Tyres squealed as the big black Dodge Ram careered around the corner of the narrow drive, zooming down towards me. It came to a stop parallel to me, about twenty feet away from where I was sat on the picnic bench. The huge vehicle had barely stopped rocking from its abrupt stop before Luke jumped out, striding towards me.
“You ok?” he asked.
I nodded and stood up. “Yeah. Thanks so much for coming to get me.” I choked back a fresh bout of tears. “I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s nothing.” He reached out and gently tilted my chin up with the back of his fingers. “Your streaky makeup would suggest you’re not ok.”
My cheeks burned and I automatically put my hands to my face to cover the mess I knew it would be. Unfortunately, I also forgot about the strappy sandals hanging off my fingers and clouted myself in the chin with them.
“Ow,” I said, laughing the pain away.
Luke chuckled and held his hand out. “Give me your shoes before you impale yourself somehow.”
I handed them over, rubbing at my chin. I went to step off the raised concrete patch to head towards the truck when Luke stopped me.
“You’re going to walk in the dark across tarmac in bare feet?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Well give me my shoes back then.”
“Or I could just carry you.”
I opened my mouth to reply but didn’t really know what to say. It felt highly inappropriate given the situation.
“It’s twenty feet, Cat.”
I sighed. “Ok. You win.” I held my arms out like a three-year-old. “Take me to my carriage, Prince Charming.”
He laughed and scooped me up in his strong arms. Ambling back over to his truck, I almost had a heart attack when I saw Marcus stood in front of one of the headlights, completely blocking out the strong beam of light.
“Oh no,” I said. “I thought he’d gone back inside.”
“It’s ok. I can handle whatever he’s got.”
I winced. I had a funny feeling Luke would be rethinking that statement if he knew the truth about Marcus.
“Was that really necessary?” Marcus said, his eyes filled with fury. “Or was that for my benefit?”
Luke walked right around him to the passenger side of the car, wordless, opened the door and then slid me into the leather seat. He passed me my shoes, shut the door, and walked back to Marcus.
“I’m an innocent party here,” he said, holding his hands up. “Don’t start. I’m merely doing what I was asked.”
“With a great amount of glee.”
“Rescuing a damsel in distress?” Luke shrugged his shoulders. “Kinda my thing lately.”
Marcus visibly tensed. Under the moonlight, I could see his shoulders stiffen and his glare at Luke intensified with pure hatred. “You lay one finger on her and I swear—”
Luke held up both hands and wiggled his fingers. “I think, technically speaking, I’ve just had all of my fingers on her.”
I gasped and giggled at the same time. Luke’s comment was funny but if he knew Marcus’ capabilities, he wouldn’t have dared been so bold.
The two burly men stared each other out for several seconds. Then, without a further word being spoken, Luke backed away and climbed into the truck. Marcus turned to face me, looking me straight in the eye for a brief second, before retreating back into the hall.
“That’s going to be one interesting conversation tomorrow,” Luke said, flashing me a grin.
I snorted. “I don’t think so. I won’t be talking to him for several days.”
“You might feel differently after a sleep, when all the emotions have worn away.”
“If you knew what had happened to get me to this point, you wouldn’t be saying that.”
“Indulge me then.”
As we headed back towards Whitby at the legal speed limits, I filled Luke in on the details, obviously skipping over the supernatural elements to the story.
“Ouch,” he said, when I’d finished. “So he thinks you’re some younger version of his mum, then gave you one of his ex’s dresses to wear to his family ball?” He let out a low whistle. “That is a real new level to douchebag.”
“Tell me about it,” I replied, sighing. “I don’t even know how I’m going to get past this.”
“I’m sure you will.”
I stared into the distance, at the empty road ahead. “Hey, Luke, could I ask another favour please?”
He grinned at me, his brown eyes twinkling with joy. “You want my spare bed?”
Stunned, I said, “Yeah…how did you…?”
“I know your dad wanted space for the weekend. Don’t worry,” he said, taking his hand off the gearstick and wiggling his fingers. “I’ll keep my fingers to myself.”
I laughed at him.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” he asked.
“Sleeping away my pain and humiliation.”
He chuckled. “You’ll be right as rain in the morning, back in love with Mr Davenport again.”
I snorted. “I doubt that.” Something pieced together in my mind then. “Oh no! All my clothes for the weekend are at Marcus’.” I rested my head back against the seat and sighed. “Bloody hell.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll sort it out.”
“You know he’s going to go mental about me staying with you?”
“Might be a good lesson for him,” Luke said, smirking. “Leave him to stew in his own mess.”
I looked down and pulled at the dress, a violent shudder running right through me. “Urgh, I just want to get this horrible thing off me.”
“Don’t hate me for saying this but you do look absolutely amazing in it. Streaky makeup included.”
“Stop it,” I said, giggling. I wiped at my cheeks, even though I knew my efforts would be futile without soap and water. “You’re making me paranoid that I look like some sort of clown.”
“I think clowns have neater makeup.”
“Hey,” I said, swatting at his arm. “Be nice. I’m delicate right now.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, drawing a cross over his chest. “Promise I’ll behave now.”
I grinned stupidly to myself as Luke guided his truck down towards his farm. “People will start talking you know, if you keep staying at mine.”
“It’s only the second time. Not like it’s a frequent thing or a regular night.”
“Yet.”
I playfully punched his arm. I couldn’t believe how quickly my mood had changed just being around him. Without fail, he always made me laugh and made me feel good, even in the most upsetting of circumstances, like tonight.
He pulled the truck up outside his huge old farmhouse. Its faded red bricks and white windows making me feel all warm and cosy inside. I could see smoke coming from the chimney, telling me he had his open fire burning away.
“I’ll carry you into the house,” he said.
I looked at his driveway, a mixture of dried mud and gravel, and nodded. I didn’t want to put my shoes on again.
“Then I’ll keep my fingers to myself. Promise.”
I giggled. He jumped out of his seat and came around to my side. Just as he opened the door, my phone pinged with a message. I knew it would be Marcus. I woke my phone up and dared to read the message, hesitant whether it would be nice or nasty.
Marcus: I’m so sorry, Caitlyn. Everything I feel for you is real.
“Everything ok?” Luke asked.
I turned my phone screen around and let him see it. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Stalking much?”
“What am I supposed to reply to that?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing. He doesn’t know you’re not asleep.”
“Of course he does.”
“He’s not psychic, Cat.”
I smirked. “He might be.” A horrible thought struck me then. “What if he comes here?”
Luke barked with laughter. “He won’t come here.”
“You sound awfully conf
ident.”
“Because I am.”
“How do you know he won’t come here?”
“I just do,” he replied, smirking. “Trust me. Now, leap into my arms so I can whisk you to your bed.”
Smiling like an idiot, I gladly obliged.
Chapter 28
I settled down in front of Luke’s open fire. With it being near the end of August, the nights were getting cooler and the midnight chill had me covered in goosebumps. Luke had disappeared upstairs. I could hear him rummaging around in his room for something.
My phone pinged again. I groaned and picked it up.
Marcus: I hope he’s keeping his hands to himself.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to bite back. The guy had seriously pissed me off tonight.
Me: Or what?
Almost instantly he replied.
Marcus: Or we’re going to have to have a serious chat about where our relationship is going.
I burst out laughing. Was he being serious right now? Trying to be all domineering and pretend he would decide what happened next?
Me: After what you’ve pulled tonight, mate, that chat is already happening.
Marcus: Or not. What’s the point if we’re both threatening it?
I gasped. The pain that caused deep in my soul surprised me. It was a spear of agony that left me panicking I’d just lost my relationship. Luke came into the room and when I glanced up at him, he rushed to my side.
“What’s wrong?” he said, bending down and stroking my cheek.
I passed him my phone and let him read through the messages.
“Don’t let him get to you,” he said, putting my phone on the coffee table. “He’s just trying to get in your head.”
“Why’s he trying to turn this around? I don’t get it. It’s him that’s done wrong, not me, but now because I’m staying here, he’s going to try and make it about me staying here.”
“He’s scared, Caitlyn. He’s afraid he’s lost you and he doesn’t know what to say or how to act so he’s lashing out in any way he can.”
“But all he’s doing is making it worse.”
He grasped my hand and shrugged his shoulders. “Man logic. What can I say?”
I laughed at him.
“Here,” he said, handing me an old shirt and a pair of jogging bottoms. “So you can get out of that dress.”
A wall of exhaustion hit me as I took the clothes from him. “Thanks. You’ve no idea how grateful I am.”
He smiled at me and stood back so I could leave. I realised, as I walked past him, that I wouldn’t be able to undo the lace on the corset of my dress without his help. I hesitated in the doorway but fought back my doubts.
“Could you…undo the lace for me please?” I said quietly. “Marcus did it up really tight.”
He didn’t reply but within seconds I could feel his presence behind me. He brushed his fingers against my neck as he swept my hair over my shoulder. A couple of swift tugs at my dress and the corset finally loosened, freeing me.
“There you go,” he said, his breath skimming over my shoulders.
He let his hand fall, his fingertips gliding down my arm. I closed my eyes, shivering from his touch. He felt so warm, so welcoming, so gentle. I found myself longing to have his arms around me, to feel his body heat and his comfort.
But I couldn’t. This was a dangerous road for me to be on right now. I had to move.
“Thank you,” I whispered, keeping my eyes pinned to the floor in front of me.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered back.
This felt all wrong but at the same time so right. Whenever I was around Luke, everything felt good, happy, like it should be.
“I best go get changed,” I said, clearing my throat before running up the stairs and out of danger.
It wasn’t in me to cheat, I would never do that but something about Luke made me seriously doubt myself. I shut myself away in the bathroom and peeled the dress from my body. I tried to ignore the wave of sadness that washed over me as I remembered I’d asked Marcus to undress me tonight.
Slipping on Luke’s shirt, I couldn’t help but inhale his familiar aftershave, subtle and woody with a hint of spice. It was huge, hanging almost to my knees and at least four inches spare each side of my body. I pulled on the tracksuit bottoms and had to pull in the elasticated waist to its tightest just to get them to sit on my hip bone.
I dared to look in the mirror. What I saw made me cringe with embarrassment. Two thick black lines were smeared across my cheeks, right down to my jawbone. My eyes were red and puffy, my eyelashes clumped together with blobs of mascara. What a state. I pulled a clean flannel from the cupboard and then scrubbed my face clean. I checked the mirror again and sighed. What stared back at me wasn’t a pretty sight without makeup, but it was better than what had faced me moments ago.
I gathered up my dress and headed into the spare room. An icy chill hit me immediately, making me want the heat from the open fire downstairs. I chucked the dress on the bed and headed back down. The lingering feeling from moments ago would have dissipated by now—I hoped.
When I entered the cosy living room, Luke sat in front of the fire, feeding it more logs. He glanced up and let out a low wolf whistle.
“Rockin’ that look, Cat. Nice.”
I giggled and did a little spin. “Fits beautifully, don’t you think?”
“Better than that dress.”
Laughing, I made my way over to the fire, desperate for its heat to envelope me. I sat down on the couch, leaning up against the sofa arm that was closest to the fire.
“Do you want a drink?” he said. “Water or anything?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
I grabbed a couple of his plump cushions and laid them against the armrest as pillows. I nestled down into them and sighed contentedly.
“Want a blanket too?” he said, chuckling.
“If you’re offering.”
He stood up and took a cream wool blanket off the back of the other sofa and shook it out. He draped it over me and looked down at me with such a radiant smile, my heart skipped a beat. Our eyes met. Something lingered between us, heavy and unspoken.
“Thanks,” I said.
He smiled. “It’s not the comfiest sofa to sleep on for long periods. Are you sure you don’t want the bed?”
“It’s cold up there,” I said, smiling back at him. “I’m ok here.”
The fire crackled and popped in the background, reminding me why I wanted to stay on the sofa. The homely comforts surrounding me as I fell asleep would surely only help soothe my dreams. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
I found myself stood in the grounds at the old hall in Ravenscar. The moon sat high above me, full and round, shining bright lunar streaks all over my surroundings. The brick wall that edged the cliff edge provided seating for me to gaze out over the sea. I loved the sound of the water breaking against the rocks below.
“Mind if I join you?”
That sickly sweet voice instantly provoked an eye roll and a sigh. “Not like you’ll give me much choice anyway.”
I didn’t even bother to look at her. It wasn’t the fact she was human that made me act so arrogantly towards her, it was her general persona. Fickle, untrustworthy, materialistic, she was not the sort of woman I wanted around my son, even though he was more than capable of looking after himself.
“I don’t know why you dislike me so much, Mirabelle. I find it very hurtful.”
Her familiar scent of daisies filled my nose. That was the only enticing thing about her. I looked at her to see her taking a seat on the wall, facing me, but with a good couple of feet in between us.
“You know exactly why I don’t like you, Tatiana. Your persistence to keep covering the same conversation is becoming rather tiresome, boring, and irritating.”
“I love your son very deeply. I thought that would be all any mother would want for their son.” She clasped her hands together and settled them
in her lap.
I gave her a lazy smile. “Oh, I do. But I want the woman to love him for him, not what he has or can provide.”
A salty breeze brushed her red hair back from her face, revealing her pulsing carotid artery. It would be so easy to end all this right now. In the blink of an eye I could rip her throat out and throw her body in the sea. Or perhaps just leave her at the mercy of the sea completely. Drowning would be too fast of a death for her though.
“The age we live in means a woman has to seek a man who can provide for her and, in the future, their children. I have done exactly that.”
“And you don’t think that love is the most important element?”
“I love Marcus for what he can give me.”
“Exactly.”
She frowned. “I don’t see the issue?”
I laughed. “Of course you don’t. You're too concerned with yourself to see past anything bigger than your breasts.”
A smile tugged at her lips and she cocked her head to one side. “Do you think Marcus would approve of you speaking to me like that?”
“My dear girl, if you’re trying to suggest that Marcus would take your side over mine, you are in for a rude awakening.”
“I’m his future. You're just...stagnant. Always there. You can’t build a future with him and your past is exactly that—history.”
I tipped my head back and laughed. “Do you think Marcus would approve of you speaking to his mother like that?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “When he turns me, your advantage will exist no more. Then perhaps we can solve this issue permanently.”
“He won’t turn you, Tatiana. He's not in love with you.”
“We’ll soon see who’s right.”
I ignored her and gazed back out over the sea.
“You spend a lot of time staring at the sea. Rather interesting considering it’s your kinds biggest weakness.”
Love, Lies and Immortal Ties: A young adult paranormal romance (Love, Lies and Ties Book 1) Page 26
