EIGHT

ESTELLA

Never had I been more thankful for the waft of heat that surrounded me as Mom elbowed open the front door. Giggles, abound, we tumbled into the hall, shopping bags denting our arms with their weight, breath still scented with champagne.

The shopping trip stoked my soul with some much needed mother-daughter time, solidifying my choice to come home for her party. Hanging out at my apartment or whichever hotel she stayed in when she came to visit never hit the same.

Tipping the bags onto the dining table and slipping off my coat, I headed into the kitchen and filled two glasses of water. With family dinner later, neither of us would benefit from a mid-afternoon hangover.

‘I had such a wonderful day,’ my mom said, leaning hard against the kitchen counter and chinking her water glass with mine .

‘Me too. I’ve missed this.’

‘You’re always welcome here, Estella. I love having my family under one roof.’ She hiccuped after taking a large glug, covering her mouth before bursting into another fit of tipsy laughter.

Her warmth seeped into me, filling all the empty cracks in my soul.

‘I wonder how Graham and Jack are getting on with their golf downstairs?’ I said, glancing at the corridor which led to the basement. To Jack’s midlife crisis fun-zone. He had every sporting gadget known to man down there.

‘They’ll be having a blast, I’m sure. Likely as knee deep in whisky as we are with champagne. Did you know Jack’s installed a full bar?’

He’d mentioned it ten times in the single day I’d been back.

‘Yeah,’ I said, revelling in the casual way she wrapped an arm around me, sending me right back to the hundreds of times we stood just like that in years gone by.

‘Sweetie, I’m going to have a little lay down before dinner.’ Mom let go of me after one final squeeze before wobbling her way to the staircase.

I downed the rest of my water before topping up and popping two pain-killers. The vague thumping at the read of my head told me I’d be thankful later.

‘Tipsy already?’ The deep timbre of Leo’s voice hit me like a hurtling truck.

‘I’m fine,’ I replied, taking another sip of my water and ignoring the way my skin tingled when he came into the room.

He creeped me out.

Maybe .

Letting my mind wonder to what other emotions his presence could inflict upon me was an insurmountable zone in my mind.

‘Have you been up to anything exciting? Taken a little walk around the village perhaps?’ Leo’s eyes darkened at my words, the casual jibe not hitting like it used to. The familiarity that allowed for banter between us must have eroded with the chasm of time apart.

Leo stepped closer, forcing me to back up against the counter. His frame had grown far more intimidating in our time apart. His vein-threaded arms were solid and awash with tattoos. Not just tattoos, constellations. Stars mingle with planets and moons, a whole universe-scape covering his exposed arms. Even his fingers hadn’t escaped the ink-work.

‘Do you like them?’ He asked, looking like he genuinely cared what I thought.

I softened as a glimpse of the slender boy I’d known peeked below his granite exterior. ‘They are exquisite. How did you get them done?’

A lopsided grin lifted his lips. ‘When you have money people fall over themselves to bring their business to you. There’s very little that wealth can’t provide me. Only one thing, actually.’

My pulse skipped a beat under his heavy gaze, those darkly lashed eyes sparkling with danger. Prickles swept over my skin, turning it to a goose-pimpled canvas.

‘What?’ I whispered. Already suspecting the answer from the open hunger he displayed.

Leo took another step, his legs brushing mine as I leaned back against the counter, trying to gain space. His teeth caught his lower lip for a moment before he pressed closer. ‘You.’

The air in the kitchen dropped to a chill, stealing over me and making me tremble.

‘I’ve missed the way you fill our house, Estella.’ His fingers grazed my hip in the softest of touches. ‘The way you smell. It’s all wrong here without you.’

‘Stop it.’ I found my voice, the words tumbling harshly between us.

‘Why? Are you worried you might realise you’ve missed this. Missed laying under the stars and kissing your brother?’

‘You are not my brother,’ I hissed, pushing him hard on the chest.

‘You used to enjoy it. I remember the way you ground your pussy—’ A crash rang out as my palm met his cheek, stopping him mid-sentence. Silence followed as his face reddened.

Leo moved as fast as a viper, snatching my ponytail up in his fist and gripping it tight. My squeal of pain only made his pupils dilate.

‘I’m with Graham,’ I whispered.

Leo’s jaw ticked at the mention of my boyfriend. His eyes narrowed and swept over my lips. My stomach tightened at the intensity of his stare.

No-one had ever looked at me the way Leo did.

‘Does Graham make you tremble? Does he slip between your thighs and feast upon you until you send moans up into the stars? Do you even enjoy fucking him?’

The way Leo said fucking nearly sent me to my knees. Who was this man? This muscled, tattooed, growly mouthed asshole.

‘Being that you’ve been stuck here with your fist and porn for your whole adult life, I’ll refrain from taking your opinions on my love life. Graham is good to me.’

‘Graham is fucking boring . I know you, Estella, you need excitement.’ Leo’s fingers held my ponytail tight, his face moving close enough to mine that I could taste the mint on his breath.

‘You knew the old me. I’m not that girl anymore.’

‘Do you think the little cookie-cutter life you are building for yourself is going to fulfil you? The white picket fence. The dependable husband. Two-point four boring children. Will you spend every night for the rest of your life trying to find excuses not to give your mundane boyfriend a three minute pity fuck just to keep him off of your back while you close your eyes and think of me?’

Anger simmered, bubbling up below my skin. He knew nothing about my relationship. What a cocky, self-absorbed twat.

‘Why the fuck would I think of you? You’re a fucking loser who can’t leave the house. ’

The pain that bit him was palpable, and guilt bit me right back. But I held firm. He was being as ass.

‘I bet you can’t get him to do a single exciting thing in the bedroom even if you get down on your knees and beg him.’

‘Fuck you,’ I spat.

‘Anytime, Starshine. In fact, when you get done begging him, you know where to find me.’

Leo dragged a thumb over my lower lip, focusing on a particular spot before grinning to himself.

The moment he released me, I shoved him hard before fleeing back to my room.