Page 27 of Always Beth
‘I’m sorry about yesterday.’ Throwing back the covers, she drags herself slowly upright.
‘You’ve got nothing to apologise for. I handled things badly. I always have done, you know that.’
‘Even so…’
I catch her tentative expression in the mirror and we both slowly start to laugh. Nothing or no one can break this bond between us.
‘Where did you go with Richard? You were gone for ages.’
Richard.
My whole body tenses as images of holding Beth in my arms flicker through my mind. Without warning, there I am pinning her against the kitchen wall, my erection straining against her body, desperate for more.
‘I errr went for a walk, a long walk.’
She brushes past me without a word, and I swallow hard as she walks away. She knew I was lying. This is all new territory – in London I could get up to what I wanted, without having anyone to answer to, but now I’m here and we’re in each other’s pockets twenty-four seven, that little bit of privacy we have both held on to over the years, is slipping away by the day. I catch up with her at the top of the stairs, resting my hand over hers.
‘Do you feel up to going out today? Maybe for a drive? We can take Dick.’
Her eyes narrow as she considers my proposal. ‘You’ll let him in your car?’
‘He’s growing on me.’
I follow her closely down the stairs and at the bottom, right on cue, there he is wagging his tail. Lauren’s eyes dart back and forth between me and Dick, and I can practically hear her mind ticking away.
‘I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but both of you are up to something.’
My jaw falls open as I roughly rub the back of my neck. I need to keep this, whatever this is, under wraps and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Dick give the game away.
‘Piss off, we’re not going over there,’ I hiss as I hover at the kitchen door.
As I lean against the frame, I slide my phone discreetly from my pocket. I ended my conversation with Beth so quickly last night. Usually I wouldn’t be bothered, but I felt so guilty when I lied and told her I was going to bed, when I was sitting worrying over Lauren.
Smiling, I click on her name.
She’s probably angry I cut our conversation dead. Her short fuse is one of the things I find attractive about her, but I know beneath that frosty exterior, her heart is warm and full.
James: Hope you slept well x
My face falls back to an orderly expression as my eyes meet with Lauren.
‘Keeping you from something, am I?’
‘No. No. Where do you want to go today?’
‘Wherever. If you can manage to drag yourself away, that is?’ Her brows arch and I immediately feel uncomfortable. I push my phone into my pocket along with the simultaneous vibration of a reply.
Today has to be about us.
Beth
Did I sleep well?
If sleeping well means lying awake half the night wondering what would have happened if our kiss wasn’t interrupted by a phone call. Then yes, I slept really well.
Beth: I did, thank you. Hope you did too. I’m taking Poppy for a long walk later if you and Dick fancy it? x
I sit at the table waiting for a reply.
