‘What does it mean in the States?’
‘If you “party”, it usually involves drugs.’
‘Oh no,’ said Madeleine. ‘I kept to the legal stuff.’ She picked up the bottle and refilled her glass. ‘But I was burning the candle at both ends, and my work was suffering. Actually, that was the reason I met Henry.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘My boss was aware I was overdoing it, so she assigned me to Henry at a writers’ festival. She figured I couldn’t get into much trouble with a children’s author.’
‘And yet here you are, marrying him,’ said Aiden. ‘You can’t get into much more trouble than that.’
She smiled. ‘I take it you’re not the marrying kind?’ she said, grabbing the opportunity to steer the conversation away from her.
‘I didn’t say that. I have nothing against the concept, I just haven’t found the right girl.’
Madeleine found that hard to believe; someone like Aiden could surely have his pick. Half the girls – no, all the girls from the office would be clambering over each other to get near him at the wedding.
‘Maybe it’s your lifestyle?’ she suggested.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘I mean, because you travel so much. How would you even get to meet women, much less maintain a relationship?’
‘Oh, I still meet them,’ said Aiden. ‘But you’re right, maintaining a relationship is a lot harder. In fact, I met someone very special, not so long ago. Lost my heart to her, big time.’
‘What happened?’
He took a breath. ‘We met at a global conference on poverty. She was Irish. That accent – she only had to ask for a cup of tea and I’d go weak at the knees. Anyway, we tried to keep up a long-distance relationship . . .’ He drifted off, his blue eyes looking soulful.
Why did she keep noticing what colour his eyes were? Focus, Madeleine! ‘What happened?’ she asked.
‘She found someone else, in her own country. I guess she couldn’t wait around for me.’
‘Oh no, really?’ she said, her heart breaking just a little for him.
Aiden looked at her. ‘No, not really.’
‘What?’
He flashed her a smile that was quite disarming. Madeleine was confused now. ‘I’m not following. Were you in love with this woman or what?’
‘I was in love with the idea of her.’
Her head was hurting. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Oh Madeleine, you’re not real quick on the uptake, are you?’
Her mouth dropped open. ‘Did you just make all that up?’
‘It got your sympathy, didn’t it?’
‘Why would you do that?’
‘To prove a point,’ said Aiden. ‘You see, my “lifestyle”, as you put it, really has prevented me from having a serious relationship for a very long time, and now it’s like a catch-22 – girls think you’re shallow if you haven’t had a serious relationship, so they don’t take you seriously, and you don’t get the chance to develop a relationship. So I sometimes give myself a past.’
‘Hmm . . . I suppose it’s like trying to get a job when you have no experience,’ Madeleine said finally. ‘Or . . . I know, it’s like how you don’t have a credit rating when you’ve never used credit, and therefore you can’t get credit. Now, that really doesn’t make any sense to me. I mean, if you’ve never been in debt, isn’t that a good thing? Wouldn’t that make you a better risk? But no, they want you to be in debt, so they can tell if you’ll pay it off. But isn’t it better that you haven’t been in debt in the first place?’
Madeleine tried to remember the point she’d been intending to make, but she had no idea what it was any more. She looked across at Aiden, who was just smiling indulgently at her, and felt a blush creep into her cheeks.
‘Sorry,’ she said, flustered. ‘I’ve gone off on a tangent. It’s my tragic flaw. What were we saying?’
‘I believe you asked me if I was the marrying kind,’ he said.
‘And then you made up a story to get my sympathy,’ said Madeleine, back on track.
‘Well, usually I get a bit more than sympathy . . .’
Now she went into full blush mode. ‘Mr Carmichael!’
He laughed. ‘I wasn’t implying . . . ah, whatever.’ He raised his glass. ‘Seriously, I’m envious of Henry – of you both,’ he added quickly. ‘Of what you both have, together. I really hope I’m lucky enough to have the same one day.’
Madeleine raised her glass to him, and promptly drained it. She felt the wine swimming around in her head. She hadn’t drunk this much in a while, and Henry was right, she’d pay for it tomorrow, but she was having such a good time. She knew she was getting to the point of no return and that she should resist while she still could. She hadn’t yet reached the level of inebriation that made rational decisions impossible. One more glass ought to do it.
‘So,’ she said, picking up the bottle, ‘can I top you up?’
Aiden regarded her with an adorable expression of regret. ‘As much as I could sit up all night with you, I’m going to get into big trouble with Henry if I don’t release you from your hosting duties very soon. You do have to work tomorrow.’
She felt immediately self-conscious. She wondered if he was thinking she’d had quite enough, if he thought she was drunk, if he’d noticed her speech was slurring. She hated when that happened. That was it, she’d better quit while she was ahead. ‘You’re right,’ she agreed reluctantly.
Aiden stood up and came around the table to offer her his hand. ‘You’re going to need all your energy for cleaning up all that smut, aren’t you?’
Madeleine took his hand and got to her feet. They were standing facing each other, just a little too close. She suddenly felt woozy, and he grabbed her arms to steady her.
‘I’m really glad you’re here, Aiden,’ she said.
‘So you keep saying.’
‘Oh, sorry.’ She also repeated herself when she drank too much.
‘No, I’m flattered. It’s been great to finally meet you, Maddie.’
‘So you’re going with Maddie?’ she said.
‘I think so,’ he smiled. ‘We’ll see how it fits for a day or two.’
‘Okay. So you know where you’re sleeping?’
‘I do, Henry set me up in the guestroom today.’
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Well, goodnight.’ She looped her arms around his neck and hugged him, and he hugged her in return. It was all chaste and friendly, nothing to see here, people.
Aiden drew back first. ‘Goodnight, Maddie.’
She turned up the hall and crept into the bedroom, but she didn’t feel like sleeping. She felt wired. And restless. And horny. Yes, okay, she was a little tipsy, and it was late, and she should just be sensible and go to sleep. But she couldn’t help the way she felt. And she had a nice warm fiancé right there in her bed, who could put her out of her misery. Madeleine stripped down to her underwear and climbed in behind Henry, snuggling into his back. He didn’t budge. She planted a row of kisses along his shoulder blade as she brought her arm around him and grazed his chest with her fingertips. He stirred then, but only to clasp her hand firmly in his, effectively restraining it. Hmm. Time to move to DEFCON 4. Madeleine had no idea what that meant, just that in movies it was always when things got serious. She drew her leg over Henry’s and raised herself up so she could reach around to kiss his cheek, his ear, his neck . . . Finally, a response.
‘Hon,’ he murmured, ‘I’m sleeping.’
‘And I’m waking you,’ she breathed close to his ear, before teasing his lobe with her teeth.
‘Madeleine,’ he groaned.
‘Come on,’ she urged, ‘you know you want to . . .’
‘No, I don’t.’ His voice was firmer now. Properly awake, he shifted onto his back to look up at her. ‘It’s late, and you have an early start.’
‘So? That’s my problem,’ she said, leaning down to press her lips against his, her tongue worki
ng its way into his mouth.
‘Madeleine,’ he said, holding her off, ‘you’re drunk.’
She leant back on her elbow, feeling hurt and defensive. ‘I’m not drunk.’
‘You’ve had too much to drink, and it’s late and I was asleep.’
‘Why are you being so mean?’
She heard him sigh loudly in the darkness. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Hey?’ He brought his arm around her, drawing her close to his side. ‘It’s not you, it’s me, okay? I guess I just feel a bit weird with Aiden in the house.’
‘Seriously? But he’s going to be here for weeks, on and off. Are we not going to have sex any time he’s around?’
‘Of course not. I mean, of course we will,’ he said. ‘I just have to get used to it, that’s all.’ He drew her head down onto his chest and gently stroked her hair. ‘You really need to get some sleep, you’re going to regret this in the morning.’
Madeleine felt frustrated, in every sense of the word. What kind of man refuses sex when it’s being handed to him on a platter? Obviously the same kind of man who argues sensibly about getting enough sleep when he could be getting laid. Sometimes Madeleine worried they were like an old married couple already. Maybe she should push a bit harder now, she wondered with a yawn. Henry drew the covers up over her shoulders, and they both shifted, settling into each other, her head nestling perfectly into the hollow between his neck and his shoulder. His skin was warm against her cheek, and Madeleine felt cosy. He was still stroking her hair . . . it was nice, soothing . . . she was pretty tired . . . it had been a long day . . .
Morning
‘Madeleine? Madeleine, honey . . . it’s time to get up.’
She opened one eye and peered out at Henry through the gloom. He was sitting on the bed, dressed already, gazing down at her.
‘What time is it?’ she croaked.
‘It’s still only early, but you said you had to meet with your staff first thing.’
‘Oh God.’ She brought up a hand to cover her eyes. ‘What time did I come to bed last night?’
‘Late,’ he said. ‘Here, I brought you tea. Have a shower, and I’ll make you some breakfast.’
‘Okay,’ she said weakly. ‘Thank you.’
Twenty minutes later, Madeleine joined Henry in the kitchen, dressed and ready for work. At least that was what she was trying to convince herself; in reality she wasn’t at all sure she was ready for a long drive and what was bound to be a very long day. Henry poured her another cup of tea and slid a plate of toast with butter and Vegemite in front of her. Being American he didn’t really get Vegemite, but he did know it was all Madeleine could stomach the morning after; she didn’t subscribe to the big fry-up hangover cure.
‘I’m not hung-over,’ she said defensively.
Henry’s face was impassive. ‘Okay, you want me to make you something else?’
‘No . . .’ She eased herself onto the stool. ‘It’s fine . . . thank you.’
He nodded, turning back to the sink. Madeleine bit into the toast.
‘Did we have a fight last night?’ she asked Henry suddenly.
He turned around again. ‘No. What makes you think that?’
As she was standing in the shower, something had niggled at Madeleine. She had a blurry image of Henry pushing her away and telling her she was drunk.
‘Were you mad at me because I stayed up and had a drink with Aiden?’
Henry walked over to where she was sitting at the island bench. He took her hand in his. ‘I think you had more than “a” drink,’ he said, but he was smiling. ‘You just came on a little strong when you came to bed –’
‘And you rejected me!’ Madeleine said, her eyes wide. ‘I remember now.’
‘I was only conscious that you had to get up early,’ he said, leaning in closer. ‘If you’d come to bed earlier, it would have been a different story.’ He traced the line of her jaw with his fingertips and then held her face in both hands as he brought her lips to his. Madeleine melted into him; Henry was an exceptional kisser. She would even risk being late for work if he was to lift her up right now, and lay her back across the island bench, and . . . but Henry wouldn’t do something like that.
She suddenly had another mental flash. ‘Hold on,’ she said, pulling back to look at him. ‘I remember now! You didn’t want to have sex with me because of Aiden, not because it was late.’
‘Look, it was late . . . but I guess I do feel a little uncomfortable with Aiden in the house.’
‘Henry, he’s going to be here quite a lot before the wedding.’ She’d long ago accepted the fact that Henry wasn’t very demonstrative in front of company, but this was taking it up another notch. ‘Are you not even going to touch me when he’s around?’ she asked, her voice breaking slightly.
‘Madeleine . . .’ He leant in to kiss her again, trying to draw her closer.
But she resisted. ‘You better not – what if Aiden walks in and sees us?’
‘He’s not here.’
She frowned. ‘What do you mean? Where is he?’
‘He’s still on northern hemisphere time, so he didn’t get much sleep. He wanted to go for an early surf, clear his head. I drove him over to Avalon, and I’ll go back and meet him after you leave.’
She blinked. ‘You came back just to get me off to work?’
‘You said you weren’t coming home tonight. I wanted to see you.’
Madeleine softened at that. Henry had this completely artless way of expressing how he felt about her; it often caught her by surprise. He wasn’t one to get mushy and sentimental; instead he just gave it to her straight, which often turned out to be more romantic than if he’d recited a sonnet. She slipped off the stool and brought her arms around his neck, pressing herself up against him. ‘I love you very much, do you know that?’ she said.
‘I do.’ This time she didn’t resist as he leant in and his lips met hers. As they kissed, Madeleine let her mind drift, imagining just what they could get up to on the kitchen bench, until finally she couldn’t stand it any more.
‘Henry,’ she said, her mouth barely leaving his, ‘seeing as we’re alone, maybe we should take the opportunity . . .’
‘You’ll be late,’ he murmured against her lips.
‘I’ve still got time.’
‘You’re dressed already, you don’t want to get your clothes all smutched.’
She broke away to look him in the eye. ‘Right, come with me.’ She grabbed his hand and walked determinedly back to their bedroom, pulling him behind her.
‘Madeleine . . .’
She didn’t say anything, releasing his hand as she walked into the room and kicked off her shoes. She slipped off her skirt and laid it carefully over the bedroom chair. Henry watched her from the doorway while she unbuttoned her blouse and hung it neatly across the back of the chair. She turned to face him as she reached around to unclasp her bra and toss it aside. He was still standing in the same spot, staring at her.
‘What are you waiting for?’ she asked.
‘You take my breath away, do you know that?’ he said in a low voice.
She smiled as she walked over to him and took hold of both his hands, drawing him into the room. As they neared the bed, Henry took over, sliding his arms around her and lowering her down in one graceful movement. Henry was always graceful in bed. Occasionally she fantasised about him ripping off her clothes and taking her fast and hard. But then again, once he got going, it was the best sex she had ever had in her life. The man had the patience of a saint. Madeleine brought her arms up over her head while Henry had his way, his hands and lips and tongue performing a kind of synchronised sweep across her body, until she was panting with need, and aching for him. They climaxed together; they nearly always did. It was perfection.
As she drove down the street a half an hour later, Madeleine glanced at Henry waving her off in the rearview mirror, a satisfied smile on his face. They’d both needed that. There had been a strange vibe going on last nig
ht; it wasn’t like them to bicker, and she didn’t like feeling disconnected from him, especially when she wouldn’t see him again until tomorrow. But now they were back in step, and Madeleine felt exhilarated and deliciously free of tension all at once. This must be what they meant in that song about sexual healing; even her hangover had faded to a manageable level. Okay, so she’d had one night off the wagon – not that she was on a wagon, as such: that made her sound like an alcoholic or something. She just hadn’t drunk as much as she had last night in a long time, and that’s why it had hit her so hard.
But it was a one-off, a special occasion; it wasn’t going to happen again.
Amblin Press
The office was quiet when Liv arrived. She was a little early; Lachie had training before school, and Dylan was happy to go early as well to work in the library. Then, miracle of miracles, the traffic gods smiled on her and she enjoyed an uneventful run into the city. It was going to be a good day, she decided. Though it was a bit of an anticlimax to walk into an empty office. Not that she expected a marching band, but it was always nice to be welcomed back after a tour.
Fortunately for her delicate ego, she didn’t have to wait long. She heard the cry first: ‘Liv!’ And then Madeleine appeared flushed-faced in the doorway of her office. ‘I didn’t realise you were going to be back this week.’
‘Yeah, well, I had planned to give myself a couple of days off. But then I got Jane’s email last night, and I thought I better come in and help out.’
‘I honestly couldn’t love you more right now,’ Madeleine declared.
‘Stop, people will talk,’ Liv said. ‘I am going to knock off early, though. I want to be home for the boys this afternoon.’
‘I’m just so relieved you’re here at all!’ Madeleine walked into the office and dropped into a chair. ‘I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.’
‘Oh, you could do it with your hands tied behind your back,’ Liv dismissed. ‘I wasn’t worried about that. But you know what they say, she who wears the crown . . . something something, whatever that saying is. I just felt bad leaving you to deal with something so major.’
The Best Man Page 10
