‘Yes, but even so…’ Her voice trailed off and she looked at me, concerned.
I shrugged and tried to smile. ‘So, where’s Patrick now?’
‘He had to go back to London.’ Rachel set her wine glass down on the table and got to her feet.
‘So, where will you live once you’re married? Here or London?’
She looked surprised, as if she hadn’t really considered the question before. ‘Here, I suppose,’ she said. ‘I’ve got the shop, haven’t I?’
We went to the door to see her out and she gave a wave as she climbed into her car, red hair lifting in the breeze.
‘Well, that was short and sweet,’ Mum said out of the side of her mouth while still waving cheerfully.
‘He sounds like one flash bastard!’ my dad muttered from behind. ‘I hope he’s good enough for her and not some corrupt con merchant with mistresses all over the gaff.’
‘I can’t believe I haven’t met him,’ I said through a rictus grin. Rachel turned and waved again before driving off up the street. ‘What if he wants her to move to London?’
‘A ring like that comes with a price. You mark my words,’ Dad said as Mum closed the front door.
‘It all sounds very romantic though, doesn’t it?’ Mum said, dreamily.
‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘And I’m delighted she’s happy.’
‘How long has she been seeing him?’
‘About six months.’
‘Not long really, is it? Mind you, we’d only been seeing each other about nine months before you proposed to me, Derek, so I suppose that was quite quick.’
‘Not as quick as two weeks.’ Dad winked at me as he sat down on the sofa and picked up his wine. ‘She seemed a bit eager to be on her way. She didn’t even finish off her fizz.’
‘She’s probably got a taste for the real stuff now. Champers all the way.’
‘Well, she was driving,’ I said, ‘And she’s probably in the middle of unpacking. She’s only just got back from Paris.’
‘Oh yes, it was good of her to come round at all, wasn’t it?’ Mum said, sitting on the sofa next to me. She slipped off her slippers and rubbed her feet together. ‘I’m sure she has plenty to do. And from what she said, she hasn’t even seen her own mother yet.’
I smiled and rested my head back against the sofa. I felt upset though. I didn’t like the fact that I hadn’t met him yet. It all seemed a bit quick. She’d been seeing him for a few months, but he was rarely here in the week, so their time together was restricted to weekends. I suppose that explained why I hadn’t met him, but I still didn’t like it. I felt cut out of part of her life. Plus, Rachel had always been sensible and practical, and it was disorientating to see her swept off her feet by this Patrick.
Perhaps I was being a tad hypocritical though. I rotated the plastic ring on my finger. Daniel was all I could see right now and we’d been back in touch less than two weeks. Okay, we had history, something to bond us together from our past, but that didn’t account for this chemistry we had. We could just have easily discovered we hated each other. I suppose there was still time for that, but right now it didn’t feel possible. When he’d jokingly proposed to me yesterday, I’d really wanted it to be real.
‘She’s right about that ring though,’ Mum said, wrinkling her nose at my hand. ‘I can’t believe you’re still walking around with it on your finger.’
‘I quite like it now,’ I said, feeling obstinate. ‘It feels right.’
Mum rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t you mind that she’s got thousands of pounds on her finger and you’ve got the contents of a cracker?’
‘Not really.’ I shrugged.
‘Well, take it off for work, for goodness’ sake. Hilary will think you’ve gone crackers. Ha haa – crackers!’ She nudged me, making me spill my wine, and my dad guffawed. I shook my head at them, unamused, as I mopped at the wet patch on my jeans with a tissue.
***
I didn’t take the ring off for work the next day either. Hilary had had a stomach upset all weekend and looked pale and shaky. I felt sorry for her. When she asked about my weekend, I just said it was fine and went to make her a drink.
‘Nothing happened then?’ she asked, looking up from her desk as I passed her a cup of tea.
I shrugged. ‘Rachel got engaged. You know, my best friend?’
‘Did she? Is that why you’re wearing that on your finger?’ She nodded at my left hand. ‘Some kind of female solidarity?’
I laughed. ‘No, someone gave me this as a joke.’
‘And you’re still wearing it?’ She raised her eyebrows and I smiled and went around to my desk. ‘He must be someone special. Who is he?’
I looked at her, debating whether to tell her or not. ‘His name’s Daniel. I used to go to college with him. In fact, he was the man I got stuck in the lift with the other week.’
‘Wow! Well, good. I’m glad you’ve met someone. You deserve a bit of excitement after Alex.’
I looked up in surprise.
‘Well,’ she said, ‘you never seemed to do anything with him. You never went anywhere or did anything together. You didn’t even go on holiday last year. How boring is that? And how old are you? Twenty-five? That’s not right, is it? No, it’s about time you got a bit of excitement in your life.’
I smiled. ‘It’s only early days yet.’
‘But you knew him at college?’
I nodded. ‘I had the biggest crush on him back then. He was in my English class and he was just gorgeous. All the girls liked him back then though. He was in the school band.’ I swung from side to side on my chair, staring off into space. ‘He kissed me at the prom, and then went off travelling, so I didn’t see him again until the other week.’
‘So what’s that ring to signify?’
‘He asked me to marry him the other night, then gave me this.’ I smiled at the ring fondly. ‘We were only messing about.’
‘Are you sure you were just messing about? You’re looking a bit starry-eyed.’
I smiled and shrugged. ‘I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and this is all a dream. It all seems a bit too good to be true. And it’s happened so fast as well. We’ve only been back in touch a couple of weeks and yet I feel so close to him. It feels so natural.’ Realising I’d said too much, I sat up straighter and cleared my throat, embarrassed. ‘Rachel’s got a massive engagement ring. You should see it. It huge!’
‘Who’s she marrying? A gangster?’
I laughed. ‘That’s what my dad said. I think he’s just got a good job though. He’s a company director or something. I haven’t even met him yet.’
‘You haven’t met him?’ Hilary was incredulous. ‘But you’re always with Rachel. How long have they been together?’
‘About six months. But he works abroad a lot and I think he stays in London during the week.’
‘But you still haven’t had a chance to meet him?’
‘I think she just wants him to herself when he’s here.’
Hilary frowned. ‘I suppose it’s easy to say that doesn’t sound right when you don’t know their circumstances. And things feel different when you’re desperately in love.’
I smiled sadly. ‘I’m happy for her, I really am. I’m just worried he’ll take her away from me. Does that sound bad?’
‘It’s natural to feel that way. Especially if you haven’t met him yet.’
I sighed. ‘It sounded like he did it right anyway. The proposal, that is. He had it all planned out with violinists in a posh restaurant and stuff.’
‘A bit clichéd.’ Hilary turned her nose up and I laughed.
‘How did your husband propose?’
‘Oh, that feels about a hundred years ago now. He asked my dad first without me knowing, and when he said yes, then he asked me. We just went for a walk down the river, holding hands and eating ice cream. Then, when we reached the bandstand, he dropped down on one knee and proposed. It was l
ovely.’ She smiled at the memory. ‘How did Daniel and his plastic ring pop the question then?’
‘Ah…’ I shook my head. ‘He just dropped down on one knee in the middle of a bar. It was an act of madness. I said yes to make him stand up, and then he slipped this on my finger.’ I looked down on it fondly. ‘Everyone keeps telling me to take it off, but that just makes me want to keep it on.’
‘What about Daniel? Has he told you to take it off?’
‘No, he just smiled when he saw I was wearing it.’
Hilary smiled. ‘He sounds nice.’
I smiled and pulled my chair under my desk. I supposed I’d better get on with some work.
‘Have you heard from Alex since you saw him at the flat?’
‘No, he’ll have moved in with his new woman by now. Well, I presume she was moving into his new house, but I don’t know.’ I shrugged.
‘How does that make you feel?’
‘Angry he thought so little of me,’ I said, jiggling my mouse to wake up my computer. ‘Relieved I don’t have to see him any more. It’s weird. I don’t miss him at all, I just resent the way he was so cold and critical and put me down all the time. We must have lived like strangers for months. And that makes me sad, because I should have realised what was going on and walked away.’
‘Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, Elena. But you can’t blame yourself.’ Hilary turned back to her computer and started tapping at the keyboard and I got on with my work. I kept wondering what Daniel was doing, and then telling myself not to be so obsessive. We’d spent a long time talking on the phone last night when he’d got back from the family party, and he’d texted this morning to wish me a good day. I found myself thinking of him constantly. The sound of his voice. The touch of his skin. The feel of his long, hard body against mine. I felt feverish, hot flushes and chills, and I kept having to suck in long, deep breaths. It was like torture. Long, slow, exquisite torture.
My phone pinged with a text: I can’t stop thinking about you x
I stared at it for a moment, my heart thumping. Me too x
‘Elena, have you got those files ready for me yet?’ Hilary called.
‘Yes, I’ll get them for you now.’
The day passed agonisingly slowly. Daniel and I had made no plans to meet, but I felt sure I would be seeing him. When five o’clock did eventually arrive and I went downstairs to my car, I found Daniel leaning against the bonnet. He was looking up at the enormous chestnut tree outside our building until he spotted me walking towards him.
‘Are you eyeing up our big chestnut?’
‘I’m eyeing up something.’ He slipped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me into a scorching kiss. I was falling softly, weightless and free. I was dimly aware of people leaving the office and getting into cars around us. Some part of me was saying I should care that I was kissing a man outside my place of work, but I didn’t. I heard Hilary’s voice call ‘Goodnight, Elena’ and I raised a hand and waved.
‘Are you hungry?’
‘Only for you.’ My voice came out as a husky whisper. Blimey, where had that line come from? I’d never said anything like that to Alex. Not even at the beginning.
We drove back to his house. His mum was still at work and his dad was out, playing golf. Muffin scampered up to see me, and I lifted him up and kissed his soft white fur. Daniel grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and two glasses, and led the way to his room. I carried Muffin, but at his bedroom door Daniel turned and took him from my arms, depositing him on the floor and telling him to go away.
‘Awww,’ I said, looking down at Muffin’s sad brown eyes. Daniel grabbed my hand and pulled me into his bedroom, shutting the door in the dog’s face. He yapped, high and sharp, and I started to protest.
‘He’s okay. I don’t want an audience.’
His eyes flashed, and I experienced a knee-trembling punch of lust. And then his mouth was on mine and I was pressed up against the door, his hands roaming my body, running down my leg, lifting up my dress. I hooked my leg around his hip, feeling the rough denim of his jeans against the soft flesh of my inner thigh. The hard ridge of his fly pressed against my lacy thong and I whimpered against his mouth, arching against him. My hands were beneath his T-shirt, pushing it up, sliding over his smooth, muscular back. He stretched up one arm and ripped it off over his head, then lifted my other leg so I had both legs wrapped around him. His hand slipped beneath my backside, tracing the lace between my cheeks until his fingers slithered up inside me. I gasped and writhed and he removed his fingers, slipped them up to my clitoris and then back inside, repeating the action again and again until I cried out, frustrated and hungry. I wanted him inside me. I wanted to be naked. Pushing him backwards onto the bed, I pulled off my dress so I was standing over him in my pink bra and thong. He arched to remove something from the back pocket of his jeans, and tore the foil wrapper of a condom with his teeth. I straddled him, my eyes taking in his broad chest and ridged stomach as I undid the buttons on his jeans and his erection sprang out, tall and proud. I stroked it before rolling on the condom, pushing my knickers to one side as he slipped inside me. He groaned, low and deep, and reached for my breasts, pulling down the cups of my bra as I started to move, up and down, around and around, my eyes fixed on his. He sat up suddenly so we were nose to nose and the intense pressure inside me increased. I whimpered and pressed into him so that he was deeper than ever. He rotated my nipple with his fingers, pulled at my lip with his teeth, and I cried out as waves of pleasure engulfed me. Daniel’s breath was hot and ragged as he tipped me sideways onto the bed, thrusting into me so hard that my whole body moved up and up. His bed creaked alarmingly and I thought the legs would snap. And then he came, groaning my name, hot breath in my neck, fingers entwined with mine.
Through the door, I heard Muffin’s nails scrape against the floor as he scampered off to greet someone. The front door slammed.
‘Daniel?’ His dad’s voice.
‘Fuck.’ Daniel lifted his head and looked at me. ‘I hate living with parents.’ He dropped a kiss onto my lips. ‘Let’s get our own place.’
I stared at him, unable to speak a single word.
‘Daniel?’
‘I’ll be out in a second. Do not fucking come in,’ he added under his breath as he rolled off me and reached for his boxers. They were still inside his jeans and he struggled momentarily to separate them. He passed me my dress. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, looking back over his shoulder at me.
I nodded as I adjusted my bra. My skin felt scorched and oversensitive. I pulled my dress over my head and did up my zip. I wanted to say I wasn’t finished. I needed his hands on me again. His skin against my skin. There was no way I could face his dad like this.
‘Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that to you?’ Daniel asked, pulling on his T-shirt. I watched his abs disappeared beneath the grey material with some regret.
‘Two weeks?’
He stopped and looked at me. A look of annoyance crossed his face, but I couldn’t think why. I couldn’t think straight at all. I just wanted to pull him back into bed. Instead, I was preparing to face his father with messed-up hair, smudged lipstick and tangled, wet knickers.
‘Can I use your bathroom?’
He gestured at the door and went out to see his dad. I felt like I’d been told off. I poured myself a glass of water with shaking hands, then went through to his en suite. My hair and make-up weren’t quite as bad as I thought, and once my dress was smoothed down and my bra straightened, I decided I looked fairly respectable. Fixing on a smile, I slipped my shoes back on and went out into the kitchen.
Daniel was making a cup of tea and his dad was leaning on the worktop, looking at his iPad.
‘Hello, Elena.’ He looked up and smiled Daniel’s smile. They really looked quite alike up close.
‘Hi, George.’
‘Daniel’s face is still a mess, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘I told him not
to go to work today but he wouldn’t listen.’
‘It was fine,’ Daniel said, putting the lid back on the canister of teabags. ‘I finished early.’
‘You can’t be too careful with concussion.’
I sat down at the breakfast bar and watched Daniel, wondering if I should be feeling bad about having sex with him when he was recovering from a head injury. He winked as he passed me a cup of tea, green eyes glinting, and a wave of heat passed through me. I was relieved he seemed to have got over whatever had annoyed him before. We sat with George while he gave us a step-by-step account of his game of golf. I smiled and nodded, pretending to be interested, while Daniel stared at me throughout with undisguised lust.
‘Anyway, I think you need to get your own place, Daniel,’ he said at last, getting to his feet. ‘It’s about time.’
‘Yep.’ Daniel nodded in agreement, still gazing at me. His dad went into the lounge to watch TV, Muffin following behind him. My cheeks glowed and I ducked my head. Talk about making it obvious, Daniel.
‘I’d better be going,’ I said, getting to my feet.
Daniel sat back and looked at me. ‘Why?’
I shrugged. ‘Because…’
‘Because?’
‘Your dad’s home,’ I whispered. ‘And my mum will have my tea ready.’
He passed a hand over his face and laughed. ‘Okay. Whatever.’ He sighed, letting his hand fall with a slap.
‘Daniel…’
‘What?’
I sighed and touched his hand. ‘We can’t rush this.’
‘Why not?’ He looked directly into my eyes.
‘Because…’ I blinked at him. Right now, I couldn’t think of a single reason. I just wanted to be with him.
‘I don’t feel like we’re rushing anything,’ he said. ‘This feels just right to me. In fact, it’s damn near perfect.’
Sitting back down, I nodded slightly. I couldn’t disagree with him.
‘Do you want to be with me?’
‘Of course I want to be with you.’
‘So why can’t we just be together? Are you worried about what other people think?’
Stuck With You Page 20
