and excitement.
Did you ask your parents for a Kindle? he wanted to know.
Yes.
Good. It’ll give me a real kick to think of us reading the same books at the same time.
We could do that now.
Indeed we could, but I’d like to buy the books for you and send them to your reader. They’ll be a gift from me to you.
Thank you.
Where are you at the moment?
In my bedroom. Where are you?
In a terrible dilemma over you. I can’t stop thinking about you.
Thrilled and tormented by the words, she knew without any doubt that she was in love.
It’s the same for me, she told him.
‘Sweetheart, are you in there?’ her father called out, knocking on the door.
Tierney slammed down the lid of her laptop. ‘Coming,’ she called back, her heart practically leaping from her chest. Running to the door she threw it wide and all but bounced into her father’s arms. ‘What are you doing up on our floor?’ she cried, teasingly. ‘You never come up here.’
‘I’ve been calling you, but you seem not to have heard,’ he replied as she linked his arm to walk him along the landing to the stairs.
‘Sorry, I got carried away with Skye. She’s got all this stuff going on, so I had to talk to her. Do you know where Max is tonight?’
‘Gone to some concert, apparently. Why?’
‘Just wondered. Or Skye did. She’s pretty hot for him, but don’t tell him I told you. Oh God, I was supposed to find Zav. Has he gone down now?’
‘Yes, he has. We’re just waiting for you.’
Placing her hands on his shoulders as he descended the narrow staircase ahead of her, she said, ‘So how are you? Did you have a good week in London? We missed you, you know. I hope you missed us too.’
‘Of course I did,’ he assured her.
‘Were you filming, or just casting and things?’
‘A bit of both. But tell me about your week. How are the exams going?’
‘Yeah, cool. Think I’m doing pretty OK.’
Glancing at his mobile as it beeped with a text, he carried on down the main stairs into the hall before saying, ‘Tell Mum I’ll be right there, will you?’ and disappearing into his study he closed the door behind him.
As he read the message his facial muscles tightened.
I sent your wife a text telling her to ask you about Julia. Just thought you should know.
Quickly connecting to the number, he said, ‘Why did you do that? What purpose do you think it’s going to serve?’
‘You know my purpose . . .’
‘And you agreed to let me do it in my time.’
‘That’s the point, Tom, we don’t have the luxury of time.’
His eyes darkened. ‘The conditions you’ve imposed . . . You’re making it damned near impossible . . .’
‘Please don’t be angry with me. I didn’t want it to happen this way,’ and before he could say any more the line went dead.
Chapter Four
LAINEY WAS IN front of the bathroom mirror, cleaning her teeth, when she heard Tom, in the bedroom, stretching luxuriously as he came awake.
Going to the door she stood watching him, early morning sunrays slanting a fence of light between them, lending the spacious room a soft, almost dreamlike feel. As his eyes came to hers she felt a pleasing warmth stirring to life. He’d been fast asleep by the time she’d come up to bed last night, one arm thrown behind his head, the sheet barely covering his hips.
It was how he was now, and as she went to him she could see he was as ready as she was to make his homecoming complete.
It was quite some time before she returned to the bathroom, still slightly dazed by the pleasure of their shared release, while he reached for his phone to check on any messages that had come in overnight.
‘Are you OK?’ he asked, when she stepped out of the shower.
‘What do you think?’ she asked, taking the towel he was offering. ‘Don’t I look it?’
He smiled teasingly and turned to the basins. ‘You were frowning,’ he told her reflection in the mirror.
‘Really?’ She was surprised. ‘I guess I was just
Did you ask your parents for a Kindle? he wanted to know.
Yes.
Good. It’ll give me a real kick to think of us reading the same books at the same time.
We could do that now.
Indeed we could, but I’d like to buy the books for you and send them to your reader. They’ll be a gift from me to you.
Thank you.
Where are you at the moment?
In my bedroom. Where are you?
In a terrible dilemma over you. I can’t stop thinking about you.
Thrilled and tormented by the words, she knew without any doubt that she was in love.
It’s the same for me, she told him.
‘Sweetheart, are you in there?’ her father called out, knocking on the door.
Tierney slammed down the lid of her laptop. ‘Coming,’ she called back, her heart practically leaping from her chest. Running to the door she threw it wide and all but bounced into her father’s arms. ‘What are you doing up on our floor?’ she cried, teasingly. ‘You never come up here.’
‘I’ve been calling you, but you seem not to have heard,’ he replied as she linked his arm to walk him along the landing to the stairs.
‘Sorry, I got carried away with Skye. She’s got all this stuff going on, so I had to talk to her. Do you know where Max is tonight?’
‘Gone to some concert, apparently. Why?’
‘Just wondered. Or Skye did. She’s pretty hot for him, but don’t tell him I told you. Oh God, I was supposed to find Zav. Has he gone down now?’
‘Yes, he has. We’re just waiting for you.’
Placing her hands on his shoulders as he descended the narrow staircase ahead of her, she said, ‘So how are you? Did you have a good week in London? We missed you, you know. I hope you missed us too.’
‘Of course I did,’ he assured her.
‘Were you filming, or just casting and things?’
‘A bit of both. But tell me about your week. How are the exams going?’
‘Yeah, cool. Think I’m doing pretty OK.’
Glancing at his mobile as it beeped with a text, he carried on down the main stairs into the hall before saying, ‘Tell Mum I’ll be right there, will you?’ and disappearing into his study he closed the door behind him.
As he read the message his facial muscles tightened.
I sent your wife a text telling her to ask you about Julia. Just thought you should know.
Quickly connecting to the number, he said, ‘Why did you do that? What purpose do you think it’s going to serve?’
‘You know my purpose . . .’
‘And you agreed to let me do it in my time.’
‘That’s the point, Tom, we don’t have the luxury of time.’
His eyes darkened. ‘The conditions you’ve imposed . . . You’re making it damned near impossible . . .’
‘Please don’t be angry with me. I didn’t want it to happen this way,’ and before he could say any more the line went dead.
Chapter Four
LAINEY WAS IN front of the bathroom mirror, cleaning her teeth, when she heard Tom, in the bedroom, stretching luxuriously as he came awake.
Going to the door she stood watching him, early morning sunrays slanting a fence of light between them, lending the spacious room a soft, almost dreamlike feel. As his eyes came to hers she felt a pleasing warmth stirring to life. He’d been fast asleep by the time she’d come up to bed last night, one arm thrown behind his head, the sheet barely covering his hips.
It was how he was now, and as she went to him she could see he was as ready as she was to make his homecoming complete.
It was quite some time before she returned to the bathroom, still slightly dazed by the pleasure of their shared release, while he reached for his phone to check on any messages that had come in overnight.
‘Are you OK?’ he asked, when she stepped out of the shower.
‘What do you think?’ she asked, taking the towel he was offering. ‘Don’t I look it?’
He smiled teasingly and turned to the basins. ‘You were frowning,’ he told her reflection in the mirror.
‘Really?’ She was surprised. ‘I guess I was just
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