And Then There Was You
by Suzy Turner
Copyright Suzy Turner 2014
ISBN 978-989-98351-7-7
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
For more information about the author and her upcoming books, please visit
www.suzyturner.com
www.fictiondreams.com
www.suzyturner.blogspot.com
Acknowledgements
I wrote this book in one week.
The story completely engulfed me and I found myself unable to stop writing. It's the first time I've been so totally engrossed in one of my own books that it took me by surprise. I adored every second of creating these characters and I sincerely hope that my readers will enjoy it too.
Huge thanks to all my wonderful beta readers who have once again shown
how invaluable you all are. I just love you girls:
Jill, Mary, Lorna & Lorna's mum, Nicola, Emma, Dawn, Jean,
Veronica, Marcia, Christine, Lucy, Kristin
To everyone else who supports me, I simply couldn't do this without you.
Readers, bloggers, friends, family. You're all totally amazing :)
Prologue
It was so out of character for me. I'd never been unfaithful before, not to any of my childhood boyfriends and certainly not to my husband. But here I was, lying in a hotel bed with a complete stranger. My heart felt like it was being pulled apart – not because of the absolute guilt that filled me, but because of the strength of feelings I had for the beautiful man I'd just slept with.
The mutual attraction had been so raw and powerful. I was drawn to him instantly, as he was to me, it was easy to tell. The sex had been like nothing I'd ever experienced before, and I knew I'd probably never experience again. I was married. It was a mistake. I knew as I tiptoed out of his bed and out of his hotel room that I'd never forgive myself. I had slept with another man. It was unforgivable.
My husband was out of the country on one of his surfing weekends with his friends, and I was in London for a book signing. After the signing I'd resigned myself to an early night, but first, a light dinner in the hotel's cozy looking restaurant.
After my chicken salad I sat alone, gazing out of the window, enjoying the solitude with a glass of chilled white Chardonnay. I'd spotted him walk in. He sat down a few tables away and ordered a steak, medium rare, and a glass of white wine. Our eyes met and I glanced away, blushing. The complete opposite to my tall, red-haired, well-built husband; he had dark hair, dark eyes and carried a little bit of excess weight, but was by no means fat. He was just a different build, more like a rugby player than a football player. He looked almost exotic somehow, yet he spoke with a clear English accent, perhaps with a slight west country twang?
I watched him whenever I could; I was so intrigued by him. I think he was doing the same to me. Whenever he looked up, I looked away, yet I could feel his gaze on me. My entire being tingled and eventually, I couldn't look away any longer. He smiled, making me want to melt into the chair. I eventually smiled shyly back, and that's when he stood up and approached me.
'Hello.'
'Hi,' I replied, tucking my hair behind my ear.
'Would you mind if I joined you?'
I should have said yes, I should have made it clear I was taken. 'Not at all.'
He smiled again. It was incredible how the simple act of smiling could change a person's face. He was undeniably handsome. My body responded immediately, the warmth spreading lower and lower, working its way down my abdomen until… Well, until I blushed.
'I'm Adam.'
I couldn't help but chuckle. He tilted his head quizzically as he sat down across from me, I dropped my eyes before answering. 'Eve.'
Adam chuckled. 'Oh, I see.' He leaned forward, holding out his large hand; his long fingers reached towards me. I breathed in and held mine out in response. I knew what would happen, because I'd felt the connection already. Electricity.
The second his skin touched mine a tingly feeling erupted from my fingertips, and we both gasped, pulling our hands away from each other abruptly.
Both of us blushed as the waiter approached.
'Would you like some more wine, sir? Madam?'
'That would be lovely, thank you.'
'Perhaps a bottle?' suggested Adam.
I smiled and nodded ever so slightly.
'Chardonnay?' asked the waiter.
'Yes that'll do fine, thank you.' I smiled.
'Are you here on business or pleasure?' Adam asked, once our glasses had been replenished.
'Business. And you?'
He nodded. 'Me too. What do you do?'
'I'm an author. I had a book signing not far from here.'
'That's very impressive,' he replied. 'What kind of books do you write? Romance? Horror?' He smiled.
'A little of this, a little of that,' I teased.
'A woman of many talents. I like that.'
I felt my cheeks darken. 'And you? What do you do?'
'Nothing nearly as exciting as writing books, I'm afraid.'
I raised my eyebrows and waited, taking a sip of wine.
'I'm into garden centres.'
'Oh?'
Adam nodded and grinned. 'I just sold one. I was here finalising all the paperwork with the vendor.'
'Well, congratulations on the sale, Adam,' I said, holding up my glass to his.
'Thank you. It's lovely to have someone so beautiful to celebrate with.'
I smiled, watching as his eyes caught sight of my wedding ring. His expression dropped a little.
'You have a family?' he asked.
'A husband, yes. No children though. And you?' I looked down at his ring finger, which was devoid of any adornment.
'Two children – eighteen and twenty-one. Divorced about ten years ago.'
'Oh, I'm sorry.'
'Don't be. We're still friends, just weren't meant to be married, that's all. We've got two fantastic kids, though.'
'That's lovely. It's rare to hear of divorced couples who are still friends. Good for you. And your children? Boys?'
Adam's face lit up. 'The eldest is a boy and the youngest a girl. They're good kids. Both off studying at university. One's in Bournemouth, the other in Bristol.'
'That's lovely. I thought I detected a slight west country twang there.'
'Really? Most people can't hear it. I actually left when I was a youngster. I've lived all over the UK. I can't quite put my finger on your accent, though. Very, erm… British.' He chuckled, taking a swig of wine.
I laughed. 'Not many people can identify it. I was actually born in Yorkshire, but we moved abroad when I was a toddler. We did quite a bit of travelling around Europe, and my parents finally decided to stay in Portugal, but by that time I'd had enough and wanted to come back and make a proper home for myself. I was seventeen. That's when I met Matt, my husband,' I said, twirling my wedding ring around my finger.
'Ah yes, your husband,' Adam said quietly, circling his finger around the rim of his wine glass, making it hum. 'You've been together a long time then?'
I nodded. 'Twenty years.'
'That's nice.'
'Yes, I suppose it is.' I didn't know what else to say.
We both just sat there in silence, finishing the bottle, all the while my heart fluttering in my chest. And the throbbing elsewhere just intensified. I knew I had to leave. I didn't want to, but I knew I had to force myself to leav
e this beautiful man behind.
'Well it's been a real pleasure talking to you, Adam,' I whispered as I slowly stood up. But the wine went straight to my head, and I stumbled ever so slightly.
He was up like a shot, steadying me. 'Are you okay?'
I couldn't answer him, because his touch had rendered me speechless.
'Eve? Perhaps you should lie down. Let me help you to your room.'
Our eyes locked, and something unsaid passed between us and I slowly nodded.
CHAPTER ONE
Slowly opening my eyes, I turned my head to see Matt snoring peacefully beside me. It was already half past eight. I sat up, pushing the cat off the bed. She jumped straight back on and proceeded to walk all over my legs before she realised I was getting up and wouldn't be stroking her. Turning her attention to Matt, she stretched her legs before pouncing on his chest.
'It wasn't me. I didn't do it,' Matt shouted, as his eyes fluttered open.
'Wasn't you? What didn't you do?' I asked, knowing full well he'd been dreaming.
'Huh?' he said, rubbing his eyes for a moment before stroking the cat for a few seconds. He then knocked her back onto the floor. She miaowed and stalked out of the bedroom in a mood.
'What were you dreaming about?' I asked.
'I wasn't dreaming.'
I raised an eyebrow. 'I think you were, you muttered something like, “I didn't do it. It wasn't me”.'
'Really?' he asked. 'I don't remember. What time is it?'
'After eight thirty.'
'What?' he jumped out of bed and scrambled about, trying to find something to wear.
'Relax. It's Saturday.'
'Already?'
Nodding as I put my yoga outfit on, I opened the curtains and peered outside. 'Looks like we're getting new neighbours.'
'Yes, I'd heard Linda had sold the place. It didn't take long. I wonder who the new owners are.'
'I can only see the movers at the moment, although maybe...'
Matt wandered over, smacking me on the bum as he leaned over me to get a good look. 'Maybe that woman there? She doesn't look like a mover,' he interrupted.
She was about my age – late thirties, with beautifully layered blonde hair almost down to her bottom – standing with one hand on her hip, wiping her forehead with the other. Every now and again, she'd say something to the gang of movers and laugh quite loudly. Her smile lit up her face. I don't know why, but I had the feeling that we were going to become friends.
'She looks nice,' I said, as I dropped the curtains. Matt held it open a little longer, watching everything that was going on in the street below. 'Cup of tea?' I asked.
'Mmmm, yes please, darling. I'm just going to hop in the shower. Don't suppose you want to hop in with me?'
'I'm going to do yoga first. Why don't you wait?'
'Can't, I'm afraid. I'm biking with Howard in half an hour.'
'Maybe this afternoon, then?' I asked as I walked past.
'Saturday afternoon nookie with my beautiful wife? It's a date.' He grinned, pretending to bump and grind. I shook my head and skipped down the stairs.
oOo
Lying on the bed wearing nothing but my favourite black lace thong and a black feather boa around my shoulders, I waited for Matt to walk into the bedroom. Remembering the music, I shimmied across the huge four poster bed and pressed play. The sounds of Madonna's Justify My Love filled the room. Just as I was shimmying back to the centre of the bed, Matt appeared with the biggest grin on his face.
'Wow,' he growled, throwing off his t-shirt and undoing the buttons of his jeans before ripping off his socks, leaving nothing but the pink and red floral boxer shorts I'd bought him for Christmas.
'You can whip those off too, while you're at it,' I growled back.
Doing as he was told, he crawled over the bed and started kissing my neck before gently nipping at my ear. His hands roamed all over me, his mouth slowly moving lower and lower. My skin began to tingle, my body starting to throb exactly where I wanted it to, and I closed my eyes, remembering back to three years ago when I'd done something I shouldn't have. I’d tried to forget, but it was impossible. Every time Matt touched me, all I could think about was Adam. It had been just one night. One amazing night – the best sex I'd ever had. I tried to put it behind me, forget about it, but when Matt touched me it was all I could think of. What I did was wrong, but at the time it had felt so right.
A deep moan escaped my lips, and I grasped and pulled at the duvet with my fingers. But before I could come, he stopped and lifted his head, moving himself above me, toying with me before he thrust deep inside me. It took a minute until we were moving in harmony, the four poster gently swaying against the wall when the sound of the doorbell rang.
'Shit,' Matt muttered.
'Just ignore it,' I said.
'No, it might be important.'
'More important than this?' I cried. 'Just leave it,' I urged, but he'd already climbed off and was throwing on his clothes.
'Babe, come back to bed. Whoever it is can wait.'
Matt turned and smiled. 'We can wait.' He winked before disappearing from the room.
I turned down the music and listened. When I heard the sounds of laughter, I threw on a pair of jeans and a vest and tiptoed to the top of the stairs. Leaning forward, I saw a mass of blonde hair disappear into the kitchen.
'...glass of wine,' I heard Matt say.
'Ooh, yes please. That sounds lovely, thanks.'
'Darling!' Matt yelled after a few seconds.
'Yeah?'
'Come and meet our new neighbours.'
'Shit,' I whispered. 'I'll be right down.'
Rushing back through our bedroom and into the en-suite, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was flushed, but it gave me a nice colour, I supposed, so I quickly applied a touch more mascara and eyeliner and ran the brush through my hair. I took a deep breath, smiled, and ran down the stairs.
We had quite a large kitchen diner, and when I walked in, there was nobody there. That's when I realised the back door was open. Matt must've been showing them around the back garden. I poured myself a glass of wine and went to put the bottle back in the fridge, but when I turned back around I bumped into someone.
'Oh shoot,' I whispered, narrowly missing throwing my wine all over him. I was so focussed on balancing my glass that I barely got a look at his face. But I knew. I knew before I saw him. I felt it, that connection.
I knew the man standing in my kitchen was Adam. Closing my eyes for a second, I took a slow, deep breath and lifted my face to his.
'Eve,' he whispered.
I shook my head. 'No,' I whispered, the air completely knocked out of me.
'Ah, I see you've met Adam,' Matt's voice boomed from the garden.
I stepped forward. 'Yes, Adam. It's lovely to m-m-meet you.' I nodded, shaking his hand. The second we touched, shivers rippled down my spine.
'Hello darlin',' said the gorgeous blonde I'd watched unload all their belongings earlier that morning. Holding out her hand, she bounded towards me. 'I'm Charlie. We did have a giggle, just now, when your Matt told us your name is Eve, considering my husband is Adam.' She laughed. 'Are you alright, my love? You look like you've seen a ghost.'
I shook my head and then nodded. 'No, no, I'm fine. Just feeling a little faint, that's all. I think I must've stood up too fast or something.'
'You sure? You look quite pale, darlin',' she said in a strong East London accent.
'No, honestly. I'm fine. Nothing that a glass of wine won't help,' I said, turning my attention to the wine in my hand. I took a sip, then a glug. Oh, what the hell; I downed the lot.
'Babe?' Matt asked, walking towards me. 'Sure you're alright?'
I smiled the biggest smile I could muster. 'Absolutely. Perfectly. Utterly fine. Don't worry. Fine, fine. I'm really, rather quite… fine.'
He looked at me as if I were off my trolley and nodded before he turned his full attention back to Charlie. 'You mentioned bikes, Charli
e. Are you a biker?'
Charlie grinned. 'Ooh yes, I love bikes. But do you mean bicycles or ones with engines? Because I do love them both.' She giggled.
'Funny you should mention that,' I answered, 'because Matt loves them both, too. He's got a few.'
'Would you like to see them?' he asked, always eager to show off his two-wheeled specimens to anyone who showed him the least bit of interest.
'I'd love to,' she squealed.
'Follow me,' Matt said, with a huge grin.
I sighed as they exited the kitchen and headed towards the garage, thinking I was alone. Which I was, all for five seconds, before Adam walked back in and sat down beside me. 'Eve? Are you okay?'
I shook my head and poured myself another glass of wine. 'This was never meant to happen. I was never meant to see you again. And now we're neighbours, Adam. Neighbours. How did this happen?' I avoided his gaze for as long as possible, but I couldn't hold it for any longer and I tipped my head towards him. My body wobbled; I mean visibly wobbled. And he noticed.
He smiled and nodded. 'I feel the same as you, Eve. Really I do.'
'Really, Adam? But you weren't married,' I said, through clenched teeth.
'I was very nearly married.'
'Oh,' was all I could say.
'It was very irresponsible, what we did, but we couldn't help it. We had such a deep, intense, connection. You can't control feelings like that.'
'And now?' I looked down.
'You're feeling it too, aren't you?'
'Of course I am. How can I not?' I looked up into those dark eyes and saw me in them. It wasn't just me that felt this way. He felt it too. I could see it.
'We can't see each other. We have to stop this before...' I whispered.
'I know. But we're neighbours. And how would we explain that to our partners? I presume you didn't tell...'
'Of course I didn't. As far as Matt's concerned, I've always been a faithful wife. It would kill him to find out that I haven't been. That I slipped up, just once.'
'Slipped up? Is that what it was?' Hurt filled his face.