Experiencing the death of a parent at a relatively young age gave us a common bond.
Lauren knew all about my problems. She knew about my past, but that didn’t mean I liked to talk about it.
So, instead I grinned and threw my arm around her shoulder. “Come on. Surely you’ve done enough digging for today. Let’s take a walk before dinner?”
After I helped Lauren pack her gardening tools away, we walked for ages in the lush gardens, talking non-stop. The sun was low in the sky, and I breathed in the sweet scent of the jasmine Lauren pointed out to me.
Finally as the sun began to set, Lauren insisted we should get back as she needed to shower before dinner.
As Lauren and I walked back towards the mansion, dusk was falling. It was a magical moment. Birds were swooping home to roost and a pale, violet light settled over the magnificent gardens. A cool breeze blew past us, ruffling my hair, and as we walked back towards the main entrance, I couldn’t help looking towards the windows of Jack’s rooms.
There were no lights on. Perhaps he really did feel tired and need to sleep. I just had the feeling he wanted to be alone to brood, and I was not sure that was a good idea.
As Lauren and I walked back along the path together, arm-in-arm, my head was full of ideas of how I could make Jack’s day a bit happier tomorrow.
9
Jack
I could see her looking in at me, but she couldn’t see me. It was dark in the room, and I hadn’t bothered to switch the lights on. The dark suited my mood.
It was funny how earlier today, I’d almost forgotten everything. I shouldn’t have teased Kristina like that, but her blush was so delightful. I couldn’t help smiling, remembering how her eyes had widened slightly when I whispered in her ear.
The way her blush had spread from her cheeks all the way down to her chest made me wonder how low down that blush went. Just thinking about it again made me hard.
For the first time since the accident, I found myself dwelling on something other than my bad luck. She seemed so eager to help me, but underneath that, there was a hint of steel. There was some kind of secret in her past that she didn’t want to share, and that only made me more interested.
It was nice for a few hours. But I should have known that the dark thoughts wouldn’t be away for long.
I couldn’t face dinner with my brother, pretending everything was normal. I hadn’t felt normal in a long while.
These mood swings scared me.
I’d always been the hot-headed one. Our mother used to say I inherited all the fire and Alexander inherited the ice. There was no in between ground for either of us.
But these days, after the accident, the rage would build up inside me until I felt like I might explode. I wanted to break things, smash them. I wanted to shake the people close to me until they understood.
Then it was even worse when the fury drained away. All I was left with was emptiness. It’s like what remained after a wild fire: devastation and bleakness.
I watched as Kristina linked arms with Lauren and they headed back to the main doors.
I knew exactly what my brother had planned. He knew me well. A pretty girl like Kristina around all the time... He thought I wouldn’t be able to resist. But that was the old Jack Harding, and he didn’t exist anymore.
I couldn’t deny I did feel butterflies, a stirring in my stomach and lower down as well. I hadn’t felt like that for a while. But I couldn’t kid myself. I wasn’t that person anymore.
I didn’t even know why Joanna’s news triggered this depression in me. It wasn’t as if I had ever loved her. True, she was a pretty woman, decent in bed, and she knew how to handle the paparazzi, which helped career wise, but we’d never had a connection on a deeper level.
I shifted in my chair and wished I could get up and walk out of this room and away from this life.
But I couldn’t. This was my life, and it was all I had to
Lauren knew all about my problems. She knew about my past, but that didn’t mean I liked to talk about it.
So, instead I grinned and threw my arm around her shoulder. “Come on. Surely you’ve done enough digging for today. Let’s take a walk before dinner?”
After I helped Lauren pack her gardening tools away, we walked for ages in the lush gardens, talking non-stop. The sun was low in the sky, and I breathed in the sweet scent of the jasmine Lauren pointed out to me.
Finally as the sun began to set, Lauren insisted we should get back as she needed to shower before dinner.
As Lauren and I walked back towards the mansion, dusk was falling. It was a magical moment. Birds were swooping home to roost and a pale, violet light settled over the magnificent gardens. A cool breeze blew past us, ruffling my hair, and as we walked back towards the main entrance, I couldn’t help looking towards the windows of Jack’s rooms.
There were no lights on. Perhaps he really did feel tired and need to sleep. I just had the feeling he wanted to be alone to brood, and I was not sure that was a good idea.
As Lauren and I walked back along the path together, arm-in-arm, my head was full of ideas of how I could make Jack’s day a bit happier tomorrow.
9
Jack
I could see her looking in at me, but she couldn’t see me. It was dark in the room, and I hadn’t bothered to switch the lights on. The dark suited my mood.
It was funny how earlier today, I’d almost forgotten everything. I shouldn’t have teased Kristina like that, but her blush was so delightful. I couldn’t help smiling, remembering how her eyes had widened slightly when I whispered in her ear.
The way her blush had spread from her cheeks all the way down to her chest made me wonder how low down that blush went. Just thinking about it again made me hard.
For the first time since the accident, I found myself dwelling on something other than my bad luck. She seemed so eager to help me, but underneath that, there was a hint of steel. There was some kind of secret in her past that she didn’t want to share, and that only made me more interested.
It was nice for a few hours. But I should have known that the dark thoughts wouldn’t be away for long.
I couldn’t face dinner with my brother, pretending everything was normal. I hadn’t felt normal in a long while.
These mood swings scared me.
I’d always been the hot-headed one. Our mother used to say I inherited all the fire and Alexander inherited the ice. There was no in between ground for either of us.
But these days, after the accident, the rage would build up inside me until I felt like I might explode. I wanted to break things, smash them. I wanted to shake the people close to me until they understood.
Then it was even worse when the fury drained away. All I was left with was emptiness. It’s like what remained after a wild fire: devastation and bleakness.
I watched as Kristina linked arms with Lauren and they headed back to the main doors.
I knew exactly what my brother had planned. He knew me well. A pretty girl like Kristina around all the time... He thought I wouldn’t be able to resist. But that was the old Jack Harding, and he didn’t exist anymore.
I couldn’t deny I did feel butterflies, a stirring in my stomach and lower down as well. I hadn’t felt like that for a while. But I couldn’t kid myself. I wasn’t that person anymore.
I didn’t even know why Joanna’s news triggered this depression in me. It wasn’t as if I had ever loved her. True, she was a pretty woman, decent in bed, and she knew how to handle the paparazzi, which helped career wise, but we’d never had a connection on a deeper level.
I shifted in my chair and wished I could get up and walk out of this room and away from this life.
But I couldn’t. This was my life, and it was all I had to
Similar Books
