BRUTE Page 9

  Rosie takes Ben and Becca off my hands as soon as I step through the front door. “We’ll go up to the nursery. There’s Lego all over the floor and we’re going to build a pretend city. We’ll have tea up there.”

  I thank her and set off to find my bestie. But Eleri finds me first, giving me a hug and pulling me along with her to the living room. She sits me down, and hands me a cup of tea.

  “How are plans for your next tour coming along?” I ask.

  She describes the gruelling schedule of concerts in ten European cities. Lucky for her she has Rosie to look after the little ones while she’s away, although Gabe and Luke are fab hands-on dads. When she comes to the end of her spiel, I inquire about her boyfriends.

  “They’re around somewhere.” Her eyes assume a dreamy expression.

  We talked about how she could love two men unconditionally when she first got together with them five years ago. I found it hard to imagine, only ever having been with Josh. Now, though, I’m starting to look at things differently. I’ll never be able to replace my late husband, nor do I want to; he’s irreplaceable. Every one of us is different, so we can’t be replaced. But having met Daniel, I know there’s room in my heart for another.

  I sip my tea; I wish I could tell Eleri about how he mesmerises me. How he possesses me, controls me, and pushes me to the edge. How I keep coming back for more. God, I’ve fallen for him so damn hard. I twist my hands in my lap.

  “How are you getting along with Daniel Collins?” she asks, out of the blue. It’s like she’s read my mind.

  “He’s still a brute,” I lie. “He’s the rudest man I’ve met.” I pause and the question forms on my lips. “What do you know about his background?” I slide closer to her on the sofa.

  “I’m sorry.” Her eyebrows gather in. “As I told you when you first arrived, he’s reclusive. I’ve only ever seen him when he’s out and about with Ben. Why do you ask?”

  I assume a poker face. “Becca likes Ben a lot, spends more and more time over at his place. I’d like to know more about Daniel for my daughter’s sake.”

  Eleri purses her lips. “Of course. I would too if it was one of my girls.”

  Suddenly, the door clicks open; I look up as Gabe and Luke stride across the living room. “Excuse us while we kiss our girl.” Luke’s London accent makes me smile. He’s so cute; there are real dimples at the corners of his mouth.

  Gabe is sterner-looking than Luke, but no less hunky. He leans his tall frame down on the other side of Eleri and kisses her cheek at the same time as his partner.

  She squirms out of their embrace. “Can you tell us about Daniel Collins?” she asks, coming straight out with it.

  Gabe sits on a chair and makes a steeple with his fingers. “What do you want to know?” He’s so down to earth, you’d never believe he’s an aristocrat.

  “Where is he from? What did he do before he came here? Why is he so reclusive?” Eleri leans forward and grabs Gabe’s hand.

  “Whoa!” Luke’s eyes sparkle with laughter. “Why the third degree?” He lowers himself between Eleri and me on the sofa.

  She explains about Becca’s friendship with Ben. Am I betraying Daniel’s trust by going behind his back and asking Gabe and Luke about him? I’m a mother first and foremost. Even though my gut instinct tells me Daniel is a good man, something about the way he reacted yesterday, the fierce look on his face when he thought there might have been an intruder, made my hair stand on end.

  Gabe crosses his legs. “We ran a background check on Daniel Collins before renting him the cottage. If we’d found something to be concerned about, we wouldn’t have allowed him within spitting distance of our children, let alone allow you to live next door.”

  I flop back on the sofa, relief flooding through me. Of course, there’s nothing for me to worry about. Daniel is safe. I was just being silly.

  “I know his art dealer,” Luke adds. “He recommended us to Daniel, apparently.”

  “Yeah, I’ve met Eric,” I blurt out.

  Oops. Too much information. Guard your tongue, Cat.

  But my slip-up goes unnoticed, it seems. At least until I’m heading upstairs with Eleri, to fetch Ben and Becca and take them home.

  She gives me a knowing look. “There’s something different about you, girlfriend. You’re glowing.”

  “Just country life. All the fresh air and exercise.”

  She cocks her head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve met someone. But you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

  I blush, and she claps a hand to her mouth. “It’s Eric, isn’t it? She bounces on her toes. “You’ve got the hots for him.”

  “I. Have. Not.” I stare down at my feet.

  “I don’t believe you, my lovely. You’re different than you were a few weeks ago. It can’t be Daniel Collins, so it’s got to be his agent. You said you’d met him…”

  I shudder to myself at the thought. But what can I say? Eleri can read me like a book, and she’s like a dog with a bone. She won’t give up until I tell her. And I can’t tell her about Daniel. A promise is a promise. “Well… Maybe…” I leave it at that.

  She taps her chin. “I’ll organise a dinner party. I want to check him out.”

  I stop dead in my tracks. “Please don’t,” I beg. “I’d die of embarrassment.”

  “Okay, then,” she smirks.

  But I know my bestie. She’ not going to let this rest.

  Shit!

  Daniel is waiting for us at the end of the long driveway, like we agreed when he dropped Ben off earlier. He’s so protective of his son; he won’t even allow me to walk him all the way home on my own. He falls into step next to me, and I notice him glancing from left to right, checking out the parkland as we make our way down the road. Who does he think could be loitering there? I fight the urge to tell him not to be so paranoid.

  I peek at him from under my lashes. God, he’s smoking hot. Scary hot, with his dark looks and that damaged expression in his soulful eyes. My breath catches; what he did to me yesterday while we were ‘playing’ was amazing. I loved every minute of it, and I can’t wait for him to take me to the next level. A shiver of excitement races through my body; with Daniel I never know what will happen next. I just hope this is more than a game to him, though.

  “Mum,” Becca interrupts my thoughts with a tug at my fingers. “Next time we go to Northampton, can Ben come with us?”

  I catch the frown creasing Daniel’s forehead. “Let’s see, shall we?”

  “Oh, but, please.” Her eyes are big.

  Ben joins the conversation. “I never get to go anywhere,” he whines.

  “That’s not true, son.” Daniel’s voice is stern. “I took you into town last week.”

  Ben juts out his lower lip. “It would be more fun with Becca.”

  “Come on.” I change the subject. “Let’s play a game of I spy. I’ll start. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with T.”

  Ben guesses tree immediately, and has us all stumped as we try to come up with something starting with N. It isn’t until we arrive at the cottages that Becca says, “Knee,” and Daniel and I fall about laughing.

  We part company momentarily, while I get our meal ready. Becca gives me a hand; she’s learning how to prepare food and loves it, so I give her the task of making a fruit salad.

  Soon, Daniel and Ben have joined us. We sit around the kitchen table like we did when he came over a month ago. So much has changed in such a short time. But it feels good. It feels great, in fact. So much so that I relax, stop worrying about where this is going, and simply enjoy myself.

  “That was delicious.” Daniel puts down his fork after his second helping of stew. He takes a sip from the wine he brought over. “You’re a good cook, Catrin.”

  “Thank you.” I give him a smile. “I wish I could make something fancier. I never got around to learning.”

  He studies me for a long moment. “I’ve eaten enough fancy food in my life. To be hone
st, I prefer good old-fashioned home cooking.”

  I store that piece of information away with the other facts I’ve gleaned about him. His background is a wealthy one, I’ve deduced. He installed that jacuzzi, he doesn’t need to earn money from his paintings, he told me the other day, and the wine I’m drinking with him now must have cost a pretty penny it’s so good. Not to mention his upper-class accent. Little by little, he’s revealing himself to me, even if he doesn’t realise he’s doing so. I’ll just have to be satisfied with that. And I am. A feeling of contentment washes through me.

  After we’ve eaten the fruit salad, consisting of strawberries, bananas and grapes with a dash of orange juice, Daniel tells Becca how delicious it was. She beams at him, and then takes Ben through to the sitting room to play a video game.

  I stare at Daniel and he stares back at me. I lick my lips, desire tingling through my body. I want his cock inside me, bruising my cervix, I want his mouth on my nipples, biting, and I want his sharp slaps on my ass as he gives me release. Except, there’s no way I can satisfy my lust with the kids in the lounge.

  Sighing heavily, I get to my feet and take the plates to the dishwasher. I rest my hands on the kitchen counter and steady my breathing.

  Like a panther stalking its prey, he comes up behind me.

  My nerves prickle and my heartbeats race. Oh, God.

  He lifts the hair from the nape of my neck and brushes his lips to my sensitive spot.

  A quiver goes right through me.

  He snakes his hands around to cup my breasts, kneading, teasing my nipples through my sweater.

  “We can’t…. the kids might come in at any minute,” I groan.

  He pulls me into him, and his thick hardness presses into my ass. “I know,” he rasps. He spins me around and his mouth descends on mine. His possessive tongue parts my lips. His kiss deepens, turns hungry and rough, as if he’s marking me as his.

  And I am his, God help me.

  He sucks on my tongue, roughly, squeezing my buttocks with one hand while pressing his fingers to my throat with the other.

  “Daniel,” I murmur into his mouth, and he captures the sound with a greedy kiss.

  He moves his hands to pinch my tingling tits, then lowers his head, pushing up my top with grasping fingers and sucking and biting my nipples through my bra.

  A sudden shout emanates from the living room. “Mum, can we have some cocoa?”

  Daniel and I spring back.

  A manic giggle fizzes up from my throat.

  He stares at me, eyes sparkling before he releases a full-bass laugh.

  And then we’re both laughing and gasping and clutching at our sides as we give in to the insanity of the situation.

  He cups my face and gazes into my eyes, “I’ve fallen in love with you, Cat.”

  “I feel the same.” I gaze back at him, my chest so full it might explode. “I love you too.”

  The door pushes open and our two kids tumble into the kitchen. “We’re thirsty,” Ben lisps through the gap in his two front teeth.

  Daniel bends and whispers into my ear. “Be patient with me, my darling. I’ll sort out a future for us.”

  My heart goes into free-fall at his words.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Daniel

  I’ll sort out a future for us. The words ring in my head as I take my morning shower. I angle my face under the warm water, my thoughts drifting back to last night. There was so much I wanted to say to Catrin, but only so much that I could say.

  One day I’ll share with her what it was like to leave the land of my birth and start a new life in London. School was the first shock; I was bullied for my Russian accent and soon learned to speak like everyone else. When we arrived, the opulence of our Knightsbridge home seemed strange after living in a small Moscow apartment. There, Papa had to hide the fact he’d made a fortune from the privatisation of the finance sector after the fall of Communism. Once he’d taken his wealth out of the country, however, he spent his billions like they were water.

  Mama only wore designer clothes in London and I never saw her lift a finger to do any housework. Now that I think about it, we were probably happier in Russia; life was simpler than in the gilded cage Papa created for us.

  I switch off the shower, reach for a towel and dry myself. My balls grow heavy as I think about how I’d dried Cat the other day… her luscious body, her sweet musky scent. I’d give anything for us to be able to move in together. I’d give anything to wake up with her in my arms. Fuck, why hasn’t Eric done what I asked and set up a meeting with Gleb? My brother is the key to what happened three years ago; I’m fed up with pussy footing around the issue. Gleb got me into this mess; I damn well hope he’ll get me out of it.

  I pull on a pair of jeans and a sweater, then head downstairs to the kitchen. Ben is already sitting at the table, still dressed in his PJs, munching Weetabix. He knows that on Sundays I like to sleep a little later than the rest of the week, and he’s learned how to make his own breakfast. Not that spooning cereal into a bowl and adding milk could be described as rocket science…

  I switch on the coffee maker. Rain slides down the window pane and the central heating has clicked on, the floor warm beneath my feet.

  I pull out the chair next to Ben. “What would you like to do today?”

  “Can we make lunch for Catrin and Becca?” He spoons the last of the cereal into his mouth and gives me an expectant look.

  I rub my beard. “What do you suggest?” I make my expression deliberately serious, although I’m chuckling inside my head. Ben’s and my repertoire is strictly limited to ready meals or what comes out of a can.

  “Baked beans?” he asks hopefully.

  I pretend to consider his question. “I think we can do better than that. Maybe we can invite them out?”

  He stares at me, open-mouthed. “Awesome, Dad. Where?”

  I crease my brow. There’s a pleasant inn in a not-too-distant village, where I’ve eaten a couple of times while he’s been at school. No one knows me there, so it will be perfectly safe. It’s the least I can do after Catrin cooked for us last night.

  “Let’s make it a surprise.” I rumple his hair. “Run upstairs and put some clothes on. Then we can go next door and invite them out.”

  He does as I ask, and silence descends on the kitchen. I reach for my phone. It’s the one I was given by Eric to use only when I need to contact him. I key in his number, but the call goes straight to voice mail. Damn!

  The King’s Head is one of those traditional English inns beloved by tourists. Nestling beside the village pond and overlooking the cricket green, it oozes charm. There are oak beamed ceilings, an open fire and traditional country furniture in the cosy dining area. A good choice, I think.

  Catrin’s face is a picture of delight as we step across the threshold, shaking the freezing rain off our coats. It’s warm inside, though, and there’s a choice of roast lunches on the menu. We opt for chicken; both Ben and Becca declare it to be their favourite. No alcohol for me, as I’m driving, but Cat deserves a glass of wine, so I order one for her.

  “Thank you for bringing us here.” She lowers her voice to a whisper, even though the kids have discovered a play area with one of those ball pits and have left us to our own devices. “I thought you didn’t want to be seen with me in public.”

  I take her hand and give it a squeeze. “It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you. It’s that I can’t.”

  She pulls her fingers from mine and fiddles with her hair, staring at me silently.

  “I’ll tell you everything as soon as I can.” My voice cracks.

  She plucks at her sleeves, and her eyes waver from mine. “You scare me a little. I mean, the other night when Toby went crazy, you acted like you wanted to kill whoever you thought was out there.”

  “There was no one out there,” I reassure her.

  A tremor of a smile comes to her lips. “I know. But your reaction...” She gives a shudder.

/>   “They don’t call me the Brute for nothing,” I say with a deliberately sardonic laugh.

  “Don’t joke, Daniel. You said you loved me. If you loved me you’d be up-front with me.”

  And there it is, the bone of contention between us. I hardly need to spell it out. “Do you love me, Cat?”

  “Yes.” She moves her chair closer to mine.

  “If you love me, you must accept me as I am. I said I’d tell you everything eventually, and I will.”

  “Touché.” She frowns then shrugs her shoulders. “I, on the other hand, am completely open. Ask me what you want.”

  A sudden idea forms in my mind. I’ll try and arrange for Eric to stay with Ben for the day while I go and confront Gleb. There’s a school vacation coming up at the end of October. Maybe if Cat takes Becca to visit her family in Wales, she won’t question what’s going on…

  “Have you really moved on from Josh?” I ask, my fingers closing around hers.

  “I think so,” she says softly.

  I tilt my head. “Are you in touch with his parents?”

  “Yes.” She draws a shaky breath.

  “Then maybe you should go and see them during the half-term break? Just to be sure?” There’s a note of firmness in my voice.

  “I am sure.” Her eyes shine with warmth. “They’ll always be Becca’s grandparents. Josh was their only child and I’d never deprive them of her.” She shakes her head. “She’s what stops them from dwelling on the past. I’ll still go see them, though. It’s time I took her for a visit.”

  I lift her hand, kiss the inside of her wrist, then place it on the table. God, I love her generosity. I fucking love everything about her.

  “I’d invite you and Ben to come with us if I thought you’d agree.” She reaches for her glass of wine and takes a sip.

  “I said I was going to sort out a future for us, didn’t I? Just trust me, okay? I won’t let you down. I love you.” I fix her in my gaze.