Read Online Who Are You? by Elizabeth Forbes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Forbes
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stirs, but doesn’t wake.
‘He feels hot,’ she says. ‘I ought to give him some Calpol.’
‘Be a shame to wake him up,’ Alex walks over to his wife and stands beside her. ‘He’s sleeping peacefully.’ He places his arms around her waist and gently nuzzles the back of her neck. She shivers as his breath hits the sensitive skin.
‘Don’t,’ she murmurs, and she strokes the back of her neck as though she is brushing the feel of him away. Alex wants to make love to her. He wants to fuck all the mess out of his head.
‘Come downstairs. Let’s have a drink together. We can check him again in half an hour or so. I’m sure he’s fine, probably just over-excited about Santa coming to see him.’
Juliet looks from Alex back to Ben. She’s obviously reluctant to leave him. ‘I don’t know …’
‘Come on.’ Alex takes her arm and pulls her towards him. Juliet looks at her watch.
‘All right, but I’ll check him in half an hour, OK?’
She follows Alex downstairs and into the kitchen. He gets a couple of glasses from the cupboard and then takes a chilled bottle of white wine from the fridge. He pours a glass for Juliet and then disappears to get himself a whisky from the drinks tray in the dining room. When he returns to the kitchen Juliet is leaning against the sink, staring out into the semi-darkness of the garden. He walks over to her and kisses her bare shoulder. She shudders.
‘Alex!’
‘What? You looked beautiful tonight. Looked like you were having fun – not that I saw very much of you.’
‘Nor I you. But I saw you speaking to the Hunts. Alex, Caroline came over to me and she said something really weird. I honestly think there’s something wrong with that woman. She didn’t say hello or anything, she just said, “Your husband is dangerous and you should keep him under control,” and then she walked off. I mean, how bloody rude was that? So I followed her and I accidentally spilled my mulled wine down her back. I know it was childish, but after all that stuff with Ben I just lost it. But then afterwards I wondered if maybe you’d said something?’
‘Christ, let’s not talk about them now. They’re not worth thinking about. Let’s go and sit down.’ He leads her by the hand into the sitting room. The curtains are drawn, the lamps are on and it feels good to be home, just the two of them, away from the braying crowd of people. All Alex wants to do right now is relax with his wife. Juliet puts her glass down on the coffee table and starts to plump the sofa cushions where Louise has squashed them out of shape. ‘Leave them. Come on, sit next to me.’
‘It looks messy.’
‘Juliet, for God’s sake, just sit down and relax.’ He can hear the frustration in his voice and he senses Juliet tensing up. She sits beside him and he places his arm around her. He strokes the nape of her neck and then starts to gently massage her shoulder. Her skin is silky soft and yielding beneath his fingers. She leans into him and then tucks her legs beneath her. ‘That’s better,’ he says. He kisses the top of her head. ‘It feels good to be home with you, babe.’
‘Does it? I’m glad. When you think back, all those Christmases when you were away. I used to dream of this … one day … and here we are. It’s a shame you missed the nativity. I can’t tell you how sweet it was. I nearly cried. But when baby Jesus fell out of his crib, it was terribly funny. I’ll show you the photos tomorrow once I’ve uploaded them.’
‘Well I don’t think we’ll have to worry about the Hunts anymore.’
‘So you did say something? Alex, you’d better tell me, especially after what she said to me. Why did she say that?’
‘You really want to know?’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘I took Caroline into a dark room. I pretended I wanted her, and Christ she was an easy target. I got her to take her knickers off – and then I handed them to Marcus. It’s an Old Testament thing, an eye for an eye.
‘He feels hot,’ she says. ‘I ought to give him some Calpol.’
‘Be a shame to wake him up,’ Alex walks over to his wife and stands beside her. ‘He’s sleeping peacefully.’ He places his arms around her waist and gently nuzzles the back of her neck. She shivers as his breath hits the sensitive skin.
‘Don’t,’ she murmurs, and she strokes the back of her neck as though she is brushing the feel of him away. Alex wants to make love to her. He wants to fuck all the mess out of his head.
‘Come downstairs. Let’s have a drink together. We can check him again in half an hour or so. I’m sure he’s fine, probably just over-excited about Santa coming to see him.’
Juliet looks from Alex back to Ben. She’s obviously reluctant to leave him. ‘I don’t know …’
‘Come on.’ Alex takes her arm and pulls her towards him. Juliet looks at her watch.
‘All right, but I’ll check him in half an hour, OK?’
She follows Alex downstairs and into the kitchen. He gets a couple of glasses from the cupboard and then takes a chilled bottle of white wine from the fridge. He pours a glass for Juliet and then disappears to get himself a whisky from the drinks tray in the dining room. When he returns to the kitchen Juliet is leaning against the sink, staring out into the semi-darkness of the garden. He walks over to her and kisses her bare shoulder. She shudders.
‘Alex!’
‘What? You looked beautiful tonight. Looked like you were having fun – not that I saw very much of you.’
‘Nor I you. But I saw you speaking to the Hunts. Alex, Caroline came over to me and she said something really weird. I honestly think there’s something wrong with that woman. She didn’t say hello or anything, she just said, “Your husband is dangerous and you should keep him under control,” and then she walked off. I mean, how bloody rude was that? So I followed her and I accidentally spilled my mulled wine down her back. I know it was childish, but after all that stuff with Ben I just lost it. But then afterwards I wondered if maybe you’d said something?’
‘Christ, let’s not talk about them now. They’re not worth thinking about. Let’s go and sit down.’ He leads her by the hand into the sitting room. The curtains are drawn, the lamps are on and it feels good to be home, just the two of them, away from the braying crowd of people. All Alex wants to do right now is relax with his wife. Juliet puts her glass down on the coffee table and starts to plump the sofa cushions where Louise has squashed them out of shape. ‘Leave them. Come on, sit next to me.’
‘It looks messy.’
‘Juliet, for God’s sake, just sit down and relax.’ He can hear the frustration in his voice and he senses Juliet tensing up. She sits beside him and he places his arm around her. He strokes the nape of her neck and then starts to gently massage her shoulder. Her skin is silky soft and yielding beneath his fingers. She leans into him and then tucks her legs beneath her. ‘That’s better,’ he says. He kisses the top of her head. ‘It feels good to be home with you, babe.’
‘Does it? I’m glad. When you think back, all those Christmases when you were away. I used to dream of this … one day … and here we are. It’s a shame you missed the nativity. I can’t tell you how sweet it was. I nearly cried. But when baby Jesus fell out of his crib, it was terribly funny. I’ll show you the photos tomorrow once I’ve uploaded them.’
‘Well I don’t think we’ll have to worry about the Hunts anymore.’
‘So you did say something? Alex, you’d better tell me, especially after what she said to me. Why did she say that?’
‘You really want to know?’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘I took Caroline into a dark room. I pretended I wanted her, and Christ she was an easy target. I got her to take her knickers off – and then I handed them to Marcus. It’s an Old Testament thing, an eye for an eye.
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