The Second Time I Saw You: The Oxford Blue Series #2 Page 7

‘I’m not one of your men, if you hadn’t noticed.’

  He smiles. ‘I need to make doubly sure and it will require you taking all your clothes off. Now come on! You’re wasting your breath.’

  Of course, I couldn’t keep up with him. Not even if I was in Usain Bolt’s golden spikes, maybe not even if I was Usain Bolt, could I have beaten him to the house but I have my own victory. I amble down the hill, waving at him as he stops a hundred yards ahead, hands on his hips, shaking his head at my refusal to play the game. Eventually, he walks back to me.

  ‘You’re no fun,’ he says.

  ‘Not at this game.’

  His eyes flash. ‘Is there another one you plan to play?’

  ‘Maybe. If you’re lucky.’

  ‘I don’t believe in luck.’

  ‘Hey!’

  My shriek as he sweeps me off my feet cuts through the still, cold air and I fling my arms around his neck to avoid falling, but after a few steps, he staggers, groans and I feel I’m slipping through his arms. He recovers just in time and lifts me back up to safety. I tighten my grip on his neck.

  ‘Jesus, you almost dropped me!’

  He grimaces, and seems to be breathing hard. ‘I’m still hungover. Either that or you’re heavier than I expected.’

  ‘Youuuuu!’

  The insult is snatched away as he sets off again, me in his arms, almost running now with no sign of the hangover whatsoever. I cling on for dear life as we get nearer to the ha-ha that separates the parkland from the gardens. It looms ahead, a deep hidden ditch. Surely he’s not thinking of running down into it? I screw my eyes shut as he heads straight for it.

  ‘Alexandeerrr!’

  He stops and, gently, sets me on my feet. His forehead glistens and he really is breathing heavily now, but also grinning fit to burst.

  ‘You really are the limit,’ I say as he puts his arms around me. I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline or the endorphins but a bolt of lust hits me and when we kiss, and I push against him, he’s rock hard for me through his jeans.

  ‘Ready to play the other game you promised?’ he asks.

  ‘I never promised anything.’

  ‘Whether you did or not, it’s too late to back out now.’ He lifts my hair off my face. ‘Even if you wanted to.’

  My skin prickles with anticipation and lust. ‘Is that a threat, my lord?

  ‘No, it’s a bloody promise and if you call me that once more, I’ll …’

  ‘What?’

  He folds his arms. ‘Not take you to bed and shag you senseless.’

  I hate – really hate – to admit it, but the state I’m in right now, a seething mass of sheer lust for him, I don’t think I can face the prospect of being left alone to take care of things myself. Not that Alexander is going to make good on his promise, by the look and feel of him against my body.

  He grabs my hand and we hurry over the little bridge that spans the ha-ha and down the path to a side door, grunting thanks to the few members of staff that greet him.

  We run upstairs and finally he locks the door of his bedroom behind him.

  ‘Is this the first time?’ I ask.

  ‘What for?’

  ‘That you had a girl in here.’

  ‘Rules are made to be broken,’ he says. ‘Now are you going to get your knickers off, or do I have to do it for you?’

  I lick my lips. ‘Oh, I think you’re going to have to do it for me, my lord.’

  I was half expecting it, but the speed at which I’m swept up and dumped on his bed snatches the breath from my body.

  ‘I still have my boots on.’

  ‘Not for long.’ He pulls off the Hunters as I lie giggling on the bed. My jeans follow, and my knickers.

  He kicks off his own boots and strips off sweater, shirt and jeans.

  Wow. My throat is full.

  I had forgotten.

  Forgotten what the sight and smell and feel of his body did for me. But I’m remembering now, now that I have time to savour him, rather than fucking frantically with a desperate man or fumbling with a drunken one.

  His shoulders are broad, his abs taut and hard, though he’s somewhat leaner now than I remember. As for the scar … no matter how many times I see him naked, the angry white flesh on his shoulder fascinates and horrifies me. It reminds me that he’s probably killed, and almost been killed himself, and I realize what I have taken on.

  ‘Second thoughts?’ he asks as he climbs, naked, on to the bed and plants his hands either side of my shoulders.

  ‘Am I allowed any?’

  ‘Like I said, you can’t resist me.’

  And I can’t, not when he parts my knees and uses his mouth so skilfully to bring me to unconditional surrender. His tongue makes delicate little circles and flicks on me that have me clutching at the bedcovers and whimpering shamelessly. He blows gently on me and circles his thumb until I’m teetering on the brink of the mother of all climaxes.

  Then he stops, climbs up my body and murmurs in my ear. ‘I told you so.’

  I can only moan in desperation. While I fist the sheets, he settles himself between my legs and urges his way inside me in one smooth thrust.

  ‘You’re so tight, so wet, Lauren.’

  I know this and I’m loving the way he fills me up, so much I can hardly take him even though I’m readier than I’ve ever been. Above me, his chest is still tinged with a summer tan, his eyes full of such intent as he drives in and out of me, in long, slow, deep thrusts that bury me into the mattress. It’s not possible to be filled up any more but I want it anyway so I wrap my legs around his thighs and I dig my heels into his backside to drag him into me. Sensation builds again, radiating from my core through my limbs. His face is contorted in a kind of pain as he comes and it tips me over the edge after him, falling hard and fast.

  Afterwards, I lie on my back, catching my breath, every part of me, from the tips of my toes to the roots of my hair, relaxed. Alexander lies next to me, flat out, his eyes closed, his palms turned upwards, fingers curled, all the tension washed from his face. I reach out and flatten my palm against his chest, feeling his heart rate slowing down and the light sheen of sweat under my fingers.

  The rap on the door makes me twitch and stiffen.

  Alexander’s eyes open instantly. ‘What the –?’

  The knock comes again, louder and more insistent this time.

  He sits up and calls out. ‘Yes?’

  ‘It’s Robert, my lord. Mr de Courcey and your lawyers are here.’

  Alexander lifts his wrist, peers at his watch as if he doesn’t believe it, then hisses, ‘Fuck.’ He pushes himself off the bed and spikes his fingers through his hair.

  Robert’s anxious voice is louder now. ‘They’ve been in the study for twenty minutes already. Shall I tell them you’re indisposed?’

  Indisposed? That’s one way of putting it.

  ‘No!’ Alexander throws up his hands in frustration at losing his temper but crosses to the door and growls through the panel. ‘I’ll be down in a few minutes, Robert. Can you serve them some tea or whisky or something?’

  ‘I’m afraid we don’t have any decent whisky left, my lord.’

  I clap a hand over my mouth to stifle a highly inappropriate laugh. Alexander reins in his irritation. ‘Sherry then. I really don’t care. Please, just keep them happy until I come down.’

  ‘Of course, my lord.’

  Footsteps retreat down the landing as Alexander stands motionless for a few seconds, staring into space. Then he shakes his head. ‘It’s no good. I can’t put it off any longer.’

  He pulls on trousers and a shirt and rakes his hand through his hair.

  ‘Good luck,’ I say as he opens the door.

  ‘I’ll need it.’

  Chapter Five

  The sky over the deer park is rosy as the sun slips closer to the horizon, but Rupert’s father’s BMW and a black Lexus that I presume belongs to the lawyers are still parked outside on the drive. The house has been eeril
y quiet while I’ve been working on some research for my essay. I also made a phone call to Immy to tell her how the funeral went. It’s Friday afternoon, of course, and she’d been rushing to finish writing up some fieldwork before she gets ready for a night out at someone’s twenty-first birthday party. The contrast has not escaped me.

  Maybe I should go downstairs and try to find out what’s happening, because I’m going stir crazy up in Alexander’s bedroom and, let’s face it, I’m dying to know how the meeting has gone.

  As I reach the first landing, the study door opens off the hallway below me. I stop in my tracks as a man I assume to be Mr de Courcey comes out. I think it’s him, judging by the country tweed and sandy combover hairstyle I can see from my perch. He’s followed by a younger man and woman in sober suits, who I assume must be part of the legal team. Alexander emerges behind them but I can’t see his face. I wait on the landing, not wanting to join him until they’ve gone. The lawyers shake hands with Alexander and leave first, but Mr de Courcey lingers.

  ‘You will call me if you need anything,’ I hear him saying in a gruff haw-haw voice. ‘You know you can rely on Rupert, Letitia and me, any time. We are family, after all.’

  I hear a clipped ‘Thank you, I do appreciate your time’ from Alexander and shortly afterwards the front door shuts again.

  I run down the stairs and call after Alexander, who is already heading back to the study. ‘How did it go?’

  ‘Not now,’ he growls, strides back into the study and slams the door.

  So I’m left standing in the middle of the hallway, shut out again. I take a deep breath and tell myself that he’s under a lot of pressure and that he’s bound to be on edge, yet I’m furious to be shut out so abruptly and I remind myself why I’ve been so determined to keep my distance from Alexander.

  Some time later, I walk downstairs again and spot Helen in the hallway.

  ‘Hello, Miss Cusack,’ she smiles. ‘Can I help you? Would you like some tea sent up?’

  ‘Not really, but thanks for the offer.’

  The study door opens and Alexander appears, looking tired but calm. ‘Lauren?’

  ‘Yes?’ I say coldly.

  With a wry smile, Helen leaves us.

  ‘I’m sorry, will you come in?’ he asks, standing by the door to allow me in, like I’m being invited into the principal’s office. I hesitate, and then remind myself the meeting was probably tough and move towards him.

  ‘Sure.’

  Inside the study, the huge mahogany desk is almost obscured by files and papers, illuminated by a brass desk lamp. ‘I apologize for being a git earlier.’

  ‘Yes, you were, but I’ll forgive you this one time.’

  That draws a faint smile but I wonder what nasty surprises might have been in the will. Debts, perhaps? Maybe the general had a secret love child? No, I can’t imagine that somehow.

  Alexander sweeps some files off the leather chesterfield by the window, sits down and pulls me gently into his lap. ‘Was it worse than you expected?’ I ask.

  He traces circles on my thigh with his finger, almost absent-mindedly, although I don’t think there’s much that Alexander ever does without a carefully thought out purpose. ‘No, it was precisely what I expected,’ he says. ‘My father left everything to me, including the estate, all the property and the investments. I’ve no choice about the bloody title, of course.’

  ‘And Emma?’

  ‘She’s got her own trust fund to add to the jewellery and property my mother left her. The fund’s substantial and will continue to grow. She’ll never have to work if she doesn’t want to but of course that’s not the point. She has to do something.’

  And, I think, it may as well be something she’s passionate about … ‘If you expected all of this from the will, what’s got you so rattled?’

  ‘That I’m responsible for Falconbury and a small property empire and that I’m now my sister’s guardian and in charge of her financial affairs until she’s twenty-one. Lauren – how the fuck am I going to deal with all that and stay in the service? Then there’s the little matter of my master’s, which has gone completely to cock.’

  ‘The university will give you a dispensation and surely the army will grant you some compassionate leave.’

  ‘I don’t want special treatment from anyone and anyway, that would just be a short-term fix. I want to get on with my fucking life,’ he mutters.

  ‘I can see this isn’t easy,’ I say, as troubled by his dilemma as he is. ‘Perhaps you need time to yourself?’ I try to get up but he pulls me back down.

  ‘No, wait. I’m sorry. Fuck, I keep saying sorry.’

  ‘Yes, you do,’ I say, lightly.

  ‘I’m … It’s been a long day. Another long day and you didn’t ask for any of this. In fact, I seem to recall, you didn’t even want to be with me. Not at the start and not at the end.’

  ‘I guess that part of the plan went horribly wrong.’

  He frowns at me. Even exhausted and tetchy, he looks so sexy I can’t help but want him right now. ‘You do know you’re the most infuriating girl I’ve ever met,’ he says, with a faint smile.

  ‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’

  His fingers encircle my thigh. ‘And the sexiest …’

  So, I underestimated him earlier. This clearly is the time. ‘I bet you say that to all the girls.’

  ‘You know full well I don’t.’

  I keep my voice light and teasing. ‘Then, I guess I should feel singled out.’

  ‘Unfortunately for you …’ The slight twist of the lips evaporates and the tension returns to his features. ‘Joking apart, things are going to get complicated for me.’

  And they aren’t already? I keep that observation to myself.

  ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen this term. I’ll have to spend a few more days here with the financial people, the tenants, tax lawyers, and I need to speak to Emma when she gets back.’

  ‘I guess it’s going to be tough for her to hear about the will.’

  ‘It’s going to seem very final. I hadn’t expected it to feel that way but hearing his wishes read out hammered home the fact that he really is gone. I’m not sure I fully grasped what that meant until today. It’s all up to me now and I’m not entirely sure I can handle it.’

  This is a massive admission from Alexander and my stomach tightens as I see his face. ‘I think I may have no choice but to leave the army.’

  I am shocked at this; I know what it means to him. ‘Are you sure? I mean, how do you know until you try that you won’t be able to manage both in time? How much of the day-to-day management did your father have to do? Surely you can get people in to run things at Falconbury?’

  ‘To a degree, but there’s still so much to deal with in the overseeing of the estate, and decisions only I can make. At the very least, I’ll be fielding calls from managers and lawyers and signing documents for months to come. I had no idea how much Dad did. But that’s not what really bothers me.’

  I get that feeling of something skittering up my spine. He glances at the window, and our reflection stares back at us.

  ‘If I stay in the forces and something happens to me, who will look after Emma? There’s no one else left.’ His face falls. ‘I can’t just do what I want now.’

  What can I say to this? It makes my blood run cold. ‘Alexander, I have no answer to that. I’m sorry, I hadn’t thought of it that way.’

  ‘Funnily enough, neither had I, and to be honest it’s the first time it’s really hit me.’ He stops and gives a sarcastic laugh. ‘Look, this is getting us nowhere. There’s nothing I can do now. I’ll just have to see how things go, I suppose.’

  ‘When will you talk to Emma?’

  ‘Tomorrow, when she’s back from her friend’s. I’m glad you’re here but I’m sorry that you’ve been dragged into all this …’

  My kiss cuts off the rest of his words and when I’ve finished, I say, ‘No one dragged me, I came of my own accord
, remember?’ Then I smile. ‘Almost, but I do really need to go back to college on Sunday. I have a master’s to complete too, and I’ve nowhere near your excuse for not getting on with it.’

  ‘Not now though. You’re going nowhere tonight,’ he murmurs, his eyes darkening with desire. I respond instantly, shifting in his lap as I feel how much he wants me. He slides his hand up my thigh under the hem of my mini. ‘I also promise that this time I won’t pass out on you.’ At this, I am lost.

  Moments later, I hear the click of the key turning in the lock, shutting away the world, and the rustle of the heavy velvet curtains being drawn across the window. He walks towards me, unbuckling the belt on his trousers as I kick off my shoes.

  Alexander pulls me to my feet and turns me round. He nuzzles the tender skin of my neck, and slowly draws down the side zip of my skirt and pushes it down my hips. I’m standing in my sweater, underwear and thigh-highs. He sweeps me up into his arms again, just like this morning, but this time there’s no joking between us. His eyes hold such sensual, predatory intent that I shiver with lust. He lays me on the sofa and kneels beside me. With my head resting on the arm of the sofa, I lie back. His hand rests at the top of my thigh.

  ‘I love it when you wear these …’

  He obviously loves it even more when I don’t because the next moment, he starts to peel the stocking down my thigh. It’s a slow, measured process, as if he wants to savour the exposure of every inch of skin. He rolls the nylon over my heel and over the sole of my foot, then holds it in mid-air before he lets it fall to the floor.

  My eyes are riveted on my other leg as he removes the other stocking, just as carefully, giving my calf and thighs the same sensuous attention. By the time my legs are bare, my panties are damp and I’m struggling not to squirm against the slippery hide.

  ‘I’m a little worried about your sofa …’

  ‘So? It’s my sofa. My house. If I have the burden of it, I may as well enjoy the benefits.’

  Taking my hand in his, he helps me to my feet. When I’m not wearing heels, he’s a head above me. Cupping my face between his hands, he kisses me deeply, exploring my mouth with his tongue, as if he has to be inside me. I want him to be inside me too; I want him deep in me so I press my lips harder on his, and pull his hips against mine. When the kiss ends, he threads his fingers through my hair and my scalp tingles at the gentle yet insistent pressure of his fingertips.