Chapter 4

Nicole wandered down the promenade, lost in her thoughts. She had an afternoon off and she'd decided to go for a walk to try and clear her head. Idly she licked a chocolate ice cream cone and stared out pensively across the bay. It was a heavily overcast day; thick banks of ominous clouds rolled towards her, interspersed with the occasional flash of azure sky and bright sunlight.

The tide was creeping in with huge waves crashing on to the pebbly beach in flurries of white foam. It was starkly beautiful. Tourists were few and far between with only the brave daring to venture out in the biting north wind. Nicole was oblivious. She walked along slowly, her shoulders hunched up tightly in a thick wool coat she'd picked up for a few pounds at a charity shop.

Her cheeks were pink from the cold and her hair blew in wild abandon around her shoulders. Every now and again she smiled to herself as a random memory skipped into her mind. Ever since last night she had been plagued with thoughts of Rob and it was seriously distracting.

Luckily Danni had not been at work today. Nicole couldn't face her friend just yet. She wasn't quite ready to share the gory details of the unexpected fling. Besides, Nicole wasn't too sure what Danni would say when she told her that she'd had sex with Danni's brother. It was too cringe worthy to contemplate at the moment.

She stood at the railings, staring unseeing at the curtain of rain moving across the stretch of churning grey sea. The sky was darkening ominously, but she was uncaring. The chocolate ice cream slid down her throat in a cold sweet trickle of flavour. It was delicious even though her hand was freezing from holding the cone.

"You do realise that you're about to get soaked?" The voice behind her made her jump in shock. She hadn't realised anyone was nearby. Spinning round with the ice cream momentarily forgotten, she smiled shyly.

Rob was standing there dressed in his running gear and smiling cheerfully, his thick blonde hair covered with a baseball cap.

"I like the rain — it's beautiful in a fundamental kinda way," she said slightly defiantly. She knew it made her sound a little weird, but she didn't care — it was true. She had always loved rain and storms. Kate had been frightened of thunder, but Nicole had often watched the lightning streak across the sky in enraptured delight.

"Right ... so does this mean you like to frolic naked in the rain too?" Rob asked, trying to stop laughing.

"Oh very funny!" Nicole glared at him and turned away huffily.

"Shame ... I like getting naked in the rain ... I was just about to rejoice thinking I'd found a soul-mate!"

Nicole giggled despite herself. "Stop taking the piss out of me," she grumbled in helpless amusement.

"I'm not taking the piss. But I am waiting for a nibble of your ice cream. Are you gonna share?"

Reluctantly she offered him her cone and watched as he took a huge bite out of the remaining ice cream. He passed it back and grinned. "God that's cold!"

"Yep, I find ice cream usually is!" Her sarcasm wasn't lost on Rob and he stuck his tongue out in response.

Thick drops of rain began to fall from the leaden sky and Rob grabbed her hand hurriedly. "Quick!" he yelled above the roar of the wind that had suddenly picked up momentum. "We're gonna get drenched if we don't move."

He pulled her along the deserted promenade and into one of the ornate Victorian shelters situated at intervals along the walkway. It was hardly warm in there, but at least they were out of the pouring rain and sheltered from the biting wind.

Moving into the farthest corner, he sat down on the scratched wooden seat and pulled her onto his lap with a smile. "That's better," he commented. "You're nice and warm!"

Well I'm dressed for the weather — unlike you!" she chided softly, enjoying the feel of his hard body against hers, even through the thick coat she wore. Heat began to surge through her veins like warm molasses while she nibbled on the remains of the cone and her other arm snaked round his neck.

"Hmm ... well, I figured I could manage to get home before the rain came. I was wrong! Running in the pouring rain is no damn fun. However ... this is!" He winked at her and she grinned back conspiratorially. It felt like they were cocooned in their own private world.

Nicole ate the last mouthful of cone as the rain hammered down on the wrought iron roof like a clatter of pebbles. Rob pulled her closer into his arms and she sighed happily.

"About last night..." he said softly.

Nicole immediately tensed up. Was he going to say he regretted it? Or worse — was he about to tell her he was getting back with Lizzie and could they forget all about last night?

"Yes?" she said warily, arranging her features into what she hoped was a neutral look.

"Hey, stop glaring at me like I'm about to say something terrible!" he scolded. "What I was ABOUT to say was, I really enjoyed last night and I hope it won't be the last time..."

And he meant it. He had thought about nothing else since the moment they had parted last night. He was smitten and he was actually feeling slightly over whelmed by the strength of his emotional reaction. It was not like him at all. Women came and went and usually made little impact on him. Lizzie had been the exception to the rule, but mostly because she wound him up so damn much.

Nicole melted into a warm puddle as she heard the words. "Really?" she asked hesitantly, still not quite daring to believe he meant it.

"Yes — really!" he grinned. "Now would be good for me, but it is kinda cold, so I'm prepared to wait a little longer. Would tonight be okay for you?" He winked lecherously and she burst out laughing helplessly.

"I'm starting to think you're only after my body," she said with a mock frown.

"Well it is a very sexy body..." He slid his hand inside her coat and squeezed her breast. Her nipple hardened instantly and she sucked in a sharp breath. Arousal was a heart beat away and she felt the subtle ache begin to throb between her legs once again.

"Is it?" she said, looking for some reassurance.

"Oh yes — very sexy..." He pulled her head down and kissed her, his lips chilled but his tongue warm as it slipped into her mouth and tasted her flavour.

Nicole wriggled slightly, trying to get closer to him and was rewarded with a low groan. She could feel the hard ridge of his erection through the thin fabric of his tracksuit bottoms and she felt a sense of feminine power knowing she had such an incendiary effect on him.

An exploratory hand delved beneath her jumper and found the warm flesh of her breast. She moaned into his mouth, wanting more than the superficial caress. A slow burning heat warmed her skin and despite the chill of the air she could feel her body temperature rising swiftly. Her coat opened and parted, allowing Rob to gain further access to her body.

She slid her own hand inside his zipped top, feeling the taut muscles of his chest and the hard nubs of his nipples. Tweaking one she was rewarded with a hiss and he nipped her lip lightly.

"Careful," he muttered. "Don't start something you can't finish."

She laughed lightly. "Who says I can't finish it?" she grinned naughtily. "There's nobody else here..."

"Witch!" he groaned when she reached down and rubbed his cock through his trousers. He felt deliciously hard and for a moment she entertained a vision of releasing his cock and taking the swollen head in her mouth, licking and sucking gently.

He deepened their kiss and reached inside her bra, rubbing his thumb across the crest of her nipple. Nicole was rapidly losing any sense of time and place; all her concentration was centred on the feelings he was invoking. Her pussy ached and she could feel the creamy moisture soaking her knickers.

"The sounds of chattering made them hurriedly remove their hands from each other's clothing. Nicole half turned and realised that the rain had ceased and two elderly ladies were about to enter the shelter for a rest. She went to jump off Rob's knee when he stopped her.

"Give me a minute," he warned ruefully.

For a second she didn't understand what he meant, then the realisation dawned and she blushed slightly. He buttoned her coat up and when they had recovered slightly, Nicole carefully stood up.

"The two women looked at them curiously for a moment, knowing smiles on their wizened faces. Then they returned to discussing their families and paid no more attention to the couple. Nicole hurried outside, still feeling embarrassed at being caught canoodling in a shelter. It made her feel like a teenager again.

The sky was streaked with blue once more and the black clouds had been replaced with fluffy white ones, billowing across the bay. Everything sparkled in the sunlight, gleaming with tiny jewels of delicate colour.

"I need to go — I have to finish my run. Wanna do something tonight?" Rob asked, placing his hands on her waist.

"What did you have in mind?" she smirked

He chuckled. "Hmm don't tempt me! But let's start with a drink okay?"

"Okay..." Nicole could feel the giddiness threatening to burst out of her like a sherbet bomb. She wondered if it was illegal to feel this good on a wet Wednesday afternoon.

"Great! I'll pick you up at about eight o'clock and we'll see where the evening takes us. Gotta go," He kissed her hard and was gone. Nicole stood for a while, watching him running down the promenade until he was a tiny speck in the distance. The sun felt warm on her back and she felt tiny slivers of excitement curling inside her belly at the thought of seeing him later.

They found a table in a quiet pub near the sea front. It wasn't one of Rob's usual haunts as he felt it would be prudent to avoid anywhere Lizzie might be drinking. The last thing he wanted was a hysterical scene. Even though he had told her it was over, he just knew that she would go ballistic if she thought she had been dumped for another woman. He didn't want to inflict any trouble on Nicole. She had had enough of that to last a lifetime.

"So are you gonna tell me what brought you to our scenic town?" he asked cautiously as the sat in a small booth, his arm lightly round her shoulders.

Nicole went silent. She wasn't too sure about raking it all up again. In the last couple of days, much of the pain had finally been laid to rest in her head. It seemed like she would be tempting fate if she mentioned it out loud — like a horrible curse being invoked when the dreaded words were spoken.

But then she thought about it — if they were to have any kind of relationship, everything needed to be out in the open. She had to be honest with him.

"My ex cheated on me," she said quietly. "I caught him in bed with my sister — so I left." She tensed up expecting the familiar pain to shoot through her midsection, but to her surprise she found it didn't hurt quite so much any more. It was like looking at a sepia tinted photo — it felt less real somehow.

Rob winced at the confession. He could barely imagine the agony of betrayal and hurt she must have suffered.

"I'm so sorry," he said sincerely. "That's a terrible thing to happen to anyone; especially when it was your sister involved."

"Thanks..." Nicole looked up at him and smiled faintly. "I'm over it now," she said firmly. "Well ... mostly anyway."

The raucous laughter and loud music emanating from the jukebox in the corner faded into the distance. Nicole felt like the room had shrunk until there was only the two of them in it. She looked into his eyes and saw her own sadness reflected back at her. She just hoped he wouldn't hurt her too...

"Have you heard from them since?" Rob asked, his hand squeezing hers lightly.

"Nope. They won't know where to find me — I didn't exactly leave a forwarding address. It was all a mess when I left." She silently recalled the blinding rush from the house and the subsequent bus ride to nowhere. She had been too shocked and upset to consider anything that night, least of all writing a farewell note with a proposed destination.

"What about your parents? Do they know where you are?"

"Dad died when I was twelve and my mum remarried a year later. I didn't get on with her new husband and once I left home, I didn't really have much to do with them. Kate talks to them more frequently, but I'm not sure if she'd have told mum about this."

No, thought Rob grimly, she probably wouldn't have had the nerve.

"Where did you come from anyway?" he asked, realising that he knew very little about her life before she arrived here.

"I'm from Harchester. Not all that far really, but it seems a million miles away now. Sean and I had a flat above the pub his parents owned. He worked there and I was going to college..."

She stopped and stared into the middle distance. What a waste of a year that had been. All her grand plans for setting up a children's nursery had bitten the dust the evening she did a runner. She doubted she'd get another college place now. Besides, she would have to pay the course fees and there was no way on earth she could afford it.

"Which pub was it? I've had a few nights out there in my time. My mates and I used to have a band and we played all over for a year or so. 'Till Sam left and we had no lead singer!"

"The Golden Fleece in the market square."

"Oh yeah, I know it," he said. He seemed to recall being thrown out of a pub with that name in the dim and distant past. "Mock Tudor façade with traditional décor?"

"Yeah that's the one. Nicotine stained ceilings and stuffed animals hanging off the walls..."

Rob laughed. "Not exactly a 'fun pub' was it!"

"Err ... no!" she giggled.

"Sounds like many a pub our band played in..." He began to tell her all about the ill- fated rock band in which he had played bass guitar, while she listened in amusement.

Before they knew it the landlord was calling last orders. Nicole was surprised to realise it was so late; it felt like they had only just sat down with their drinks.

"Your place or mine?" asked Rob with a faint grin before he drank the remainder of his pint.

"Oh I don't do sex until the third date..." Nicole sighed regretfully.

He nearly choked on the beer. "Funny!"

"I would rather we go back to mine if that's okay. I'm kinda uncomfortable about Danni knowing just yet. My landlady will be in bed so as long as we are quiet, there shouldn't be a problem."

"Do you think you can manage to be quiet?" Rob smirked, his hand on her thigh teasingly.

Nicole felt her cheeks growing warm and she inwardly cursed him. "Shut it or I'll revoke my invitation!" she warned.

He smiled and pulled her close in the relative privacy of the booth they were sat in. "No you won't..." he said softly before kissing her.

No, she thought, I couldn't even if I tried...

The house was shrouded in darkness when they crept up the back pathway to the side door. Angela had given Nicole a key to that door and explained that it would be less intrusive if she came and went via that entrance. It led through the utility and allowed Nicole to access her attic room via a back staircase. That way she wouldn't disturb Angela if she came in late. It suited both of them as they both had some privacy.

Nicole wasn't so sure if Angela would approve of her bringing a man back. She hadn't expressly said 'no men', but nor had she said it was okay. In the absence of clear instructions, Nicole decided to take a chance. If the worst happened and Angela caught them, she would just have to plead ignorance. She could always move back in with Rob and Danni if she was evicted.

They climbed the creaky stairs quietly, trying not to giggle at the ludicrousness of creeping about like teenagers attempting to slip unnoticed into the house after curfew. The house was pitch-black and Rob banged his ankle on the skirting board when they turned a corner.

He let out a muffled yelp and Nicole froze. "Shush!" she hissed.

Rob rubbed the sore bone and limped after her slowly. His eyes gradually began to adjust to the darkness and he could just about make out the elegant décor. It looked like it was a beautiful house and he was impressed at her good fortune. It was clearly much nicer than the flat he was sharing with Danni.