by Lizzie James
His hands reached up and pulled me to him, positioning me over him. "This isn't going to be soft and gentle." It sounded like a warning, but a part of me felt like he said it to check one last time if I still wanted him roughly.
I nodded before lowering my hips, allowing him to guide himself inside me. I gasped at the feeling of him, still not used to how he fit inside me. I tried not to think it but whenever Adam and I were together, it was like we were made for each other.
Before I could become accustomed to him inside of me, he raised me up by my hips before slamming himself back inside of me.
I moaned loudly, unable to remain quiet.
He reached up and placed his hand over my mouth. "If you want to remain working here, you are going to have to be quiet." He chuckled before pulling his hand away.
He thrust up against me again before tangling his hand in the back of my hair and pulling my lips down to his. He moaned against them. He loved this as much as I did.
His noises made me realise that I had power over him. I had the ability to soothe him and break him in all the exact ways that he could do to me.
He thrust up hard against me, causing shocks to erupt all over me.
"Do that again," I whispered.
He smirked, digging his grip on my hip and slid in further before slamming himself up against me. He didn't even need to ask if he was hitting the right spot. He could feel it in the way that I tightened around him.
"I'm going to..." I arched my back, feeling the pleasure travel up my spine. It was like all of my nerve endings were on fire and all that I could feel was him.
He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my body down over his before sliding back inside of me in short, hard thrusts. Seconds later, I could feel him slam inside one more time before his whole body began to deflate. As I stared down at him, seeing the way his eyes remained glued on mine, I knew that we would never be the same when he returned home.
I had given myself to him in all of the ways that I had promised to never give myself to another and I knew that there was no going back. If he had to go home, I would make it as easy as possible for us both. Even if I had to give up my world here to become a part of his.
"That was different," I whispered. I giggled down at him.
He chuckled before slowly sliding me off him and standing me up. He reached down to take the condom off before tying it in a knot.
I frowned, concerned when I saw his shoulders tense as he fisted the used condom in his hand.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, sliding my hand through the front of his hair.
He turned his gaze up to mine before smiling. He leaned forward and slid my top up a little. He pressed a small kiss to my forehead before resting his forehead against my stomach.
"Everything is good."
I fell asleep that night snuggled up in Adam's arms. It was perfect. Or as perfect as it could be.
I had decided that my time with Adam had become blissful and it was a feeling that I didn't want to end. He had to return to his life—that was a given—but that didn't mean that I had to remain here.
I was so close to falling in love with Adam and that scared me to death. It killed me that I secretly wanted that more than anything and I knew that if we gave each other the chance, we could be more than a holiday or business arrangement.
We could be so much more. We could be everything.
And that was a terrifying thought.
As I awoke in the glow of the Australian sun shining through my window, I realised that was not the case.
Adam Walker could not be my everything.
He was a Walker and to a Walker... family came first. The business would always come first.
Adam
Lying in bed holding her was about as perfect as it was ever going to get.
My phone kept lighting up with calls from London: Nathan, Sophia, Tom, Father... They never stopped. As I lay there holding my princess, I knew that they would never end.
I slowly removed myself from the bed, being careful not to disturb her.
Taking my phone with me, I sighed when I saw the number of phone calls received. Considering the old man hadn’t trusted me to close a deal on my own, he sure as hell missed me when I wasn't fucking there to clean his mess up after him.
Standing in her lounge, I dialled the mansion. Being nine hours ahead was a good thing sometimes. It didn't ring too long before his voice came on the line.
"I was beginning to think that you may have lost your phone."
I rolled my eyes at his tone. "I was sleeping. I'm a few hours ahead of you."
"Right." He coughed to clear his throat. "I wanted to speak to you about our investment in Paris."
Fucking hell. I should make it home one day.
"I'm tired of travelling to check on the investments, Father."
"Excuse me?" he snapped.
I sighed, feeling well and truly told off. "Nothing, Father."
"This business is still mine, boy." He was pissed. "You haven't earned it yet. I'll turn this business over when I think you're ready for it and not a moment before. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, Father." The distance and time away from London had obviously gone to my head for me talk to him like that.
"Besides, last time I checked," he continued, "I have two sons."
Don't I fucking know it.
"Apologies, Father. What do you need?"
"I need you to come home. We need to have a discussion regarding our Paris investment. A meeting is needed and I need you to go to sort it out. I'll arrange for you to pick a ticket up from the airport. There's nothing keeping you in Australia now that the deal is closed so I'd like you to leave straight away."
Straight away?
I turned to face the doorway to the bedroom when I froze. Kate was stood there in her shorts and T-shirt pyjamas, looking as sinfully delicious as ever.
"Of course," I replied. There was not much more that I could say. My life was calling me home and I supposed it was time that I answered. "See you shortly."
I hung up, placing my phone down on the table. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
She shook her head before walking to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist and cuddled her head into my chest.
I smoothed my hand down over her hair. It was always so soft and I was going to miss our moments like this. Just holding her like this brought me so much comfort.
"Do you have to go?" she asked. She whispered it, almost like she was afraid of my answer.
I sighed down at her. "I'm afraid so, my blue eyes."
"We knew this day would come, didn't we?" Her eyes glistened before tears slowly leaked out of the corners of her eyes. "Then why does it hurt so much?"
I fucking hated seeing her cry. "Don't do that to me." I cupped her face in my hands before pressing my lips to hers. "I can't stand being the reason for you to cry."
"Then don't go." She sobbed, more tears leaking from her eyes. "Stay here with me."
I leaned back and looked down at her. "I wish I could, princess but we both know I need to go back. I can't... God damn it. I can't be for you what I know you deserve."
She cried harder at my words.
"I want you to have everything." The force of my words combined with my grasp on her shook her. "I want the man you spend your life with to be worthy of you. I want you to wake up every day and know that to him, his world ends and begins with you." I hated that this was how we would be parting. "And I just can't be that for you!"
I pulled her to me, squeezing her tightly against me, knowing that this was how we would say goodbye. Sometimes words weren't needed. Not when she already had my heart.
Standing on her doorstep, I resigned myself to a quick goodbye, but after twenty minutes of holding her in my arms, neither of us seemed to be able to let go.
I leaned down to inhale her scent, hating that I would have to live my life without it. I had only ever allowed myself to become emotionally attached to one other
woman but what I felt for Kate was more than that. What I had with Kate was real and pure. It was something I would never have with another.
"You had better get going." She stepped away from me but continued to hold my hand. "Thank you for an amazing..." She shook her head chuckling before raising our entwined hands slightly. "For everything, I guess."
"Thank you for everything." I tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to me. "Now give me a kiss. One last kiss..."
She threw her arms around my shoulders before reaching up on her toes and slamming her lips against mine. She parted her lips, allowing me to taste her one last time before I pulled away, unable to stand it any longer.
I pressed my lips gently to her forehead before wiping away a tear off her cheek. "You take care of yourself, beautiful."
I turned away, unable to prolong it any longer. Me still being here was just extending the level of pain that she would feel and I couldn't stand it. I would happily take the pain for this but not her. She was too good to feel this.
Too good for me.
I heard her cries follow me down the street and I fucking hated it. I knew I would hurt her but I never thought it would be this paralysing.
She would go on; she had to go on, but I would never love another person the way that I would love my blue eyes.
Kate
Six weeks later
Sitting in a locked bathroom with my hands over my eyes wasn't exactly my idea of a fun day, but I just couldn't bring myself to look. I knew that when I did look, everything would change and I wasn't ready for it. My life changed several weeks ago when he walked into my world.
Walked into it and took my heart with him when he left it.
"Well. Have you looked yet?" Gill yelled through my door. "Am I going to be an auntie?"
Gill Baker was my best friend. We used to work together until she moved to America. She came over to visit me regularly which I was happy about. She had a little boy called Johnny and he was the cutest baby I had ever seen.
"Uh... I..."
Fuck, I can’t handle this.
"I don't know," I muttered.
The doorknob slowly turned and seconds later she was standing in front of me. "Do you want me to look?"
I nodded quickly, unable to take it anymore. "What am I going to do?"
"Let's look at the test first, sweetness." She turned around and picked up the test.
I knew the second she saw the result as her shoulders tensed. I started sobbing before she even turned around. "I can't do this." I shot past her, sitting on the bottom of my bed.
"Let's overreact, shall we?" She took a seat next to me and pulled me into her shoulder before soothingly rubbing her hand up and down my back. "You're panicking."
I hiccuped, not having any words. She didn't realise that I was alone here. Alone and completely screwed.
"I thought a baby was what you wanted," she whispered.
"One day. Not now. One day when I hopefully have a man to build a family with. Not when I'm alone."
"You need to tell him," she whispered, rocking me against her. "You need to take that cute ass to London or wherever the hell he is and tell him that he left something behind."
I giggled at her words, appreciating the way that she was trying to make light of the situation.
"And what if he doesn't want it?" I turned my gaze up to her, needing her support and guidance now more than ever.
"Then that is his loss but its a choice that you have to give him." She cocked an eyebrow at me and I knew that she was right.
I nodded and slowly walked into the lounge. I grabbed the phone and dialled the number to Walker Enterprises that I had learned by heart over the last few weeks since he had left. No matter how many times I had gone to dial, I had always chickened out. Now, it looked like it was something that I would have to deal with.
Holding the phone to my ear, I waited for a response, equally nervous and excited to hear his voice.
"Hello, Walker Enterprises," a female voice responded. "Louise speaking. How may I direct your call?"
"H-hi," I replied. "Is Adam Walker in, please?"
"No, I'm sorry. He's currently out of the office on business. Would you like to speak to anyone else?" she politely asked.
I shook my head negatively. "No, that's okay. "Thank you, though."
I put the phone down before plonking myself down on the sofa.
"Well?" Gill asked impatiently. "Are we taking a trip or what?"
"We?" I asked surprised. "You'd come with me?"
She chuckled at me before wrapping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me in to her side. "You think I'd send you alone?"
I giggled before placing my head down on her shoulder. "Thank you, Gilly."
"You're welcome, darling." She kissed my forehead. "Anything for you."
Days later we were in London and standing outside Walker Enterprises. It was an extremely tall building and I knew that to Adam, this was probably his castle. I had heard rumours about how powerful Walker Enterprises were but to see it for myself was another issue.
"Do you want me to come up with you?" Gill asked, grasping my hand in hers.
I stared down at my stomach. I had no sign of a bump but I knew. I knew that a little life was growing inside of me and I couldn't wait to hold this baby in my arms.
“I’ll be okay.” I walked away from her and straight through the double doors. I didn't bother going to the reception desk. I worked in one of these buildings. I knew how things went. All you had to do was look the part and act as if you belonged and they would let you walk straight on through.
Pressing the button for the top floor, I fidgeted in the rather large elevator, watching the buttons for the floors light up as we passed them. My emotions were out of control and I was ranging from excited to nervous and everything in between.
The elevator finally arrived and I stepped out, surprised when there was no one around. The assistant desks were clear and it shocked me that they left this floor unmanned. Anyone could walk on to this floor, as I was proving.
I turned a corner, taking note of the name on the door. I kept going until I arrived at the right door. It was open a small section and I froze when I saw him leaning against the bar in the corner of his office. He looked just as beautiful as he had done the last time I saw him. The only thing that had changed about him was that he was wearing a bit more scruff on his face.
I took a step forward to go inside when I froze in my tracks, realising that he wasn't alone. He was joined by that tall, leggy blonde that had come to visit him in Australia. She looked even more slutty than she had last time. She walked over to Adam and slid her hand up to his chest.
I waited for him to push her away. Any second he would push her away. Only he didn't.
Instead, he broke my heart into tiny pieces.
She tilted her lips up to his and before I knew it, she was kissing him with complete passion. The worst part is that he pulled her closer, kissing her just as desperately as she was kissing him.
I placed my hand over my mouth, not wanting them to know I was there. I would be mortified if he knew I had come all this way only to find him replacing me with someone else—someone that was way more suited to him than I could ever be.
I ran to the elevator and quickly stepped in, slamming my fingers against the ground floor button. I tried not to cry but my eyes filled with unshed tears and I couldn't stop them from trailing down my cheeks. As the doors opened, I rushed past the gentleman that was waiting, unable to stop. I bashed into the man as I passed and he turned to me, looking a bit concerned.
"I'm sorry!" I gasped. "I'm so sorry." I continued running, unable to stop myself from looking back. He reminded me of Adam a little with the way he was dressed and I couldn’t help but notice how striking he looked.
I ran out of the building and fell straight into the waiting arms of my best friend, sobbing uncontrollably onto her shoulder. My heart was forever broken and nothing would ever repair the sc
ars that Adam would leave on my heart.
Adam
Eight months later
When I received the call that Kate had gone into labour—rather a late labour—I was first on the plane, flying my way to America where she was now residing. It bothered me when I received word that she had moved from Australia. It made me feel responsible, like she couldn't stay there any longer. I felt like I had tainted the place for her.
Shaking my head, I stood in the corridor, looking through the nursery windows at all of the babies wrapped up in pink and blue in their individual cots. She had no clue I was here and when I watched a young woman making her way in my direction, I was sure that the scan photograph I had received in the post had not come from my Kate.
No. This was the action of an interfering best friend.
She came to a stop in front of me. "Adam, I take it?"
I smiled down at her, noticing a rather large baby bump and loving the bossiness that was radiating off her in waves. "That's right." I looked back at the rows of babies. "I was wondering which one..."
"Was yours?" she asked, finishing for me. "He's right there." She pointed to the second row and right in the middle was a baby wrapped in a blue blanket."
I took a deep breath before looking to where she pointed. I couldn’t help the smile that stretched across my face at the sight of him. I had never seen anything so tiny. "He's beautiful." I looked at the tag on his little ankle and hated that he didn't have my name.
West, not Walker.
I swallowed, feeling the emotion in my throat. “She will be a wonderful mum," I stated.
"She already is," she replied. "She's loved him fiercely for the last nine months. That little man will be well taken care of."
I looked back at her, already knowing how lucky my blue eyes was to have this tough woman in her life.
"Is she awake?"
