CORAL - Forever (A Romance Trilogy, Book 3) (29 page)

The moment I think that, he pushes her backwards, making her
stumble in her heels.

“If you were the last woman on earth I wouldn’t go anywhere
near you. You’re nothing but an empty hollow shell.”

“Just words again Tristan. And you seem so angry, so
tense...and we both know how to sort that!” Olivia smiles coyly at me.
What!
What the fuck does that mean?

Tristan sighs heavily. “Olivia, why don't you fuck off, and go
sink your teeth into some other poor, unsuspecting fool! I’m done here!”

“Well, I’m not,” she states, crossing her arms then glaring
at me.

Tristan sighs heavily, he looks so tired and fed up. He
closes his eyes in frustration and pinches the bridge of his nose. I take a
deep breath, walk over to him and wrap my arms around his waist. Tristan
reciprocates and wraps his arms around me.

“Go home Olivia!” I snap, squeezing Tristan.

“Olivia, I will slap a restraining order on you if I see you
anywhere near this house – Christ, anywhere near Brighton!” he adds. Olivia is
still smiling at him. “In-fact, you’ve just convinced me to do it anyway.
You’ll be hearing from my solicitor.” Tristan adds.

She instantly loses the grin. “I was the best thing that
ever happened to you,” she snarls, pointing her finger at him. “Or ever will
have,” she adds looking me up and down –
Cheeky bitch!
I want to slap
her down, I go to move, but Tristan grips my upper arms, keeping me close to
his body.

“Leave-now!” Tristan threatens.

With one last look at Tristan, Olivia sticks her nose up in
the air and stomps over to her sporty Mercedes. Tristan pulls me away so I
can't see her anymore. Stuart follows Olivia outside, I guess he’s making sure
she leaves, moments later he returns.

“Sir, may I suggest locking the gates tonight?”

“Yes, good idea,” Tristan says.
Oh great, just great! Another
crazy stalker woman after Tristan!

I shake my head and sigh inwardly. Then I feel it building
inside me, I try to fight against it, because I don't want it to happen.
Don't
fall apart Coral! –
But I'm too late, I’ve had enough today! – Both of our
exes, my father, Debs’ news, and the fact that I was pregnant, and Susannah
shot me...almost killed me – It’s all just too much.

The floodgates burst wide open.

“Baby!” Tristan gasps and lifts me into his arms and carries
me into the library, away from everyone, and shuts the door behind him. “Oh
Coral, I'm so sorry she turned up, so sorry,” he softly says, sitting down in
the recliner with me in his lap.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I mewl, weeping into his neck.

“That I’d called her?” I silently nod, then look up at him.
“Well, you said you didn’t mind baby, I wasn’t keeping it a secret; it just
wasn’t a big deal to me. I thought I wanted...
needed
her forgiveness for
what I did.” He says, shaking his head in disgust.

“She wants you back.” I whimper. Tristan shrugs. “Should I
be worried? Do you still have feeling for her?” I tentatively ask.

“No baby, I don't,” he firmly tells me.

“What did she mean when she said ‘you seemed angry and tense
and we both know how to sort that’?” I tentatively ask.

“She was just saying that to wind you up Coral,” he says,
but his eyes are telling a different story.

“Liar,” I whisper, pleading with him to tell me.

“Coral, I...” Tristan breaks off shaking his head.
Ok,
I’ll leave that one – for now!

“What happened on the porch, you realised something?” I ask.

“She
was
seeing him when she was supposed to be with
me.” He says, his face going pale.

“What?” I choke.

“I knew the moment I said it that she had been concealing
the truth from me. She always was a very good actress,” he adds.

“Susannah was right?” I gasp.

“I couldn’t say if Susannah had actually caught her...maybe
she knew something was going on?” He says, frowning thoughtfully. I wonder if
Susannah did know, if she had actually caught them kissing? I must remember to
ask her that, when I finally see her.

“Then I’m glad Susannah got her out of your life.” I say. “And
she cheated on you with Jeremy, her husband, who she is now divorcing?” Tristan
solemnly nods. “And you’re really not going to see her again?” I ask.

“Coral, after that little stunt she’s just pulled, she can
stick my apology – that is evidently no longer needed - where the sun don't
shine.” I have to snigger at that one.

“She’s so pretty,” I say, my tears slowing down.

“Not as pretty as you baby.” I look up at Tristan, his
dreamy chocolate eyes instantly melting me. “You blow her out of the water,” he
says, wiping my tears away with his thumbs.

“Oh Tristan, don't be silly, she’s stunning.”

“Not as stunning as you,” he reiterates. I need to get of
this subject. I think about what Debs told me, how it made me feel, which makes
me panic again, my earlier fears coming back to me.

“Tristan,” I say gripping him tighter. “I have so much to
tell you, to ask you,” I sniff.

“You do?” He says picking up a box of tissues and handing
them to me. I take them off him, blow my nose and dry my tears.

“Yes.” I finally say.

“Ask away,” he says – But now he’s here, I can't find the right
words to say, so I ask him something else.

“Did you have a nice time with Malcolm?” I ask a little high
pitched.

“That’s what you wanted to ask me?” He laughs, looking a
little puzzled.

“No,” I chuckle.

“Ok. Yes, I had a good time, Malcolm’s a great player, I
learned quite a bit. But I'm much more intrigued with what you have to ask me,”
he says, cupping my chin to look up at him.

I sigh inwardly –
There’s no time like the present Coral!

“Fine,” I mumble, I look down at my hands and start blurting
it all out at top speed. “Long story short, Scott had an affair last year. Debs
told me...she...well she told me it happened because they stopped spending
quality time together, but more importantly that he...” I cringe and close my
eyes for a second. When I re-open them I decide to be brave and look Tristan
square in the eyes.

“Debs said that Scott said that he wasn’t feeling fulfilled
by Debs...in the bedroom I mean and that he had...fantasies that he...” I stop
and shake my head. “Debs didn’t realise and I guess he did those things,
whatever they were with this other woman. Debs said he got his kicks from her,
that this other woman was making him feel good about himself, not Debs and that
it was partly her fault for not recognising that.” I take a deep breath and
continue.

“Debs said that men are more insecure than women and they
get most of their security by knowing they are, well – satisfying their woman
in the bedroom. Is that true?” I ask.

Tristan nods –
Holy Crap, we are doomed!

“What are you looking so frightened about?” He softly asks.

“I'm freaking out Tristan! What if that happens to us? What
if I can’t satisfy you and you go play out your fantasies with another woman? I
mean you hear about it all the time, and I already know of one affair going on
at Chester House, there’s bound to be more. We have to talk Tristan, I can't
lose you because of this, tell me your fantasies please, please...and I’ll play
them out with you, I’ll do whatever it takes’ – His lips reach mine, silencing
me.

When he’s finished kissing me, I am breathless, my bones
feel like jelly and I have lost my train of thought – I guess that was his
plan.

“Miss Coral Stevens soon to be Mrs Coral Freeman – Stop
worrying. I want to live a long and happy life with you, not have you die at a
young age because your heart couldn’t take any more anxiety. You have got to
learn to relax darling and not think the worst, please, for me, try to relax?”
I nod mutely. “Ok good, and I hear you baby, we will talk, but not now. Later?”

I nod once more. “Good, but you should know. You already
satisfy me in the bedroom baby, in more ways than you will ever know.”

“I do?” I squeak.

“Yes.” He answers firmly.

I frown down at our entwined fingers. “Tristan, what are you
doing with me? What are you doing with someone so insecure, when you’re so...so
confident? Don't you want to be with someone more like you?”

“I think you are confident, I think you’re brave, and you
hold your own Coral, it’s so refreshing. Those other women I dated, they never
challenged me, not like you do, but I'm guessing your confidence has taken a knock
because of Olivia. Am I right?”

I nod again, feeling stupid!

“Yes, she is confident Coral, but there’s healthy confidence
and downright cocky confidence, and Olivia was the latter. Believe me when I say
that can be a real put off,” he says.

I frown up at him. “What do you mean?”

Tristan’s eyebrows knit together. “I want to do something,”
he says, standing us both up. “Stay here and don't move,” he adds, giving me a
quick chaste kiss before he leaves. Moments later, he walks back in with his
portable speakers, his MP3 player, and locks the door behind him.

“Tristan, what are you doing?” Ignoring me, he switches on
the speaker and fires up his player. Phil Collins’ True Colours starts drifting
sweetly through the speaker. I can't help thinking how ironic, considering what
I’ve bought him – My eyes involuntarily fill with tears –
It’s such a
beautiful song
.

Tristan takes the couple of steps needed to reach me and
pulls me into him. I can feel the length of his solid, muscled body against
mine, the heat of his skin, his breath on my cheek, his potent scent – I cannot
take my eyes away from his.

The next thing I know we are slowly, dancing around the
library as Tristan softly sings the words to me – I have to fight so hard to
stop the tears from falling. I don't want to cry, even though I feel completely
overwhelmed by this beautiful, sweet gesture. How is it, that he always seems
to know what to do to make me feel better? The words to this song, and Tristan
singing them to me are exactly what I need to hear. Because the world does make
me feel crazy sometimes, and I'm pretty sure there are times when I have really
sad eyes and I know, I know Tristan will always be there for me, and that he
loves me just the way I am.

“She would never dance with me,” he says as Phil moves onto
Groovy Kind of Love, yet another classic.

“Olivia?” I whisper as we continue to slowly dance. Tristan
nods solemnly at me and carefully lifts his hand and twirls me around. “Why?
You’re a wonderful dancer?” I say frowning up at him.

“She um...well, how can I put it? She was cold Coral...an
ice-block compared to you.” I raise my eyebrows surprised by his words, his
honesty.

“She...she was cold?” I squeak, but seeing her today and
after what Edith told me, I have to agree with him.

“I never realised it,” he says, his eyes boring into mine.
“My Gran never liked her that much, said that she was just after a man with
money and status, but I was blinded by her, looking through rose coloured
spectacles. I thought that what we had was love, but she never did anything for
me, certainly nothing sweet like you have done my darling.”

“Me?” I breathe.

Tristan nods again. “The painting of the Jag, the photos of
my folks...cooking a nice meal for me...Do you realise how much that meant to
me?”

I smile up at him. “I guess I do now,” I say.
I must do
more things like that for him!

Then I frown up at him. “Are you saying she never like...you
know, cooked you a nice dinner for when you got home from work or’ – “She never
did anything like that Coral, she was spoilt and expected everything to be done
for her, but like I said, I wasn’t seeing clearly, and she was selfish. I
thought what we had was a strong, a deep connection; but it pales in
significance compared to the connection we have. I don't think you realise how
good you make me feel. I have never counted the notches on my bedpost, but I
have had more partners than you, and I’ll tell you now baby, you make me feel
like none of the others did. You make me so happy.”

Whoa!
I swallow hard and smile up at him.

Tristan continues.“When I went back to London after meeting
you for the first time, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and every time I
did, I couldn’t wipe the grin of my face – I think Edith thought my face was
going to split in two.” He smiles as if he’s remembering back then.

“Oh.” I swallow hard again, what a declaration.

His broody look appears. “Don't ever change,” he whispers, then
leans down and softly kisses me, his tongue gently lapping against mine –
I
want him, now!

“Coral?” I hear Debs shout in a croaky voice.

I sigh inwardly. “I better go to her,” I whisper against his
lips.

“Yes, let’s go see your sister,” he says releasing me and
switching of his player and the speaker.

“Don't say I told you about’ – “I won't mention a thing,” he
interrupts. “But you should already know that.”
Trust Coral, trust him!

“I'm sorry,” I whisper. “I trust you Tristan,” I add.

“You’re getting there.” He smiles warmly at me, leans down
and quickly kisses me before taking my hand and leading me out of the library.

“Debs,” I say pulling her into me. “You ok?” I ask.

“My head feels like it’s being crushed in a vice,” she says,
swaying a little.

“We’re going home Coral.” Scott pipes up.

“Are you sure? Don't you want to eat something first?” I
ask.

“I want to go home,” Debs whimpers. “I want my bed.”

“Ok.” I can't help giggling at her face, she looks so sorry
for herself. Scott pulls his keys out of his pocket and reaches his hand out to
Tristan. “Thanks all the same, maybe we can stay over some other time?”

“We’d love that,” Tristan says shaking his hand then releasing
it. “Here, let me get the door for you,” he adds as Scott and Stuart shuffle Debs
towards it, trying to keep her upright.