Trying Not to Love You - Part Forty Two

A/N Sorry for the delay, it's getting more technical now, so it's taking me a while to compose! Hope you enjoy and PLEASE comment, let me know what you think.

Chapter Forty Two

As Martha clucked around, welcoming the two men into the house, Sonny was concerned that Johnny was about to lose it. Neither of them expected the results of the night, but other than being witness to Oldbury going off with Marcus, they’d done nothing wrong, well nothing illegal. They’d tempted him there, virtually handed him over to the boss, but that was done innocently. It didn’t mean that either of them were coping with it particularly well.

                “You can have the room above the tack room if that’s ok, Johnny?” Martha appeared from the utility room with a bowl of curry that she’d cooked earlier. “And you can both have some of this?”

Neither had much appetite, but they needed to keep up the appearance that things were normal. Martha sat opposite Johnny and regarded him as he tucked into the meal she’d provided.

                “So you’re Carter’s friend?”

Johnny looked up at her for a moment and nodded.

                “And you know him how?”

It was Sonny’s turn to look up, and he gave a smile, “nosey much?”

She blushed and that was so endearing to him that he wanted to get up and push the table that separated them out of the way. His adrenaline, his fear and his lust were all bubbling over. Instead taking a deep breath, he gave a smile as she stammered, “just want to know who I’m inviting into the house. My house.”

Both men had the decency to look coy, and it was Sonny that spoke first, “we were cellmates, first few months of my time inside, then bumped into each other a few months back.”

Her eyes widened, “wow. So as deep as a friendship gets.”

Johnny laughed, “well, you tend to either love or hate the people you bunk down with, and there aren’t many who know what it’s like.”

Refilling her wineglass, Martha nodded, “I can imagine that.”

The three sat in quiet for a little while, until Martha gave a huge yawn, “need an early night, I’ve got to be at the wholesaler’s by half eight in the morning.”

                “I’ll show Johnny to my old room, there’s still a duvet and stuff up there.”

Martha blushed at that remembering the night they’d spent there, and the fact that in her post coital rage she’d stripped and changed the bedding. With a nod she disappeared.

                “What are we going to do?” Johnny hissed once they heard her bedroom door close.

Sonny leaned back in his chair, “what can we do? We’ve done nothing wrong, honestly.” He took a slug of whisky grimacing at the bitterness of it. “For all we know those four went for a quiet walk in the woods. We’ve done nothing.”

Johnny jumped up, “we lured Oldbury into the hands of a man who murdered him. We’re witness to that, that man, the one who did it, he knows we know.”

Sonny had thought of that somewhere before they’d started to eat, but he was sure that Marcus was absolving them both, he’d wanted Oldbury on the back foot, served to him in a contrived situation. Marcus WAS a man of his word, he was sure of that. They just had to both keep quiet.

                “They don’t even know who you are Johnny, I swear, it’s me, only me. And this...” he reached for his coat and pulled the two envelopes out of the inside pocket. “This is the signature on the dotted line from him, I swear.” Opening the bigger of the two envelopes he pulled out what amounted to several thousand pounds, giving the majority to Johnny, sliding it across the table, he sighed, “take this, don’t tell anyone how you got it, then piss off on a holiday, go abroad, go to Scotland, just go somewhere and chill out.”

Johnny pondered that for a moment, “think I need it.”

Sonny nodded, he really did. They finished the bottle of brandy and Johnny was far more relaxed. So he showed him to the bedroom that until a couple of months ago had been his, then bade him goodnight.

Back in the kitchen he stared at the envelope, the smaller one from Marcus. This was apparently the answer to everything. But Sonny wasn’t convinced. There was nothing he wanted to know, not anymore. He had Martha, and now that Oldbury was  gone, he gulped at that, guilt was always going to accompany his name, but without him around, Martha was finally free. He hoped that her freedom included him, because he truly felt that with her he could take on anyone or anything. Opening the envelope could change all that, and he wasn’t ready for it. He thought of Martha sleeping upstairs, and more than anything he wanted to be with her.

Turning off the lights he took the stairs two at a time and hid the envelope under his mattress, as much as he wasn’t ready to look at it, he also wasn’t ready for anyone else to find it.

Pushing open the door he paused in the doorway, a shaft of light illuminated Martha and she took his breath away. In sleep she was free from the worry lines that often bothered her when she was awake, and the peacefulness made her even more beautiful. Her lip was snagged between her teeth; her hair tumbled seductively across the pillow and her long dark eyelashes fluttering across her cheek. The duvet didn’t cover her completely, and as he studied her, the glimpse of flesh on display above the pyjama vest, the pale slope of her breast caused a bolt of heat to flood through him. She was stunning, sensual and sexy all thrown into one and the fact that she didn’t really realise it was even more attractive.

Stepping towards her he pulled off his t-shirt. He’d burn it tomorrow, lose the unpleasant memories, but for now he wanted to lose himself in her. Lowering himself to the bed he reached to untie his shoes, and it was then she opened her eyes and gave him a lazy sleepy smile.

                “You ok?” When he nodded, she reached out a hand, running it over his chest, loving the smoothness of his skin. “Johnny settled?”

He nodded again, bringing his body over her, supporting his hands either side of her head. “I can speak highly of the bed he’s sleeping in.”

Martha stretched luxuriously and then smiled provocatively, “me too.”

With a groan he lowered himself over her, his lips finding hers with a hunger only enhanced by the evening’s trauma, not that he needed an excuse to want her like this. Within seconds he was under the duvet, divesting her of her clothes, and sighing at the desire, pleasure and satisfaction on her face as he teased her into a state of immense pleasure. She responded so perfectly to him that he wanted to bring her to pleasure time and again just to watch her reaction. A first for him.

                “I’m going to sort breakfast out,” Martha whispered into Sonny’s ear as he slumped over her. They were so obviously unable to resist each other. She’d slipped out to the shower an hour ago, but as she’d returned to the room to get dressed he’d dragged her back into bed and swamped her with his desire.  Now she was behind schedule and there was no sign of Sonny letting her go, he was in fact hardening against her all over again.

Lifting her head from her shoulder with both hands she looked into his sleepy yet aroused expression, “you don’t need any recovery time, do you?”

He smiled lazily, “not with you.”

He was unbelievable; she thought as she finally managed to escape half an hour later, she started breakfast for everyone still zinging as her body recovered from him. She’d never felt so alive, so desired. And it was an amazing feeling. Lucy was first up and she laughed when she discovered her niece singing along to the radio.

                “You’re seeming a bit happy today!”

Martha froze; she wasn’t ready to share the news about her and SOnny, not yet.  “I’ve got you and Dad, and I’m going to see Ethan tomorrow, what is there to be sad about?”

                “What indeed!” Lucy exclaimed, taking the mug of tea that Martha offered, and her long knowing look slightly unnerved Martha. What was her Aunt thinking?

Sonny was due to cover the restaurant that evening, Friday evening and there was another party booked. Since Martha had suggested them they had really taken off. Tonight there was another local business booking the entire restaurant for the evening. It was an easy night for them all, but they did need extra presence towards the end of the night, and his forte was being some sort of security.

Until then he had to get Johnny calm and back home, then keep his own head down. He had no idea what had really happened the previous night. Neither the build up nor what truly happened after they left. But today he had to deal with the envelope; he wasn’t in a rush to contact Marcus. He never wanted to speak to him again, but otherwise all he could do was wait, wait to see if Oldbury came walking back into his life.

                “You’re looking a bit sheepish.” Lucy commented from the kitchen table.

Sonny looked up and sighed, “me? Nah. Where’s Martha?”

                “Cash and carry, took the Land Rover.”

He made straight for the coffee pot and filled a mug, “Carl go with her?”

She shook her head, “he’s up in the top field with Eamonn ‘helping’ him fix the fences. I understand my niece did a few repairs.”

Sonny laughed, “she did patch a couple of holes with chicken wire. She wasn’t keen on me helping her.”

Lucy nodded at that, rather too astutely for his liking.

                “What? What are you hinting at?”

Lucy laughed then shook her head, “me? Nothing.”

                “You know how stubborn she is, if she doesn’t want help then there’s nothing I can do about it, nothing anyone can do.”

Again the older woman nodded, and exasperated he stormed out into the utility room cutting through to the feed room and the stairs to Johnny.

Later that afternoon he sat in the Oak, a vodka in front of him Sonny couldn’t help but stare at the envelope he’d received the previous night. He was no good in suspense, and just looking at him was driving him insane. He had spent most of the night awake wondering what the hell could possibly be inside. He’d been more than grateful for Martha all lissom and desirable beside him, because if he hadn’t had her body to lose himself in, then he’d be in a dreadful state, a bit like Johnny.

Fortunately he’d convinced the other man to get away. Id Oldbury was found then Johnny’s name may crop up. He was in no fit state to talk to the police, coupled with the fact he had a wad of cash in his possession all meant distance was the key. He was on his way to the airport as Sonny sat there alone, going to visit his sister in Spain. One thing less to worry about.

That just left the envelope.

                “Well if it isn’t Sonny Carter. Aren’t you the stranger?”

Sonny looked up and hid a groan, crossing the bar towards him was Jade. She was looking tanned, and exuded her usual sense of confidence.

                “Busy, work...”

Jade pulled up a stool next to where he stood and perched her bottom on to it, “YOU? I thought you were above all that.”

He took a swig of the vodka and sighed, “we’ve all got to graft.”

                “Not me!” She snickered.

Sonny snarled, “we’re not all able to scrounge off mummy and daddy Jade.”

As he turned away from her, she reached out to touch his arm, “Sonny...”

He shook his head, “not now jade.”

With a pout that he presumed would make others weak at the knees, but it was having no effect on him. Again he turned to face the bar, away from her.

When she didn’t leave the bar completely, just flitted in his peripheral vision, he downed the rest of his drink, grabbed the envelope and stormed out.

Sat on a bench in the park, he slid open the seal on the envelope and pulled out the three papers inside. Whatever he’d expected to be inside, it wasn’t this. Groaning he studied the two photographs, his mother and a man, a man he recognised, a man that the letter inside confirmed was his father.