himself.
Pouring two cups, he handed her one and sat beside her. She ate ravenously without pausing for breath.
“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” she asked, clearing the last off her plate.
“Well, I want to call around a few hostels close to the office to start with. Then, after doing a quick clean up around here, I’ll have to drop you off before I head home and get ready for Lydia.”
“Sweet.” She wiped her mouth before taking a deep swig of her wine. She shuddered.
“What do you think?” he asked, nodding towards her cup of wine.
“A bit naff, but okay.”
“A bit naff!” he barked. “You’ve got no taste, woman.”
“Why? Because I don’t like the same wine as you?”
“So what wine do you like, then?”
“Bubbly.”
“You mean champagne?”
“Nah! That’s minging. I like Asti, but I prefer cider more than anything.”
“Say no more.”
She shoved him playfully on the shoulder.
He shoved her back.
She dipped her finger in her wine and flicked the droplets onto him.
“Hey! You’re for it now.”
He reached for her cup, but she pulled it away from him and held it behind her back. He scrambled to his knees and lunged for the cup once again.
Susie lay backwards, laughing hysterically.
His face not an inch from hers, he suddenly got the urge to kiss her, and, from the look on her face, she knew it.
She lifted her chin, staring him straight in the eyes, silently egging him on.
Coming to his senses, he cleared his throat and pushed himself back up.
“Sorry,” he said, reaching for his own cup and taking a swig. “I think I might hit the sack. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
An awkward few minutes passed as Lee cleaned up the kitchen and rinsed the cups.
Susie stood at the window, her back to him when he returned. Her shoulders were slumped and it was clear he’d abused her trust.
“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. “Have you got everything you need?”
She nodded still not turning to face him.
“Goodnight, then.”
“Night.”
He felt terrible. After promising yesterday that he wasn’t like all those other blokes, there he was, behaving almost as bad. He was ashamed of himself and wouldn’t be in the least surprised if she was gone for good by the morning.
In the bedroom, he threw his clothes into a pile and dropped onto the inflatable mattress. There were no curtains, so he didn’t turn on the light for fear of freaking out the neighbours opposite.
He felt wretched. The last thing the poor girl needed was yet another middle-aged man pouncing on her. He’d not looked at another woman in the six years since Lydia had been away, and now, not forty-eight hours before she was due home, he was lusting after a teenager. What the fuck was wrong with him?
He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t get comfortable no matter what he did, and, if he’d been there alone, he would go back downstairs and watch the crappy TV until his eyes closed.
The sound of the bedroom door opening made his breath catch in his throat. Glancing around, his eyes took a few seconds to focus and, when they did, he gasped.
Susie stood naked before him.
Her exquisite body made him want to cry like a baby.
Neither of them said a word as she slowly made her way to the mattress.
He lifted the duvet and she slipped in beside him, her silky, hot skin igniting all his senses.
Chapter 8
Packing baby Joseph’s tiny clothing away proved much harder than I imagined it would. The sadness was intensified by the fact that he had clearly been the same size as Grace when he died, and that knowledge tore at my heart.
James began dismantling the cot after asking if I was okay about one thousand times. And I was okay, until I found the photo albums in the bottom drawer and then, for the second time that day, a pile of photographs had me bawling my eyes out.
The album started with two scan pictures. The first wasn’t very clear, just two round blobs, but the second showed
Pouring two cups, he handed her one and sat beside her. She ate ravenously without pausing for breath.
“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” she asked, clearing the last off her plate.
“Well, I want to call around a few hostels close to the office to start with. Then, after doing a quick clean up around here, I’ll have to drop you off before I head home and get ready for Lydia.”
“Sweet.” She wiped her mouth before taking a deep swig of her wine. She shuddered.
“What do you think?” he asked, nodding towards her cup of wine.
“A bit naff, but okay.”
“A bit naff!” he barked. “You’ve got no taste, woman.”
“Why? Because I don’t like the same wine as you?”
“So what wine do you like, then?”
“Bubbly.”
“You mean champagne?”
“Nah! That’s minging. I like Asti, but I prefer cider more than anything.”
“Say no more.”
She shoved him playfully on the shoulder.
He shoved her back.
She dipped her finger in her wine and flicked the droplets onto him.
“Hey! You’re for it now.”
He reached for her cup, but she pulled it away from him and held it behind her back. He scrambled to his knees and lunged for the cup once again.
Susie lay backwards, laughing hysterically.
His face not an inch from hers, he suddenly got the urge to kiss her, and, from the look on her face, she knew it.
She lifted her chin, staring him straight in the eyes, silently egging him on.
Coming to his senses, he cleared his throat and pushed himself back up.
“Sorry,” he said, reaching for his own cup and taking a swig. “I think I might hit the sack. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
An awkward few minutes passed as Lee cleaned up the kitchen and rinsed the cups.
Susie stood at the window, her back to him when he returned. Her shoulders were slumped and it was clear he’d abused her trust.
“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. “Have you got everything you need?”
She nodded still not turning to face him.
“Goodnight, then.”
“Night.”
He felt terrible. After promising yesterday that he wasn’t like all those other blokes, there he was, behaving almost as bad. He was ashamed of himself and wouldn’t be in the least surprised if she was gone for good by the morning.
In the bedroom, he threw his clothes into a pile and dropped onto the inflatable mattress. There were no curtains, so he didn’t turn on the light for fear of freaking out the neighbours opposite.
He felt wretched. The last thing the poor girl needed was yet another middle-aged man pouncing on her. He’d not looked at another woman in the six years since Lydia had been away, and now, not forty-eight hours before she was due home, he was lusting after a teenager. What the fuck was wrong with him?
He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t get comfortable no matter what he did, and, if he’d been there alone, he would go back downstairs and watch the crappy TV until his eyes closed.
The sound of the bedroom door opening made his breath catch in his throat. Glancing around, his eyes took a few seconds to focus and, when they did, he gasped.
Susie stood naked before him.
Her exquisite body made him want to cry like a baby.
Neither of them said a word as she slowly made her way to the mattress.
He lifted the duvet and she slipped in beside him, her silky, hot skin igniting all his senses.
Chapter 8
Packing baby Joseph’s tiny clothing away proved much harder than I imagined it would. The sadness was intensified by the fact that he had clearly been the same size as Grace when he died, and that knowledge tore at my heart.
James began dismantling the cot after asking if I was okay about one thousand times. And I was okay, until I found the photo albums in the bottom drawer and then, for the second time that day, a pile of photographs had me bawling my eyes out.
The album started with two scan pictures. The first wasn’t very clear, just two round blobs, but the second showed
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