Shut Your Eyes
Mandy Lee
Copyright
Copyright © Mandy Lee 2017 – Shut Your Eyes
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of the book.
Dedicated to my mom
Contents
Copyright
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Author’s note
Shut Your Eyes
‘I’d like to tell him we’re never through with the past, that it’s with us forever, sometimes out of sight, sometimes in full view, always unchangeable. We can only ever learn from it … and manage the consequences.’
Spending time apart from the man she loves, Maya’s forced to survive in a world where nothing is what it seems. With her faith tested to the limit, a trip to New York sets off a train of events that will reunite her with Dan, but threatens to destroy everything they’ve worked so hard for.
Now, neither of them can hide from the past. If their love is to survive, they need to deal with the threats and face the truth.
Shut Your Eyes, an erotic romance, is the final book in the You Don’t Know Me Trilogy
Chapter One
I open my palm, watching as the tiny stylised sweet pea flashes in a shaft of light. I’ve been holding the necklace for an age, reciting Dan’s words over and over again: ‘Keep it safe. Look at it and think of me … because one day soon, you’ll be wearing it again.’ It’s my talisman, warding off evil and bringing good fortune. As long as it’s with me, as long as I believe in it, I’ll be fine. If I had my way, I’d never take it off, but for now I need to keep it buried, along with the truth. Wrapping it up in tissue, I tuck it away in the side pocket of my handbag and sit back, listening as the sounds of the world seep back into my head: a shout in the street, the blast of a car horn, an engine revving. I have no idea how long I’ve been sitting here. All I know is this – the whirlwind of life with Dan has slammed to a halt, dumping me back in Camden with a hastily packed suitcase.
But I can’t stay like this forever. I need to crack through the shock and drag myself back to reality. I focus on the suitcase first. It’s sitting by the door, where Beefy dropped it off. And then I move my attention to an empty wine bottle; two glasses, both used; DVDs littered across the floor; the remnants of a chocolate bar. Finally, I notice something just behind the television, a crumpled pair of knickers. I only moved out a week ago and since then the flat seems to have filled up with the chaotic left-overs of Lucy’s relationship with Clive. I pick up my mobile and check the time. It’s just after six and it’s already growing dark, probably because it’s raining again. Late July and summer seems to have given up on London. Packed its bags and moved elsewhere. It’s certainly moved out of my heart, leaving me with nothing but a grim, familiar ache.
A key scrapes in the lock, making me jump. The time for thinking has come to an end. I steel myself for the job ahead. Until Boyd’s dealt with, I’ll be living cheek by jowl with deception, and it’s not something I relish. I hate secrets.
‘What’s going on?’ Lucy demands, appearing in the doorway. She slings her handbag onto the floor and comes to a halt in the middle of the room. ‘Clive texted me. He said you wanted to meet me here. Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?’
I shake my head. ‘No.’
‘Why not?’
Oh bloody hell. How do I begin? I really should have rehearsed this. I’m just no good at ad-libbing.
‘Maya, talk to me.’
Come on, I urge my brain. Find something to say. But someone seems to have switched off the light. I’m in the dark.
Lucy’s eyes flit to the suitcase.
‘And what’s that doing here? Why aren’t you at home?’
Ah, home. Now there’s a word I can use.
‘This is my home …’
‘What are you talking about?’ She clamps her hands on her hips. ‘Your home’s in Lambeth. Millionaire’s penthouse, wooden floors, walk-in wardrobes, floor-to-ceiling windows, all that shizzle.’
Okay, so it’s bombshell time.
‘Dan’s finished with me.’
I look up to find Lucy staring at me, eyes wide. Working themselves up into action, her lips begin to quiver.
‘So,’ I continue before she can launch into a rant, ‘I’m back here … for good.’
‘But …’
I wait for something else. When nothing comes, I decide to fill the silence with a little repetition.
‘He’s finished with me, Luce.’
She scans the room, spots the discarded knickers, quickly retrieves them and stuffs them into her handbag.
‘What’s happened this time?’ she asks, rubbing her hands together.
I clasp my knees, trying to pin down the exact place to start but, like an irritating fly determined to avoid a good swatting, it’s escaped. I gaze at my hands, and say nothing.
‘Okay, I’ll get it out of you sooner or later.’ She scans the room again before stating the obvious. ‘This place is a mess.
