by Shel Stone
I’m okay with PJs. What the fuck to do want from me, Solraya wondered. And as if he read her mind, another text came through. I think I have a bit of obsession going with you. You might have noticed. I’m not usually like this. Aversion therapy might help.
Solraya stared at it for a moment. This wasn’t something she’d expected. He really did have a crush on her, and he just came out and said it. Frankly, she appreciated the honesty, and the self-insight, which was more than she’d expected from someone like him. The kind of familiarity breeds contempt kind of thing?
And could you act like a total clinger? It would be very helpful. And look awful. As bad as it gets.
Solraya smiled. Any other turn-offs I should know about?
Can’t think of any right now. Maybe talk incessantly about your exes. And be crazy impressed by being on a date with a DJ.
I thought girls being impressed was why guys became DJs.
It was, but lately it’s become cringe-inducing.
Alright, challenge accepted. Besides, she had nothing better to do that day. You’re paying, she added. She normally always paid her own share, but not today. Hell, she might even go ask him to buy her a pair of shoes, and then complain about her growing cankles, which ran in the family when it came to pregnancy.
Dropping the phone, she watched some TV. Should she be late, or early and then complain that he was late? Eh, she was bored, so she might do the former. Guys never liked super eager girls.
Truthfully, the only reason she was going was because he was honest and he made her laugh. Obviously there was no hope there, but if piercing the mystery would deflate whatever he had going on in his head, she was happy to lend herself to the cause. There had been times when she’d built a guy up in her head to have all these cool and mysterious qualities, to turn out to be a complete turd when she actually got to know him.
She drove what used to be her car to the cafe and as expected, had arrived early. It had polished steel tables that were cold under her bare arms as she sat down and waited. “A long black,” she ordered when the waitress came over. Was there a problem with drinking coffee being pregnant? She wasn’t sure. There were all these rules around what she could and couldn’t have, and she wasn’t all that caught up on it all yet. No one had said anything about coffee. The world would be mayhem if pregnant ladies couldn’t drink coffee.
Ricky arrived, looking good as he always did. His hair was still wet.
“You’re late,” she said tersely. “Seriously, did you make an effort?”
“I was working out. Trust me, you don’t want me to come without freshening up a bit. Are those seriously your PJs? You could have told me they were tiny little shorts.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better. I haven’t brushed my teeth. My breath stinks.”
Her coffee arrived.
“You started without me,” he said, ordering a green juice.
“Of course. Oh, and can I have cake. Chocolate cake,” she said to the waitress.
“It’s ten in morning,” Ricky pointed out.
“I’m pregnant. This little beasty wants cake all the time. I’m going to get really big, like a whale. Belly out to here, she said, indicating halfway across the table. “Massive, child-bearing hips.”
“Stop,” he groaned. “It’s not helping.”
“How can that not help?”
“Thinking of you all round is... surprisingly sexy, as it turns out.”
Solraya’s eyebrows rose. “Fuck you’re weird. Are you one of those guys all into pregnancy? Like one of those creepers who want to rub themselves all over someone’s belly?”
“Hell no. At least I don’t think so. I’m just really into you.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Do you think you can learn everything you need to know about someone in the short time we’ve known each other?”
It was a question she didn’t really have an answer to. What did one need to know about someone? Obviously, she was okay in her own book, but that didn’t mean she was in his. “Nope. Oh, and I live in Australia. And I’m not changing my mind. I’m certainly not having my kid here. You know what the schools cost here?”
“I’ve never even thought about it, to be honest.”
His juice and her cake arrived. “So why are you so obsessed with me?” she asked and shovelled cake into her mouth.
“That’s probably full of trans fats.”
“I don’t give a fuck about trans fats.” That wasn’t true. She typically ate really well.
“Liar,” he said with a snort. Maybe he had learned something about her. “Is that what you crave? Chocolate?”
“Constantly. And mustard. I’m not normally into mustard, but I just have a taste for it.”
He drank his juice. “So what are you doing all day?” he asked after she’d just about finished the cake. Now she felt a little sick.
“Not much. Eat mustard. So is this whole aversion therapy working?”
“Fuck no. I literally have a semi right now. We’re all just lucky there’s a table here covering up the state of me.”
“Aren’t you with some girl?”
“No, that ended.”
Solraya chuckled. “Is that so?” she said, taking a sip of her coffee.
“So really, now there’s only you.”
“Cheesy.”
“But one hundred percent true.” He really did have it bad.
“Maybe it’s pheromones. Pregnancy does something to the libido.”
“Really? Because I am here for you any time you want. Whatever you need. Maybe that’s like my superpower? I just instinctively know when a girl needs me.”
“That’s so noble,” she said with a smile. She did like him. Absolutely not her type, but that wasn’t even relevant right now. And nothing would get him over a hard-on faster than getting what he wanted, right? “Alright, let’s see what you can do.”
“Seriously? Now?”
“Why not?”
Chapter 44
RICKY’S MOUTH HAD GONE COMPLETELY dry when he showed Solraya into his small apartment. He should have cleaned up a bit. It wasn’t as if he was a messy guy, but stuff was lying around. As was the tissue beside the bed after his wank that morning, not having a clue this was how the day would develop. Then again, probably a good idea or he might have an upsettingly short first run.
Normally, he might not care, but he didn’t want Solraya to think he was bad in bed. For some reason, it felt really important to do this right. To the point where he dreaded that his cock would buckle under the pressure.
“So let’s see,” Solraya said, coming closer and placing her hand on his cock. No, no saggy waggy there. He was hard as steel, and he adored how she initiated it. Every one of his senses honed in on her ministrations, and his breath faltered.
Taking her wrist, he stopped her hand. “Let’s keep in mind that I’ve been wanting this for a while, so it might be short and sharp to begin with.”
“Alright,” she said, stepping away and looking around his apartment. She looked impossibly sexy in her little shorts and loose t-shirt. Long, lean and tanned legs. Just imagining them wrapped around him was threatening his control. “Well, being that I’m in a rather delicate situation, you’re going to have to wear a glove.”
“I have some. Just so you know, I’m clean. I’ve been tested pretty recently.”
“Pretty recently isn’t good enough. I need you to be pristine if you want to go without one.”
“I’ll get checked this afternoon.”
“Good. I was checked as part of the... confirmation,” she said. “So where is it?”
“Oh,” he said, spurred into action and pulled it out of his wallet.
“Do you need help with it?”
“No.” Probably couldn’t handle her helping him right now. Would interfere with his thoughts of thoroughly unsexy things, like dentist chairs and garbage bins. When he looked up, she was naked and his breath faltered again. His mouth had gone bo
ne dry, trying to take in every curve and plane of her. Just perfect in every way.
“Come on then,” she said and turned around, placing her hands on the balcony door. ”I like your view.” It wasn’t much of a view, but better than nothing. There was the golf course not far away.
“You don’t want to mess around a bit first?”
“Not sure you could take it,” she said, looking back at him with a smile. Fair point. He fumbled with his pants and then getting the condom on. He felt the air around him as he moved closer and nearly lost it when she arched her back for him.
Desperately he thought of unpleasant things, but lost all ability to think as he pushed into her warmth. Absolute heaven. Just the pressure of her around him, taking more of him. She wanted him enough to let him slide into her tightness. Her groan encouraged him to push further, drawing her hips to his.
His cock firmly inside her and he needed to pause or it would be all over. Her hips undulating on him wasn’t helping.
“More,” she urged and pressed back on him.
Pulling out, he stroked into her again and again, her groans reverberating in his ears as he hoped his control would last long enough. To help, he reached around and stroked her clit, feeling her tense and press harder into him. Working her until he felt her pulse around him, to then grab her hips and pound into her until her moans faltered. His release came in a rush, them being ground together in perfect stillness. A storm giving into exquisiteness. Again and again, he pumped into her, draining everything out of him.
Leaning forward, he had to use the glass of the balcony door to support himself, kissing her shoulder. He didn’t want it to be over. It was just the start, and he hadn’t really kissed her yet, or touched her, he thought as his hand reached around her to cup her soft breast. A small mewl escaped her and he kept kissing her neck, loving how she tasted and still pining for a real kiss.
Chapter 45
STRANGE MUSIC WAS PLAYING when Tristan walked into the house. His dislike for the house hadn’t changed. It didn’t suit anyone other than their father.
Following the sound, he found Ludwina doing something on the floor. Meditating or something such.
“You’re back,” she said. “Wasn’t sure you would be.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Percy said you’re being difficult.”
Tristan snorted. “By not rolling over and letting her have her way. I’m sure she expects that from everyone in her life, but we don’t always get what we want. Is she here?”
“Not at the moment.”
“I thought you’d taken off,” Tristan said, taking a seat on one of the chairs.
“Percy felt it best I stay.”
The statement showed intent. It was intent to act against him. There was no other way it would actually serve anyone that she stay. Further proof that Percy intended to challenge him. Their plans of doing this quickly and with civility was out the window, clearly. “Right,” he said, wondering if there was any point in arguing with Ludwina. She might not be the most intelligent, but she had a stubbornness that had infuriated their father. “Are you sure Percy is acting in your best interest?”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“Same reason she’s chosen to act against me.”
Ludwina’s eyebrows drew together. “She’s been very clear with what needs to happen.”
“And what is that exactly?”
“I don’t listen to details. You know that, Tristan,” Ludwina said lightly, but Tristan heard the lie. Ludwina had always depended on being perceived as dumber than she really was. “I’m sure it’s all for the best.”
“I’m sure it’s for Percy’s best.
Tristan needed to speak to his solicitors. Percy wasn’t just covering her arse, like she’d said she was. She was acting against him, moving in to take as much of the estate as she could.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed, but he was also angry. No way she would wheedle more of the estate than she was due. In all honesty, she should be punished for her deceptiveness.
It seemed their father would get his wish after all. They would fight like he intended them to. He’d suggested otherwise, that they would share, but since Percy wasn’t willing to play fair, then they would play properly. It was time to go for it good and proper.
Exactly what role Ludwina would play, he wasn’t sure. “Just be careful. She stabbed me in the back the first opportunity she got.”
Ludwina looked over at him. “I don’t think she trusts you.”
“No, it would seem that way. Not sure she trusts you either. Might be that she wants to keep you where she can keep an eye on you. Did she suggest you spend time here?”
“She said it would help our case.”
“Yours or hers?” Tristan said, rising from his chair.
This was all unpleasant, but he never backed down because things were unpleasant. Surely Percy understood that about him. Then again, she did have a habit of not seeing beyond her own interests.
Walking out of the sunroom and into his father’s study, he picked up the phone and called his primary solicitor in relation to the family trust. “I think we need to step up a more defensive campaign,” he said. It wasn’t a directive he’d hoped to give, but developments had shown that it was necessary. It was time to play for it all. As the oldest and the only male heir, it gave him advantages. Especially as they were dealing with more arcane laws related to trust property rather than straight inheritance.
Their father had structured his estate to be as complicated as he could, and that provided advantages to capitalise on.
“In that case, I think it best we talk strategy in person. Do you have an office in Marbella we can use, or are you by chance coming to Madrid very soon?” his solicitor asked.
“I will acquire some offices for the purpose. When can you come?”
“Three days. It will give us time to prepare some options, and for you to determine how you wish to deal with this situation, with your sisters. There are easy options and there are harder ones.”
“Focus more on the hard options.”
Disappointment in his sisters drove his choices. He knew this, but if Percy was willing to hang him out to dry, then he should return the favour.
Hanging up, his thoughts turned to more pleasant things. Namely Samara. He called her and she answered in her lovely voice. “Tristan. I was wondering when I would hear from you. Are you finally back in Marbella?”
“I am. Can I take you to dinner tonight?” Women who wanted to be seen as aloof always said no to the first proposal, thinking it impressed a man not to be available in case they were seen as too eager.
“I have made no plans.” Again, Samara didn’t play games.
“That is the first good news I’ve had today.”
Chapter 46
THE VALET TOOK HER CAR KEYS as Samara stepped out. She’d chosen a turquoise dress that night, and she didn’t have plans to take it off. She might be willing to meet him for dinner at short notice, but she wasn’t available any time he felt amorous. That wasn’t the kind of relationship she wanted.
If he had no interested in her as a person, or in her without immediate ‘benefits’, he could look elsewhere.
No, she wasn’t the kind of woman to cater to a man’s needs. A husband was different. But Tristan was neither her husband, nor her boyfriend. He was a paramour.
It wasn’t hard to spot him amongst the tables, wearing a sharp black suit. Italian in design. A smile spread across his mouth when he saw her. There was appreciation in his eyes.
“Samara,” he said and stood, kissing her on the cheek. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Seeing him now, she wasn’t entirely sure she would hold to her going home alone edict. His presence moved her.
“It’s delightful to see you again. How have you been?” she said.
“I’ve been thinking of you.”
Warmth filled her at the statement. Could it be that th
ey were falling in love? She remembered the feeling, because she really had fallen in love with Hassan when she’d met him. They’d been happy for a while, and had stayed that way, until he’d suddenly ended it.
“And what have you been thinking?”
“I’ve been thinking of perhaps taking you away somewhere for the weekend.”
Intimate dinners and a hotel room, where they didn’t have to worry about anyone else sounded perfect. St. Mortiz had been lovely, but there had been that guilt of stealing away from the others. “And where would you like to go?”
“Not sure it matters. Perhaps I should take you home.”
She knew he had a family estate somewhere, an actual castle if she wasn’t mistaken. His family was old and steeped in history.
It was a little scary to think about it, because if they were to align, she would take that history on. Her children… A sense of longing filled her. It was the one thing Hassan wouldn’t give her, and she’d resigned herself to being fine with it. But now she was open to other relationships, and she wouldn’t compromise on the issue of children.
Also, if he wanted to take her home, he was trying to impress her. It really did seem that he was serious about this relationship. “It seems none of you actually live there.”
“I tend to visit in the summer, but it’s really an impractical place to live. It’s inconvenient from the commercial necessities of a city, and I do have responsibilities that make Munich more convenient. In winter, it’s near impossible to stay there. Modern living is preferable is so many ways.”
“I do prefer warmth,” Samara admitted. It was the reason she lived in Marbella. But if they were together properly, chances were that she would have to live with him in Munich. It was a city she didn’t know well.
But she would move for love. Family was the highest priority. “So tell me of your life in Munich.”
“My house overlooks the Isar river. It’s been in our family for a long time. My family’s connection with Munich is long.”
