Knife Edge Read Free

them.
    She drew her feet in close on the broad seat, pulling up her knees and resting her chin on them. Her fingers traced the line of the pattern woven into the fabric of the cushion and she listened intently for a moment, but there was no sound except the distant roar of the sea. She wondered where he was, what he was doing, pictured his face.
    When she’d looked at him this morning, and he’d smiled back, had that been
her
Rob?
    Or was it the stranger?
    The sunlight was warm on her leg, but she still felt cold inside.
    It was too much to take in.
    And he’d only just begun to tell her about it. No details, no excuses, no answers to her sobbing questions. How much was he holding back, and what was still to come?
    He’d always been so confident, right from that first evening back in Taunton. She’d gone out with a few colleagues from work – somebody’s birthday probably. Not her usual group of girls, and definitely not one of her usual places – crowded together under a haze of stale beer and supermarket aftershave. A stray elbow had spilled her drink and she’d pushed her way towards the bar for another, jostled and groped by unseen hands as she fought to maintain her place in the sea of taller people surrounding her.
    And then she was trapped against a pillar, with three young guys leering down at her, all hair gel and short-sleeved shirts. She’d tried to get the barman’s attention but they shouted her down; tried to move away but they hemmed her in and blocked her escape. Faces close enough to smell the alcohol on their breath, drunken laughter hooting louder and louder, but it wasn’t funny any more.
    And then he was there beside her. Calm and strong, he pushed the nearest of her tormentors aside and spoke to her in a rich voice that was loud enough for them to hear.
    ‘Kim! How’s it going? What are you doing here?’
    At the time she was so surprised she didn’t think to ask how he knew her name. They’d certainly never met – she would have remembered him. Staring up into those glittering eyes, she’d found her panic subsiding and glanced across at the three drunks, who hesitated, suddenly less sure of themselves.
    ‘What are you drinking?’ Her rescuer was wearing a dark, tailored jacket, with a crisp blue shirt open at the collar. He smiled at her and called a barman across. ‘A vodka and tonic, and …?’
    ‘Er … rum and Coke.’ There was an overwhelming sense of relief as she’d followed his lead, allowed him to take control of the situation. His watchful eyes flickered up to see the short-sleeved trio moving away, then he turned back to her and winked.
    ‘Thanks,’ she said, aware that her heart was racing, grateful for the intervention.
    ‘It’s nothing,’ he smiled. ‘I just thought you might be getting bored of them.’
    She looked away and laughed, suddenly self-conscious.
    ‘Something like that.’ She paused, then looked up at him with a slight frown. ‘How did you know my name?’
    He smiled at her for a moment, but said nothing as he turned to pay the barman for their drinks. Then, rather than hand her glass to her, he leaned in close, inclining his head to speak softly in her ear.
    ‘Do you really want to know?’
    ‘Yes,’ she nodded.
    His hand reached up, gentle fingertips brushing her throat, beginning to trace slowly down towards her breasts. She gasped, but didn’t move, a shiver of arousal flickering in her as his mouth came close to her ear. His finger paused at the chain around her neck.
    ‘It’s written on your necklace.’
    They’d both laughed at that, but she knew there was something different about him, something about the way he looked at her that made her tingle. And he was so very sure of himself.
    ‘Let me see your phone for a second,’ he’d said, and she found herself taking it from her bag and handing it over without question.
    ‘Thanks,’ he smiled, his thumb moving quickly on the buttons. ‘I’m here with some people, so I have to