The Second Time I Saw You: The Oxford Blue Series #2 (8 page)

‘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.’

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 eerily 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.

‘Do you know how much I need this?’ he whispers. ‘You help me forget the world.’

I gasp because, without warning, he tugs my hair, not that sharply, just enough to make me gasp in surprise, but far from making me want to stop him, the shock turns me on more. He turns me around so that the front of my thighs butts against the smooth hide of the
chesterfield and with his hand on my back he tips me forward over the rolled edge.

He pulls the crotch of my boy shorts aside and enters me without any foreplay, easing in until I open for him, then lifting me on to my tiptoes. His cock is hot and silky and my hips bang against the sofa as he deepens his thrusts. My fingers slip against the hide of the seat pad, sliding into the button pockets, my nails scraping the leather as he takes me to the brink. He pulls the hair at the base of my neck again, sharply, and though I cry out in shock, I am throbbing like crazy.

Now he’s driving into me and the fullness of his cock and the friction of my sex against the sofa ramps up the tension in my core to an unbearable level. It’s a life-affirming fuck, a statement of intent in his father’s study. I feel his fingers grip my hips, his body tense, suspended, as he comes hard – almost violently – deep inside me. I claw at the leather and grind myself against him, loving the sensation of him releasing all he has, for good and bad, into me.

His grip on my hips slackens and, slowly, he pulls out of me. I stay over the arm of the sofa, almost but not quite there.

‘That was selfish of me.’

His hand is gentle on my back and he helps me to my feet. He pulls me to him and touches my forehead with his face. ‘I am a very bad person.’

‘And yet you don’t look very sorry,’ I murmur. My body twitches, and I push against his pelvis, teetering
on the edge of coming or losing it altogether if he – or I – don’t do something soon.

‘I didn’t say I was sorry, I said I was selfish, but I want you to feel the way I just did. It’s your turn.’

When he presses his fingers against me through the damp lace of my shorts, I almost take off through the roof. ‘Oh my God.’

Alexander has now slipped his hand inside my shorts, while I’m still standing up. I bunch his shirt as he massages my clit with one finger until I want to scream. I was on the edge anyway, and before I know where I am, I’m clawing at his back and his butt and my body spasms like someone plugged me into the electricity supply.

When, eventually, I open my eyes and release my death-grip on his shirt, he’s looking down at me with the satisfied expression of a guy who knows he just blew my mind and every other part of me.

‘Better?’ He holds me a little tighter and I’m grateful for the support because I’m a little wobbly on my feet.