Chapter 7
Seven
By Friday afternoon, the sculpture was practically finished. The Regency woman, dancing a solitary dance, stood at ten feet high. Her peony ballgown moved with her in an eternal swish of her skirt.
Sid let out a low whistle. “She looks great, darlin’. You do good work.”
“Yeah, I do, don’t I?” I was dirty, my knees and knuckles scraped, and I was covered in the kind of sweat you only get from working under the sun all day.
I was in heaven. “You didn’t do too bad yourself.
Are you sure you're happy to keep an eye on her over the weekend?” I didn’t want to leave him with more responsibility than he could handle, but I was also desperate to get back to Alfie.
“It’s cool. I’ve got nothing better to do in this tiny town.” He gave me an easy smile. “What do you have planned?”
“Nothing crazy. Seeing my boyfriend.” I left out the fact that said boyfriend was taking me to a sex club tomorrow.
“That hotel mogul guy? He owns this place, doesn’t he?”
“Alfie Tell. Yeah. How did you know?”
“Googled you.” He shrugged again. I tried not to show my embarrassment. I’d forgotten there were paparazzi shots of us out there in the world. “He's gorgeous.”
“That's an understatement,” I muttered.
“He got any brothers?”
I almost choked but managed to stifle it. I cleared my throat. Charles might be dead and buried but I wouldn't wish even his ghost on anybody. “No. He does have a sister but I think she's taken.”
“Shame.”
I gave him my commiserations then left him alone to pack up our work for the day.
Up in my room I threw my essentials together in a bag and twenty minutes later, I slid into the backseat of the Bentley. I tried to relax as Maia sped us back to London but I couldn’t sit still.
Alfie…
I’d been yearning for him all week. My stomach did happy somersaults as I thought about him. I wanted his hands on me, his scent on my skin. I yearned for the security that came from being in the arms of a man who loved me more than his own life.
All week, I had waited for Alfie to show up.
To arrive uninvited and interfere as he had done so many times before.
But he didn't. He'd kept his distance, only contacting me for our nightly facetime dinner dates. He was exactly what I needed him to be; supportive without being controlling. Yet I felt uneasy. Like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. For him to go back to his old ways. I was being paranoid, I knew that, but he’d given me good reason to be.
My feet tapped with the giddy excitement of a child at Disneyland as we drove through the oak gates.
His house – our house now, I reminded myself – finally came into view.
I had my hand on the door handle before Maia had stopped the car.
I leapt out, ran up the steps and burst through the front door, almost flattening Elliot on the way.
“He’s in the swimming pool, Miss!”
“Thanks, Elliot!” I called over my shoulder. I heard him chuckle as I ran down the hall to the back stairs. I ran down, the air changing as I went, becoming humid and tinged with chlorine.
I found Alfie swimming laps. The muscular lines of his body made my mouth water. Too eager to even take off my shoes, I cannon-balled into the water. By the time I came up for air, his incredulous face was there to greet me.
“You scared the shit out of me, Lola!”
“Sorry. I couldn’t wait.” I swam the few feet of distance between us and kissed him.
“You could have taken your shoes off before you jumped in.”
I cut off his complaints with another kiss. Missing him had made me desperate. “I want you. Please.”
That was all it took for his gaze to darken.
“Your clothes will be harder to take off wet.”
He walked me to the shallow end. I kicked off my trainers on the way. I pulled my shirt over my head and his mouth made a meal of my breasts still covered by the wet lace of my bra. I took that off too, fingers slipping over the wet hooks.
Between us we struggled with my jeans. With a groan of frustration, he lifted me up and put me down on the side of the pool.
I laughed as he yanked on my jeans, fighting with them until I was finally free.
My underwear disappeared with them to float alongside the rest of my clothes.
In the space of a few minutes, I’d turned his glorious swimming pool into the bottom of my wardrobe.
His mouth fell on me, tongue flicking over that sensitive bundle of nerves.
I gasped, crying out. My back arched on the wet tile.
My nipples pebbled despite the humidity.
I slid my fingers into his damp hair, holding him to me just in case he tried to stop.
He knew my body so well there was no need to guide him.
All I had to do was hold on for the ride.
I climbed, riding the rollercoaster higher and higher. I wasn’t shy with my pleasure, I didn’t try to stay quiet. I ground against his mouth, turning his name into an erotic prayer as I came.
Head still spinning, he pulled me back into his arms again. His hand dove between my legs, two fingers plunging inside, checking I was ready for him.
“Hold onto me.”
I was dizzy, my body limp, but I did as he said. He adjusted his grip so my legs rested over his arms in the crook of his elbows, his hands grabbed the safety bar behind me. The buoyancy of the water held my weight and I bounced there, chest to chest, nose to nose with Alfie Tell.
I snaked a hand between us, feeling for his length. I guided it to my entrance and with one smooth thrust, he was inside to the hilt. I immediately felt calmer, but Alfie’s grey gaze grew hooded.
“Move with me.” His voice was harsh, echoing around the room.
Our mouths met as he moved inside me, my flesh rippling over him. He moved slowly and it wasn’t enough.
“Don’t be gentle.” I gripped his hair, pulling enough to make his jaw tick. “Don’t be gentle with me.”
He looked conflicted for barely a heartbeat before hunger took over. I yelled as he slammed inside. He groaned through gritted teeth. The vein in his neck pulsed, I licked it, biting him to make him take me harder. It was deep like this, intense and heady. How had I survived years without this?
He let go of the bar, gripping my hips. His fingers dug into me, not caring if he left bruises. I held on, our mouths moving over each other, breath mingling, sweat beading. His body trembled as he grew close. He tried to bury his head in my neck but I pulled his hair, forcing him to look at me.
“Don’t hide. I want to watch you.” It was so beautiful watching him fall apart. He stiffened as he filled me, hissing his release through gritted teeth. I soaked up every minute, relishing the feeling of fullness.
Exhausted, he rested against the wall of the pool, arms on the side, his face pressed into my neck. I held onto him, the water taking my weight.
“Hey,” I nuzzled him, kissing along the line of his jaw. “Come back to me.”
“I’m here.” His mouth found mine, pulling me in for the deepest of kisses. When he finally pulled away, his eyes were dense with a dozen emotions. “It’s only been three days. This is fucking ridiculous.”
I kissed him again. He wasn’t wrong.
We sweated it out in the sauna for a while.
I lay in his arms, my fingers playing over the palm of his hand.
I traced his lifeline, it was longer than mine and that made me happy.
Our marriage lines were exactly the same length though.
Keira and I had our palms read for fun once a few years ago.
She’d thought it hilarious that her marriage line was practically non-existent.
“You’re quiet,” Alfie murmured, kissing my cheek. “Talk to me.”
“I’m just thinking about us. Being back home this week, it was like walking through our past. There were ghosts of us everywhere in Harrington House. I don’t mind it though. I’ve been thinking that I’d like to have our wedding there. In the Evergarden. What do you think?”
He was quiet for a long moment. “Yes. It will do.”
“It will do?” I said, full of indignation, but when I turned I found his eyes brimming with tears. “Oh.”
He kissed me softly before I could say more. Marrying in our Evergarden had clearly been a dream of his. A dream he hadn’t wanted to mention to me. My chest constricted, feeling both guilty and grateful that he’d kept his dreams to himself so as not to put pressure on me.
He was trying so hard. I needed to do better for him.
“I want to tell you something I’ve realised this week. I think I’m really afraid to get married without my mum. Do you think I’m being silly?”
“I think it’s only silly it’s taken you this long to figure that out.” He wrapped his arms closer around me, pulling me tight to his chest. “She’ll be there.”
I supposed she would, but not in the way that I needed. “I don’t want to do wedding stuff without her.”
“Then don’t. We’ll pay someone else to do it. You can just show up, say the vows and kiss me. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“I’ll need to pick out a wedding dress.” I couldn’t imagine paying someone else to do that. I knew his sister was a wedding dress designer but I wasn’t about to bring that up.
“Yes.” He was quiet for a moment. The cogs of his beautiful brain turning over. “I could pick it out for you. I’m good at choosing your clothes.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure you’d love to spend hours looking at wedding dresses.”
He fell silent again. “I might have spent some time looking already.”
“What?” I looked up at him. “Why?”
He shrugged, looking a little sheepish. “I like picturing you wearing them.”
I shook my head, my heart melting like butter. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Some might say romantic.”
“Ridiculously romantic. And I’m ridiculously in love with you.” My lips brushed over his, just a featherlight touch. “But I’ll deal with the dress situation myself, so it can be a surprise for you. I want to keep the wedding small though. Can we?”
“We can have it however you like.”
“Alright. Soon then. We’ll announce it soon. I don’t want to rain on Natalie and Riley’s parade just yet.”
“Fuck them. We were engaged first.”
I laughed. “That logic only works in the school yard, Alfie.”
“Fine. But soon?”
“Soon,” I told him. “I promise.”