Watch Over Me by Ann Somerville

Author:Ann Somerville
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: malemale, gay romance, paranormal hints

Chapter 5

After an x-ray on Friday morning confirmed that Etiènne had no cheek or other fractures, we made a successful escape from Paris down to the Médoc peninsula. He was, by now, much more mobile, though still in considerable pain from so many deep bruises and cuts. He claimed the painkillers he was taking were enough, but I wished he’d had something stronger, at least for the drive. I took it easy and as smoothly as I could, and he didn’t complain. Only at the end of the trip when he faced the stairs up to the villa did he frown.

“I don’t think I can manage those, Paul.”

I would have carried him if that wouldn’t have been just as painful. All I could do was take his less damaged arm and boost him up as quickly as I could. He was white with pain by the time we reached the top, and had to take long breaths before he could continue. “Sick of this,” he muttered. “Let’s go.”

The villa was ready for us, and had been for a week. A couple of perishables had gone off, but most of it was okay. We were supposed to fend for ourselves over the summer, with a cleaner coming in twice a week and that was that. But we hadn’t reckoned on it just being me to look after things until the rest of researchers arrived in two weeks’ time. I wasn’t much of a cook, unfortunately.

“Never mind,” Etiènne assured me. “If we have to live off baguettes and cheese for two weeks, we will.”

Despite the pain, he looked much more cheerful than he had done in Paris. Perhaps it was the dispensing with the whole Margherita thing, or simply the prospect of two months away from the office. I settled him on the terrace, on a lounger facing the sea, then brought him some bread and camembert and a glass of wine. He looked as content as I’d seen him in months.

“Comfortable?” I asked, sitting near him.

“Very,” he said, smiling at me. “I could sleep here.”

“I suspect that might not be a good idea, Etiènne.”

“Oh, but Papa, I want to.”

I grinned at him. “Then we’ll have to see. Where are the whales?”

“Too far away just yet. But bring the binoculars. There’s plenty to see other than whales.”

We spent an hour or so bird watching, with Etiènne explaining to me how the birds and the sea mammals and the other sea life were all intricately bound together through the transfer of nutrients from shore to sea and back again. As the sun cooled off, I brought a blanket out for him, but he didn’t want to move. I worried he might burn, but he didn’t care. “It’s the best I’ve felt since you found me. Don’t fret.”

We didn’t talk about the abduction, or what had happened to him. I only knew what had been done to him from the evidence on his body. I let him know as politely as I could that I would listen if he wanted to talk, but so far, he hadn’t.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.