Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
We drive up to the Cottage and pull around back, and as we exit the car, we hear screaming coming from the house. I look across at Nikki and raise my brows and hands. “Nothing to do with me,” I say. “Innocent today, so far.”
Nikki pushes open the door and I follow tentatively, in case I’m going to get blamed for something. I can hear Nikki telling them I sent rolls, and I walk in to find Kell sat at the island with Xander standing next to him.
I then take in the women, lots of them, all pecking at him with cotton wool balls. I push down my anger and smirk at him. He’s a total wreck, and I love it. He’s filthy—still—and marked to high heaven. I clearly got some serious blows in, and lots of bite marks.
I’m totally thinking about everything I did, and still want to do to him, as I move around the island towards him. He looks like I’m a grenade about to go off.
I greet Xan first, kissing his cheek. He’s watching me as always in case I kick off, start smashing the kitchen to smithereens.
Completely ignoring the gaggle of simpering groupies gathered around him, I spin Kellen towards me. I can’t help the pull between us and I rub my face onto him. I can smell him, and it turns me on knowing he hasn’t washed me off yet.
He holds my throat and my breathing hitches up, I know he knows what I’m doing. So I run my nail over his chest and nipple.
He shivers and his mouth parts, and I can see goose bumps on his body. The electricity between us is off the scale. I can taste it in the air. He kisses me, moving his hand over my breasts and all the way down my body. Grasping my arse, he picks me up and takes me to his room.
Dropping me onto the bed in one of the larger guest rooms, he lifts my dress over my head and pulls my bikini bottoms off, leaving me in my boots and goggles and nothing else. When he pushes his jeans off, I can see all the marks and dirt. I kneel on the edge of the bed and take him in my hand.
He raises his eyebrows, shaking his head. “Tut, tut, tut. Still not getting this in charge thing.” He turns me around and spanks me.
I smile at him. “Never getting that.”
“I see lots of spanking in your future,” he laughs.
“Who are you, mystic Greg?” I start to giggle and collapse on the bed in full laughter. He stands, watching me as I throw my arms above my head and grin at him.
Eyes burning into mine, his face the essence of desire—carnal, sensuous—he crawls onto the bed. His lips part as he licks his way up my body, nuzzling and rubbing his skin on me, licking across my collarbones and continuing up the column of my neck and along my jawline, biting gently as he goes.
Pushing his legs inside mine to open me up further, he plunges inside me with a groan. “Mmm, you smell divine. And so fucking ready for me.” He drops his head back as he thrusts forward. I clench down on him as I want all of him and he moans loudly. Holding my hands above my head, he continues his long slow thrusting in and out, pulling nearly all the way before driving back in again.
“Maybe I’ll make you learn you’re not in charge by not letting you come.” His voice rumbles against my neck, the pulse shooting straight to my core as he pulls all the way out.
I cry out and kiss him, lick him, his lips, his cheeks, his eyes and ears, begging over and over, “Please let me come, please Kell, please fuck me Kell, I need you.”
He rubs my clit and chuckles. “You’re a very naughty kitten.”
I laugh at that. “Punish me, then,” I say, looking up at him through my eyelashes.
“FUUUUCCCKKK.” Turning me over, I’m so ready for him that he slips in from behind, laid flat on top of me for the barest of moments before he pulls me up with him and smacks my arse as he thrusts forward.
He’s railing into me when there’s a massive bang on the door. I scream out, and Kellen turns his head towards the door as it opens, shouting, “Fuck off or die.”
“Police are here, Kell. And besides, I’ve seen you two fucking loads, so no biggie,” Xander states as a matter of fact before he laughs and walks out the door.
I turn to look at Kell as he pulls out of me. I go from an almost emotional high to a total low. What is wrong with people? My frustration with these women is off the charts. And Kell’s face is a mask of fury.
“What the hell is he talking about? And the police? Really?”
“Get dressed. I’ll sort this shit and this lot are gone. Gabe can start jerking off on his own again.”
Pulling his jeans on, he goes out to meet the police.
Dressing and straightening my clothes the best I can, I follow Kellen into my kitchen.
“There she is.” The shrill voice belongs to the tall, very beautiful blonde, clearly the ring leader in this eviction attempt. They all want me gone, that much is clear. Kellen has obviously had sex with them all in some capacity, I can see it in their faces.
I take a deep breath. I know this is what it’s going to be like. Everyone has tasted my husband, but it”s still a lot to take in.
“That’s the woman who caused the damage. And the owners want to press charges,” she states, clearly believing I’ll be frightened and intimidated.
The sergeant from the local police station looks towards me. I’ve met him loads of times, he’s a regular visitor at Marshall’s. I decide to play along with the charade the women are trying to fabricate. Have a little fun at their expense knowing it won’t be me that comes unstuck in this farce.
“Oh my god, really? Can I talk to them? Can you get them on the phone? I’m really sorry. I’m happy to pay for any damage. My bat slipped as I walked into the room. And every time I grabbed it, it slipped further, causing even more accidental damage.” I smile innocently at the sergeant.
“It was not accidental, she did it on purpose,” she shrieks. ”You need to take her away and lock her up. She’s crazy. She threatened all of us.” She points wildly at her friends and they all nod at him. “And she ran over his car.” This time she points directly at Kellen. “It was a Ferrari,” she gasps, fanning her face with her hand like I’d run over her most priceless possession. “That was not accidental. I saw her do it.”
The entire flock all starts squawking at the poor sergeant, who looks at me hopefully. I just continue to smile at him.
“Just like Marshall,” he sighs under his breath. “Right, can we have a bit of quiet.” He turns to Kell. “Sir?—”
“It’s his lordship. He’s the Earl of Stockton,” Blondie gets in, like a right hook being thrown by a boxer. She’s going for the knockout blow. “You can’t ignore him, regardless of what she says.”
Kell practically groans out loud, scrubbing his hand down his face in exasperation. His ‘why don’t you shut the fuck up’ look doesn’t even register with blondie.
I then look innocently at the policeman.
“Right, your lordship,” the sergeant states.
I snort out a laugh at that and catch Xan’s eye, and suddenly we’re both cracking up laughing. I can hardly get my breath I’m laughing so hard.
“Why are you laughing? He is the Earl of Stockton. Marcus, tell them.”
“Yes, Kellen, tell us,” I say, grinning at him. I tug on my forelock in mock deference, bowing at him as I do. “Xander, do yours.” I reach up and tug on his hair then double over laughing, pulling my hand away and wiping the tears from my eyes. I can barely get the words out to explain as I bow to him as well. “Oh sorry, forgot you’re as bad, Viscount Sterling.”
They all openly stare at me, and then back to Xander. They didn’t know. Well, well.
“Your lordships, has your car been vandalised?” The poor sargeant is trying his best to remain professional, but I can tell his tolerance is wearing thin.
“No,” says Kellen, as all the girls say “yes.”
The sergeant looks around at us all before holding his focus on me, pleading with me to help him out. I sigh, realising I’m going to have to stop my fun, and say, “Sergeant, my bat slipped in my dining room yesterday and I ended up with a few smashed plates and broke my front window. As you can see, I’ve got the repairers in today and they’re sorting it. I’ve got a cleaning crew coming later and Nikki here can vouch for me about how it all got this way to begin with.”
The sergeant looks happy to see Nikki, who tells him in no uncertain terms, “Yes, that is exactly what happened.”
“And what about the car?” he asks Kellen.
“Tell them, Marcus,” the lead goose pleads. ”Tell them about her running it over and flattening it with her tractor. All those other tractor drivers saw it, too.” She’s getting desperate now. A few of the others chip in to try to save her and themselves.
“Where is this flat car?” the sergeant asks me with a placating sigh.
I shrug. “Don’t ask me, I’ve never seen it.” I turn around, looking at Nikki with wide eyes, trying hard not to start laughing again.
Kellen is desperately trying to keep his cool while the women are all pulling at him. Our eyes meet and I frown, but he just lifts his hands in a what can I do gesture.
“It’s outside,” calls out one of the girls.
I scowl at them all, and draw my index finger across my throat as the sergeant turns to go outside.
“Down girl,” says Xander and pulls me into him. “Don’t do it. You’ll be in enough trouble if that car’s there.”
I grin. “I know it’s not. I looked when we came into the drive. Jake towed it away early doors. He texted me, but I like a bit of drama, so I went with it.”
We all go outside to where the girls are insisting the car should be.
Walking up with the most ridiculously innocent face I can muster, I ask, “Is it there?” Kellen turns to look at me, and then shakes his head, saying nothing. “As you can see, sergeant, no flat car. I think these girls need to stop day drinking in the sun,” I say, the picture of innocence.
Xan stands next to me grinning. “Way to go, Kitten,” he whispers. Bumping hands with me conspiratorially.
“Well ladies, as there is no flat car, and Miss Greystone here owns this house and all the land around it, if she feels like a bit of redecoration is needed, I don’t think that’s a crime. I’ll be off. Evie, your lordships, see you later.”
“You own this house?” the tall, blonde one screeches out. “You!?”
I smile at them all. “I do. All of it. Every last brick, plate, cup, glass, bottle, window—the lot.”
They all stand there, unsure what to do next. Gabe, their saviour, comes around the side of the house to where we’re all standing. They all start to flap like a flock of geese towards him.
“Gabe, brother, can we have a chat?” snaps out Kellen, looking directly at Gabe and cutting off the women before they have a chance to start squawking again.
Gabe raises his eyes to heaven. “Sure, let”s go. Xan, you coming?”
They all go off, leaving me behind with the four flapping women. I narrow my eyes at them all. I’ve had quite enough of their shit. “Shouldn’t have called the police, girls. Whatever happened to all girls together, girl power, solidarity.” I make a power salute with my fist.
“You shouldn’t be with Marcus.”
Blondie again. It pisses me off. Everyone”s an expert on who Marcus should be with, and it’s never me. Well, fuck her. And her opinions.
“Why? He likes me, I like him. Why shouldn’t I be with him? Clearly you all have.” I’m trying desperately not to show my anger, disappointment, and—if I’m being honest with myself—a tiny bit of jealousy.
“Not for the last week or so,” says an American one. “He turned all of us down. And then you showed up. We know who you are. You’re James’s mother.”
“I am, but you all didn’t need to be nasty about it. You’re here with Gabe and Xan, what’s not to like?”
“I’m here for Gabe,” she says, “but we’ll all be sent home now. Pretty sure Marcus won’t want us here after the trouble we caused you.” She sounds gutted, but I shrug at her.
“I won’t be sent home, I know his mother,” The English woman announces haughtily, pushing her chest out. I chuckle at that. “Rowena was right about you, who the hell do you think you are?” She finishes on a flourish.
“I’m Evie Fucking Greystone, and you’ll be the first one gone.” I point at her.
She laughs and says with full condescension, “We’ll see.”
Spotting Nikki coming out of the house carrying boxes, I walk over, leaving the chuntering women.
“Nikki, is that stuff from the dining room?” He looks guilty as hell. “I told you to leave it. The cleaning people will be here shortly, let them do it, mate.”
“Oh you know I like to clean. It’s like a dream come true in that room. You wanted to redecorate it anyway. Can I pick décor? I’ve got a great idea for it, so we can use it better.”
“Knock yourself out. I’m off, but I’ll come back for you later. Just send me your mood boards. I know you’ll have at least three.” I grin impishly at him.
“I love you, Evie. Feel free to smash more things up, darling. That study at Greystone farm if you get a chance. I hate it.” He hugs me and skips back into the house.
I walk back towards the truck, not waiting around for the next round of issues. I”m off, it’s theirs to sort. I pull the handle on the truck door, opening it up and starting to climb in.
“Where are you going? We’ve unfinished business.” Kell strides up and pulls me out of the truck and backs me up to it, looking down his nose at me. “Tug your forelock at me again and I’ll spank your arse in front of everyone, especially as you are actually the countess currently.”
He presses the lower half of his body into me, so I can feel his hard cock bulging behind his zipper. Pinning me in place, he holds my throat lightly. “You’re Evie Fucking Greystone are you? I don’t think so. You’re Evie Fucking Russell, and you better use it.”
“Are they going or staying?” I nod towards the house.
“Not my issue. It’s Gabe and Xander’s party.”
“You’ve had sex with them all though, they told me.”
He looks away towards the fields, sighs, then brings his glorious green gaze back to me. “I did yeah, before, before I married you. Is that a problem? Because I’ve fucked loads of women, just like you’ve fucked lots of men.”
“Well, not really lots. In fact, only a couple,” I retort, affronted. “I wouldn’t call a couple lots.”
“It makes no difference the number in the past, it only matters from last week. And I’ve not since then.” Staring into my eyes he moves his hands up to my face. “I said no one else and I meant that. Just us, Kitten. Do you trust me on it?” I nod. “Good.” He kisses me gently, pouring himself into the kiss.
“I want to go home. Do you need to stay to record?” I ask him quietly when he lets me go.
“No, I can do it tomorrow evening. Jurgen’s coming over from Germany, so timing will be better then. And the day after I want to go to Vegas. I don’t want to hide us anymore. Although, I believe one of the girls knows my mother, so she’s gone, spying cow.”
“Can the boys fit it in? I think their exams are over the next two weeks, but then it’s done.” I think I’m more concerned about the exams than they are.
“They can if we go Thursday and come back Sunday. To be fair, we just need to put on a show. Out and about at a club Thursday, Friday, get married, fly out Saturday or Sunday, whichever we want.”
“Can Xan fit it in?”
“Are you kidding? He loves our weddings. He’s already asking when the next one is, insists we’ll have at least three.” He’s laughing now.
“Will I see any of Vegas? I’d like to see?—”
“No, just the club and our hotel room.” He grins like a pirate. “Not a fucking chance I’m letting you loose in Vegas. It’s hard enough keeping you out of trouble at home. Policemen at the door, it’s like your fourteen again.”
“I never had the police. That was Jonno,” I say indignantly.
“Only because you could run faster, or were hiding with Bug.”
I start to giggle. “Oh my god, we were so bad. But just low level stuff, nothing major.”
“You blew the windows out of your home with dynamite. I think you’ve a warped sense of low level, Kitten,” he says incredulously
Xander walks up, already laughing. “Oh God, I remember that. Pete was frantic. We were over the other side of the farm and heard the blast and saw the smoke. He was shouting, ‘Those fucking kids, I’ll kill her,’ so we knew it was you.” He points at me, laughing even harder.
“Jonno’s idea,” I mutter. “I just got the supplies.”
“We’re going home. Are you coming, Xan, or staying here?” Kell asks him.
He blows out a breath. “Are you carrying on from where you left off? Because if yes, I’ll stay here. Marshall will make me drink whiskey and I’m soaked in it.”
“Yes, definitely. Then recording tomorrow then Vegas,” Kell affirms as he walks around to get into the passenger side, giving Xan a man hug as he passes.
Turning to give Xan a kiss on the check, I tell him, “See you at home, Xander. Don’t stay here all day and night, unless you want to of course.”
“It’s fine, I’ll sort them all out then come home. He might have let you out of the bedroom by then.” He smirks at me and saunters away.
In the end, Kellen goes back to record in the early evening. Jurgen turned up early. He remembers putting in the studio and was happy to come stay. Nikki is cooking for him, as they’d got on really well last time. I’m busy quizzing Nikki on his menu as he cooks Jurgen’s favourites.
“Leave him be, midarlin’,” Marshall says to distract me. “Come out and look at this new horse, I want to talk about the yard.”
I look at Nikki, and mouth, ‘What’s up?’ but Nikki just shrugs.
It is a beautiful evening and we set off down the track towards the beach. By the looks of the sun, we might get there and back before dark. Marshall is a man of few words, so we walk in comfortable silence just smiling at each other.
“I love it here, it feels like home,” I say eventually, my chest expanding with love.
“It’s that I want to talk about, midarlin’. You know if you want to go live somewhere else, it’s okay. I don’t want you to stay for me.”
Tears spring instantly to my eyes, my bubble just burst. “Don’t you want me here, with them? I never gave it a thought. I just automatically said ‘this is my home, they can come here.’ I’m not living anywhere else. I told Kellen he had to move to Devon.” I’m standing still in the middle of the track trying to blink back the tears, my heart starting to hurt as I look at him.
“Now, now, midarlin’, you know I’d never tell you not to live with me. I just didn’t want you to feel obliged to stay. I can see how it is with Russell. He’s a man who lives on his own terms, he doesn’t bow to anyone or bend what he wants. I know where James gets it from now.” With a big, slow, genuine smile he puts his arms around my shoulders as we walk on, giving me comfort and calm.
“That house told me it loved me from the off, straight away, no messing. It told me. None have ever done that before. Please don’t make me leave, or choose.” I burst into tears and collapse onto Marshall. “I choose you and it always, always.”
I know I’m over the top, but the last few days have been a roller coaster of emotions. What with the marriage of convenience turning into a magical mystery tour. Kell telling me he loves me, and apologising for France. I need my anchor. Marshall can’t weigh anchor at this point. I need him.
“I love you, midarlin’, always have. Don’t cry, it’ll sort itself out.”
I’m not sure what ‘it’ is, but I let him hug me close. I can smell the horses on him, and I relax fully for the first time in two days.
We carry on walking to the beach, and as I recover my equilibrium, I tell him I want to renovate the coach house. And maybe we should resurrect the racing licence and get a young trainer in, let them use the yard for a really low rent to get them going. I want a woman, someone young and dynamic, who can live in the newly refurbished flat above the stables. We have accommodations for a few stable hands. I want the old coach house for maybe a gin distillery as it’s on the other side of the property than the racing yard.
By the time we reach the sea, I feel a lot better and have my plans and schedule sorted in my head. Kellen will take up time, but I would use the down time to look into distilling gin. Marshall says he’ll speak to his family in the whiskey business, and he feels his niece may come over and help.
We sit together on the headland. We’d set a bench at the perfect spot to look out over the bay and Cornhill beach below. The late May sunshine is warm on my skin, but there’s still a bit of a nip in the air. Marshall”s steady chat about the horses, and Pinky’s antics, calms my jagged edges. I shiver as the temperature starts to go down.
“Never cast a clout until May is out,” I say in a broad Yorkshire accent, smiling at him. “Have we got to walk back?” The sun is still a little high in the sky but is going down rapidly, and it’s about an hour”s walk back.
“No, I’ll phone for someone to come get us on a quad or two.”
About twenty minutes later, we hear the distinct sound of the quads and turn to see Xander on one and Gerald, Marshall”s right hand man on the farm, on the other.
“Your chariot awaits, madam,” Xan says, bowing to me.
“Can we stay for a bit, Xan? I want to watch the sun set.”
“Of course.” He hops off, coming to sit with me on the bench.
Marshall kisses me on the head. “See you back at home, midarlin’, no rush.”
Xan and I sit for a long time, not saying anything.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong? I can see you’ve been crying.” He picks my hand up and threads his fingers through mine.
I give him a shake of my head. I’ll cry again if I’m not careful. What the hell is wrong with me? “Marshall just said something and I got a bit emotional about it, but it’s just me being dramatic as usual.”
“You are the least dramatic person I know. Theatrical yes, dramatic no.”
“You’re only saying that ‘cos you are THE most dramatic person I know.” I point to myself and then him and smile.
“We’ve had a weird six months. I feel like you’ve never been away. Like you were always there somewhere, we just couldn’t see you or talk to you all these years, but you never left us, not really. He looked for you, you know. So did I. I never told him, but I did. You could have sorted him out sooner. And me. Unravelled the mess we were both in.” He smiles at me and hugs me to him. He’s so warm, his scent as calming as Marshall’s.
I put my head on his shoulder and he goes on, his voice deep, melodic, calm. “Can you remember those days when Kell had to go to family functions and I never went with him. I loved those days. I got you all to myself. We used to read. It was the only time I ever did any schoolwork.” I feel him grin. “If it wasn’t for you, I would never have passed a thing. You used to force me to read those school texts and you’d get up and go through soliloquies with me, doing the parts. I can recall them even now.” He smiles, gazing down at me as I turn to watch his sky blue eyes lighting up.
“Are you happy, Xan? Do you have someone special you talk to other than Kellen?”
“Why do I need someone else? I have Gabe and Levi, they’re good guys, understand the issues we have, but yes I’m happy at the moment. Very, in fact.”
He touches my hair as it blows in the wind. My whole being is filled with tenderness towards him. I’m desperate for him to be happy.
We stand on the headland and watch the last of the sun go beyond the horizon. “It’s an amazing place you have here,” he says quietly.
“You’re welcome here anytime, with or without me or Kellen. And stay for however long you want. I like you here.” When I put my arm around his waist and hold on, he kisses my head. I can feel the love flowing out of him. He was always the more emotional of the two of them, more open.
“Let’s get back. I’ll drive slow, unless you want to drive. You probably know the way back better than me.”
“Yes, I’ll drive, it”s tricky in the dark.”
He turns, pulling me to him and wrapping his arms around my waist. As he smiles into my eyes, he takes my hand and gently tugs me towards the quad. I laugh as he twirls me around, as if we’re dancing and he’s delivering me to a carriage. I let his hand go and swing my leg over the front.
He jumps on behind me and holds my waist. He’s so warm and comforting. He always makes me feel safe. Leaning in to kiss the back of my head, he brushes my hair over one shoulder and I half turn my head to listen to him. His breath tickles my ear as he whispers, “Don’t kill me.” He then leans back slightly, points at his chest, and Xan the madman is back. “I”m the best man at a wedding very soon, the bride is counting on me.”
“That she is. Hang on Xander, baby, it’s a wild ride!”
I throttle the quad back towards the farm, both of us yelling our heads off all the way home.