Chapter 22
W hen he woke up the next morning, Edward felt confused and it took him a moment to remember where he was, but he quickly relaxed as the events of the previous day and night flooded back.
He glanced over to look at Scarlett, who was still fast asleep, and couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much sex in such a short space of time, let alone sex that good.
After their food arrived and they’d eaten, they were both exhausted, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she’d fallen asleep; it was impressive. He’d watched her sleep for a little while but must have dozed off soon after.
Not wanting to wake her, he snuck out of the bed, grabbed his clothes he’d strategically placed on the chair by the door, and made his way downstairs. After relieving himself in the downstairs bathroom, he made himself a coffee and settled into the reclining chair overlooking the water.
Pulling out his phone, he sighed, knowing the world would require him to leave the oasis of pleasure they’d created since the day before. He tapped the screen to bring it to life.
There were four messages waiting for him: Lily, Briege, Leonard, and Andrzej. He pressed on Andrzej’s first.
Andrzej: Sir, sorry to trouble you, but June is concerned about Scarlett. She hasn’t heard from her, and she didn’t return home last night. Her car is still here, but I see yours isn’t. Apologies for the intrusion, but are you aware of her whereabouts?
Fuck
It hadn’t occurred to either of them that people would wonder where they were. Oblivious and immersed in their own world, they’d failed to think about the fact their absence might seem strange and concerning in the real one.
Edward: Scarlett accompanied me to Edinburgh yesterday to run some errands. We were delayed. Please apologise to June for any concern caused.
Edward rubbed his face and groaned inwardly as he hit send, then pressed on the message from Lily.
Lily: Err, Dad, have you kidnapped Scarlett?
Lily: Dad?
Lily: Like, seriously, people are actually freaking out.
Fuck.
Edward: No, caught up in Edinburgh for work.
He hesitated before pressing on Leonard’s message.
Leonard: Oh, how the mighty fall. You surprise me, oh brother, holier than thou.
Edward: Fuck off.
Finally, he hovered above Briege’s.
For the love of God, why will this woman not get out of my life?
Briege: Darling Eddie. I am absolutely buzzing. Can’t wait to see you, my love. It’s been way too long xxx
What the fuck?
Edward reread the message several times before responding.
Edward: What are you talking about?
Deciding he wasn’t overly keen on engaging with the real world any further, he got up, shoving the phone back in his pocket, and went to make Scarlett a coffee.
As he entered the room, he watched her stir, reach across the bed, and open her eyes, realising he wasn’t there. The gesture made him smile.
“I made you coffee.”
Scarlett relaxed and closed her eyes again. “That’s very sweet of you.”
He placed the cup and saucer on her bedside table and walked around the other side, lying down next to her.
“What time is it?” she asked, her voice croaky and full of sleep.
“Still early, but we should, unfortunately, probably think about getting up soon. I still need to get those papers to Gerard,” he said as Scarlett opened her eyes to scowl at him, making him smile again. “I don’t think it deserves that look.”
He stroked her naked back down to where the duvet just about covered her backside, and not being able to resist, he pushed the covers down further, fully exposing her.
He wanted to slap and bite where his fingers dragged along her soft curves, but he worried where it would lead, knowing full well he’d want to do much more than just bite and slap– and they both needed some time to recover.
“I never want to leave. I think we should stay here forever, eating Thai and having sex.” She paused and shook her head. “Maybe not only Thai, but we could also expand our palate to some Greek, too.”
“I like Greek.” He smiled, his hand stroking the cleft just above her bum cheeks.
“I bet you do.” She laughed, her voice still laced with sleep.
“As much as that idea is more than just a little appealing…” He kissed her shoulder and then her neck. “All of it!” he said, gently kissing the sensitive skin behind her ear. “The world awaits.”
She turned around from her front to face him, inviting him to come closer with her arms. He cupped both her breasts, kissing each nipple before nuzzling into her embrace. She felt so good it was verging on dangerous– he was losing all sense of anything remotely sensible.
“We really do need to get moving.” He moaned into her neck. She stroked his hair and wrestled herself free from the duvet, wrapping her legs around him and pressing her naked body against him. “You’re going to be the death of me, woman.”
“But what a way to go, right?” She kissed his neck as he prised himself away, the sight of her making him stir again.
“No, that’s enough. Come on.”
Scarlett’s eyes smiled at his weak attempt to regain his former sternness towards her, especially when his eyes diverted down to between her legs, which he wanted badly to touch and taste again, just briefly.
This is impossible .
He groaned, looking at the moist and glistening skin at the top of her thighs and shook his head before untangling himself and getting off the bed. “Come on, get dressed! We need to make a move.”
Scarlett sighed. “Fine. You’re so boring when you get all serious.”
“Up,” he said. Taking one last glance at her naked body, he shook his head again and left the room to clean up downstairs.
*
Within a couple of hours they’d washed, cleaned up after themselves, dropped off the papers to his solicitor, and were back on the road again, both of them quiet, each lost in their own thoughts.
It wasn’t until they were about twenty minutes away from Haddon House that he sensed Scarlett turning to face him.
“What happens now?”
He glanced at her before turning back to look at the road. “What do you mean?”
“When we get back, I don’t know what happens.”
He hadn’t thought about it. Actually, that was a lie. He hadn’t really wanted to.
What was he supposed to say?
They each had their own roles to play, and they couldn’t exactly turn up holding hands and play happy couples. She was still his employee. June’s daughter. And more than anything, he didn’t want a relationship. He wasn’t equipped for them, emotionally or otherwise.
And she deserved so much more– he wasn’t lying when he’d called her perfect. She really was. And after what her ex had done to her, he knew he’d also only ever be a disappointment and let her down. He knew he would– it’s what he always ended up doing.
Fuck’s sake, this is all impossible. She is impossible.
“I don’t know,” he said, almost inaudibly.
“I mean, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to behave?” Scarlett’s voice was an octave higher than usual.
“Like normal, I guess.” He knew she was becoming upset, but he didn’t know what else to say.
“Normal like before, or normal like this morning? What’s supposed to be normal, Edward?”
He was beginning to feel annoyed. Not necessarily at her, but at the entire situation. This was why he avoided situations like this. The reason he tried to stay away from her. From relationships in general.
He could never find the right thing to say or do and it always, inevitably, turned to shit.
“Are you pissed off with me?” Scarlett pushed.
“No,” he snapped. “Of course not.”
“You sound pretty pissed.”
“Fuck’s sake, Scarlett, what do you want from me?” He could feel her fiery glare without even looking at her.
“Absolutely nothing, as it turns out.” In his peripheral vision, he could see her turn away from him to stare out the window.
He sighed, disliking himself and the coolness of his tone towards her, but he pushed the thought away, returning his focus to the road as the heavens opened.
Despite moving the windscreen wipers to their highest setting, the visibility was crap, and he assured himself his efforts were better spent focusing on the road; they could probably both do without him crashing the car.
“I’m sorry,” he finally said, turning into the drive leading to the house.
“Don’t bother.”
“Scarlett—”
“I can’t switch this on and off like you.” Her voice quivered with emotion, and he instantly hated himself for making her upset. This wasn’t how he wanted this to go.
“I’m not switching anything off,” he said, doing his best to soften his voice.
“Yes, you are. You’re doing your whole awkward aloof thing again.” She wouldn’t even look at him now.
“My what?” He glanced across at her.
“That thing you do whenever anything gets a bit uncomfortable for you.”
“I don’t know what you’re going on about,” he said, trying to think how he could bring the situation back to a more amicable level.
“Fine, whatever you say.” She turned her body towards her window.
“Scarlett—”
“What?” she almost growled at him.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.” He really didn’t. How could he make all this go back to the way it was before they left Edinburgh?
“Don’t bother saying anything, Edward.” Her voice cracked, and he didn’t know if it was because she was mad or crying.
Fuck’s sake!
He slowed the car to a halt outside the main house and, wasting no time, Scarlett opened the door and jumped out, slamming the door behind her.
He watched her whilst clutching the wheel, his knuckles whitening, as she fled around the side of the house towards the stables, no doubt getting drenched from the rain that was now falling in biblical proportions.
“Fuuuuuck,” he shouted, thumping both hands against the steering wheel several times, finally leaning back against the headrest. “Fuck.”
After several moments, he switched off the engine and got out of the car. The rain hadn’t eased up, but he didn’t care and was in no rush to face whatever was waiting for him indoors.
Hesitating briefly, he opened the front door, carefully listening for any form of life in the house, but all he could hear was the huge oak grandfather clock on the east-facing wall of the hallway and the muffled sounds of Mrs Wilson from the direction of the kitchen.
He released a deep sigh, closing the front door behind him, intent on getting out of his wet clothes and potentially having an enormous glass, if not the entire bottle, of Janneau Armagnac he had stashed away in his office.
He began sloping off towards his rooms, but his false sense of security was quickly shattered when the library door opened and Leonard and Briege stepped out, directly blocking his path.
“Ah, and here he is.” Leonard made no attempt to suppress his mocking smile.
“Eddie, baby!” Briege moved forward to embrace Edward, but thought better of it when she noticed the water dripping from him. “Christ, what happened to you? You’re drenched.”
Edward wondered how he didn’t spot her car outside and kicked himself for being so absentminded. He couldn’t, however, not notice that she still looked svelte, glamorous, and polished, not a hair out of place, but Edward didn’t feel an ounce of attraction or affection towards her.
What he felt was a great deal of annoyance and contempt towards both of them– Leonard in particular, who was still grinning.
“What are you doing here, Briege?” Edward muttered, making no attempt at civility.
Briege bunched up her freckle-spattered nose, which he recalled he’d once found sexy and endearing, something that was definitely no longer the case.
She playfully slapped Leonard on the arm. “Leonard, you told me he knew!”
Leonard smiled and put his hands in his pockets, shrugging sheepishly and rolling his eyes for further dramatic effect. “I was going to, but my dear brother disappeared with the help.”
Edward didn’t respond, not trusting the words that would come out of his mouth if he did.
Briege’s smile faltered for a moment but she brushed off whatever she might’ve thought Leonard was inferring. “Well, come on then, tell him.” She nudged him.
“Briege has agreed to take charge of all the catering for the wedding– she’s pulled together a whole team, despite it only being weeks away.”
Edward still didn’t speak, so Leonard continued, “Obviously couldn’t have done it without Scarlett’s pre-planning– talking of which, where is our delightful firecracker this morning?”
It took everything within Edward not to launch himself at his brother and pummel his face beyond recognition.
Instead, remembering he was a grown man and no longer ten years old and fighting to regain his pride after their mother took his little brother’s side in an argument yet again, Edward pushed past Leonard and headed for his rooms.
Briege gasped. “Ed… Edward! Where are you going?”
“Don’t worry about him. He’ll come around,” he heard Leonard reassure her. “Let’s go see Ana?se, she’s dying to meet you.”
Edward rounded the corner and once out of sight, he stopped and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.
Fuck .