BooksBarbecue
Back The Cliff House Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Booklist
  3. Title Page
  4. Praise
  5. Dedication
  6. Prologue
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  62. Epilogue
  63. Acknowledgements
  64. About the Publisher

He nods and walks back along the side of the house then hovers at the corner until he sees the door open. When she sees him she lifts a finger to her lips. He gestures towards the gate. She nods and they scurry quickly to the gate and out onto the lane.

They don’t speak until they reach his bike. He glances back to make sure nobody has followed them. Then he kisses her, cups her face with both hands and presses his lips to hers. She kisses him back with urgency. Her hands go under his shirt. Nails dig into him. He hears a noise and pulls away from her. Wipes his mouth. A walker rounds the bend with a rough-coated collie dog trotting happily beside him. The dog sniffs Edie and she reaches down to pat its head.

‘Afternoon,’ says the man. ‘Beautiful day, isn’t it?’

Edie and Jago exchange grins then climb on to the bike and the engine screams to life.

‘Where shall we go?’ he asks.

‘The engine house.’

He nods and revs the throttle, releasing it to the tune of Edie’s laughter.

They park the bike in the car park at the top of the cliff, then scramble down the path to the ruined mine. Inside the engine house they fall on each other. Tear at each other’s clothes. Collapse back on the grassy platform. He unbuttons his jeans. Presses his mouth to the curve of her neck as he unclips her bra. She slips it off her shoulders and discards it, then pulls his head down to her chest. He kisses each breast in turn and she moans. His lust fires.

The sex is quick and, for him at least, angry. Emotion erupts in a torrent as his mother’s accusation rings in his ears.

‘Are you okay?’ she whispers afterwards as they lie looking up through the ruined roof.

White clouds pass overhead. The sky behind them is touched with blue and gulls call to each other as they fly in sweeping arcs.

‘Do you still want to leave?’ he asks, turning his head to look at her.

‘What do you mean?’

He raises himself on one elbow. ‘To London. On the bike. With me?’

‘You’ll come?’

He nods.

‘But your family?’

He sees his mother’s cold, hard face. The hatred in his sister’s voice. ‘I’m done with them.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’ He strokes a lock of her fringe from her forehead, plays with it between his thumb and forefinger. ‘There’s nothing here for me anymore.’

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Tamsyn

August 1986

Mum was sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. When I walked in she glanced back at me. The raw pain hovering in her reddened eyes shocked me. My stomach turned over and over again. I sat in the chair opposite her. My whole body shook with nausea.

‘I heard you fighting.’