The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (123 page)

  
Jon stared open-mouthed at Livvy, who faced him, hands on hips, looking
for all the world like Harley when she had an axe to grind with Roy.
‘Sorry, Liv. I guess I was feeling self pity because Jess refuses to see my
side of things.’

  
She nodded. ‘And
you
refuse to
see
hers
. Finish your drink and go
home. By the way, to avoid any more arguments with Jess, I spoke to Tina
earlier and she’s offered to put us up for a while, at least until I know how
things are with Harley. If I’m staying long-term, I’ll rent a place.’

  
‘Oh, good,’ Jon said. It saved him having to tell Livvy that Jess had
already refused his request. He changed the subject. ‘Sheena called me from the
airport.’

  
‘Did she now. I was just about to ring her to let her know we’d arrived
safely when
you
turned up.’

  
‘Were you?’ Jon smiled. ‘Why don’t you call her now while I’m here? She
told me she’s missing me.’

  
Livvy raised an eyebrow. ‘And are you missing her?’

  
‘Very much.’

  
‘Is that why you’re so crabby? Raging testosterone and nowhere for it to
go.’
 

  
‘Something like that,’ Jon said as she reached for the phone.

  
‘I think you’re under Sheena’s skin more than she’ll admit,’ Livvy said
as she dialled. ‘It’s me. - Yes, we’re here. Are you alone? I mean - is Gerry
with you? - Hang on a minute.’ She handed the phone to Jon. ‘I’ll leave you to
talk. Gerry’s out.’ She left the room, shaking her head.
  

  
Jon spoke softly. ‘Hi, Sheena – Yeah, I’m
sure
it’s a surprise, but is it a nice one?’ He grinned into the
receiver and told her why he was in Livvy’s suite. ‘I came to cry on her
shoulder,’ he finished. Sheena sympathised with his situation and told him she
was missing him, even though she was trying hard not to. ‘I miss you, too.
Madness, when you think we hardly know each other. Try and come back soon,
please. I know we said we wouldn’t see one another alone, but I really need to.
Will you call me tomorrow at the shop?
 
-
You will? Great, I’ll see you soon then. Don’t hang up. Livvy wants to speak to
you.’ He went next door and sat with Courtney while Livvy spoke with Sheena.

  
‘So, you like Corrie, do you?’ Jon asked Courtney.

  
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘And Eastenders and Hollyoaks.’

  
‘My twin sons like Hollyoaks,’ he told her.

  
‘How old are your sons?’ Courtney asked, twiddling a curl around her
finger.

  
‘Sixteen - in June.’
  

  
‘Nine months older than me,’ she said. ‘What are their names?’

  
‘Jack and Nathan,’ he replied.

  
‘Cool!’ Courtney laughed, wrinkling her cute little nose, just like her
mother and Harley when
they
laughed.

  
Jon looked up as Livvy came back in the room. ‘I guess I’d better get
going,’ he said. ‘Thanks for the drink and the ear to bend, Liv.’
 

  
‘Feel better now?’ Livvy asked as she saw him to the door. She whispered
– ‘Sheena will call you tomorrow when Gerry’s not around. Hopefully, she’ll see
you in a couple of weeks.
I’ll
see
you tomorrow. Go and make your peace with Jess.’
  

  
‘Thanks, Livvy.’ He bent to kiss her cheek and waved at Courtney, who
waved back. ‘Goodnight, girls.’

***

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

Livvy turned off the light in
Courtney’s room. After a room-service supper and hot bath her daughter had
declared she was tired and going to bed. She was asleep within minutes. Livvy
closed the adjoining door.

  
She sat down on the bedroom chair, poured a glass of red wine, picked up
a pad and began to list everything that would need her attention over the next
couple of days. Her priority was to call Roy,
which she did right away. Sammy answered. Livvy asked to speak to him.

  
She assumed Sammy must have left the room, because Roy
greeted her with, ‘Hi, sweetheart, you arrived safely then?’

  
‘We did.’ She held her breath for a minute. ‘Any news on Harley’s
tests?’
 

  
‘No. Maybe we’ll hear something tomorrow.’ He lowered his voice to a
barely audible whisper. ‘I was about to nip to Carl’s to collect some tapes.
Can I call and see you?’

  
‘Of course.’ Her heart thudded so loud she was sure he must be able to
hear it. ‘Room 125. My daughter’s with me. She’s asleep in the adjoining room.’

  
‘Be with you in about thirty minutes.’

  
She said goodbye and put the phone down. Her hands were shaking and her
stomach looped. He was coming to see her. They’d be alone. Well - almost. Not
much could happen with Courtney in the next room. It wouldn’t be right – would
it?

  
She took a quick shower, pulled on white lacy underwear, tight white
jeans and a blue silk shirt. She unpinned her hair and fluffed out her curls in
front of the bedroom mirror. A slick of pale pink lip gloss, a quick spray of
her favourite perfume and she was ready. She checked her watch and peeped in on
Courtney. She turned the key in the lock, praying the loud click wouldn’t
disturb her. She tried to relax with her pad and pen again. A gentle tapping
heralded Roy’s arrival.
 

  
His dark eyes searched hers as she let him in. A slight tick in his left
cheek told her he was as nervous as she.

  
‘Hi.’
 

  
‘Hi, yourself,’ he replied and held out his arms.

  
She melted into them. His lips met hers and he crushed her to him. ‘I
need you,’ he whispered into her hair and lifted her, slowly twirling her round
and round, before lying her down on the bed. He lay beside her and traced round
her face with his fingers.

  
‘I need you, too,’ she said.

  
He kissed her again and undid the buttons on her shirt. ‘You never used
to wear a bra,’ he said softly, unhooking the front fastening and cupping her
breasts.

  
Tears flowed down her cheeks, mingling with his, as he finished
undressing her. She helped him remove his clothes and snuggled into him.

  
‘I’d forgotten how hairy your chest is,’ she said, smiling through her
tears.

  
‘And I’d forgotten just how beautiful you are. You’re rounder,
curvier.’
 

  
‘That’s what happens when you have children.’ She prodded his stomach
gently. ‘So are you, rounder, I mean. You used to be flat as a pancake.’

  
‘Well that’s what happens when you have children’ he quipped. ‘And
I’ve
had three!’
     

  
‘Oh, Roy, I’ve so missed you
and your silly jokes.’

  
‘I’ve missed you, too. Are you sure you want to do this?’

  
‘Yes - I’ve waited years.’

  
‘What about your daughter?’

  
‘She’s sound asleep. I don’t think she’ll wake up.’ She didn’t tell him
that she’d locked Courtney in. If she
did
waken, she’d bang on the door. ‘We’ll just have to make sure we’re quiet.’

  
He raised an amused eyebrow. ‘Quiet? If I remember rightly,
you
were a very noisy lover.’

  
‘Well you weren’t so quiet yourself.’ She kissed him, sensing his nerves
were settling. ‘Stop talking now. Make love to me while we’ve got the
chance.’
 

  
He held her close. ‘I’ve dreamt about this many times,’
he said softly. ‘I’m surprised I haven’t called out your name in my sleep.’

  
‘Mm,’ she sighed. ‘I’ve had those dreams, too.’ Time stood still as Roy
kissed and explored every inch of her. She reacquainted herself with his body,
loving the feel of his strong arms around her. When he knelt between her legs
and looked at her, she could see the love in his eyes. He shook his head, as
though lost for words. She reached for him and they clung together. He whispered
that he loved her and she arched towards him as he slid inside. His kisses were
deep and probing as he thrust into her. Her orgasm was explosive and she bit
her lip to stop herself yelling out while Roy
muffled
his
cries of pleasure into
her shoulder. He held her tightly, showering her face with kisses.

  
‘That didn’t take long,’ he whispered, eventually. ‘I was so desperate
for you. What a homecoming, if you’ll pardon the pun. Thank you, sweetheart.’

  
‘Roy, it was my pleasure.
You’re amazing.’

  
‘So are you.’ They lay quietly, for a while, stroking each others faces
and murmuring endearments. He propped himself up on one elbow and smiled at
her. ‘Presume we were safe, then?’

  
She nodded. ‘Perfectly.’ She didn’t really have a clue. Her cycle had
been all over the place just lately. She hoped she
wasn’t
safe.
 

  
‘Sorry, I should have asked.’

  
‘Now that would be a first. Would you like a drink?’ She slid out of
bed. ‘I’ve got brandy, gin, whisky or red wine.’

  
‘Glass of red would be nice.’ He nodded to the side table by the chair
where her glass from earlier stood. ‘I see you already hit the bottle before I
arrived.’

  
She smiled and poured him a drink. ‘Cheers.’ She clinked her glass to
his. ‘Here’s to a good result for Harley.’
 

  
‘Here, here,’ he said, jumping as the phone rang out.

  
‘Who can be calling at this time of night?’ Livvy frowned and looked at
her watch. She snatched up the receiver. ‘Hello! Oh, hi.’ She signalled with
her eyes for Roy to keep quiet.
‘Yes, Dan, we arrived safely, thank you. No, you can’t speak to her at the
moment, she’s sleeping. - No, Harley’s results are not back yet, but thank you
for asking. – Yes, I spoke to Roy
earlier.’ She rolled her eyes in Roy’s
direction. ‘No, of course I haven’t seen him. I’ve been busy making
arrangements for my parents to stay at the hotel and looking though estate
agent ads for rented property. – What for? – Well, for me and Courtney, of
course. – We’re not
coming
back,
Danny, I told you that. Not until Harley is well. – No way, Courtney is staying
with me. – Oh - have you? Okay - We’ll discuss it when you arrive then. I’m too
tired now. Goodnight.’ She slammed down the receiver. ‘Damn him.’

  
Roy looked at her. ‘What’s
wrong?’

  
‘He’s changed his flight to Manchester
and he’s booked himself a room here for Wednesday.’

  
‘Does he know that I’m Harley’s father now?’
 

  
‘He does. He’s not very happy about it, but there you go. He wants to
take Courtney back to the States. I want her to stay here.
She
wants to stay here.’

  
‘That’ll be nice for Harley,’ Roy
said. ‘She can get to know her sister and her mum properly. If the worst comes
to the worst, she’ll need all the family support we can give her. She told me
and Sam that a girl at school is in remission from leukaemia. She had
chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant from her baby sister.’
 

  
‘That sounds promising,’ Livvy nodded. ‘If Harley needs a transplant,
hopefully one of
us
could be a donor
and there’s Jason and Courtney, too. They might be a match,’

  
‘Yeah, possibly.’ He looked at his watch. ’Shit, look at the time. Sam
will wonder where the hell I’ve got to. I promised her faithfully I wouldn’t
see you alone. I don’t want her putting two and two together.’ He looked at her
and smiled. ‘I can’t resist you. You know that, don’t you?’

  
‘I do. I feel the same, but I don’t want to cause trouble for you. You’d
better take a quick shower. Don’t use the shower gel. It’s that strawberry
Body-Shop one and it’s got a really strong smell. Sammy will be sure to recognise
it as something you don’t use at home.’

  
‘Good thinking,’ he said and leapt up.
 

  
She tidied the bed while he was in the bathroom and picked up his
clothes from the floor. The citrus scent of his cologne clung to them and her
stomach tightened as she buried her face in his T-shirt. She could feel tears
welling as she thought of him going home and climbing into bed with Sammy.
 
She was conscious of him standing behind her
and she turned and slipped her arms around his waist. ‘I love you, Roy. I always
have.’

  
‘I love you, too, Liv. I’m sorry I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.
By the way, you told Danny that you’ve made arrangements for your parents to
stay here. Does that mean your mum’s coming?’

  
‘Yes. She’s flying in from Toronto
on Saturday and Dad’s coming down from Glasgow
an hour before she arrives.’

  
‘I’m so pleased for you, sweetheart. Will I get to meet them, you know,
as the father of your eldest daughter?’

  
‘I hope so, Roy.’

  
‘I’ll have to meet Danny too, I expect. He’ll want to punch my lights
out. ’

  
‘Why should he? What happened with us was before I got together with
him.’

  
‘Men have strange ways of looking at things,’ he replied, putting on his
clothes.
 
‘He knows I was your first, and
no doubt guesses correctly that I’m the reason your marriage is floundering.’

  
She nodded as he pushed his feet into his boots. ‘That and the fact he’s
been screwing another woman. Anyway, go, before Sammy starts checking up on
you. I bet your cell phone’s turned off.’

  
‘It is. I’ll check for messages when I
get in the car. Talk to you tomorrow.’ He kissed her one last time, grabbed his
jacket and left.

***

Livvy stared at her reflection in
the bathroom mirror. Her cheeks were glowing and her eyes were shining. It had
been so easy. Typical of Roy to
make love to her without a thought for contraception - until afterwards. She
rubbed her hands over her naked stomach and smiled. With a bit of luck … She
turned off the bathroom light. Lying on the big bed she breathed in the scent
of him still on the sheets, her mind working overtime with plans for a new
future for her and her daughters.

***

Roy
dropped the phone back onto the cradle and sat with his head in his hands for a
long minute. Sammy was outside stringing bags of nuts to the bird table. He lit
a cigarette and banged on the patio window.
 
She looked across and waved. He beckoned her inside.

  
‘Sit down,’ he said as she walked into the kitchen.

  
‘What is it?’ She pulled out a chair and flopped on to it.
 

  
He poured two mugs of coffee and handed her one. ‘The oncologist’s
secretary just called. We have to go to the hospital for
one o’clock
today.’

  
‘Okay,’ Sammy said, her cheeks going pale. She reached for his hand. ‘Is
that all she said?’

  
‘Yeah. That was it. She’s got it, hasn’t she? Otherwise, she would have
told me the tests were clear and there’s nothing to worry about.’

  
‘It’s not her job to do that, Roy.
Let’s not jump to conclusions until we know for sure.’

  
‘I’d better call Livvy.’ He stood up and pushed his chair back. ‘She
should be with me when I take Harley to the hospital.’

  
Sammy frowned. ‘What do you mean, when
you
take her? We’ll both be going.’

  
Roy felt his cheeks warming.
‘Did I say that? I’m sorry, love. Not really thinking straight.’
 

  
‘You don’t want me there, do you? You want to be alone with that slut!’

  
Roy sighed. ‘Of course I do,
love. But I have to give Livvy the option to be there.’

  
Her eyes darkened a little. ‘You mean
you
want her there. That’s more like it, isn’t it?’

  
‘Oh, don’t start, Sam. I need your support right now, not petty
jealousies. All right, yes,
I’d
like
her to be there, but only because she’s our girl’s real mother, no other
reason.’
 

  
‘Sorry, Roy.’ She put her
arms around him and gave him a hug. She reached up and stroked his cheek. ‘Go
and call her then. I’ll get Harley up and organised.’

  
Sighing, Roy made his way to
the music room and closed the door. He dialled the hotel and waited to be put
through to Livvy’s room. Sammy had been asleep when he arrived home and slid
into bed last night. She had no idea of the late hour; otherwise he would have
been subjected to twenty questions this morning.

  
He could hear the smile in Livvy’s voice as she realised the caller was
he. To his query, she said she was feeling great after last night. ‘So am I,’
he told her. ‘But listen, the hospital just called. We have to take Harley
along for
one o’clock
today. Do you
want to come with us?’