“Well, I appreciate the offer, but I’m alright.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then. Give me a shout if you get stuck.”
“Won’t happen.”
Part of me definitely preferred him gone, but another wished he’d stay forever.
When I heard the characteristic sound of a crowd cheering on their team, I realised he’d switched on the TV to watch the match. Hyperaware of his proximity, I wondered whether to shut the door between us. Still, I decided against it, because part of me was desperate to maintain some level of control over his whereabouts so that I might predict a sudden arrival.
On edge, I continued to focus on my labour, but when half an hour had passed, the music that played in the background had swept me away into a state of mindfulness. Activities like these were thoroughly therapeutic. For the first time in weeks, I hadn’t given my upcoming exams a single thought within the span of thirty minutes; even William’s presence had faded into the background.
However, my state of relaxation soon transformed into frustration, because apparently, several screws were missing. While growling under my breath, I searched the floor for the assembly instructions, which was when I noticed a pair of feet in the doorway. Right in front of them, I discovered the document.
My heart skipped a beat as I lifted my gaze. How long had he been standing there for? Our eyes collided, and I saw humour basking in his. “Sounds like you’ve fucked up,” he said and reached down for the assembly instructions.
Since I wanted to present myself as capable of the task, I retorted, “I haven’t. A few screws are missing.”
After eyeing me dubiously, he opened the instructions and skipped a few pages until he located the step I was currently stuck at.
“Give me that,” I demanded. “Don’t you have a match to watch?” I muttered as I stood.
“Half-time,” he mumbled and approached to scan my work. Squatting next to me, he studied the various screws still in the bag and extracted one to compare it with the illustration in the instructions. “There are enough screws, alright. You’ve merely put them into the wrong holes,” he said.
Mortified, I snatched the document out of his grasp. “How would you know?” I retorted defensively.
“I’ve got an eye for identifying holes,” he said, looking at me sideways.
Meeting the licentious gleam in his eyes, I replied, “Me too – especially arseholes.”
My witty response earned a chuckle, but his eyes strayed to search for something. “Here,” he said and motioned towards the screwdriver behind me, “pass me the screwdriver.”
I shook my head as I studied the instructions in detail. “I’d rather cast it into the fire.”
His eyebrows arched at my unexpected reply. “Is that a Lord of the Rings reference?”
Since it had been exactly that, my lips pursed. “Maybe.”
His head tilted while he studied me with a sense of wonder in his eyes. “Honestly, where have you been all my life?”
Snorting, I knelt to start removing the screws. “In hiding,” I eventually muttered. “And I’m still not happy about being found, because I was never lost.”
He tittered. “Love, you’re so lost you don’t even realise it,” he claimed before he leaned past me to fetch the screwdriver. He lingered there for a second, and his proximity caused a bolt of ferocious electricity to course through my heart. Mindful of the memories his scent was likely to provoke, I held my breath and leaned slightly away.
“Am not,” I insisted, but did not object when he began to remove the screws, because the sight of his beautiful hands distracted my attention. Steadily and patiently, they removed one screw after the other, and I thought at that moment that I must be going insane, because the view was oddly arousing. They moved so capably – so confident in their work. Those hands could make anything come undone.
In the dim light, his hair glistened faintly. My eyes journeyed along the tidy waves of it, down to where their darkness gently kissed his paler skin as they cradled his ears and neck.
As my gaze strayed further to admire the rest of him, that alien feeling crowded my chest again. It made me feel so full, like I hadn’t sufficient space to contain it. It was dense and heavy, and yet simultaneously, I felt light as a feather.
Transfixed, I studied his beauty as though it were the most impressive constellation ever to have fallen into place. Indeed, he seemed out of this world. Like stars upon the sky, each gorgeous feature of his body connected to form a celestial masterpiece.
He was undoubtedly a work of art, and I marvelled at how many secrets each detail veiled. I wondered what his thoughts were, how far the alleys of his mind stretched, how vast their content. Could they be endless? He seemed like the embodiment of the entire cosmos – the skin of the night.
“The Devil’s in the detail, darling,” he suddenly said and glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Something to bear in mind, especially if you mean to practise law.”
Since I was still mortified over my display of incompetence, I folded my arms and looked away. “I’m just tired after revising all day. I’ve never encountered this problem before, and I’m a certified veteran when it comes to assembling IKEA furniture.”
He was just about to respond when he was interrupted by someone unlocking the front door. Shooting up, I panicked at the thought of Jason discovering his brother in my room. A moment later, I reminded myself that the scene he’d come upon was entirely innocent, so in the end, there was no reason for concern.
“Hello?” Jason called while I heard a bag land on the floor.
“Hi, Jason,” I greeted, although I didn’t sound half as calm as I’d intended.
“We’re in here,” William informed.
Hearing his footsteps approach, I took a deep breath and begged myself to remain composed. I’d never been around the two of them at the same time before, and the reality of it was straining my conscience, because it intensified the notion that I was keeping Jason in the dark about my sensual history with his brother.
Once he appeared in the doorway, I forced forth a smile.
“What’s going on here?” he queried curiously while he observed the current mess on my bedroom floor.
“I was just teaching your brother how to assemble a wardrobe,” I said. In my peripheral vision, I saw William freeze before he slowly turned to regard me. Glancing over, I discovered a look of amused astonishment on his face.
“Yes,” William said and directed his attention to Jason. “You see, I put the wrong screws in the wrong holes. I’d say it’s because I’m tired after work, but the truth is that I was just too stupid and stubborn to realise it.”
My jaw fell open at his playful insult, but before I could reply, Jason chuckled and said, “Sounds like you,” to which William responded with an underwhelmed expression.
Speaking over each other, I said to Jason, “I love you,” just as William replied, “No, you halfwit.”
In perfect synchrony, we turned towards each other, but I was the first to speak. “I win,” I declared.
A chuckle slipped out of his mouth while he shook his head. “Fake it till you make it, I suppose.”
“Glad you seem to get along,” Jason commented with a grin and folded his arms.
“You’re late,” William stated and returned his focus to my wardrobe.
“Yeah, I know. Chaos at the hospital today. Fridays, you know. Been keeping track of the match on my phone, though. Doesn’t look like I’ve missed out on much.”
“You haven’t,” William confirmed. “Anyway, have you had dinner?”
“No. I’m starving.”
“Same.”
“Have you had dinner, Cara?” Jason asked and proceeded to remove his shirt.
I shook my head.
“Right. Should we order something, then? I’m in the mood
for sushi.”
“When are you not?” William and I replied in perfect unison. Since I sensed him glancing at me, I resisted the urge to look in his direction.
“Right,” Jason murmured with an arched brow, eyes flickering between us. While flinging his shirt over his shoulder, he continued, “Why don’t you place the order while I shower? Half-time’s nearly done.”
“I’m busy slaving around,” William said. “Cara, would you be so kind?”
I frowned. “I would, but given the size of you two, I’ve no idea how big of an order I should place.”
“Order for a family of five,” William suggested.
“Yeah, five is good,” Jason agreed.
“Right, okay,” I said and went to pick up my phone from the floor.
Not only had Jason finished showering, but the match had also started again by the time William returned the screwdriver.
“Please don’t fuck up my work,” he urged amusedly.
“While I appreciate your assistance, kindly piss off,” I replied with equal humour.
“If it suddenly collapses in a few weeks, you’ll be the culprit, not I.”
“It won’t.”
From the gleam in his eyes, I could tell he was about to ridicule me, but Jason’s sudden cry came to my rescue. “Fuck! Are you kidding me?”
The look on William’s face made me giggle. I’d never seen his eyes quite so wide before. Horror-struck, he froze in front of me.
“Fly, you fool,” I joked, and it earned me a smirk as he caught on to the reference.
Following his speedy exit, I got back to work with a smile.
To their great disappointment, Chelsea lost, and I hadn’t needed to see the result with my own eyes to know that, because their constant whining made it obvious. The only thing that finally shut them up was the dinner that arrived. They’d invited me to eat with them in the living room, but since I was determined to finish assembling my wardrobe and desk before going to bed, I’d declined. Instead, I ate while I worked.
Though I wasn’t usually one to eavesdrop, William’s presence had piqued my curiosity to the extent that I had deviated from my normal pattern of behaviour by keeping my door slightly ajar so I could overhear their conversation. For the most part, it hadn’t been that rewarding since they’d mainly discussed football and work, but when it was nearing ten o’clock, it took a different turn.
“I should probably think about leaving soon,” William said.
“You heading to Violet?” Jason asked, and I wasn’t quite comfortable with the way my heart reacted to the question, because it clenched and twisted before it sank in my chest. Given what time it was, a voice whispered in my mind that it was likely he’d referred to a woman who played a particular role in William’s life – a sexual role.
The name echoed in my mind. Violet? I vividly recalled a beauty named Violet at his workplace. I’d encountered her in the lift with William just when I’d been about to leave after signing my contract. He’d said then that she was merely his partner for the transaction he was currently working on. However, was she his partner on other fronts as well? Was she the regular bed partner he’d mentioned the first time we’d met?
At first, the possibility intimidated me, but upon realising where my thoughts were headed, I frowned at myself. First of all, I had no claim on him, and secondly, I had no plans to ever sleep with him again. Ultimately, this information shouldn’t have bothered me.
But somewhere deep within, it did.
“Just my ego,” I reasoned in a whisper to myself. “Get a grip, Cara.”
“Yeah,” William confirmed after a while, and my heart proceeded to sink even lower.
“Why the hesitation?” Jason probed.
“No reason. Just wasn’t listening at first.”
“God, you’re a tit.”
“It’s just my head has got a mute button reserved for your voice.”
“Likewise.”
“Anyway, yeah.”
“How are things going with her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Has anything changed since we last spoke about her?”
I should not have been as relieved as I was when I heard William’s responding laughter.
“Changed?” he echoed. “Are you asking whether things are evolving into a relationship?”
“Considering your reaction, I gather they’re not.”
“Not even close. It’s just sex, J, and always will be.”
“What does that mean for Francesca?” Jason continued to probe.
Freezing, I stared blankly ahead. Francesca? He was involved with yet another woman? Somewhat repelled, I wondered how long his list of lovers actually was. Disappointment came next. For some reason, I hadn’t thought him a womaniser. I’d thought him above that. Frankly, the impression he’d given me during the night I’d spent at his was that he was fastidious about his choice of partners. Clearly, I’d been naïve to think that. Then again, taking his unconventional charm and attractive appearance into account, it shouldn’t have surprised me that he had a queue of women just waiting for scraps of his attention.
For the first time since I’d met him, I experienced a moment of sincere gratitude that I’d rejected him. To have to battle for his attention wasn’t remotely appealing. I wouldn’t settle for anything less than a man who recognised my worth from the start and treated me accordingly. To fight to persuade him to pick me, to urge him to see that he should favour me above the rest – my integrity would never let me sink so low. Just like every faithful woman, I deserved to be treated like I was the only woman in the world for him when it came to matters of romance.
Groaning quietly, I asked myself why I was even entertaining this lane of thought. A relationship with William was out of the question, so why should his conduct with other women matter to me? I should have been happy about this. He’d just solidified my decision not to pursue anything more with him ever again. And yet, despite that, disappointment still dominated my feelings, and I scolded myself for it. Who did I think I was? I had no right to be disappointed because he was seeing other women when I continued to reject his advances. In fact, it was only fair that he should seek out other women to help him heal his bruised ego and wounded feelings.
“Why should my arrangement with Violet have anything to say with regards to Francesca?” William replied, bewildered.
“So you plan to see her again, then?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Because she’s Kate’s friend?”
Who on earth was Kate? Yet another lover?
“For example.”
“What other reasons are there?”
“Well, she’s not my type – too sensitive and emotional.”
“Yeah, that’s a bad match.”
“And she seems rather keen, so I’m worried I’ll end up hurting her.”
“How shockingly empathic of you.”
“Besides,” William murmured, “there’s another girl I haven’t told you about.”
Instantly, my heart climbed to my throat. Was it yet another girl, or was he referring to me? Panicking, my gaze dashed towards the door, and I dared not even breathe for fear of drowning out what would come next. Would he break his promise?
“What?” Jason replied, astonished. “Who?”
“I met her last Friday, at Disrepute. We slept together, but she rejected me quite brutally the next morning. Said she’s not interested in dating, and I’m still a bit gutted about that, so it wouldn’t be fair to Francesca if I start seeing her when I’m still hung up on someone else.”
My heart was beating at such speed and strength that I could hear my pulse thump, and feel it pound in my throat. While I hadn’t met him last Friday, but rather the Friday before that, I got the feeling he was referring to me. The similarities were simply
too conspicuous. It couldn’t be yet another girl, could it?
“Are you being serious?” Jason continued disbelievingly.
“Yeah.”
“But you don’t do one-night stands.”
“Yeah, well, I made an exception.”
“Shit. You must have really liked her.”
“I do.”
I stopped breathing. Lightheaded, I remained frozen and struggled to believe the implication of his statement.
“Damn,” Jason said, astounded. “What’s her name? Did you get her contact info?”
“No. I only got her first name – Sandra.”
A quiet gasp stormed out of my mouth. Dropping the screwdriver, I sat back on my heels and stared at the door with shock. Had I actually just heard that? After taking a deep breath to compose myself, I wondered whether he was aware that I was eavesdropping and had therefore said it deliberately in an effort to trick me into his bed again, because he couldn’t genuinely be that affected, could he? Then again, considering the current state of my own feelings, it wasn’t impossible. I’d already acknowledged that he’d left a lasting impression, but I hadn’t entertained the idea that I was guilty of the very same.
“Well, Sandra clearly doesn’t know what she’s turning down,” Jason stated, unimpressed.
“Yeah, it blows.”
“Have you tried hunting her down?”
“I did, but the mission failed. Besides, I think I should respect her decision. All I need is some time to get over it because she was… Well, let’s just say that I seriously doubt I’ll meet someone like her again.”
“And she rejected you solely on the basis that she’s not interested in dating?”
“Mainly. She studies medicine in Edinburgh, so there was that problem as well. Apparently, she just didn’t see us working out.”
He was definitely referring to me, and the reality of it completely obliterated the earlier disappointment I’d experienced.
“Well, I hope for your sake that she’ll change her mind,” Jason stated, and from his tone, I could hear he was displeased.
“Same. Anyway, I need to get a move on. It’s getting late, and Violet’s a bitch about tardiness.”
Skin of the Night: Book One of The Night series Page 14
