time to explore her body with his hands and mouth, wondering what she’d feel and taste like.
He groaned, wishing Scarlett, and his brother for that matter, would both fuck off and leave him in peace.
Neither were helping him sleep at night, and to make matters worse, thoughts of Scarlett’s curves and naked skin under his touch caused a strain beneath his sheets that he would need to deal with if he was to have any chance of sleeping.
Tonight, he would allow himself a little more time to indulge in thoughts of Scarlett, but he promised himself he would banish them for good by the next morning.