Chapter Seventeen
Hayley
T iffany went through the booking system with Hayley. Why did it seem like it was taking forever?
Oliver stood by her side, his heat palpable. She wanted to jump his bones right here and now. The fire in her chest would reduce her to cinders any second if she didn’t.
Keep it together!
She had to make a quick phone call to Finlay and Genevieve to check which of the two remaining dates were most suitable for them. They plumped for the one at the end of January, which was just before Oliver left for London.
She smiled at him as she okayed it with Tiffany. He wasn’t getting off the hook with this. Just as he wasn’t leaving her tonight without something. Her low-level craving had bounced to high-level need on the desire scale. She had to have him. Why shouldn’t they have a bit of fun before he left? She understood the rules. The physical charge was so high it was a shock not to see sparks zipping around them. Where was the harm in it? She was allowed a bit of lust too. Even if she hankered after Mr Right, it didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy a meaningless hookup with Mr Wright.
But you don’t want it to be meaningless, the warning voice in her head reminded her. It could shut the fuck up because she was doing this.
Tiffany took all the details, and Oliver flashed his card to pay the deposit. He may be terrible at organising, but he was epic at paying for things. Quite the gentleman really. Hayley couldn’t wait to find out if he was a gentleman in the bedroom. Her insides coiled at the thought of his hot body close to hers. She’d had her share of sexual encounters. Some had been better than others, but none were much to write home about. She was still waiting for that transcendent experience with someone. After her one kiss with Oliver, she had high hopes for this. But was that a good thing? What if it was so good she wanted more?
Who cares!
She’d made up her mind.
Tiffany let them out the front door and waved them off. Bitterly cold air bit at Hayley’s neck and the moon lit the garden beyond. She saw the outline of a statue, possibly a lion, and the silhouettes of bare trees. She and Oliver didn’t talk as they crunched across the gravel area to the car. Oliver reached the passenger door first and put his hand on it. Total gentleman. But why wasn’t he opening it? It was so cold.
‘Open the—’
He let go of the handle and put his hands on her waist again, like he’d done when they were dancing. ‘I can’t.’ His voice was breathy.
‘Can’t what? Open the door?’
He pinned her against the car with his hips. ‘Can’t wait.’
She let out a giggle. ‘Well, you’ll have to. I’m not doing anything out here. In a car in December? Have you lost your mind?’
‘Yes. I think I have.’
Wow . This was new. Wild and horny Oliver had arrived. If only she’d known she wielded such power before. She slid her gloved hands around his cheeks and pulled his face closer. ‘One kiss, Oliver. We managed it before. Just one more now, then we wait until we get somewhere warmer.’
‘My house.’
‘Do you have a Christmas tree?’
‘Does it matter?’
She raised an eyebrow.
‘Is it a deal breaker?’ He threaded his fingers into her hair and groaned. His hard body pressed against her and even through their layers of clothing, she felt how turned on he was.
‘Maybe.’
‘Then we’ll have to make a detour into Perth and the twenty-four-hour Tesco, so I can buy one. Can you wait that long?’
‘You complete Scrooge.’ She clapped his cheeks, then let her arms glide around his neck. ‘But I’ll let you off.’ Pressing her lips to his, she reacquainted herself with his mouth and it was a divine sensation, soft and warm. But this time he was hungry and deepened the kiss quickly, holding her so close she could hardly breathe. These bloody coats were annoyingly in the way.
‘Hayley,’ he said, though it was more of a groan, and it made her insides purr.
‘Yes.’
‘I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I just didn’t want to admit that I wanted to.’
She smiled and held his face again. ‘You’re funny. You don’t mean to be, but you are.’
‘I’m being serious.’
‘I know.’ Maybe she should try it too and think objectively about what they were doing, but she couldn’t. She also didn’t want to analyse how she’d felt about Oliver in the past because lingering not far from the forefront of her mind was the niggling thought that maybe she’d always wanted this too… Maybe she’d secretly hoped for a lot more. Again, she pushed that thought away.
Oliver let go of her with a suddenness that made her wobble. He tugged open the passenger door. ‘Let’s get home.’
She hopped in and pulled her wool coat around her. The car was icy, and the windscreen was frozen over. Oliver’s car didn’t need de-icer or elbow grease and a scraper, however. He flicked a few buttons and almost at once, the ice started to melt. Warmth seeped up Hayley’s spine as the heated seats kicked into action. Of course he had a flash car. It went with his smart suits and lawyer lifestyle. Soon he’d have a London pad to go with it.
‘Where do you stay?’ she asked him.
‘On the Fairways Estate.’
Typical! One of the most expensive areas of the town. ‘Oh fancy,’ she said. ‘I went for dinner at the golf club last year when they were still building it.’
‘The last house was just completed this summer.’
‘Aren’t all the houses there enormous?’
‘They’re reasonably sized, yeah.’
‘So… You live in an enormous house, by yourself?’
‘Correct.’
‘Do you have lots of people coming for sleepovers or something?’
‘No.’
‘Should I be honoured? Or don’t you want me to actually sleepover?’
‘I want you for everything.’ His voice was hoarse. ‘Please stay if you want to. I won’t be in a hurry to get rid of you.’
She smiled to herself and suppressed a little thrill in her nervous system. He wants me for everything! Everything? What exactly did that mean? She didn’t want to pin anything to that comment because it could just be lust talking.
Darkness closed in around them, and Hayley was very glad not to be driving. Other than the tunnel of light from the headlights, it was completely pitch black. Oliver had seemed quite a casual driver on the way there, but now he was leaning forward, and his knuckles were tight on the wheel. Was it stress from the dark… Or desperation to get home?
Eventually, the lights of Glenbriar twinkled into view and they coasted past the first houses in the village. Oliver indicated and turned up the hill to his left, past the road that led to Hayley’s flat and on towards the golf course. Just before that was the entrance to the Fairways Estate.
‘Is this definitely ok?’ Oliver said.
‘Very definitely.’ Hayley couldn’t imagine going home now. Her body and soul needed to make this connection.
Beautiful decorations twinkled from every house until they pulled into the one at the end of a small cul-de-sac. One side must back directly onto the golf course, though it was too dark to see. The streetlamp shone across a sweeping mono-blocked driveway and a large white house sat back from the road. It had a red brick trim and a large garage to the side. The roof from the floor above sloped right down to the garage doors that were magically opening. Hayley glanced at Oliver and saw he had a small remote in his hand.
‘Oh my god. This house… It’s gorgeous.’ And huge. Why the hell did he need somewhere this big? This was a family home. A fleeting image crossed Hayley’s mind. She was living here, pushing a stroller and walking a small child to school. That was what should be happening in a house like this, though it wouldn’t be her. Or Oliver. He’d presumably be selling this place when he went to London.
‘Yeah. I like it. I know it’s too big for me, but I like the location. It’s peaceful and even though it’s on an estate, it feels private.’
‘Will you sell it when you go to London?’
‘I’ll have to. The money I get for this place won’t stretch to much down there. House prices in Glenbriar sometimes look like silly money, but they’re nothing compared to London.’
She got out in the garage and rubbed her hands together. Part of it had been walled off.
‘What’s in there?’
‘My home gym.’
Hayley couldn’t hold back her laugh. Finlay had once told her Oliver didn’t like the gym and preferred to work out at home. She’d imagined him lifting weights in his bedroom or possibly having a rowing machine stowed under the bed, but a home gym? Wow! He was something else.
He locked the car and opened a side door. ‘Let’s get inside. It’s cold in here.’
They entered a utility area and Oliver took off his jacket.
‘Shall I take yours too?’
‘Sure.’ Hayley handed it to him. In her floaty dress, she was suddenly cold and exposed. When Oliver opened the door into the kitchen, her jaw dropped. It was show-home perfection with crisp grey cabinets and polished oak worktops.
‘It’s warmer in here.’ Oliver led her into a large living area with minimalistic soft furnishings all in neutral colours but with a rather surprising pop of purple on the cushions and the curtains. ‘I’ll just hang up your coat.’
Hayley sat on the large L-shaped sofa, trying to shake off an odd sense of something… Was it shyness? She’d half expected them not to make it into any of the downstairs rooms and to have started ripping off clothes the second they got out the car, but clearly Oliver had other plans.
‘Would you like a drink?’ he asked, returning a moment later. ‘I’m not good at cocktails, but I have gin or prosecco.’
‘Gin and tonic would be lovely.’
While he was making the drinks, Hayley sat rubbing her bare arms and looking around the room. A cream-coloured, free-standing woodburner was in the corner and she wished it was on as it was still a bit chilly. What had possessed Oliver to buy a house like this? He reappeared with two glasses and sat down beside her.
‘Do you like gin too?’ she asked.
‘I do actually.’
‘And you have prosecco? You must be expecting guests.’
‘I keep it for Finlay and Genevieve. You know how much they like it and they’re the only people who really visit me.’ He took a sip of his drink, and Hayley did the same.
‘I thought you were going to ravish me the minute we arrived.’
His lip quirked up. ‘It was definitely a possibility.’
‘What stopped you?’
‘Manners.’
‘I thought you’d maybe changed your mind.’
‘No.’ He raised his hand and cupped her cheek in his palm. ‘I haven’t and I won’t, but I want to do this properly.’ He put his glass on the coffee table, leaned over and kissed her slowly on the cheek, his fingers lacing into her hair.
Hayley sighed and closed her eyes.
A phone vibrated somewhere.
‘Bloody thing,’ he muttered, shifting, and pulling it out of his back pocket, then placing it next to his glass on the table. ‘It’s been doing that all the way back.’
‘Why don’t you check it?’
‘Because I don’t care who it is. Nothing is going to spoil this.’ He traced a fingertip around her earlobe and seemed to study her for a moment. She might have stopped breathing. His look held so much reverence, his wide, dark pupils boring into her. ‘You really are beautiful. You bring the sparkle to everyone.’
‘Even you?’
‘Even me. I didn’t think I wanted it, but I do. I need it.’ He smiled. It started as an Oliver lip quirk but spread until it was wider than she’d ever seen before.
‘You’re smiling,’ she said, and it made her smile too.
‘Your fault,’ he said. ‘I’m always smiling on the inside when I see you.’
‘I don’t believe you. You look far too grumpy for that. But I’ll let you off because I like it when you smile on the outside.’ She abandoned her glass and moved closer. He took her face in his hands, ran his fingers into her hair and kissed her gently but firmly, even a little desperately.
Her hands found his shirt buttons, and she tried to concentrate, but the force of his mouth was overwhelming and so hot. Sparks were crackling through her, making her lose her mind and her sense of self. She groaned and poured all her energy into kissing him back. Fierce and wanton. His fingers were clamped into her hair. She could hardly breathe.
His phone buzzed again and this time it was constant, like someone was calling.
‘Seriously,’ he growled, pulling away. ‘That is getting switched off.’
‘See who it is first, just in case.’
He looked like he wasn’t going to bother, then he frowned at the screen.
‘Who’s Carla?’ Hayley peered at it too, and for a split second, an icy hand gripped her chest. She knew the name from somewhere. Where? A woman calling Oliver at this moment… A shiver ran through her.
‘She’s my stepmother.’
The icy hand let go and Hayley breathed again. Of course, that was why she recognised the name, though she hadn’t heard much about her for a very long time. ‘Why is she phoning you?’
‘No idea. I don’t think she’s ever called me before.’ He swiped up the screen, and Hayley saw several notifications. Most of them seemed to be from Carla too. Oliver opened a message thread and Hayley saw the first message clear as day.
Neil’s been in an accident. He’s gone in the air ambulance. Not looking good. You’ll want to get to Ninewells soon if you want a chance to say goodbye.
‘Neil…’ Hayley stared at Oliver. ‘Your dad.’
Oliver nodded.
‘Ninewells… That’s in Dundee.’ She screwed up her face. ‘You can’t get there quickly. It’ll be an hour at least and… When was that message sent?’
‘An hour ago.’
‘What if he’s already…’ She couldn’t finish the sentence. Oliver’s face had gone ashen. Was that why Carla was phoning? To tell him his dad had died?
He closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hand. ‘I don’t think I want to know. If he’s gone then… Oh god. How can it have happened to him too? I’ve been a terrible son. My mum would never have wanted it to be like this.’
Hayley put her hand on his arm. Tears welled at the back of her throat, but she forced them back. Nothing she said could make this better, but she could be here. ‘Hey.’ She moved onto her knees and pulled him into her, letting his head rest on her chest. She stroked his face and was shocked to find the skin around his eyes damp. Her heart split clean in two. She leaned in and kissed his forehead. ‘I’m here,’ she said. ‘For as long as you need me.’