Muscling In (9 page)

“You think? He left as soon as
he could. It was like he couldn’t stand to be sitting at the same table as me.”

“But you don’t
still
think that, do you? Not after
yesterday. It’s clear to me that he very much enjoys being in the same room as
you, or garden at least.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“I think the problem would
more likely be that he’s not into me.” As I said it my heart sagged. I hadn’t
had any problems with getting men in the past. Before I’d met Coben I’d had
lots of dates, turned lots of offers down too. But Ed…he was a different
entity. He might want my husband but there were no guarantees he’d want me.

“Who on this earth wouldn’t be
into you,” Coben said, pulling me close. He’d obviously seen self-doubt cross
my face, something that had happened over the years when it came to my
work—that was par for the course with being creative—but not with
relationships. “Of course he would be into you. The thing is…”

“What.” I stared up at him,
studying his eyes.

“Do I want another man
touching
my
wife?” He raised his
eyebrows. “Being
into
my wife?”

“I suppose that’s for you to
decide, though a threesome might be a bit awkward if that’s something you can’t
get over.” I paused. “And I am sharing you with someone else.”

He laughed suddenly, tipping
his head back. “This is crazy talk. Edward is as likely to want to join us in
bed as I am likely to make foreign minister.”

“The country could do worse.
You have a lot to offer international diplomacy.” I touched my lips to his.
“But what if we asked and Edward said yes?”

“But what if, and this is a
new concept for you, but what if for once you didn’t race ahead of yourself,
babe.” He gave my ass a quick slap. Then his expression turned serious. “This
is all so unexpected for me, to have Edward in my life again, even if just for
today. I’ve told you everything about my past too, also something I hadn’t
planned for this weekend. So slow it down, okay.”

I took a deep breath. “I’m
sorry, of course. Yes, I will slow it down. Whatever is right for you is right
for me.” I kissed him. The last thing I wanted to do was make Coben
uncomfortable or push him into a situation he didn’t want. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

****

Brighton was bustling with
families and couples all jostling for space between the shoreline and the
promenade.

“Shall we head down the coast
a bit?” Coben suggested, glancing at the full car park.

“Good idea, let’s find
somewhere less busy.”

He drove along at a snail’s
pace, hindered by the sheer volume of traffic and a double decker bus stopping
and starting. A small train on wheels, not rails, rattled past us in its own
lane. It was overflowing with beachgoers holding towels and bright bags, kids
gripping buckets and spades and licking ice creams.

“This is when a bike is good,”
Coben said. He indicated a gap between the vehicles. “We could just whizz along
through there.”

“I guess that’s why Ed has
one, so he’s not at the mercy of the traffic.”

“He’s always been a law unto
himself.”

I glanced at Coben. “What do
you mean?”

He shrugged. “Obviously he
follows orders. He doesn’t break the rules, but he’s always been his own
person, doesn’t like to be cornered, restricted. He knows what he wants and
takes it.”

“Is that one of the things
that attracted you to him?”

He shrugged. “I suppose.” He
paused. “He decided he wanted me. As soon as we’d established the feeling was
mutual, he wouldn’t be tied down by what the powers that be said. He made it
work.” He rubbed his hand over his forehead. “He used to come to me, take the
risk, make the effort. It was him that made the first approach. It was brave.
If I hadn’t felt the same way it could have gone tits up for him.” He shook his
head as though a memory was coming back. “He’s done lots of brave things, but
that, and then seeking me out night after night, was probably some of the
bravest he’s ever done.”

“And no one ever suspected
anything?”

“No, well, nothing was ever
said. But we were very careful and just acted like mates in public.”

I rested my hand on his
shoulder. “I can’t believe you kept all this inside for so long.”

He glanced at me. “It’s the
way it was. I never thought of it as a burden but a special time with a special
person. But I feel lighter now you know. I wish I’d told you sooner.”

“I’m glad you feel better, and
don’t worry about wishing you’d told me sooner. It came out at the right time.”

“You always say what I need to
hear.” He squeezed my hand and glanced at me briefly.

Just then the traffic cleared
and Coben made the most of it by speeding up the gears. We headed past the main
drag of arcades, cafés and ice cream parlors. The famous pier shrank into the
distance and the crowds on the beach thinned.

“What about there?” I said,
pointing to a small car park that appeared to have plenty of spaces.

“Yes, that will do.” Coben
indicated and pulled into a gap. Before us, sand dunes rose into the air like
large bubbles coated in fine grass that rippled in the breeze.

“I shouldn’t think it’s much
of a walk to the beach.”

“No. It’ll be nice, not so
crowded as back there.” He let himself out of the car and the warmth of the day
poured in. “Just got to carry all this stuff.”

“I’ll help.” I jumped out and
started piling myself up with necessities for the beach. By the time I’d
finished I looked like a pack horse and so did Coben. He kicked the door shut
and clicked the car locked.

 
Stomping up the first dune the heat poured
down on me, but by the time I could see the waves the delicious briny breeze
was wafting over my hot cheeks. I spotted a secluded dip in the dunes that
offered uninterrupted views of the sea. There were a few people about but
nothing like the congestion nearer the pier.

“What do you think about that
spot?” I asked Coben.

“Perfect.” He began to pad
through the sand in the direction I’d pointed, his shoes puffing up small
grainy clouds behind him.

Soon we had three loungers set
up, the windbreak hammered into the sand and the parasol over my lounger—I
didn’t like to get too much sun on my cheeks. Coben opened the cooler and
grabbed a can of Diet Coke. He tipped his head back and took a long drink.

“So you gonna strip, sexy?” I
asked, slipping off the sundress I’d traveled in. Beneath it I wore my new
black bikini that had small silver beads on the straps and the bows on the
bikini bottoms. I dragged my hair up into a high ponytail and kicked off my
shoes. The fine sand was hot on my feet but felt wonderful.

Coben whistled. “Wow, sexy,
takes one to know one.” He let his gaze slip down my body, completely
unapologetic in the lascivious way he lingered on my breasts. “I’m glad I’ve
got you tucked away from the masses. There’d be a few old codgers having heart
attacks if you were loose by the pier in that bikini.”

I laughed and flicked him with
the corner of a towel. “Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not. I’m being deadly
serious. You should really wear that kind of stuff around the house more
often.”

“And do you think I’d get
anything done?” I was thrilled by his reaction to my new bikini. It had cost a
packet but was clearly worth every penny.

“Mmm, you have a point.” He
stepped close and smoothed his finger over the strap that sat at my shoulder.
“Well maybe just on Sundays. In the winter we’ll turn the heating up full.”

A series of trills from his
back pocket indicated a phone call. He pulled it out. “It’s Edward.”

“Tell him we’re further
along.”

He answered the phone and turned
to face the waves. “Hey. Where are you?” He paused. “Yep, keep going along
there, past the pier and then about another mile. There’s a small car park on
the left, next to some dunes. Just head over them and you’ll see us.” Again he
paused. “See you in a minute, then.”

I spread my towel on my
lounger and sat down, stretching my legs in front of me. It was nice to be out
of the sun, though I knew Coben would enjoy it all day. He wasn’t afraid of
heat—maybe that was a symptom of being posted in the desert for many months.
“He’s made it to Brighton, then?” I asked.

“Yes, in good time he said.
He’ll be here in a minute.”

“You think he’ll find us
okay?”

“Yep.”

“But…?”

“He’s found much harder
targets than us, Sian, and with this monstrosity of a windbreak…”

I laughed. “Oh, okay.” I
pulled the suntan lotion from my beach bag, squirted a dollop on my hand and
started rubbing it on my legs. As I did so I was content to watch Coben strip
to his swimshorts. There was no doubt about it my husband was hot. Tall and lean,
toned in all the right places, including that sexy angle of muscle between his
abs and the waistband of his trunks. The tantalizing strip of hair from navel
to groin seemed to draw my eyes to that region all the more. Not that I didn’t
adore the squared shape of his pecs and his cute little nipples, or the thick
muscles of his thighs that were coated in fine hair. It was just his lower
belly, the tempting bulge…

“Hey, what you looking at?” He
was grinning at me as he folded his t-shirt.

“You, why? Got a problem?” I
tried to act cocky and cool.

“Not if it’s because you’re
thanking your lucky stars I’m yours.”

“That’s exactly what I was
doing.” I gave up cool and grinned. “Can you do my back?” I held up the lotion.

“With pleasure.” He smiled
down at me.

 
I turned to face the undulating dunes to my
right. A shiver of anticipation ran over my skin. Just knowing Coben would be
touching me, even just for the industrious action of applying sunscreen,
brought pleasure to my soul.

He started to rub in the cool
lotion. I shut my eyes and enjoyed his hands on me. His fingers were firm yet
gentle. They ran into the groove of my spine and over the sweep of my
shoulders. He tickled the nape of my neck, set a kiss on my temple, then ran
the lotion just beneath the waistband of my bikini bottoms.

“Hey, there you are, hiding in
the dunes.”

My heart hitched at the sound
of Ed’s voice.

Coben stopped what he was
doing and gave a sharp intake of breath.

It seemed Ed’s effect on us
both was the same.

I turned and spotted him stomping
down the dunes, the muscles in his legs tensing as his feet sank deep. He was
out of his leathers and wore navy swimshorts and a black t-shirt. His hair,
though short, still managed to look helmet-flat.

“Great spot,” he said, nodding
approvingly at our elaborate setup.

“Yeah, we thought it would be
better to be out of the crowds,” Coben said. “More relaxing.”

“And I have plenty of food,” I
added. “So we don’t need the cafés and shops.”

Ed grinned and dumped the same
black bag he’d used the day before next to the lounger farthest from the one
I’d sat on. “I’m going for a dip. Not the best day to spend two hours in bike
gear. But at least I didn’t get stuck in traffic.”

“Beauty of a bike,” Coben
said.

“Yep.”

“Towels are there,” I said,
pointing to the stack on Coben’s lounger. “If you’re going for a swim.”

“I’ll get one when I come back
up.” He gripped the base of his t-shirt with both hands and peeled it over his
head. He did it tantalizingly slowly, almost as if knowing he was teasing us
both. Revealing first his navel, then his flat stomach that held the hint of a
six-pack, and finally his pecks. He had a scribble of dark chest hair that
fanned outward to his nipples and as the material went over his head he exposed
his damp, jet-black underarm hair.

He tossed the t-shirt aside
and swiped his forearm over his brow. “Think I’ll take a dip.” He turned and
strode down toward the sea.

Coben was staring at him the
same way I was sure I had been. I wondered what he was thinking. Were memories
washing over him, bombarding him, or were thoughts of the future stealing his
mind? Could he recall the feel of Ed’s skin against his? The taste of him on
his tongue? How it felt when their bodies had been connected.

I shifted on my seat, feeling
turned on as all those curiosities flooded my mind.

Coben glanced at me. He had a
little color on his cheeks that hadn’t been there before Ed had arrived.

“You okay?” I asked.

He nodded.

“I don’t think you could have
picked a sexier guy to have an affair with.”

He sat opposite me, our knees
almost touching, and looked out to sea again. “Mmm.”

Ed was walking into the waves.
He didn’t hesitate, kept on powering forward. Once it reached his thighs he
dived expertly into a swell of rolling water. For a moment he disappeared. Then
he surfaced and struck out into a fast crawl.