Never Too Late (18 page)

“But your parents…?”

“Divorced. I think that’s what started it all. They split up when I was ten and I went to live with my mother in France. We were rich, and she only had time for the parade of new men in her life. My father stayed back in England. He’d always been busy even when I was young, and after the divorce I barely heard from him. I guess in many ways the acting out was just a scream for him to notice me.”

“What happened when you were sixteen?”

“My father noticed me. He gave me an ultimatum. Get my hide back to England and start working for him, or he’d cut me off from the cushy lifestyle I’d become accustomed to.”

She laughed. “I’m guessing you didn’t go back happily.”

“That’s putting it mildly. He ran one of the biggest construction companies in Europe, and I had no desire to be hauling bricks. And I knew I’d be getting my hands dirty, because he’d start me right at the bottom. That’s the sort of man he was. But…” He shrugged. “I didn’t have much choice.”

“But it made you who you are now. I’m sure your father is proud.”

“Yeah, the old man was proud, but it wasn’t entirely down to him that I got my act straight. That distinction goes to Damon,” he said with a smirk. “He was the only one at the time who had the guts to beat the crap out of the boss’s obnoxious son. My father had rescued him from going to prison on a wrong charge and he put Damon to work on one of the crews. Then when I came along, Damon got saddled with the dubious pleasure of babysitting me because we were the same age.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “You make yourself sound like a right handful.”

“Believe me, I was no picnic. But Damon had grown up rough. He’d seen the antics of druggies before, and he wasn’t taking any of that bullshit from me. We lived together, ate together, worked together, and the first few months were hell on earth as he forced me to clean up. Then over the two years we worked manual labour on the crew, we fell into a friendly competition, trying to better the other.”

“And then?”

“We did pretty well together. My father decided we were ready to get serious about the business and sent us both to university and then business school. After that, we started our own company and when the old man died a couple of years ago, we incorporated his construction wing into our business and expanded it.”

“What about your mother? Do you still see her?”

He shook his head. “Not since I left at sixteen. She’s happy in the French Riviera with her toy boys and her parties, and as long as I keep her bank account fed, she doesn’t bother me. I guess Damon and Lilayni are the only real family I have now, but I haven’t needed more.”

But he had reached out for a different kind of love before. He’d been about to marry Sienna D’Alessio. She longed to ask, but the name stuck on her tongue and refused to be spoken. She stared at her fingers as she curled them against his chest. “But one day you’ll be looking to start a little family of your own, I’m sure.”

“I doubt it.” 

His answer was swift and she glanced up, a silent question in her eyes.

His jaw firmed and leaning forward, he cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. “I told you I wouldn’t lie to you, Molly. I’ll take care of you. Nothing will hurt you while I’m here, but what I can’t promise you is forever. I don’t have that ability in me anymore.”

   Because he’d given that promise to Sienna once, and she’d taken that love to the grave with her. Heart bleeding, Molly stared back at him, confusion no longer giving her a barrier to hide behind as her feelings blazed before her as bright as the summer sun. She loved him.

Somehow, somewhere along the line, she’d given her heart to him when she hadn’t meant to. She’d thought she’d known love before, but that had been a mere shadow. Brian had never owned the power to destroy her so absolutely the way Jake wielded it now. He was right that nothing would hurt her. Nothing could. Not like he eventually would when he left. 

But that wasn’t his fault. She loved the honesty with which he met life, and when the time came for him to leave, she’d face it without flinching. Until then she would cherish every precious moment she had with him. 

With a smile to hide her pain, she raised her face to his, offering her lips for his kiss. The action standing for the agreement she couldn’t put into words. 

But he feathered his thumb over her lips, frowning down at her with troubled eyes. “Don’t fall in love with me, Molly. Save your heart for someone worthy of you.”

But you’re the only one
. The words sobbed in her head, but she smiled and pressed a kiss against his thumb. “Don’t worry. I promise you’ll never hear those words from me.”

* * *

The bedroom window glowed with the ethereal purple of deep night when she woke in an unfamiliar bed.

Awareness slowly flowed. The large bed. The warm male body spooned against her naked back. The heavy arm resting on her waist, holding her secure. Jake.

He was still asleep, his breathing deep and even. She looked to the clock on the wall, but couldn’t make out the hands in the barely-there light. Was it before midnight? Past? Heat scorched her cheeks. She’d have to face Nan eventually, and in the harsh light of morning what would her decision to stay with Jake look like?

Her promise to him had been all he needed to hear, and his gentle lovemaking after that had moved her to tears, and she’d drifted off to sleep cradled in his arms.

She glanced at the window and the night outside. She should leave. The longer she stayed with him, the deeper she fell. How would she keep her heart out of her eyes when she looked at him in the morning? She needed to gather her scattered clothes and emotions and go now before he woke.

With a gentle wriggle, she tested the solid weight of his arm.

“Lie still,” he murmured into her hair. “Or I’ll take it you want something.” He slid a hand up her waist, cupped her breast, and moved in closer behind her.

His hard erection pressed against her bottom and she gasped. “Jake, I should go. It’s late and Nan will be worried.”

“She didn’t come looking for you, so I think she knows where you are.”

The thought was hardly comforting. “Even then…”

In one quick move, he flipped her on her back and covered her. “Stay.” And pressing a knee between her thighs so that she parted her legs for him, he eased himself into the space made. His mouth captured hers, and with a tiny moan she gave herself to him, letting all doubt and questions dissolve away in the heat of his beloved body against hers.

* * *

Molly paused at the top of the stairs in Rose Cottage, where the busy clank of pots and the warm yeasty smell of bread rising in the oven wafted up the stairs to greet her. Nan was making breakfast.

It had been five in the morning when she’d snuck back into the cottage, and Nan had been asleep. But now, at just past eight, she was dressed and ready for work, and she still had to face Nan. 

How her body and soul yearned to be back in Jake’s arms right now, but there was no putting this off any longer. She started down the stairs, wincing a little and hiding a smile as the slight jolt of the steps awakened the sweet aching aftermath of last night. 

The kitchen looked brighter than ever as the morning sunshine bounced off the yellow walls and puddled on the wood floor. Nan was washing up at the sink, humming to herself, and she looked up when Molly walked in. “Morning, sleepy head. I was worried you’d be late for work today.”

Molly’s smile was fleeting, her confession waiting to be blurted out. “Nan, about last night…”

Nan held up a hand. “I don’t need to know. I told you before I’ll not interfere. Now sit down and I’ll get you some coffee.” And picking up a mug, she went to the kettle.

Molly pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down, barely keeping herself from wincing again. She wasn’t bruised, but her body had been like clay in Jake’s hands, being moulded in ways it had never before experienced. Heat rose to her cheeks. It was just as well Nan didn’t need an explanation.

“It’s going to get busy around here,” Nan placed a mug of steaming coffee in front of her. “What with those builders arriving this afternoon.” She turned back to the dishes in the sink, then paused, looking thoughtful. “I don’t know how I’ll take it. The house has been empty so long, and suddenly it’ll be a real circus for the next few weeks.”

Molly sipped her coffee, happy to just listen and nod.

“I’m glad you’re part of this though, Molly,” Nan said. “I know how much you love Barrowdene, and I’m sure between you and Jake, you’ll both do the house proud.” She glanced back from the sink. “In fact, Jake was telling me yesterday how having you with him was a great help.”

“He said that? I only made a few suggestions. It was nice of him to consider them.”

Nan dried the last pot and wiped her hands. “I’m sure it’s more than that. Still, things are moving fast now, aren’t they? I hadn’t expected so much change.” She eased herself into a chair opposite Molly. “It feels different now, especially with Francine gone for good.”

Molly nodded. Barrowdene had slept when Francine owned it, but now with Jake, the house was awake again. “Jake mentioned she’s gone north, to the Lakes.”

“Has she? Now that’s a surprise.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she grew up in the Lake District, but I always got the impression that was a place she was glad to have seen the back off. And now that her parents are no longer alive, it just doesn’t make sense for her to go back when she hasn’t been for years. “ Nan shrugged. “She has her reasons, I suppose. We’ll never know. Though, I would have liked it if she kept in touch. Life’s hard enough that she doesn’t need to be lonely as well.”

Molly smiled and patted Nan’s hand. “Don’t worry about Francine. Maybe she has friends there.”

“Yes, I like to think so.” Nan heaved herself up from the chair and went to the oven. “I am looking forward to seeing how the big house shapes up though,” she said, donning oven mitts. “I think I can bear the truckloads of people just to see the final result.”

She pulled golden bread out of the oven and Molly inhaled the hearty aroma and smiled. “I doubt there’ll be truckloads, Nan. It may not be as bad as you think.”

“Maybe not,” Nan said, placing the bread on a wire rack to cool. “And I suppose I don’t mind making a little extra for everyone. It’s been quite nice having Jake here this past week to cook for. I’d forgotten how pleasant it is to have the house lived in for more than a day or two at a time.”

But he wouldn’t stay. That fact was as certain as if carved from stone. The builders and decorators would be here for only a few weeks and very soon after that, Jake too would be gone. 

Molly stood up. Nan was standing pleased in front of the bread, looking for all the world as if she expected life to continue as it was now, with Jake always at Barrowdene. 

A fierce determination gripped Molly. Life would go on for her after Jake. It had to, however broken her heart might be. At least for Nan’s sake, she had to put things into motion now and make sure she found somewhere else for them to live. Martin would be able to help her.

Nan frowned. “Leaving already? But you only had coffee. Have some toast. You can’t go to work on an empty stomach.”

“I need to get to the office in case Martin comes in early today.” 

Her phone’s notification pinged as she picked up her bag, and pulling it out, she swiped through to check the text.

“What is it?” Nan asked, as Molly shoved the phone back into the bag in exasperation.

“Martin. He’s gone to London and wants me to reschedule his meetings for this week.”

“That’s good, isn’t it? Now you can help me get Jake’s breakfast ready and have it with him.”

Molly frowned and shook her head. “I have to get to the office, Nan. There’s a lot to do.”

It was only Wednesday, and Martin never left for London this early in the week. He had to be running from Jake and desperately trying to sort things out himself. Guilt flared in her. She should tell Jake… of course she should. That was the right thing to do. But Martin was a friend, and he’d earned her deep loyalty.

And quickly kissing Nan goodbye, she left the cottage.

Unless Jake asked her directly, she wouldn’t give away Martin’s whereabouts. She would buy Martin as much time as she could for whatever he thought he needed to do. She could only hope for her own sake that he came to his senses quickly.

Jake stalked out of the en-suite with nothing more than a white bath towel knotted low over his hips. Luckily, the mouthy girls had stayed out of his room in the mornings since that incident. 

Throwing the towel over the ottoman, he picked out boxers and a pair of jeans from a drawer and pulled them on. Molly had slipped out of his room sometime in the early morning and he’d woken to an empty bed. He grabbed the towel and dried his hair with more force than necessary. He should be grateful really. Mornings after were usually a drag, and there had been many a time he’d have been overjoyed if a past lover had quietly slipped out of his bed and his life without disturbing him. But this wasn’t one of those times. He wouldn’t have minded waking next to Molly’s warm softness. Her sweet voice wouldn’t have grated on his morning nerves if she’d wished him good morning, and a first kiss could have led to so much more…

He chucked the towel back on the ottoman and eyed the crumpled bed sheets. They stared back at him, a messy reminder of the passion-fuelled night he’d shared with Molly. Memory stirred fresh in his loins and with a groan he turned away to grab a clean t-shirt from the antique wardrobe. She would be going to work today. Maybe he could catch her there.

What the hell. He frowned at himself. He had to keep his head in the game. His project manager was arriving later today and work on Barrowdene would begin in earnest. Being here had always been nothing more than a quick detour while his real life lay on hold. But he had to pick up those dropped reins soon and set the fast pace again. Barrowdene and Molly would be nothing but a memory. She had to be.

He pulled on the white t-shirt and paused as an image of beauty filled his mind. Long dark hair like fallen silk, silver-grey eyes that had looked out at the world in wide innocence at first and then hardened with hate to flint. The fast world he lived in took no prisoners. You were either strong enough to survive or you were chewed up and spat out and Molly wasn’t strong enough.