Stranger at the beach house (4 page)

Harry put his bag in the boot of
a beautiful C-Class parked alongside and huffed his way into the driver seat,
pouting that he’d clearly lost the competition for most admired car. He wound
down the window as he pulled the sleek black Mercedes slowly out of the garage,
eyeballing his friend. “Look after her,” he said quietly, winking at me as he
revved the engine and flew down the track.

Sam handed me a second coffee as
I made my way into the kitchen, continually looking back to make sure I hadn’t
dreamt that, as the garage door closed on the gleaming silver Vanquish. He was
clearly amused at the continual open gaping of my mouth. “Do you want the grand
tour then? Let’s see what else I can impress you with” he chuckled.

 
“Yes please,” I nodded enthusiastically,
although I was pretty certain that nothing was going to top that car.

“You’ve already seen this one,”
he smiled as we made our way through the front room.

 
“It’s incredible,” I said again. It had been
my reaction last night and it hadn’t changed. “I noticed outside that you’d
replaced the glass doors. It looked dark. I thought it might obscure the view,”
I said as Sam beamed, clearly as excited to show me around as I was to be
shown.

“It’s one way glass. I can see
out but no one can see in,” he explained. “On that first night, my inexperience
with the shutters meant I had to replace them, so I thought I’d do the whole
thing. It’s pretty private down here but this way you can even avoid the nosey
neighbour,” he laughed. I threw him a scowl but couldn’t hold the underlying
giggle. The mood this morning was buoyant.

He took my cup and placed it on
the ultra modern coffee table and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards another
door. My breath caught at the unexpected playful gesture and I could only smile
as we reached the adjacent room. “You’ve got to see this,” he grinned and he
was sporting what can only be described as a ‘Christmas day face’, the one that
kids get when they see that Santa has been, and I wondered if I was only the
second person after Harry to see it properly. I stopped in my tracks, my mouth
dropping open involuntarily and I could not have been more surprised.

“Fucking hell, Sam, are you a
spy?”

There were three screens on two
of the walls and a huge plasma television filled the space directly in front of
me. The window to the left framed a beautiful and tranquil view of the beach
and jutting
brigg
, a sharp natural contrast to the
high tech futuristic concept of the room where we stood. A split triple screen
computer monitor dominated a huge desk, along with a number of telephone
handsets, buttons and lights. It could have belonged in MI6.

His eyes danced and he laughed
out loud, pulling me further in to the room. “It’s where I work,” he explained.

“Work?”
I queried, puzzled. I thought he was here
escaping the rat race.

 
“Yes, just a little. A man has got to keep
track of his investments, Rose,” he smiled, flicking a switch which brought the
screens buzzing to life, streaming live TV news alongside the fluctuating share
and stock prices from markets around the world.

“I’ve never seen anything like
it,” I said honestly, revelling in his responsive smile.

 
“I never thought I could get it operational
out here,” he replied quickly. This didn’t surprise me. I’d struggled for years
to get a basic mobile signal when I visited Alice.

“We worked hard to get this up
and running and you wouldn’t believe what it has taken, but it’s been worth
every second. It means I don’t have to go back as much and can manage most
things from home,” he said, his huge smile reaching those blue eyes. For some
reason the word ‘home’ struck me.

“So you’re sticking around then?”
I asked.

“Yes, for now,” he replied,
stirring my curiosity once again. I would have to get back to the ‘situation’
he’d hinted at last night and the fact that Harry said he didn’t go out. Was he
some strange recluse?
 
He certainly
didn’t seem like one, and no one that wants to keep a low profile drives an
Aston Martin Vanquish.

 
I moved to inspect the monitors.
Only one was still in darkness.
“What’s this one for?” I asked, pointing at the blank screen.

“CCTV,” he answered quietly.

“What, why?” these houses were
about as private as it got. OK it wasn’t gated, but the tranquillity was one of
the things Alice and I had both valued.

“There’s a lot of kit here that I
need to protect. I’m probably just being a bit over cautious, but you saw in
the kitchen how much I love my gadgets,” he replied.

His smile was genuine but I
didn’t fully buy his explanation, there was something else, something in his
face that suggested I hadn’t got the whole truth. “It’s not fully operational
yet. That’s what I was doing on the roof this morning, fitting a side camera”.

“Oh,” I flushed, remembering the
look as he had caught me ogling his arse.

“Do you want to see the rest?” he
asked as his smile ramped up further and he flicked the switch to quiet his
high tech office and led me on.

“This is the guest room,” he said
as I stood in the doorway taking it in, tasteful and modern but warmer than the
rest of the house with pictures and a traditional rocking chair that sat
motionless in one corner.

I made my way around the room,
taking in the framed scenes and secretly hoping that the attractive girl in the
photographs was his sister or friend and not his girlfriend. I was desperate to
ask, but didn’t want to make myself any more obvious. He had definitely read my
thoughts by the fire last night and already caught me staring at his arse this
morning.

Moving back into the hallway I
decided my best option was to say nothing. “Bathroom,” he gestured, moving in
front of me to point out the multi head shower and huge whirlpool bath. The
marble tiles were classic and neutral and it reminded me of the one I’d seen at
the party in Canary Wharf.

“It’s stunning,” I breathed as he
excitedly demonstrated the remote control lighting and heating features.

I hadn’t fully appreciated it
last night, I’d been too busy trying to compose myself, but every bit of it
really was high end luxury and I couldn’t help but hope that one day my shower
might break so I could use his. I could fake a breakage, but maybe he’d offer
to fix it. He’d looked pretty good with his hands up on the roof this morning.
I snuck a quick glance. Yep, I bet he was very good with his hands I thought,
before the inner voice piped up yet again, telling me in no uncertain terms to
get a grip of myself.

 
“And last but by no means least,” he said,
taking my hand again and hitting me with his full gaze, “my bedroom”. His low
velvet voice lingered on the last word and my senses heightened. I felt a
slight shift in the atmosphere between us, my skin tingling under his fingers
and excited by his touch. The huge bed, encased in beautiful pure white
furnishings, was right in front of us and totally unavoidable.

Thoughts of being in there with
him naked right now forced their way into my head, his hard torso and muscular
arms pinning me against the luxurious fabric and frenzied, uninhibited, sheet-
clawing sex. His darkening eyes met mine, almost challenging me and my face
flushed.

I slipped quickly in front of
him, pretending to admire the view from the window as I tried to regain my
composure. I was sure that any woman with a pulse would be feeling exactly the
same way, in such close proximity to six foot three of beautiful, solid,
unashamed masculinity and we were standing in his bedroom. He was breathtaking
and every nerve in my body was determined to let me know it.

 
He was also my very new neighbour who I had
known for less than a day. I needed to pull myself together. Had I learned
nothing? My experience with Daniel was proof positive that rugged handsomeness,
a chiselled abdomen and an abundance of charm could wreak havoc with the heart.

It took a few moments and a very
deep breath before I turned to face him. “It’s a beautiful house, Sam,” I said,
and a small almost imperceptible smile played on his lips, his dark eyes
twinkling as they held my gaze.

“Thank you,” he laughed, striding
out of the bedroom. He had definitely read my thoughts.

I let out the huge deep breath
I’d been holding and followed him, making my way through to the kitchen and
safer territory. “I’m going into town today. I need to pick up some food and
supplies. There’s so much to do in the house. I bet the old girl already feels
like the ugly sister compared to your place, the least I can do is clean her up
a bit. Then I’m heading up to the farm for some firewood. Do you need me to get
you anything while I’m out?” I asked, still trying to compose myself.

“No thanks. But just out of
interest what are you going to have for dinner tonight?” he said, his grin
widening.

 
“I don’t know yet” I replied, realising
instantly where this was going. “Why? Are you hoping to rekindle the
arrangement you had with Alice, Sam?” I giggled. There would certainly be worse
ways to spend my evenings.

 
“Would I? But you might want to know that I
love steak,” he winked and I couldn’t suppress my grin.

“Done, but on one condition.
Tonight I get to cook it here and christen this kitchen,” I said, not giving
him a chance to answer and left, laughing and shutting the kitchen door behind
me.

Chapter
3

Fuck he’s sexy.
I felt elated on the drive into town and this
morning had definitely reignited
 
my
libido, my body screaming through every nerve that I had wanted him on top of
me in that huge sumptuous bed, rock hard and driving me into oblivion. My brain
however wasn’t playing ball, throwing cold water over my stirring senses and
reminding me that we were neighbours. This wasn’t one I could avoid ever having
to see again if things went wrong. Not to mention the fact that my attraction
was most likely a one way street.

 
This guy was stunning, charismatic and
seriously rich. He could probably have any woman he wanted if he put his mind
to it and maybe did for all I knew about him, which was very little. But he’d
won Alice over and that was good enough for me. Hell, a girl could dream I
thought, putting my foot down and accelerating through the country bends.

First stop the Cafe. I was
already buzzing on two large lattes and stuffed full of croissant, but other
than Sam’s it was the only place in town I knew with Wi-Fi, and I really wanted
to check on Lizzie and share my news. Ordering a decaf I fired up the laptop:

Hi Liz

I hope you’re not missing me moping around the place too much! Just
checking in to let you know I’m settling in OK. The house is empty without
Alice but it feels right to be here.
 
News alert...Hot
Hot
Neighbour and I mean
SERIOUSLY sexy, escaping the rat race and chilling in the back of beyond for a
bit. Really nice, city hot shot apparently. There’s definitely a story there
and I’ll let you know when I find out what it is.
Cooking him
dinner tonight.

Don’t panic, just being neighbourly!
Hope ‘that
Daniel’ isn’t being a shit and working you till your eyes bleed.
 
Kiss to
Alfie

Rose x

Her reply is instant.

Hi Rose

I am so happy you’re settling in. Missing you like crazy already so we
will have to come up and see you very soon. Great news about the hot neighbour,
he must be a welcome distraction! Let me know how it goes tonight. As for ‘that
Daniel’, he is being a total shit. He honestly makes me wish I had more middle
fingers!

He thought he’d secured a manuscript that everyone is buzzing about–
the next big thing. It turns out he was a bit premature and
its
all gone tits up. Everyone in the industry is talking about it and Salisbury is
absolutely furious. I also heard on the grapevine that Little Miss Creosote has
dumped him. Needless to say I am revelling in his misfortune whilst continuing
to plan my imminent escape.

Lizzie

Brilliant.
I was hardly about to feel sorry for him.

Lizzie

Your full and frank disclosure of ‘that Daniel’s’ adversity has indeed
improved my day, serves him right for being a total dick.
 
I will now continue my life without the need
to ever mention him again. Good luck with the escape plan. Going shopping now
to stock up on supplies and then I’m going to sort out the house. I’ll ask Sam
(hot hot neighbour) if he can sort me out with Wi-Fi.
 
Toodles
 
xxx’

Her reply makes me laugh.

‘Just make sure that’s all he sorts you out with x

My good mood continued through the shopping trip, bumping
into old faces, all asking me how I was, letting me know how much they had
liked Alice and asking if there is anything they can do to help me settle in.
It was something I had missed in London. Everyone in a small town just knows
each other and my twelve year absence had done nothing to diminish their
friendliness. I felt a pang of guilt when I realised that through Alice they
had kept up with my progress over the years much more than I had kept up with
theirs.

Quite literally needing
everything, I had visited almost every shop in town. Loading the car with my purchases
I ran through my mental check list for tonight’s dinner. Steak, baby new
potatoes, carrots and asparagus, known for its aphrodisiac qualities I laughed
to myself, wondering if he’d realise.

 
I had also bought actual potatoes in case he’d
rather have chips and salad in case he would rather have salad. Perhaps I had
gone a little over the top! I tucked the three bottles of wine in a space under
the seat and dashed across to the bakery to pick up something wonderful for
dessert. I was looking forward to tonight a little too much I thought, mentally
scalding myself.

I set off to the farm, hoping
that Joy would be at home. If she’d met someone last night the girl could be
anywhere. She might even be working. I could never keep up with her days off,
they changed every week. I always caught up with her when I visited Alice and
felt guilty for leaving straight after the funeral without saying goodbye. It
had been too hard a day and I just couldn’t face seeing anyone.

I had cried my way into the
beautiful ancient church on the hill and cried my way out, straight into the
car and back to London. I was too overcome, too grief stricken to speak to
anyone. I worried at the time they might think me rude, but the whole situation
had been utterly overwhelming. I’d realised for the first time that I was
completely alone in the world and I couldn’t face the town, her friends, the
beach house or anything that reminded me of exactly what I’d lost. I wondered
if Sam had been there. If he had I certainly hadn’t noticed him, but I hadn’t
noticed anyone that day.

I hadn’t seen Joy since and was
sure she would understand. I also thought she might be able to fill me in about
Sam. There was bound to be local gossip about the gorgeous out-of-towner and if
anyone knew what it was, it would be Joy.

The farm was set back from the
road, about two miles from Alice’s, surrounded by fields, beautiful and
isolated. She had moved back there with her parents after splitting up with
Jon. No one had seen that coming, least of all me. They had been together as
long as any of us could remember, inseparable from the first time they held
hands at primary school. Joy had told me it was a mutual decision and they
remained friends but had simply grown apart. Her love life had been fairly
colourful since, and I was looking forward to her filling me in on the latest
developments.

As I made my way down the dirt
and gravel track, I could see her outside with her back to me, loading wood
into nylon orange bags and she stumbled back startled when I
blared
my horn. I couldn’t stop laughing as she picked herself up off the gravel and
ran over to the car.

“You daft cow!” she scalded,
slapping my shoulder before pulling me into a hug. “When did you get back?” she
asked, still mildly annoyed.

“Yesterday,” I replied, laughing
and standing back to look at her. “I thought I’d better stock up on some wood
and give my old friend a visit,” I smiled.

“Take these and less of the
old,
” Joy said, opening the car door and
lifting an orange bag onto the back seat, still trying to get her startled
breathing under control as I helped her with four more bags.

 
“Let’s have a brew and a proper catch up,” she
smiled as I followed her into the farmhouse kitchen. “Sit. I want to know
everything before you bugger off back to London and I don’t see you for another
six months,” she said, slapping my arm playfully.

“I’m not going back,” I smiled,
knowing this would be welcome news, and as she poured the tea I filled her in
on every detail that had led to my decision. It was getting easier to talk
about all that had happened and that was definitely a good sign.

“I wish I’d have known, but I’m
so glad you’re back. We are going to have some fun, Rose” she laughed gently.

“So how are things with you then,
Joy, any developments on the love front?” I asked as her face fell.

“I’m in a bit of a drought to be
honest. I had a couple of visits from the mystery taxi in the summer and it’s
fair to say that put me off for a while,” she giggled.

 
“Mystery taxi?”
I
quizzed.

“Yeah, you know the one. When you
go home with a gorgeous, charming guy and the mystery taxi comes and replaces
him with a complete prick while you’re sleeping. One that gets up in the
morning and is absolutely nothing like the man you went to bed with. Mystery
taxi, Rose, it’s the only possible explanation”. I could only nod through my
laughter. I knew exactly what she meant.

“I can’t get off the bus forever
though, I’m thinking of trying the internet next,” she laughed. I couldn’t
understand why Joy had struggled so much since she’d split with Jon. Confident
and naturally pretty with long chestnut hair and huge green eyes, she was one
of the nicest and funniest people I knew. “It’s a bit tricky though living with
the parents again, I can’t exactly bring a string of men back here, they’d
freak. I’m saving up to buy one of those new apartments near the sea front. My
dream place.” she smiled.

“They’re lovely, Joy and right
next to all the bars so not too far for you to stumble home,” I said.

 
“Why do you think I want one? Anyway, how are
you getting on at the beach house, do you know who’s bought Joe’s place? It’s
quite the mystery in town. I’ve seen Harry once but he’s not talking, and no
one has ever seen the new owner, except Mr Hong. Apparently he calls in early
for a takeaway some nights. I started hanging around there myself when I heard
a guy had bought the house, trying to get a glimpse of him, you know... just in
case,” she winked, laughing. I could imagine she wasn’t the only face in town
loitering at Mr Hongs on the off chance. I bet his early evening business had
never been so brisk.

 
“I never saw him though and all those noodles
were playing havoc with my thighs so I stopped going. I’ve come to the
conclusion that he must be some sort of recluse with a major deformity,” she
said and I raised my eyebrows at this.

 
“It’s a good Job you didn’t get a glimpse
then, Joy, you would have fallen off your chair” I laughed.

“Why?” she gasped, unable to
contain her curiosity, “is he hideous?”

 
I took a very deep breath. “No, Joy” and I
couldn’t stop the broad smile that was spreading across my face. “He’s a
fucking God”.

The afternoon flew by as I filled
Joy in with every detail of the gorgeous new addition to the town. “So what’s
the back story?” she quizzed and I had to admit I didn’t know yet.

“But you’ll be the first to find
out as soon as I do. I’m cooking him dinner tonight,” I smiled.

“You lucky bitch, you’d better
text me to let me know how it goes. It looks like I might have to live my love
life vicariously through you for a while,” she laughed.

“Well I think that’s jumping the
gun, Joy, it’s only a neighbourly dinner,” I explained, not sure who I was
trying to fool the most as my stomach exploded in a flurry of butterflies just
at the thought of it.

“Bollocks,” she said quickly. “If
you fancy him, you need to bag him and fast. If this guy is half as hot as you
say and word gets out, you’ll see more than the odd dog walker out at your place.
There’ll be naked beach yoga going on outside your front door,” she grinned.

“Probably, and you’ll be the one
running the class,” I laughed. We giggled at the prospect as I stood up to
leave and I hugged my friend again. “It’s been great to see you, Joy” and it
really had.

“Text me later, let me know how
it goes,” she winked.

 
“If I can get a damn signal,” I said, leaving
a £20 note on the table for the wood and making my way out to the car. The day
had passed in a blur. It was four o’ clock already.

I didn’t see Sam as I drove up
the track, pulling the car across the drive and as close as I could to the side
door to make unpacking as easy as possible. This would take a while and the sky
had turned from blue to grey as storm clouds threatened in the distance. The
car was full to bursting with everything I needed to settle in, including
cleaning products. That was a task I wasn’t relishing. The old place may not
hold a candle to Sam’s but I loved her anyway, and the very least she deserved
was to be cleaned, polished and looking her best. A bit like me, I thought.

Maybe Joy was right. I had vowed
to myself to take things slowly in matters of the heart since the whole Daniel
thing. I had jumped in head first then and just look how that had ended. Being totally
upfront was more Joy’s style than mine but it couldn’t hurt to make a bit of an
effort, could it? Bringing the bags through to the kitchen I separated the
shopping into my own pile and the supplies for tonight, filling the cupboards.
I didn’t see the note on the side until I had finished unpacking.

Come at 5.30. My kitchen is looking forward to you christening it and
so am I. Sam

 
So I wasn’t the only one looking forward to it
I mused thoughtfully, ignoring the fluttering in my stomach. How had he got in?
I could swear I locked the door. I packed the food for dinner into a large bag,
taking care with the wine and placing the ridiculously large bakery box on the
top. That was an awful lot of chocolate for two people, perhaps I had got a
little carried away. There was less than an hour to get ready and I wasn’t sure
what to wear. OK, so it was hardly a date but I was still trying for a good
impression. I sent a quick text to Joy, doubtful that she’d ever receive it;

Debating the wardrobe – stylish or understated sexy?