Unforgettable (Gloria Cook) - By Gloria Cook Page 0,75
this time after love-making when Charlie would tenderly caress and stroke her, play with her hair, kiss her with long loving pecks, and ask about the deep things she might have on her mind. ‘I used to be very jealous of Jean Vercoe so easily pushing out kid after kid, but I wasn’t that bothered when she had the twins. When Fiona Templeton had her little girl I viewed it much the same way as Dorrie did. After all, Dorrie lost her only child. As long as I’ve got you and Sam I have everything I could ever want. I’d never let anything come between us and our happiness.’
‘Me neither.’ Charlie kissed her again, on the brow, the soft place above her nose, and held her thoughtfully.
Belle knew this special routine of his, as she did his every hint of breath and his expressions. He had something on his mind concerning what she had just said, about the thing that scared her most, her family peace, happiness and togetherness. A trickle of panic rode her naked, sweat-lagged back but her desire to protect her precious family superseded the dread. She was ready like a tigress to fight for her man and her son.
‘What is it, darling?’ She spoke out of love but also as a demand, raising up above him and claiming his eyes, his beautiful greyish-blue eyes, now darkened with unrest.
‘You’ve got an admirer, darling, nothing new of course, you turn the head of every man who passes you by, but this one is different.’ His tone was serious, grave.
‘And you do the same to women. Different? What do you mean? Who is it?’
Charlie clamped her to him territorially. ‘I’m talking about Finn.’
‘Finn! Don’t be silly. He’s just a boy, just Sam’s friend. No, never.’ Belle let all the tension out of her body. This brought her femininity brushing against where Charlie was mostly a man and she wanted to make love to him, to pleasure him, to do all the work. ‘Besides, it looks like he’s getting together with little Tilly Vercoe, and his mind is always mostly on Eloise.’
‘And you. I’m not joking and I’m certainly not imagining it. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Belle. I’d wondered about it once or twice but today in Merrivale it was unmistakable. The boy is besotted with you. It’s well past being a crush. He adores you, he looks at you as if he wants to ravish you. It shocked me, disgusted me, and I wanted to punch his face in there and then. If this isn’t nipped in the bud there could be big problems. I’ll warn the bugger off.’
‘Oh, Charlie, don’t do any such thing, promise me,’ Belle snapped, but it wasn’t Charlie she was angry with. ‘I believe you. You couldn’t be mistaken over something you’re so positive about. I don’t want you to get into trouble over a callow youth. He’s not important. He’s a newcomer, the son of a criminal and a neurotic woman, come to that. He’s not worth letting any hassle be caused to us, or Sam. You will swear to me you’ll do nothing. You nearly ended up in court over that persistent salesman back-along.’
‘I’m hardly going to lay into a boy, am I? And Finn is just a boy, although he doesn’t think so. I don’t think he’s quite wet behind the ears; he’s probably had some experience with a woman, likely a girl. I’d just take him aside and tell him his longing is inappropriate and offensive and to stay away from you, from all of us.’
‘I suppose I was a bit melodramatic but I can’t bear the thought of you being locked up away from me for even a day. And I’d hate for Finn to feel he’d made a right fool of himself, and for Fiona to be upset now things are going so well for them both. Leave this to me. I’ll speak to Finn, put him right.’
In the early hours Belle was downstairs pouring herself a large whisky. Sleep had evaded her as the facts and implications of what Charlie had told her went round and round inside her head.
‘Damn you, boy,’ she seethed under her breath. ‘You come into this village and lap up all the help people have willingly given you. I come to your house and you look at me with lust! You wretched little bastard. Who do you think you are? You’re just a lowlife nothing. How dare you look