She wanted this as much as he did.
At last, as Tati lay writhing in a blissful agony of frustration, Brett slipped out of his own clothes and exploded into her. To her embarrassment, Tati came almost instantly. Feeling her warm, wet muscles spasm around him and her long legs tighten around his back, Brett came too. The first time was over in seconds. But after a few, blissful, silent minutes lying in each other’s arms, he began making love to her again. And again. Tati lost count of how many times she came, or how long they spent exploring each other’s bodies.
When it was finally over, Brett murmured, ‘I love you. I want to be with you. To have children with you.’
‘I love you too,’ sighed Tati, drifting on a sated sea of bliss. ‘But you’re a terrible father.’
Her last thought before she fell asleep was of Furlings. How quickly she could sell enough shares to raise twenty million pounds?
‘Rise and shine.’
Tati rubbed her eyes blearily. Brett, already showered and dressed and smelling of patchouli and toothpaste, drew back the curtains, flooding the room with bright winter light.
‘Close them,’ Tati commanded grumpily.
Brett climbed onto the bed and kissed her. ‘No.’
Reluctantly Tati sat up and pushed the tangled hair out of her eyes. Brett looked so ridiculously handsome, and so happy, she couldn’t help but smile.
‘What time is it?’
‘Half past eleven.’
‘Fuck!’ Tati threw back the covers. ‘I have to get home.’
‘You are home,’ said Brett, grabbing her round the waist and pulling her into his lap, cupping her naked breasts in his hands.
Tati laughed. ‘One step at a time. The first thing I need to do is make an appointment with my banker.’
Brett looked puzzled. ‘What for?’
‘What do you think?’ said Tati. ‘To figure out how I’m going to raise the extortionate amount of money you want for Furlings. Unless, of course, I can persuade you to lower your price?’
Turning around she straddled him coquettishly, coiling her long, lithe legs around his waist.
‘Ah. About that.’ Brett extricated himself from her embrace with infinite reluctance. ‘I can’t sell to you, Tatiana.’
‘Ha ha,’ said Tati. Wrapping the sheet around her, she padded towards the bathroom. ‘Don’t even joke.’
‘I’m not joking,’ said Brett. ‘I can’t sell to you even if I wanted to. The house is Angela’s now. It was part of the divorce settlement.’
Tati turned around to look at him. She could see at once from his face that he was quite serious.
‘But … last night,’ she stammered. ‘You said …’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Brett. ‘I was afraid you’d leave if I didn’t promise you something.’
‘I would have left!’ said Tati furiously.
‘Yes, and then where would we be?’ Brett walked over to her. ‘I love you and I know you love me. I couldn’t stand any more game-playing.’
‘So you lied to me?’ Tati shot back. ‘You think that’s how you stop playing games?’
She stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Brett ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he heard the lock click shut.
‘Don’t be childish,’ he said through the door. ‘Come out and let’s talk about it, like adults.’
‘Fuck off,’ said Tati.
‘For God’s sake, woman. It’s “only a house,”’ said Brett.
The door swung open. ‘Only a house? Did you just say it’s “only a house?”’
Tati stood there glaring at him, naked and furious. It was a look he remembered well from Greystones Farm, that awful house Tati had rented when he’d first arrived in England. The image of Tati that had haunted his dreams from that day to this. Instantly he felt himself getting hard.
Taking her hand he pulled her to him.
‘You’re a liar!’ Tati screamed, wriggling. ‘Let me go!’
‘Not on your life,’ said Brett. ‘Not this time. I mean it, Tatiana. I am never letting you go again.’
Then he kissed her, and Tati realized what she’d known deep down all along.
She didn’t want him to let her go.
Not now.
Not ever.