Page 51 of Animal Instincts
A stiff on-shore breeze blew, sweeping Oliver’s dark hair back from his brow. His T-shirt and walking trousers wrapped themselves tight against his body, outlining his well defined but far from bulky muscles.
God, but he’s gorgeous…The storm grey eyes, the pale skin now tinged pink from the long up hill climb, the shadow of dark scruff along his firm jawline.
Bingo danced around Oliver’s feet, demanding attention, and Oliver scooped him up in his arms and sat down next to Joss, tickling Bingo behind his ears before the dog wriggled away to snuffle in the short grass.
Joss gazed up at the blue sky. The day was more summer than spring, the sun on his face for once not edged with chill. A beautiful Sunday morning, he was surprised they’d not met anybody else out walking. Surprised, and pleased; he wanted the sky and the sea and cliffs, all the wide open spaces, for him and Oliver alone.
“Oofff!”
Joss gasped, suddenly flat on his back as Oliver pinned him down. It only took a moment before his surprise was pushed aside and he started to laugh.
“What are you doing?” Although he knew perfectly well what Oliver was doing when he planted his hands either side of his head and leaned down over him, just a breath away.
Joss gulped. His heartbeat picked up, his skin prickled, his blood tingled in his veins. A soft brush of lips dragged a shuddering sigh from deep inside of him. They angled their heads, each accommodating the other. Joss’ lips softened, and parted, and he closed his eyes, moaning gently as Oliver kissed him with a tenderness that was almost reverential.
He coiled his arms around Oliver’s neck, wanting to anchor him, wanting to keep hold of this moment for as long as he could, wanting the kiss to stretch into forever. A low groan escaped him as Oliver eased away, and pressed his forehead against his.
“Thank you.” Oliver’s voice was hoarse and throaty.
“For what? Making you walk all the way up this hill?”
Oliver laughed, and he flopped onto his back and gazed up into the sky. His laughter dropped away. He looked thoughtful and when he turned to Joss, the intensity shining from his eyes sent a shiver down Joss’ backbone. Laser bright and direct, they were a spotlight Joss couldn’t escape from.
“For making my life better and brighter, for making me want to embrace it and hold it close. For making me feel like I truly belong.” Oliver’s words were quiet and serious. “I mean it, Joss. I came to Love’s Harbour for a reason, for a fresh start, and to take the step towards making that little dream I always had of a life away from the city.”
Oliver’s lips twisted in a wry smile.
“A country vet, and a simpler, less complicated life. Dreams are all well and good, until you try to put them in to practice. James accused me of keeping my foot on the brake. And he was right, in a way, because for him life is about slamming down on the accelerator and going as fast as you can. But that’s him, it’s not me. It’s not that I haven’t tried to make a new life in the village, it’s more that my attempts have stalled. If you hadn’t come into my life, who knows? Maybe in another three months I’d have gone back to London, telling myself that dreams should remain just that. Dreams.”
Oliver shrugged.
“I’d long since fallen out of love with the city, but it was the only place I knew. Sometimes, I wonder if I hadn’t been pushed whether I’d have summoned up the guts to leave in the first place.”
Joss swallowed, and he swept his tongue across his arid lips. The time had come, to ask the questions he ached to yet was afraid to ask. He swallowed again, his voice almost catching when he spoke.
“What happened in London, Oliver? Why did you leave?”
Oliver lay looking up into the sky, still and silent, intent on the gulls wheeling above them.
“I was in a relationship that went bad. But you must have already guessed that?”
Oliver’s words were low and measured, dispassionate almost. Joss bit down on his lower lip, and waited.
Oliver fell into silence. He lay completely motionless, his face stiff and unreadable as he stared up into the cloudless blue sky.
Why did I have to ask? Why did I have to make him distance himself from me?
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pried. It’s not my business.” Joss looked away, his fingers finding and pulling at the rough grass.
“Don’t be sorry. Joss, look at me.”
Joss met Oliver’s steady gaze. His face had softened, but the carefree openness that had been there just a handful of minutes before had dissolved.
“You’ve got every right to ask me, and I want to be straight and honest with you.” He sighed. “It’s a sordid little tale, and not that uncommon in many ways I suppose. But even so, I don’t want it to cast a shadow, not when my world has become brighter and sunnier than it’s been in a long time.”
Joss looked out at sea. The breeze had picked up, whipping up the waves into white foamed swells. Clouds began to gather on the distant horizon. When Oliver spoke, his voice was controlled and dispassionate, stripped back to the bone.
“The London practice, it was — still is I suppose — large and successful, the client base was the rich and famous. I had a business partner, a friend from vet school. Friend. That’s a fucking misnomer if ever there was one.”
