Chapter 16
Felicity hung around so Emma dished up the casserole she prepared earlier in the day and waited for Nicky to eat at the breakfast bar. Rohan looked disappointed when Emma brought portions for him and Felicity into the dining room. “You aren’t eating with us?” he asked and Emma shook her head and eyed Felicity sideways.
Nicky picked, but didn’t seem to enjoy it. His behaviour seemed edgy and not like him and Emma grew concerned. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Don’t you like it?”
“I love it,” Nicky replied, absentmindedly torturing a carrot. “That woman makes my hunger go away.”
“Felicity? Why?”
“No reason.” Nicky pursed his lips and pushed his fork into the remains of his casserole, before lying the handle on the side of the dish with a sigh.
“Hop in the shower, baby,” Emma said as he carried his dish to the sink. “I’ll come up and read your library book to you.”
“Ok.” His sweet little face brightened and he padded off upstairs. Emma heard him trip over his own feet half way up and waited. He picked himself up and carried on.
“That was gorgeous.” Rohan sidled up behind her as Emma rinsed Nicky’s plate and put it in the dishwasher. “I could get used to having a housekeeper.” He pushed her long hair away from her neck and kissed the soft pink flesh.
Emma pushed him away instantly with a frantic glance at the kitchen door. “Stop it!” she told him. “Your girlfriend’s already asking if we’re having an affair. I don’t need this, Ro. We’ll be out of your hair as soon as we can.”
“I don’t want you out of my hair.” Rohan reached for Emma’s waist and she jabbed him in the privates with her elbow as she stood up after settling Nicky’s plate in the rack. Rohan grimaced and grabbed his crotch through his pants. “Ow!”
“Oh my gosh, sorry. Do you have to be careful with...you know?”
“With what?” Rohan frowned and looked confused, rubbing between his legs with great care.
“Nothing.” Emma slammed the dishwasher closed and stood up. “I’ll sort Nicky out and then stay with him for a while so you can have some alone time with...thingy in there. It must be awkward with us around all the time.”
“It’s not awkward!” Rohan huffed angrily and put his hand behind Emma’s neck. His grip was rough and he pulled her into him and kissed her on the lips. It wasn’t a gentle action and Emma slapped him round the face.
“Everything all right in there,” Felicity called, gliding into the kitchen. Rohan’s face went immediately blank, leaving Emma flushed and upset.
“All fine, thanks,” she replied woodenly, shooting a nasty look at Rohan. “I’m just off to bed. Thanks for sorting out the job for me, I’m really grateful.” Emma plastered the smile onto her face. “Mr Dalton wants me to start next term so I’ve got about seven weeks to sort myself out.” She sidled past the pretty woman, who leaned against the doorframe as though pole dancing. “Have a good night!” Emma sauntered up the stairs with affected casualness, shuddering as she reached the first landing.
“They make you wanna puke, don’t they?” Nicky said, standing outside his bedroom door completely naked.
“A bit,” Emma admitted. “What’s the matter?”
“You took my pyjamas to wash and I don’t have no more to put on.”
Emma groaned. “Sorry, baby. I did buy you some more from the shops but they’re still wet too.”
“I can sleep in the nudd,” Nicky giggled.
“No, you can’t sleep nuddy,” Emma told him, smirking behind his back. “You might scare Farrell.” She rifled around in her suitcase and found an old tee shirt of hers. “Here you go, wear this for tonight.”
Nicky slipped it over his skinny body and grinned at his mother. “Ta, Mum. You’re doin’ a good job ya know?”
“I wish I felt like it,” she said sadly and the child put his arms around her, hugging her protectively.
“Can’t be helped,” he said, sounding just like her and Emma smiled, hearing her own words coming back to her.
“Right then, mister. Story time!”
Emma woke at midnight to find the lamp still on and her clothes cutting into her body. She slipped her bra off from underneath her tee shirt, a skill she never rued learning and left her knickers on. Pulling the curtains closed, she spied the dark shape of a man in the garden and held her breath. For a second she wondered what Rohan would be doing outside in the darkness but the shape was less muscular than his. The figure moved and the urge to cry out was instant, but Emma clapped her hand over her mouth. What if Felicity was in Rohan’s bed? That would be awkward if they came rushing out together. Emma knew inwardly she wouldn’t be able to bear it; the thought of the perfectly manicured hands moving over her husband’s lithe body. She choked back the involuntary vision and took a deep breath, not dwelling on the irony that the stranger outside posed less threat than the blonde bombshell inside.
Emma watched as the masculine shape moved away down the garden. She closed the curtains with a swish, choosing not to care. You’re imagining things, she told herself. The dog made no sound from downstairs and Emma climbed into bed with her son, cuddling his small body from behind and falling asleep with his downy blonde hair in her face.
Rohan went to work the next day, dressing in a crisp white shirt and suit pants and donning a smart matching jacket over the top. He looked like some kind of tall, handsome superhero. “Do svidaniya,” he said to Nicky as he left, ruffling the child’s hair under tender fingers.
“Do svidaniya, dorogaya,” Nicky replied in an instinctive reflex and Rohan stopped sharply, his hand still on the child’s soft blonde hair.
Emma kept very still, knowing Rohan’s eyes bored into the back of her head as she pushed a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar into Nicky’s library bag for his snack. She shoved an apple in there as an afterthought, her fingers shaking as she tipped her cap at the healthy snack brigade.
Rohan took Emma gently in his arms and held her tightly, crushing her face into his chest. Feeling grateful she hadn’t put lipstick on yet, Emma synced her body with his in an old, timeless dance and exhaled. Rohan tipped her head back with his fingers on her chin and kissed her lips, a soft caress that expressed more than his words ever would. “Izvinite,” he whispered, apologising, presumably for his behaviour the previous night. “How does Nicky know the Russian word for darling?” His lips were very close to her ear and his breath kissed it sensuously.
“No idea,” Emma lied. “He’s a bright kid.” She pushed Rohan away and he released her with obvious reluctance. “Are you back tonight?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’ll walk to the station and leave you the car. The keys are hanging up in the hall cupboard. Don’t ding it! Oh and if you need the computer, the password is neudachnik.”
Nicky snorted behind him and whipped his library bag from the worktop. “Loser! That’s funny.” He made an ‘L’ shape with his index finger and thumb and giggled. “Mummy, Uncle Ro’s password is loser!” He skipped through to the hallway to put his shoes on, singing softly to himself.
Rohan pushed his fingers up the side of Emma’s cheek and round underneath her hair. She closed her eyes against familiar, enticing sensations. He leaned in close to her face and pressed his forehead against hers. “Anton never spoke Russian, Em. He hated it. You’re not telling me the truth about anything, are you? We’ll talk about this later.”
“Whatever!” Emma thought she managed to escape until she felt Rohan’s strong hands around her waist, pulling her in from behind. His body felt good pressed against her back and she quashed the soft moan.
“We will talk later, lyubovnik!”
Emma shuddered at the connotations of the word, lover and headed quickly to the door as Rohan released her. She watched him stride down the garden to the parking area beyond the orchard and saw him opening the huge wooden gate out onto the lane behind the house.
“Come on, Mum!” Nicky complained, clinking the dog’s lead. F
arrell dashed around the hallway in excitement, eager to walk through the park and chase squirrels.
Emma stuffed her feet into her holey boots, wincing at her healing soles as she took her son’s hand, carefully locking up and setting the burglar alarm. She dreaded the questions Rohan might ask her later, knowing it would mean she had to leave.