She gawked at him, eyes wide, face aflame, before she nodded, her mouth forming a smile and she began her retreat.
He watched her move down the hall then he opened the door and entered.
Abby lay motionless under the covers.
The black circle of Zee lay ensconced at the back of her bent knees.
Cash moved across the dark room, placed the tray on the table between the two armchairs in the turret and turned on the standing lamp there. Soft light filled the space.
He walked to the bed and bent at Zee, his fingers sifting through the cat’s silky soft fur. Zee lifted his head with a sleepy mew.
“You get gourmet wet cat food for the rest of your life,” Cash muttered to the cat and, as if Zee understood, he let out a stronger but still sleepy mew and stretched his neck to press into Cash’s fingers which were scratching behind his ears.
With a final stroke for Zee, Cash moved away to sit in the curve of Abby’s lap afforded by her position curled around his pillow. He looked at the bedside clock and noticed it was nearly seven.
Obviously, he’d slept in.
His eyes moved back to Abby and he pulled her hair off her neck then rested his hand there.
“Darling,” he called but she didn’t move.
He gave her neck a gentle squeeze and repeated his endearment.
She shifted slightly, her eyes opened and only they moved to him. She kept her face nuzzled in the pillow.
He thought, somewhat distractedly, that she looked rather adorable.
“Please tell me you aren’t going to work,” she grumbled sleepily.
“I’m not going to work.”
She closed her eyes. “Good, come back to bed.”
He would, he knew, be delighted to do that.
Later.
However they had to talk first.
“Abby, we have to talk.”
Her eyes opened immediately but this time her head turned.
“About what?” she asked, her voice sexy and husky but there was an edge of alertness to it.
“Get up, love, this is an awake and functioning talk,” he told her.
“I don’t want an awake and functioning talk,” she returned. “I want to sleep and be awake and functioning on Thursday,” she closed her eyes again muttering, “maybe Friday.”
His voice held a gentle warning when he said, “Abby.”
She pulled in a deep breath and then let it out in a heavy sigh before she came up on an elbow, lifted a hand and pulled her hair from her face.
He noticed that he hadn’t thought to take her jewellery off last night and he felt a powerful sensation strike him at the vision of her in bed, hair dishevelled, face grumpy and sleepy, wearing the silk and diamonds he’d given her.
“All right,” she gave in, cutting into his thoughts.
Cash stood, she threw back the covers and he walked to the turret. He decided if she didn’t notice he’d not remind her that she was walking around barefoot in a nightgown, wearing tens of thousands of pounds worth of diamonds.
Instead he poured coffee in delicate china cups, adding milk to Abby’s, taking his black with a sugar.
She’d donned her cashmere dressing gown and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail when he turned and handed her the cup and saucer. She sipped at it as he sipped at his. Then he sat in one of the chairs. Abby began to move to the other one but he caught her wrist, leaned to the side, deposited his cup and saucer on the tray and carefully pulled her in his lap so as to not spill her coffee.
She held her body stiff, not a thing like the warm and pliant Abby who snuggled close to him two nights before.
Cash knew, instantly, even after her avowals of love in front of her husband, his family and even her fucking cat, that this conversation was not going to go as he’d hoped.
“What do we need to talk about?” she asked guardedly, keeping her eyes on her cup as she sipped again.
“Our future,” he replied and at his words she choked and spluttered.
When she got herself under control, her eyes moved to his.
He watched her breathe looking like this wasn’t an easy, natural task
Finally she whispered, “Yes, I agree. We need to talk about our future.”
“You start,” Cash demanded, wanting to hear what he was up against right away so he could tear it apart, explain the way it actually was, take her straight back to bed and fuck her so hard she’d still feel him inside her on Thursday.
Maybe Friday.
She didn’t argue as he expected.
She nodded, leaned forward, put her cup and saucer on the tray and sat back, folding her hands in her lap and continuing to hold her body stiffly.
Then her eyes turned to his. “I’m sorry I fell in love with you.”
Cash felt his lips part in surprise.
That, of all things, he did not expect to hear.
She had these last weeks, apologised for a number of bizarre things but this was by far and away the most bizarre.
“Sorry?” he asked.
She waved her hand in the air and repeated, “I’m sorry I fell in love with you. I wasn’t going to tell you but I didn’t want you to believe Vivianna. It was stupid, I should have let you believe what she was saying but I didn’t want you to. I don’t know why.”
“Abby –” he began but she talked over him.
“Jenny told me last night about your talk.” When he opened his mouth, she waved her hand in the air again and said, “It’s okay. I’m okay with it. I mean, I’m not, like, at all, but I have to be, don’t I?” She didn’t let him answer and went on. “I like what we have. No, I love what we have and I’d be really happy to stay this way for as long as you want. But Jenny reminded me I’m kind of weird in that I get attached, as in really attached, and she’s right.” She took a deep breath and Cash thought he had his chance to speak but she got there before him. “Even though, you know, I love you and everything, I think it’s best if we just move on. End it. Now. I don’t want it to be messy for you and I’m sure you don’t want that either. I mean, it’s better for you this way, trust me.”
Cash’s arms moved around her and he pulled her closer to his chest, deeper into his lap.
She didn’t notice this and kept right on talking. “And I’m being kind of selfish. I don’t want it to be messy either and I don’t want to get more attached, if you know what I mean.”
He tried to cut in. “Abby –”
He failed as she rattled on. “So a clean break now would be good. I mean, not good but better for all concerned. You’ve got your castle and Alistair got what he deserved and Vivianna is in hell so all’s well in The World of Cash. Which will make me feel a bit, you know, more okay with everything, knowing it’s all good for you.”
She stopped on a sharp breath that hitched in the middle and he realised she was close to tears, her body stiff and tight. Her eyes not meeting his were bright and she was, lastly but most importantly, completely full of shit with this whole act.
He wanted to laugh.
He didn’t.
He also wanted to kiss her.
Something else he didn’t do.
Instead, he said softly, “Darling, look at me.”
Her gaze came to his face but not to his eyes.
“Look at me, Abby,” he repeated.
He watched her teeth clench then her eyes lifted to his.
When their eyes caught, he asked, “Are you finished?”
She bit her lip, he felt his own lips twitch then she nodded and said, “I think so.”
“Good, I’m talking now,” he declared.
Her eyes went funny, guarded and surprised and something else, something he couldn’t read.