Sofia crossed her legs at the ankle and angled her body so she could see him, studying him with the same worry in her eyes that had been there ever since he’d taken a position with MI6.
“You’re all right?” she asked. “Nothing untoward happened to you, has it?”
“I’m fine, mum. You don’t need to worry.”
“I’m your mother. I’ll always worry.”
Oliver hid his smile behind his wine glass. It was nice to be cared about. Part of him wished he had someone waiting for him at home, but Oliver had broken up with his last boyfriend two years ago. Apparently, Oliver was too wedded to his job—which his boyfriend at the time had known nothing about—for their relationship to work, according to his ex.
This wasn’t the first time Oliver had broken up with someone over his job, but it was growing tiresome. Lying about what he did was par for the course. Working for MI6 required him to keep his job confidential. Even his parents didn’t know what he did, just that he worked for MI6. They’d long ago resigned themselves to never knowing the full extent of the risks he took.
“How’s Father?”
Sofia sighed. “Running himself into the ground. He’s coordinating Ascot and Trooping the Colour, not to mention several garden parties and the awards ceremonies. Getting everything organized is a headache every year.”
“He enjoys it.”
“So long as he’s home for Sunday supper he can do his duty to queen and country all he likes.”
Today wasn’t Sunday, but the Sunday meal had always been a mainstay in the house growing up. Even if his mother was traveling or his father was away on business, whoever was left behind with Oliver would sit down for a meal with him. Family time was important, a tradition his mother still required of them when they could manage it, despite the fact that Oliver was over thirty years old.
A yowl was the only warning Oliver got before his mother’s huge, fluffy Norwegian Forest cat came running into the room and launched himself onto Oliver’s lap. Oliver managed not to spill his wine only because he’d gone through this song and dance with Alpine ever since his mother had acquired the cat on a photoshoot some years ago.
Oliver got a face full of tail and immediately sneezed. Alpine didn’t care about Oliver’s discomfort and merely continued to knead at his thighs through his trousers. Alpine’s purr was a deep sound that started as the cat got comfortable on his lap, much to Oliver’s despair.
“Ow,” Oliver said, wincing as he tried to pull claws out of his thighs.
“He’s always been fond of you,” Sofia said with a laugh, the crow’s feet at the corners of her brown eyes deepening from mirth. She was aging naturally rather than subjecting her body to a host of beauty options on the market promising eternal youth that never ended up being eternal.
“I’m not fond of the sneeze attacks he gives me, nor the amount of fur I leave with.”
Oliver still petted his mother’s cat as the beast got comfortable. He wasn’t a huge fan of animals simply because he didn’t have the time to properly care for them. It wouldn’t be fair to any animal in the face of his job’s demands. Oliver got his fill of animals when he came to visit his parents, with Alpine more than willing to love up on him.
Footsteps on the stairs heralded his father’s arrival. Oliver looked up as Reginald Archer entered the room, his father’s eyes lighting up as he caught sight of Oliver.
“Ollie!” his father said. “I thought I heard your car pull up. So good of you to make it.”
Alpine growled when Oliver attempted to stand, digging his claws into Oliver’s thighs in warning. Oliver hissed and sank back down onto the sofa, glaring down at the cat in his lap. His father laughed, shaking his head as he sat in the armchair.
“I do think you’re stuck there,” Reginald said.
“When supper is ready, I’m evicting him,” Oliver said.
“Supper shouldn’t be long now,” Sofia said with a nod in the direction of the dining room. “I think I hear Anita setting up.”
Oliver poked Alpine in the side, his finger sinking into soft, silky fur. “You lucked out, mate.”
Alpine sniffed, then yawned, showing off a mouthful of sharp teeth before he started to lick a paw.
Oliver stayed where he was, content to spend time with his family and give attention to a demanding cat. Some days it was hard to leave the job behind, and while he wasn’t thinking about work around the dining table, thoughts of Liam and the unknown threats remained in the back of his mind throughout the evening, following him home.
6
Only Love Can Hurt Like This
The doorto the private suite of rooms on the VIP level of theAstraeaslid open, and Jamie saw Kyle’s eyes widen slightly at the sight before them. The metal corridors softened by paint and bright lights gave way to a vast, open living area that wouldn’t have been out of place in a luxury hotel and spa where the staff catered to a person’s every whim.
Which theAstraeawas, just in space.
