Page 18 of Elijah
“Nice to see you’re all having a lovely time in here,” he said, his hands on the hips of his mud -streaked cargo, work trousers. “Because me and Anthony are working our fucking nuts off out there. There’s a truckload of Italian slate slabs just two hours away and you pair are in here fucking drinking tea and chatting with the ladies instead of finishing the prep for the south terrace.”
“Sorry boss, we were just-.”
“I don’t care what you were just fucking doing, Marty. I want you to just fucking get out there and get some work done. This is not your lunch break, it’s a damn tea break and by my watch that finished ten minutes ago.”
Bob and Marty both moved to the sink, Marty swigging back the rest of his tea. Bob started to run the tap but stopped when Elijah groaned.
“Leave those, you can do them later. Get out there now.”
They shuffled out, leaving the door open behind them.
“Someone got out of bed on the wrong side this morning,” I muttered, shifting my gaze back to the swatches of fabric.
“Sorry?”
I heard Elijah’s boots on the tiled floor and then felt his presence beside me. My body tensed and the hair on my arms stood on end as my senses recognised him. His scent and his heat all too familiar. I slowly tilted my head, giving him a sideways glance.
“I said, you’ve obviously got out of bed on the wrong side this morning. They were just chatting and drinking their tea. They’ve been working hard all morning.”
“And you’d know that would you?” Elijah asked, moving closer.
I stood up straight, still holding tightly to the swatches and rolled my eyes.
“As you pointed out, every room looks out onto the garden. I’ve watched them. In fact, I’ve seen them every day working hard while you’ve been prancing around doing God knows what.”
Elijah’s nostrils flared as fury shone in his eyes. I knew that look, I’d seen it many times before; rarely had it been used on me, but I’d seen it.
“You have no fucking idea what I’ve been doing. Not that it’s any of your damn business, it’s not like we’re married, Amy.”
His words were spat out and every single one of them caused my heart to ache.
“And whose fault is that, Elijah,” I snapped back, taking a breath to try and stop the tears that were threatening to fall.
I had loved this man since I was seventeen years old. I’d cherished everything about him – his need to bloody jog every day, the fact that he insisted on having the bedroom window open each night, his obsession with Only Fools and Horses and the fact he could recite every line. I loved every single thing about him, even the way his calloused fingers felt touching my skin. So, how the hell had it come to this – oh yes, he couldn’t keep his bloody cock in his pants.
“Well, not mine.”
His brown eyes flashed with hurt as he stared at me.
“I’ll just go and erm, sort through the boxes of light fittings.” I heard Claudia say from behind me.
“Don’t go on my account,” Elijah replied. “I’m not staying.”
“No, it’s fine,” she replied.
When I heard the door close I turned sharply, wondering if she really had left, and when I realised I was alone with Elijah, my stomach turned over.
“Just go back to work,” I said, turning back him. “We obviously can’t be civil to each other, so it’s probably best we don’t even speak.”
“Yeah probably,” Elijah replied. “But I didn’t cause this Amy, you did the day you fucked off without giving me a chance to defend myself.”
I shook my head, my mouth in a flat, grim, determined line.
“No, Elijah, you don’t get to blame me for this. You were the one who jumped into bed with Lauren. While I was in the same house, I should add, just to twist the knife a little more.”
“Exactly, you were in the same house. As if I’d jump into bed with her, knowing you were downstairs, never mind I’d never jump into bed with her full stop. You know how fucking drunk I was Amy, you were the one who said I should go and lie down for a while.”
He threw his hands in the air and took a pace closer to me. Anger seeped from every pore on his body and I could feel it all aimed at me.
