The Burlington Manor Affair

Why did that irritate him? I can’t be jealous of her feelings for the house, surely? Rex frowned, confused. “But alone? It’s a big house.”

Carmen looked at him with something akin to pity. “I might be self-sufficient but I do have friends.”

Rex could have kicked himself. He’d been jealous, and he hadn’t thought how his words might sound. Carmen was mostly a loner, that didn’t mean she was lonely.

“Besides, hard as I’m sure it is for someone like you to believe, I would like to raise a family.”

That shouldn’t have surprised or unsettled him, but for some reason it did. He attempted to ignore it. “Why don’t you let me drive you back to London this evening?”

Immediately she shook her head. “The taxi and train tickets are already booked.”

“Next Friday, then. I’ll pick you up. It’s crazy us traveling here separately.” In truth he wanted as much time as he could finagle with her. A couple of hours in the car at the start and close of their weekends seemed like a wasted opportunity to chat.

Again she shook her head. “I want to keep the boundaries exactly where they are, Rex.” Her tone was adamant, and her expression had changed. The shutters had come down and that independent, controlled mask of hers had slid into place.

Frustrated, Rex wondered what on earth was going on in her head. It’d been relatively easy to compromise her sexually, compared to this. She was absolutely rigid about the time they spent together. Why was that? He knew he should hold back, but it was too much of a challenge. “Surely driving up here with me is preferable to the train?”

“I need time to decompress from my week’s work, before we...before our time together.” It was a perfunctory answer.

The more she denied him, the more intrigued he was. While this wasn’t exactly part of the sexual challenge she’d originally been to him, he wanted to know her inside and out. He wanted to understand her fierce independence. Was she a loner as he suspected, or did she have a pack of friends she hung out with during the week in London? “Okay. Well, let’s get together for dinner in the city, midweek.”

“Thank you, but no.” She sighed, then lowered her voice and leaned forward. “Rex, please. It’s getting hard for me to keep my mind on my work in between these weekends.”

“Aha, a confession. Does this mean you’re thinking about me during the week?” Rex liked that idea.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I haven’t had sex in a long while, that’s all.”

He wondered if that were true. Was there someone else that she was seeing during the week? It was possible, probable even. A woman like Carmen Shelby had to have a string of admirers. Rex knew nothing of her life in London. Rattled by how much it got to him, he vowed to change that.

The food arrived.

“Thank you, Marilyn.” Carmen beamed at the waitress.

“You’re very welcome. It’s so good to see you both. Enjoy your dinners.” The waitress nodded at them meaningfully and then departed.

Carmen was right. They really did want one of them to stay on.

He looked across at her, then reached out and closed his hand over hers.

“What?” She cocked her head. “Are you attempting to give them something else to gossip about?”

“Maybe.” Maybe I just had to touch you.

“Well, it worked.” She slid her hand free and reached for her cutlery, smiling as she surreptitiously nodded her head in the direction of the bar.

Rex glanced over. Several heads had turned their way.

He shrugged. He didn’t care.

He wanted them to know.

CHAPTER TWELVE

REX WAVED CARMEN off in her taxi and watched until he couldn’t see the car anymore. Then he turned around and walked up the steps, glancing at the house as he did so. He had such mixed feelings about the place now. It was so familiar, like an old glove that bore the imprint of his hand. It had also brought him closer to Carmen, the enigma of his life. But he hated the place because it felt like an obstacle, too. What kind of an idiot was I, agreeing to weekends here at the house, and nothing more?

He glanced at his watch. He’d left his phone upstairs. Once he’d grabbed it, he could get on his way.

Mrs. Amery appeared as he crossed the hallway. She had half-moon reading glasses perched on the end of her nose. “Mr. Rex, I’m so glad I caught you. Could I have a quick word before you leave?”