Third Time Lucky (17 page)

As if we will, I think, but the lure of a stay by the ocean is way too tempting to refuse. ‘I shouldn’t leave Oxford. I
really
shouldn’t but I must admit college can be very claustrophobic and I’ve never seen the south-west of England, though I’ve heard so much about it. I have a tute just after lunch on Friday so I can’t leave until then, but Monday is free.’

‘Then let’s do it. We can go to Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum if it’ll make you feel less guilty.’

‘I guess I’ll have to live with the guilt, but I’d love to go to the Tate anyway. Should we get a hotel booked?’

‘No need. I know a little place by the beach I think you’ll like.’

OK. So I had an inkling that Alexander’s little place by the beach might not be so little and when he said by the beach, he actually meant
on
the beach. At least that’s how it seems now I’m standing on the deck, perched above the waves. It certainly feels as if you could leap straight off the terrace and into the sea that’s crashing on to the rocks below. I can almost taste the tang of the ocean and feel the salty spray against my face.

The tiny cove is flanked by cliffs on both sides and the sand is silvery in the dying light from the setting sun. A chilly breeze tugs at my hair. Alexander senses me shiver and puts his arms around me, hugging me from behind.

‘Well?’

‘Wow! Just wow.’

‘A little wild and chilly, perhaps, but I’ve always preferred the north coast.’

‘It reminds me a little of the Cape where we sometimes spend summers.’

‘Who’s “we”?’

‘My parents at one time; university friends more recently. My parents used to rent a house there. It’s more austere and rugged here, but it has a wild beauty
I love. How come I never knew you had a house down here?’

He shrugs. ‘It didn’t occur to me to mention it. Actually, it was my mother’s, but since she died, it’s largely been let to long-term tenants. To be honest, I had no idea it was vacant until the temporary manager at Falconbury pointed it out to me a couple of weeks ago. He was updating me on some of the properties that are part of the estate and it occurred to me that if we wanted to visit, we’d better do it now.’

‘Is it going to be empty for long?’

‘The new family takes over in couple of weeks’ time. Hence the smell of paint you’ve no doubt noticed. The place has been refurbished ready for them.’

‘Does it have a name?’

‘Yes, it’s called Spindrift.’

‘Spindrift? I like that.’

His hands slip around my waist and the sky glows with a fierce red as the final sliver of sun vanishes below the horizon, leaving only its reflection setting the clouds on fire with coral light. I feel as if I could watch the surf pound the beach for ever, but it is cold, even with Alexander’s arms around me.

‘Do you want to eat?’ he asks. ‘There should be some basics in the fridge. The letting agent said they’d stock up so we didn’t have to go foraging.’

‘Sounds good. It’s been a long journey.’

I follow him through the French doors to the sitting room and Alexander disappears into the kitchen. I’m
guessing the house is Arts and Crafts, but it seems to be decorated in contemporary ‘New England’ style, all pale colours and bare boards, an irony that makes me smile to myself.

‘You see, I told you there would be essentials.’

Framed in the doorway, Alexander holds up a bottle of Moët and two flutes.

‘I like your idea of “essentials”.’

He puts the glasses on the table and twists the wire off the bottle.

‘I take it you aren’t that hungry, then?’

The cork pops softly. ‘Starving,’ he says, ‘but I’m prepared to suffer while I christen the bed.’

‘You mean you’ve never shared it with anyone before?’

‘A wet Labrador, once, I seem to remember, and he drooled on my face all night and kept pushing his nose in my crotch. You’re not going to do that, are you?’

‘Only if you ask very,
very
nicely.’

Later, we’re sitting up in bed, sipping the remains of the champagne and eating fresh fruit dipped in dark chocolate. It’s hardly dinner, but it seems perfect. I feel guilty about missing my studies, but I’ve been working very hard the last few weeks and I try to convince myself the break may do me good. Outside, the moon is full, shining a silvery path over the sea and across the bedcover. We made love with the drapes open and the window open a notch to let in the roar of the surf pounding the sand and waves breaking on the rocks.

‘This
certainly gives a new meaning to the crashing waves …’ Alexander says.

‘Why do they always show that in movies? What the hell has it got to do with having sex?’

‘All that relentless pounding and the waves of pleasure? I can’t imagine.’

‘Alexander?’

The next morning, my shout from the terrace is snatched away by the wind but Alexander has already seen me anyway, and waves back from the beach. He’s wearing only shorts and trainers and has obviously been for a run, which must be a sign that he’s on the mend. The sky is a glorious blue and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the sun so bright, like a supernatural hand suddenly decided to clean the skylight and let the sunshine in. Yet I’m still cold, despite having pulled on one of Alexander’s sweaters. It’s definitely what Helen calls ‘bracing’ out here.

He starts to jog again and then is gone, but half a minute later I hear the front door open and walk into the sitting room to meet him.

Oh, wow! His torso glistens with sweat and his hair is tousled and windswept.

‘You got up here fast.’

‘There are some steps at the side of the kitchen.’ He kisses me. ‘We can explore after breakfast if you like.’

‘I’d love to.’

After he’s showered, he joins me in the kitchen,
where I’ve laid out the rest of the fresh fruit and set the coffee machine to work. Alexander fries some bacon and makes a towering sandwich while I make do with the fruit and toast. After he’s polished off the sandwich, he rubs his hands together and says, ‘Ready for a walk?’

‘Love to.’

Access to the beach is via steep steps hacked into the cliff face and the moment we turn our faces to the sea, the cool breeze hits our faces. Apart from another couple and a dog, we have the beach to ourselves. Gulls scatter and take off in squawking flight as we run towards them. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him this relaxed, since
I’ve
felt this relaxed. It was a good idea to escape the claustrophobic intensity of Oxford for a few days and kick back.

We walk hand in hand towards the surf, past a dog paddling shoulder-deep in a rock pool, bright-green weed trailing from his coat. His owners shout at him and the corners of Alexander’s mouth tilt in amusement. ‘He’ll stink after he’s been in there,’ he says.

I watch the dog race across the sand towards the couple before showering them in seawater. Alexander laughs as we skirt the line of breaking surf.

‘Do you wish you’d brought Benny?’ I ask, noting the pleasure light up his face.

‘In some ways, yes; but I’d have had to go back to Falconbury to fetch him, and we wouldn’t be able to go inside some of the galleries with him.’

‘True.
You mentioned sleeping with a dog the last time you were here. Was it Benny?’

‘No, that was one of our previous Labs, Hamish. He was an old chap by then and it turned out to be his last summer.’

‘I still miss Buddy. Maybe we should have gotten another schnauzer after him, but I was almost done at Brown and planning to go away again for my master’s so there didn’t seem much point.’

We seem to have drifted closer together and I find my hand in Alexander’s when we stop just where the breaking waves lap the sand.

Alexander shades his eyes. ‘Tide’s going out.’

‘Or coming in?’

‘Definitely out. I know this place like the back of my hand.’

‘You said you haven’t been here often since your mother died. I guess there are a lot of memories here for you?’

‘Yes and no. Mum used to bring us – Emma was tiny then – most school holidays. My father was away a lot, naturally, on some tour of duty or other, so she’d decamp down here with us, sometimes with another military wife and her children. It looks very different from when I last saw it.’

‘I love the interiors. Are those your mother’s watercolours in our room?’

‘Yes. She loved Spindrift, for all kinds of reasons.’

Thick
woolly clouds chase across the sky. ‘It is beautiful here. I’ve brought my sketchpad.’

Alexander casts me a stern look. ‘I sincerely hope you’re not going to draw me again.’

‘Why not? I might do my first nude.’

‘You’ll have to catch me first.’

He races off and, briefly, I play the game, chasing after him, the wet sand sucking at my feet and sapping my strength. I’m not unfit – my jogging and dancing see to that – but I soon realize that the game is purely for Alexander’s benefit so I stop to catch my breath.

‘Hey, I can’t compete with special-forces training!’

He doubles back towards me, breathing hard. ‘Neither could I at the moment.’

‘But you are feeling much better? I know you’ve been running again, as well as doing the physio. How’s the arm?’

‘On the mend, though it’ll be a while before it will be passed fit for the kind of duties I’d like to undertake. But …’ He shoves his hands in his jeans. ‘I need to be fit to return to my unit.’

‘Do you know where they’ll send you?’ I ask, keeping my voice light because I don’t want to get into any heavy discussions when we’re having such a lovely time.

‘Wherever they’re deployed. Wherever I’m needed. I can’t leave until I’ve served out my commission.’

He takes a step closer to me and my skin prickles when I recognize the wicked gleam in his eye.

‘What?’
I say, wary now.

He moves like lightning and although I try to dodge him, he’s grabbed me and swept me up over his good shoulder. Momentarily surprise robs me of speech, but then I find my voice. ‘Alexander! Put me down!’

I’m jolted up and down as he carries me towards the waves. ‘Jesus, no!’ I shout.

Laughing, he walks straight into ocean, with me holding on to his sweater for grim death.

‘No!’

Cold spray hits my face and the waves crash against his thighs. Any moment now I’m going to be swamped. I splutter, ‘Don’t you dare do this, you bastard. Arghhhh!’

My scream is choked off by the shock of hitting the water. Seawater shoots up my nose and stings my eyes, and I’m pinned to the sand by the breakers. It’s not deep but the surf rolls me over until I pop up, gasping for air. My knees scrape pebbles, and I scrabble to drag myself upright, bracing myself as another wave hits my back.

‘You bastard!’ I shout to Alexander, who’s standing in the surf, soaked to the crotch, laughing at me.

He wades towards me and I think he’s going to reach out his hand for me but I don’t care. Before he can grab me, I lunge forward, toppling him backwards into the sea.

‘Arghh!’

The momentum overbalances me but I don’t care. I was soaked and frozen anyway and now I’m wading out
on to the beach while Alexander struggles to his feet in the surf. It’s then I have a stab of panic as I realize that he could have damaged his arm but if he had the strength to lift me up, then he must be fine. I am angry, so angry that he dumped me in an icy ocean to prove some kind of point about how strong he is.

‘What the hell did you do that for?’

I stand yards away as he walks, dripping, from the sea. My teeth chatter. ‘Me? What did you do it for?’

He grins. ‘Because I wanted to see you wet and furious.’

‘Because you wanted to prove how strong you are. I’m going back to the house.’

‘Lauren, wait. I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do. You’re right to be pissed off!’

I hold up my hand, the middle finger extended, and stomp up the beach as best I can in sodden clothes.

He soon catches me up, and stands in the doorway to the bedroom, watching while I peel my off dripping T-shirt.

‘Much as I’ve enjoy the sight of you in a wet T-shirt, let me give you a hand.’

I glare at him. ‘Don’t touch me.’

He’s holding his arm but I’m unmoved.

‘Where’s your sense of humour?’

‘I lost it right about when you threw me in the freezing Atlantic.’

‘It’s not freezing. It’s around eleven degrees this time of year. That’s warm.’

I
snatch up a towel and wrap it around me.

He folds his arms. ‘Don’t bother with the towel on my account.’

I knot the towel and sit on the bed. ‘I’m cold and by the way, you’re dripping all over the new carpet.’

He looks down, curses at the dark stain on the rug and walks into the bathroom, leaving the door open. He peels off his sweatshirt and tugs his jeans and boxers down in one. The sight of his butt, dripping wet and a little ruddy with the cold, does annoyingly rude things to me. After tossing his wet stuff in the bath on top of mine, he turns around. Judging by the cheeky smile on his face, he knows his impromptu striptease has had an effect on me.

Rubbing his chest with a towel, he walks into the bedroom. ‘I’m sorry,’ he says, assuming a contrite expression.

‘No, you’re not.’

He studies me for a moment. ‘OK, I’m not. I just couldn’t help myself and it did achieve one aim.’

‘Making me furious with you?’

‘Getting you naked, wet and cold. I bet your nipples are hard as little beach pebbles under that towel.’

I hold up a warning finger. ‘You’re not going to find out, Hunt.’

‘You think?’ He mimics my accent.

‘I am going to throw something at you in a minute,’ I say, but my resolve begins to crumble at the sight of a naked, wet Alexander advancing on me.

He
stops, hands on hips, erection out like a flagpole. ‘Go ahead but you know you still want me. Besides, we’re trained to know that sharing body heat is the best way of combating hypothermia.’

‘Bullshit.’

‘No, it’s true.’ He reaches for the knot on my towel and pulls it open. I let it fall, even though I am still so pissed at him, I could … and now I’m standing toe to toe with him, my breasts pressed against his damp chest, my fingers curling around those magnificent and still damp glutes. His erection nudges my stomach and his mouth is on mine.

‘You taste of salt …’ I say when our lips part.

He licks his lips and smiles. ‘Ditto.’

We climb on to the bed and his fingers are on me and inside me, caressing me until I’m ready, desperate, teetering on the edge … And he lies over me and enters me, all the time looking into my eyes until I close mine and let my orgasm roll through me and over me and under me. I’m a mass of pure physical feeling. I feel him come inside me and then we’re both lying side by side. The window is open and it’s cold again and the sea is relentless, on and on.