Then Jack’s hands were stripping away her skirt, his fingers tracing up the inside of her thighs, closer and closer to where she needed them, and Gem couldn’t think about anything, any more.

  It wasn’t that Dan blamed Gem for needing a break. God only knew, the constantly rising temperature and lack of air conditioning in the pub would drive anyone mad. And yes, OK, so he’d been a little short with her that morning. Not that she hadn’t been just as snappy, mind you. Still, overall, he’d much rather she walk her bad mood out of her system than have her yelling at him for the rest of the day.

  It was just that he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something.

  Mopping the sweat from his forehead with a clean bar cloth, Dan leant against the bar and tried to put his finger on exactly what had seemed wrong, or unusual. It was just so hard to think in this heat …

  ‘Where do you think she’s gone?’ The voice, creaky and old, surprised Dan into standing up straight again. He glanced around the bar until he caught the amused eyes of the elderly gentleman sitting by the door. ‘Your wife,’ the man clarified, as if Dan couldn’t have guessed who he was talking about. ‘The one that just ran out of here like a teenager late for her first date.’

  And there it was. The truth of what he’d been missing hit Dan in the gut, and he grabbed hold of the edge of the bar for stability. It wasn’t that Gem had seemed eager to get out of the pub. It was that she’d seemed like she had somewhere else she’d rather be.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Dan said, the horror of it rising in him, making his muscles tremble. ‘I don’t know where she is.’

  Could it be Mark Fisher? What if he was in town? What if that was why he’d called Gem earlier in the week? What if they’d arranged to meet somewhere?

  Oh God, anyone but Mark Bloody Fisher. Please, Gem.

  But who else could it be, really? They’d been there a week. When had she had time to meet anyone else?

  ‘You all right, son?’ the man by the door asked, and Dan forced a stiff nod.

  ‘Fine. I’m just …’ The phone rang, saving him from trying to find the words for exactly what he was. ‘The Green Man Pub,’ he said, picking it up.

  ‘Daniel.’ For the first time, Mark Fisher’s voice oozing down the phone line didn’t make Dan want to hit something. Because if Mark was calling here, that meant he wasn’t out seducing Gem. Didn’t it? He could hear the familiar sounds of a busy pub at lunchtime in the background; clinking cutlery, glasses hitting wood, the quiz machine … Nowhere Gem could have reached on foot sounded like that. ‘Is your wife there?’

  Dan felt a cautious hope somewhere in his chest. ‘She’s gone out for a walk. Won’t I do?’

  ‘Not for my needs.’ How did he put so much innuendo into four words?

  ‘She’s not interested in your needs,’ Dan said, his voice sharp. ‘I’ve already told you that.’

  Even Fisher’s laugh was greasy. ‘I’ll have to hear that from her own lips, if you don’t mind. We’ve been discussing an … agreement. One that you have no part in.’

  Something tightened in his throat, and for a moment Dan thought he might choke on the words. ‘Gem would never …’ he trailed off. Wasn’t that what he’d just been contemplating?

  ‘Wouldn’t she?’ Mark chuckled, a dark, horrible sound. ‘Did she tell you about her and me in the beer cellar? Did she tell you how she –’

  Dan hung up.

  Pushing the conversation from his mind, he tried to focus. He couldn’t trust that oily bastard over his own wife. But still … OK, so Gem wasn’t with Mark Fisher. But there was definitely something going on with her. And Dan thought it was about time he found out what.

  ‘Everything OK?’ The old guy had his eyebrows raised, but he didn’t look concerned, Dan realised. More as if he were watching a film, one where he already knew the ending.

  Dan shook his head. No time to wonder at the peculiarities of his customer base. ‘I need to go and find my wife,’ he said, throwing his towel onto the bar. ‘Can you keep an eye on things here?’

  ‘Not like I have anywhere else to be,’ the man said, with a shrug of his bony shoulders. ‘And if I were you, I’d try the woods first.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Dan said, and headed for the bridge.

  Chapter Six

  The woods were another world, and Dan couldn’t think for the life of him why he hadn’t explored them before, in the last week. The haze of confusion and bitterness that had clouded his head since they arrived lifted the moment he stepped off the bridge and into the cool, leafy shade of the trees. The oppressive heat no longer clouded his ability to reason, and the relief of feeling in his right mind again was all consuming.

  And as the rustling breeze hit his overheated skin, Dan realised he wasn’t mad at Gemma for walking out. He wasn’t even mad at Mark Fisher, the oily bastard. He knew exactly what had made him angry, had known it for a long time. He was mad at himself. At his own desires and needs.

  He paused in the shade of an ancient oak tree, the rough bark scratching his back through his thin summer shirt as he leant against it. Letting out a breath, he finally allowed the thought he’d been blocking for so long enter his mind freely.

  It wasn’t the idea of Gem with another man that made him so angry.

  It was the idea of not getting to watch. Or take part.

  God, what was wrong with him that he was so desperate to see his wife with another man?

  But he couldn’t help it. Just the idea of four hands on her skin, of two mouths on her breasts, of bringing her to the heights of ecstasy and keeping her there, so she didn’t know where the next touch was coming from, or who was inside her when, so she was mindless from the sensations. The thought of watching another man fuck her hard while he watched her face … Dan could feel his own cock straining against his jeans at the very idea.

  The fantasy. Not the idea. Because fantasy was all it could ever be. He could never tell Gem what he dreamt of, what he craved. She couldn’t understand.

  Dan slumped against the tree, feeling the rise and tension in his body dissipate at the realisation.

  Ever since they first fell in love, Gem had talked about soul mates, about how finding him was like coming home. They were meant to be together, partners, the two of them against the world. She’d despise him if she knew he wanted to bring another person into their sacred, special bond. Of course she would. Hell, he despised himself.

  The calming sensation of the forest was beginning to wear off. Dan shook his head, pushed off the tree and set off down the path once more. He still had to find his wife, after all. Even if he could never tell her the truth.

  It wasn’t as if things were bad, though. Having Gem as his own was … God, it was precious. The most precious thing in the world, knowing she belonged with him. And he wouldn’t jeopardise that for anything, of course he wouldn’t.

  Up ahead, Dan could hear sounds, voices. He frowned as they became clearer. Not just voices. Moans. And not just sounds. Familiar sounds, wrenched from a throat in the throes of pleasure.

  His wife’s throat.

  For one, brief moment, Dan stopped, stock still, as his eyes widened and every drop of blood in his body flooded to his cock. He should be angry, horrified, distraught. He knew that, somewhere in the back of his brain. But here, now, all he could think was, I have to see.

  Staggering slightly, Dan moved to the tree line, looking in at the clearing beyond. There, just metres away, the familiar form of his naked wife glowed in the sunlight. Gemma. His Gem. Her back against the trunk of a huge, old tree. Her head thrown back, eyes screwed tightly shut. Her legs wrapped around the waist of a stranger, a man with a strange leaf tattoo running down his back.

  He couldn’t help himself. Dan’s hand flew to the buttons of his jeans, ripping them apart in his desperation to have his cock in his hand. Already so damn close, Dan stroked himself in time to the coupling before him, feeling his orgasm rise in him as he heard Gem spiralling closer. Any moment now, any moment …

  The hitch in her breath, in her moans, that always told him when she was about to come. The cry he always heard as she tensed around him. And the unfamiliar roar of the man in the glade, as he came, deep inside Dan’s wife … The combination sent Dan over the edge, faster, harder, more all encompassing than he’d imagined possible. Slumping back down in the shadows, Dan allowed himself one more moment of amazement, and recovery, before he cleaned himself up as best as he could, tucked himself back into his jeans, and forced his wobbly legs to carry him back towards the bridge.

  He had a lot to think about, before Gem got home.

  It was only as she crossed the bridge back to the Green Man that the magnitude of what she’d done hit Gemma.

  I cheated on my husband. I had sex with another man.

  Gem grabbed the wooden rail of the bridge with trembling fingers. All the arguments she’d marshalled in the woods fell away, and horror started to rise up within her. So what if Jack wasn’t quite of this world? He’d felt real enough moving inside her.

  And that wasn’t even the worst part.

  The worst part was that, as fantastic as it had felt, Jack thrusting into her, pounding her back against the tree, the thing that had tipped her over the edge, sending her into an orgasm so strong her vision went blurry … was imagining that Dan was out there in the woods, watching her.

  What is wrong with me?

  ‘I love my husband,’ Gem said, the affirmation coming out clear in the humid, still air.

  ‘I’m very glad to hear it.’

  Gem’s head jerked up at the sound of Dan’s voice, and she saw him, standing in the sunlight outside the pub, empty pint glasses in hand. He tipped his head to one side as he watched her.

  ‘You OK?’ he asked, and the love in his voice sent shame flooding through Gem’s body.

  She gave him a tight smile. ‘Much better, thanks. Sorry I was gone so long.’

  ‘No worries.’ Dan shrugged. ‘It picked up a bit this afternoon, but overall … it’s still been pretty quiet here today. In fact …’ he put the glasses down on a tray sat on the picnic table. ‘I reckon we might even get an early night, if we’re lucky.’

  Gem’s smile faltered, even as she said, ‘That’d be lovely.’ Fortunately, Dan had already turned to pick up another couple of glasses and didn’t notice that her expression didn’t match her words. How could she go to bed with her husband tonight, let him touch her, inside her, without telling him what she’d done?

  He’d hate her, she knew it. That jealous streak of his … he’d never understand the need she’d felt, the desperation to have Jack, to have both of them.

  She scrubbed a hand across her forehead. She had no idea how she’d got into this mess, and even less idea how she was going to get out of it again.

  In stark contrast to her guilty, preoccupied mood, Dan appeared on top of the world that evening. A group of lads came in as the evening started to cool, along with a couple more locals, and Dan served them all with joyous smiles and loud greetings. Gem watched him go about his work, his grins quick and bright, his muscles shifting under his T-shirt, and wondered how she could ever have thought of being with another man, whether Jack was purely fantasy or not.

  Then she remembered the feel of Jack’s hands, Jack’s body, holding her up against the tree as he pounded into her, and her eyes closed in confusion.

  ‘You all right over there?’ Dan asked, his voice floating across the bar to her, and Gem’s eyes fluttered open again.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she said, managing a small smile. ‘Just tired.’

  Dan frowned, pacing over to her in a few long strides. ‘You sure? If you want to head up to bed, I can manage this lot on my own. Not long until close, anyhow.’

  Gem shook her head. ‘Nah, I’ll make it. Don’t worry.’

  Leaning closer, Dan raised an eyebrow. ‘Don’t want to go to bed without me, huh?’

  ‘Never,’ Gem said. And it was the truth. If she let her imagination run wild without Dan there, who knew what strange new fantasies she might come up with.

  But Dan took it as a sign of another sort of need.

  Whispering close to her ear, he said, ‘I bet you’re wet for me right now.’

  Gem shivered, as Dan’s hand curled around the back of her thigh. They were behind the bar, hidden to well above the waist. No one could see. But still, having him touch her so intimately, so close to so many other people … if she hadn’t been wet before, she certainly was now.

  His fingers walked up the back of her leg, under her skirt, and Gem swallowed. How did they look, if one of the customers looked over? Like they were talking? Hugging? Whispering secrets?

  Could they tell that her husband’s thumb had just brushed against the edge of her knickers?

  ‘Dan, we should …’ she started, but trailed off at the wicked look in his dark eyes.

  ‘Shhh,’ he whispered back, as his finger dipped into her underwear, sweeping along the length of her. ‘God, you are wet, aren’t you.’

  Biting her lip, Gem nodded.

  ‘Bet you’d like me to make you come, right here, with all these people near, wouldn’t you?’

  She would, Gem realised. She really would. It didn’t matter that none of the customers were paying them any attention at all. The crowd of lads were playing darts in the corner, two of the locals were engrossed in a game of dominos, and the other seemed to be asleep. Nobody cared what they were doing.

  But if this was the closest Gem could get to her fantasy, having Dan while someone else watched, even if they didn’t join in … then she’d take it.

  ‘Yes,’ she said, her voice faint, and Dan’s eyes and smile widened at the same time.

  ‘Better be quiet, then.’

  She was backed into the corner of the bar, half in the shadows, but Gem tried to school her face all the same, as Dan’s fingers flicked across her clit, then curled into her. It wouldn’t take much, Gem knew. She’d been on the edge all day, all week, ever since they arrived. It was all she could think about. It didn’t matter that Jack had been inside her just hours before, making her come so damn hard. She still needed her husband.

  Dan pressed his long, clever fingers deeper into her, curving forward to hit that spot that always made her scream. He smirked as her teeth sank into her lip, her body pulsing and contracting around him. God, it felt so damn good – and it still wasn’t anywhere near enough. She leant her head against his shoulder for a moment as she recovered. She was going to go insane with wanting. That was all there was to it.

  ‘Think that’ll keep you going until bedtime?’ Dan asked, his voice low. The slight tremor in it told her that he wasn’t entirely unaffected by what they’d just done, either.

  ‘If you can last that long,’ she said, smiling up at him.

  Dan glanced out across the mostly empty pub. ‘Maybe we can close up early tonight.’

  It didn’t take too long to clear out the pub, not when Dan had that kind of motivation to get him moving. Just the thought of Gem biting down on her lip as she came, hidden only by the wood of the bar … God, it made him hard just remembering.

  It was definitely way, way past their bedtime.

  She had been unsure, he realised, slowing his movements as he locked up the front door. Because of what she’d done in the woods, he supposed. And so she should be. Under normal circumstances, he’d be furious, heartbroken. She should be feeling guilty.

  Except … he didn’t want her to. He wanted her to want to do it again. Just with him, too, next time.

  He shook his head. One step at a time. There was no way to set Gem’s mind at rest without letting on that he’d been watching. So for now, he’d have to settle for reminding her how fantastic they were together, how much he loved her. Until he could find a way to broach the subject that wouldn’t send her running for the hills. Or the woods.

  So. First things first. Maybe he’d let her work out some of that guilt. And then maybe he’d show her he didn’t care, that he loved her anyway.

  After all, actions spoke louder than words, right?

  Upstairs, he found Gem already in bed, and he could see she was naked beneath the thin white sheet. She was waiting for him, he realised. He smiled, and set to stripping off his own clothes as quickly as he could.

  He barely made it to the edge of the bed before Gem’s delicate hand shot out, running up his thigh, pulling him closer. His legs hit the mattress at the same moment her hand reached his hard cock, licking her lips as she bent her head to kiss it, then swirl her tongue around the head, wet and filthy and hungry. Just the way he liked it.

  But not tonight. ‘God, love, that’s good,’ he said, putting one hand on her shoulder, guiding her back onto the mattress. ‘But I need to be inside you.’

  The smile she gave him was wanton. ‘How do you want me?’ she asked, quirking her lips, but Dan could see the guilt hovering behind her eyes. She was trying to make it up to him, and he couldn’t even tell her there was nothing to be guilty about.

  ‘Get on your knees,’ he said, voice hoarse. She looked a little surprised, but obeyed without question for once, which he was grateful for. It wasn’t an entirely selfish request: he knew she loved the way his cock pressed forward inside her when she was on all fours. But more importantly, he wouldn’t have to look at the guilt in his wife’s eyes as he fucked her.

  We can’t go on like this, he realised, as Gem glanced back over her shoulder at him. He needed to find a way to talk to her, to admit what he’d seen, and confess all the things he wanted, needed.

  But not tonight. Tonight he just wanted to lose himself in her, to feel her all around him, to come so hard inside her, like the man in the woods had done.

  Just the memory was enough to send him lurching forward, grabbing Gem’s hips rougher than he’d intended to, pulling her back onto his cock where he stood, at the side of the bed. He sank into her in one, swift movement, and his eyes squeezed shut at the feeling of her, so hot and wet and tight around him.