Page 46 of Carbon

“Why couldn’t my mother have been more like yours?”

His face darkened. “You’d have been welcome to her.”

I thought back to the cheery woman I’d once known, but that picture didn’t fit with his tone. “What do you mean? She was always kind.”

“Yeah, until I found out she’d been lying to me my entire life. She did something I’ll never forgive her for.”

“What? What did she do?”

“Not tonight, Gus. I’ll tell you one day, but I don’t want to put more of a downer on things this evening.”

I forced a smile, then kissed him on the lips—chastely—just to let him know I understood. “So, why did you come back again after all these years?”

“Because I’ve never, ever been able to get you out of my mind.” He touched his chest in an unconscious gesture as he said it, and my gaze landed on the infinity symbol.

I traced it with a finger. “Was that for me?”

He nodded, and the lump in my throat thickened.

“A year ago I was wandering along the high street in a tiny village in northern France when I stopped outside an antique shop. There was this pen in the window, and I had to buy it for you.” He reached down to where his trousers hung around his knees and pulled a lumpy package from his pocket. “Here.”

“Your wrapping hasn’t got any better.”

He traced a finger up my side. “I’m better at the unwrapping.”

I tore at the sellotape with my teeth until I got to the box. It may have been a little time-worn, but the red-enamelled pen inside was pristine. And beautiful.

“Thank you.” That deserved a kiss, and I was only too happy to oblige. “I’ll keep it with the other pen you gave me.”

“You still have that?”

“I use it most days.”

He pulled me into a hug, nothing sexual, just two old friends reconnecting after too many years apart. Because that was what we were. Friends. Now lovers too, but friends above all else.

“Do you not think this was an elaborate plan to give me a pen? I mean, getting a job here and everything?”

“The job was kind of an accident. I only intended to drop the pen off with a note, but when your mother answered the door, she just assumed I was there to apply for the caretaker’s position. Luckily, she didn’t recognise me.”

“I didn’t either.” That odd familiarity I felt when I first saw Beau? I’d assumed it was because he’d been Midnight, but I’d got it totally wrong. “What happened to your glasses? Are you wearing contacts?”

“No, laser surgery. And I learned to use the gym.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

“I only planned to stay long enough to check you were okay, but when I realised you were single again, and not particularly happy, I decided to stick around.”

“How did you know I wasn’t happy? Even I didn’t realise that.”

“Because you rarely smiled, or went out, or spoke to anybody but your sister. You’d turned into a recluse, not the girl I remembered.” He traced my lips with his thumbs and pushed the corners up. “I want to see you smile again.”

“I will now that you’re back.” We stared at each other for a few seconds, and my smile grew wider. “So, what now? Want to take advantage of me again?”

“Much as I’ve enjoyed fucking you in strange places, I’d rather make love to you in my bed. What do you say?”

“Sounds perfect to me, Mr. Durham.”

He helped me to stand on shaky legs, and I smoothed my dress down as he picked up the discarded condoms and did his trousers up. Without a doubt, this was the best night of my life, and it was only just beginning.

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