Disclaimer: Show and characters do not belong to me
The worst thing about reading faces is the knowledge that your loved ones lie to you. Emily, Gillian and even Zoe; there is no warm, unrealistic world where you can believe and trust everyone around you. There's only cold harsh reality and the certainty that the person you rely on most will betray you.
Gillian had lied to him multiple times before, he knew, but this was something too big to laugh away. She had become his best friend over the years; he thought he'd known her. He was wrong. Ten years. That's how long she'd being keeping the secret. She was probably one of the only people who would have been able to keep him out of her head for so long. He'd agonised over the situation even after he'd told her he could forgive her. A part of him had still wondered if he would be able to trust her with any of his problems again.
He was driving home from a late night in the office when, on impulse, he turned off from the route home and headed toward another he knew just as well. He needed some time alone with her without the possibility of interruptions to examine his feelings. If he found that working with her would be impossible than he'd have no choice but to dissolve the Lightman Group. He was in no delusion that she was the one that made the company work; left in his hands they'd be bankrupt within the week.
He pulled up outside her house and sat in the car looking at soft, yellow light coming from her kitchen window through the curtains. He watched as a shadow moved into view behind the curtains. He recognised Gillian's silhouette piling dishes into the sink but he did not recognise the second shadow that moved in beside her. It was the unmistakable outline of a man and when they turned to each other he could read the body language loud and clear. The man was leaning down for a kiss but Gillian deftly sidestepped the approach and she moved out of sight. Cal leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of her but he only saw the man head in the direction Gillian had disappeared. Cal jumped out of the vehicle and strolled up to her door. He knocked firmly. She opened the door whilst smiling until she saw who it was.
'Cal?' She said with surprise.
'Hello luv, mind if I come in?' He didn't give her a chance to answer. He pushed passed her and swaggered into the living room. He was aware of her rushing after him but he ignored her and introduced himself to the tall, slightly sleazy looking man on the couch. 'Cal Lightman, friend of Gillian's.' He stuck his hand out and cocked his head to the side to study the man as he stood and shook the proffered hand. His mind ran through the examination; defensive posture, tightening around the eyes, nostrils slightly flared, and a thorough sizing up. What could be extrapolated from the information was that the man viewed Gillian more as a conquest than a beautiful woman who could make someone very happy; he did not like another man coming in and lessening his chances of a one night stand.
Cal's eyes narrowed as he read the man as easily as a child's book.
'Greg, also a friend of Gillian's' The man replied with a smirk.
'Well you're wrong there Greg. Your only interest in Gillian is sex, if she slept with you tonight I'd doubt she'd ever hear from you again so I suggest you leave now and save us all the trouble of having to hunt you down and arrest you for any slight deviation from the law that you've ever made in your life and I'm judging from the fear on your face that it won't be too hard to find any discrepancies.' Cal smiled cheerfully at the man then walked to the door and opened it. Greg looked at Gillian but only saw a blank expression. He grabbed up his jacket and stalked out the door glaring at Cal on the way out. Cal shut the door with a satisfying thud then turned and faced Gillian with a smug smile, 'No need to thank me Gill, I got your back.' His smile slowly faded at her expression.
'Cal I do not need you to come bursting into my personal life and handling situations that I myself am perfectly capable of handling.' she spoke with deceptive calm but he saw the hardness around her mouth and the tensing of her jaw. 'Did you really think I didn't see the signs, of course I wouldn't have slept with him I was on the verge of throwing him out myself when you came storming in.' she brushed passed him into the kitchen and began putting food away. He followed her and leaned against the table to watch her. He knew she hated him prying into her life sometimes but he couldn't help it. She was like the subject he couldn't find out enough of.
In that moment he found the answer to the reason he'd driven over here in the first place. He would have to learn to trust her again no matter what because he couldn't stay away from her. If he didn't see her how would he protect her? How would he know if she was happy? How would he see the look on her face whenever she found out he'd done something stupidly reckless again? He felt the weight lift from his shoulders and ignored the feeling that he was been completely selfish. He pulled a clean bowl from her cupboard and filled it with the warm pudding she hadn't put away yet. He looked up to see her looking at him and spoke around a full mouth, 'It's good.' Her face softened and he knew he'd been forgiven.
'I am sorry for what I did Cal.' so she knew the real reason for him coming over tonight.
'It's alright luv, I've thought it over and I've realised that no matter how much you lie to me I can't live without you.' He knew it sounded bad but it was true. He had spoken lightly but she still stared at him. The silence that descended became charged with anticipation; a full minute passed before Cal abruptly came to his feet and pulled her to him. His lips crashed to hers as her arms locked around his neck. He stepped forward until she was pressed up against the kitchen bench; she moaned as the pressure increased between them. He marvelled at how short she was without her heels. Usually she was nearly the same height as him; he liked her better this way, she fit perfectly against his own body. Without breaking contact he unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it off her shoulders. He ran his hands up her bare sides and felt the goosebumps come up on her smooth skin. His fingers flitted over her bra but he didn't undo it. He pulled back and studied her face. The sight of her dilated pupils and lidded eyes made his blood run hot. She pulled him back to her but he forewent her lips to kiss up her neck and behind her ear. Her hands were clutching at his shirt as she gasped in his ear and buried her face in his shoulder. He spun them around and began walking her backwards towards the bedroom. They both laughed as they ran into the table but they eventually made it. They fell on to the bed and Gillian pulled at his shirt. He allowed her to pull it off before making his way down her body kissing every inch of her skin along the way. He reached the buttons on her jeans and slowly undid them; he pulled them down her legs just as slowly until they were deposited on the floor. His hands trailed up her legs making the return journey up her body. She gasped slightly at every sensitive spot his fingers found and he lingered in those areas until her eyes were closed and her breathing short. She pulled him back to her lips and kissed him hungrily, her nails digging into his back. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she pressed herself against him. His responding reaction left her moaning and he knew he couldn't wait any longer. He undid his own buttons and kicked his jeans off. Gillian laughed at him as he tried to rush and became tangled in them. He silenced her with a kiss.
It was late at night and they were both lying exhausted in a mess of sheets. Cal was smiling at Gillian in a purely playful way.
'What?' she finally asked.
'You have sex hair.' He laughed. She tried to flatten it but he reached over and stopped her, 'No I like it, you should wear it like this all the time.'
'That is definitely not going to happen.' She stated. His smirk was evilly mischievous.
'With me you're going to have no choice luv.'
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