Page 40 of A Sky Full of Stars
Charlotte laughed, then looked mischievously up at Tristan. ‘Well behaved, eh? Comet!’ she called. ‘Want a gravy bone?’
There was a patter of paws on tiles and slightly more muffled on carpet, as the cocker spaniel raced upstairs to the bed and jumped straight up to join them.
‘You were saying?’ Charlotte said, grinning and ruffling the dog’s neck.
‘Love you, love your dog?’ Tristan muttered, trying to look as though he didn’t really mind the dog’s presence on his Egyptian cotton sheets.
‘Love me, love my dog,’ Charlotte echoed. ‘They don’t all bite, you know.’
Tristan groaned. ‘I suppose you’re alluding to my encounter with that German Shepherd.’
‘Maybe,’ Charlotte smiled into the darkening air. ‘I must say, I haven’t noticed that it left any scars.’
‘Not physical ones,’ Tristan said lightly. ‘But if Comet puts his jaws anywhere near me, I’m banning him from the house.’
‘He’s the perfect gentleman, I promise,’ Charlotte replied. As if to undercut that sentiment, Comet rolled over onto his back, legs akimbo, in a most ungentlemanly position. Charlotte couldn’t help giggling. ‘Well, he is most of the time, anyway!’
40
A little later on, Comet had retreated downstairs once more and Charlotte was lying in Tristan’s bed in a state of post-sex bliss and contentment for the second time that evening. It had been a while since her last encounter and she had to admit, Tristan blew Todd out of the water with his passion, stamina and intensity.
‘All right?’ Tristan murmured, stroking her hair back from her neck in a gesture that was making her start to tingle again.
‘Couldn’t be better.’ Charlotte propped herself up on one elbow once more and gazed down at him. His hair was tousled, his eyes were calm, relaxed and looking back up at her.
‘Well, I could,’ he said playfully. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m bloody starving after that.’
Charlotte grinned. ‘I could be persuaded into some dinner, if you’re offering.’
‘I kind of think we might have done things the wrong way round, tonight,’ Tristan mused as he pulled on his boxer shorts and reached for his T-shirt.
‘Well, I’m not complaining.’ She slithered back into her own clothes and then pulled Tristan back to her for another kiss. ‘I might like systems, but I’m not averse to breaking convention on occasion.’
‘Just as well!’ Tristan laughed. Charlotte realised that she hadn’t heard him laughing very much, and she liked the sound.
They padded down the stairs to the kitchen, Comet hot on their heels.
Soon, they were tucking into Tristan’s beautifully cooked beef bourguignon, mopped up with some delectable slices of sourdough bread from Saints’ Farm. Comet, who’d happily lapped up his own portion of beef, lay stretched out on the cool tiled floor of the kitchen, his heart and stomach well won over by Tristan’s hospitality.
Charlotte was feeling much the same, and as the wine flowed and the night drew on, she decided that she would be more than happy to do this again and again. She was so relaxed that she’d almost forgotten the mystery that she and Todd had uncovered at the observatory. She’d intended to broach the subject with Tristan but it seemed a shame to break the playful and chilled-out mood by raising the sensitive subject of the observatory. She shrugged it off – there’d be plenty of time to talk.
After they finished dinner, Tristan made some coffee and suggested they go back outside and try out the telescope. They wandered out into the garden, pleased that, as night had gently fallen, the skies had remained clear. It was a quarter to midnight, and so there were definitely things to see in the velvety summer darkness.
‘Are you warm enough?’ Tristan asked, as he rested his arm on her shoulder. ‘I can grab you a jumper if you like.’
‘I’m all right at the moment,’ Charlotte replied. The wine would insulate her if it turned chilly but right now the air was still and warm. Not great for sleeping, but perfect for spending some time looking at the summer stars. She gazed up at the heavens, looking at those oh-so-familiar patterns that pinpricked the sky, adding an order to the vast, infinite reaches of space. She was frequently surprised by just how much the night sky enthralled her, even though she’d spent years studying it.
Tristan stood behind her and slid his arms around her waist, pressing up against her and warming her with his body. She leaned back into him, relishing the feeling, and, as he planted gentle kisses on the side of her neck, sighed in contentment. ‘If you keep doing that, we’ll never get to see anything,’ she murmured. Tristan ignored her and kept kissing.
Charlotte gave a giggle. ‘Come on,’ she said playfully, ‘you didn’t go to the trouble of getting this telescope out just to get it covered in dew.’ She disentangled herself from him and took the few steps over to the telescope. Comet, who had spent some time sniffing the borders of the garden and lifting a leg in a couple of quiet places, joined her at her heels.
‘Now, let me just see…’ She carefully adjusted the telescope again, using minute and delicate movements just to sharpen the image through its vintage lenses in the direction it was pointing. After a few moments, she secured it in place and then turned back to Tristan.
‘Come and look,’ she said, reaching out a hand to bring him closer.
Tristan, who had been watching her intently, seemed to shake himself out of some reverie. Giving her a shy smile, he joined her at the eyepiece.
‘What am I looking at?’ he asked as he leaned down to observe the skies.
