by L.H. Cosway
“Yes,” I moaned. “Please.” I reached for his pants, but he stayed my hand.
“I don’t have any condoms,” he said, a tortured note in his voice.
“What about the ones you bought—”
“I forgot them in New York, and I don’t have any here at the house.”
I cupped his cheek, meeting his gaze. “It’s okay, I trust you.”
He exhaled heavily, squeezing his eyes shut. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth. I’m on the pill, and I promise you I’m clean.”
He dropped his head into the crook of my neck. “Jesus Christ.”
“You shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain, you know,” I teased and he pinched my hip in response.
I sighed when he nipped my earlobe with his teeth. His lips found mine again, and we kissed for another eternity. His hand stayed inside my pants, coaxing me to orgasm until I came with a sharp cry. I was aware of him watching me come, soaking in my reactions. And then, like the flick of a switch, something came over him. He shoved down both our bottoms, frenzied, holding my gaze as he pushed into me deep.
He didn’t fuck me. Instead, his hips moved in a slow, rhythmic, hypnotic push and pull. I was lost in his eyes, in the feel of him filling me up, and a string tightened around my heart.
I love you, my thoughts sang, right at the same moment he whispered breathlessly, “I think I’m falling for you.”
I gasped and he captured it with a kiss. His deep thrusts continued until he came with a heady groan, his body stilling before falling on top of mine. I was mesmerised just watching him, fascinated by how beautiful he looked in that moment. I stroked the back of his head where it rested on my chest and kept on doing it until his breathing evened out and he fell asleep. I closed my eyes, and soon enough, I drifted off with him, too.
***
My dreams were blissful. At least they were until loud knocking woke me. I came to, a little disoriented as I took in my surroundings, what happened last night coming back to me. James’ body was wrapped around mine. I tried to get up, but his arms around my waist held tight.
“Don’t move. I like you where you are,” he murmured huskily, his warm hand roaming down to grip my backside.
“There’s someone at the door. I need to check who it is,” I replied and he groaned unhappily, letting go of me. I quickly pulled on my clothes and snuck a peek out the window.
My pulse hammered in my ears when I saw my entire family standing outside. What on earth were they doing here? Then my brain finally woke up enough for me to remember they’d arranged to come see me for my birthday. I’d completely forgotten to call and tell them I was no longer staying at James’! Well, except I had last night.
It was complicated, okay?
I also hadn’t told them about James breaking up with Diana and subsequently moving in. I planned to tell them, but I kept putting it off, and now it was too late. To make matters worse, I hadn’t known Lawrence and Bennet were coming with them. In my current frazzled state, I was in no mood to deal with Bennet, that was for sure.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I murmured to myself, causing James to sit up with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s my family. They’ve come to see me for my birthday,” I answered, my anxiety building.
His eyebrows jumped. “It’s your birthday?”
“Yes,” I answered, a little shy. “Now quick, grab your things and go upstairs. I’ll answer the door and pretend I overslept.”
James glanced at the clock. “It’s barely nine.”
“I know, but they’re early risers. Nine is practically midday to them.”
“Okay, I’ll go,” James said, standing and coming to press a kiss to my mouth, his lips curving in a smile. “You’re cute when you’re frazzled. Happy birthday, beautiful.”
My chest shimmered at the husky affection in his voice. Today I turned twenty-three. I’d never enjoyed people making a fuss of my birthdays, but this year I enjoyed the idea of sharing it with James. Perhaps once my parents left later, we could get together…
Okay, enough of those thoughts. I had a situation to deal with. I shooed James from the room and he disappeared upstairs. I quickly fixed up the couch, making sure it looked normal and not like two people had sex on it last night. I took a quick peek at myself in the mirror, did my best to smooth out my sex hair, then finally went to answer the door.
“Hey, everyone. I’m so sorry to leave you waiting on the doorstep. I overslept,” I said, mustering a welcoming smile.
“Don’t apologise. It’s our fault for being early,” Dad replied, waving away my explanation. “Besides, if you can’t have a lie in on your birthday, then when can you have one?”
“Exactly,” Mum agreed. “Oh, it’s so good to see you, Michaela.” She came and pulled me into her arms for a hug. “We’ve missed you so much!”
I stiffened a moment, worrying she might be able to smell James on me, but then I sank into the hug, because the truth was I’d missed her, too. It was a whole new experience living away from my parents, and I was so happy to see them, despite the circumstances.
“I didn’t expect you here so early,” I said.
“We wanted to surprise you,” my brother Laurence explained, coming forward to give me a brief hug. “We booked a guided tour at Hampton Court Palace.”
I blinked. “You did?”
“You said you always wanted to visit,” Dad put in.
“That was so thoughtful of you,” I said, touched. “Do you mind waiting for a few minutes? I just need to pop upstairs and finish getting ready.” I didn’t miss Bennet’s eye roll at the request, like I was some kind of eternal disappointment. Whatever. It was my birthday. My parents were here and I refused to let him ruin this.
“Of course not,” Mum answered. “You go ahead. We’ll amuse ourselves while we wait. This is a lovely house, by the way. Your boss has great taste.”
“Yes, he does,” I agreed.
My parents knew all about me staying here and organising the renovations for James. What they didn’t know was that he’d moved in, and also that we were now sleeping together. If Bennet weren’t here, I might’ve told them today, but no way was I broaching the topic of my relationship with James in front of him.
I led them into the kitchen, where Mum oohed and aahed over the brand-new fittings. I left them to wait and quickly dashed upstairs. I did my best to freshen up with what little I had available, giving myself a quick wash and gargling some mouthwash before tying my hair up in a bun. By the time I made my way back downstairs, I heard Mum’s distinctive laughter, followed by James’ low, masculine voice. I froze in panic. What was he doing down there? I’d told him to hide until they were gone, hadn’t I?
Okay, maybe I’d forgotten to specify “hide” in my rush to answer the door. But wasn’t that obvious?
When I entered the kitchen, I found James entertaining my family. I also noted he’d provided them with cups of coffee, something I should’ve thought of. You could bet Bennet would call me on it later. He never let a faux pas slide, no matter how small.
“Michaela,” Mum beamed at me, “don’t you look pretty. James was just telling us all what a great job you’ve done with this place.”
“Well, it wasn’t all my doing,” I said.
“I’d say it was ninety percent you,” James countered.
I grew bashful at the soft look he gave me. I caught Bennet eyeing us in suspicion and my pulse gave a hard thump. He was too nosy not to notice something was up. Plus, when it came to me, he was always on the lookout for things he could criticise. Getting involved with my newly single boss was pretty high on that scale.
“You never told Mum and Dad that your boss was living here, too,” Bennet commented casually, his glacial blue eyes cutting into me. Trust him to find the one chink in my armour.
I scrambled for an explanation when James said, “I wasn’t living here. Not until yesterday. The house is finished so Michaela
will be moving back to her flat tomorrow. I didn’t want to make her pack on her birthday.” I shot him a thankful look for lying for me.
“Well, that’s very considerate of you,” Dad said.
“Oh! Why don’t you come along with us today?” Mum suggested to James. “We’re doing a tour of Hampton Court Palace, then going for a meal.”
“I actually have a few errands to run for my father this morning,” James said, glancing at me a moment. “But I’d love to join you for the meal after your tour.”
He wanted to come to dinner with my family? My heart practically burst with affection.
“Wonderful!” Mum exclaimed. “We’re so eager to hear all about Michaela’s job and the television show.”
My parents had never actually seen an episode of Running on Air. They went to bed at nine o’clock every night, and Running on Air wasn’t on until ten-thirty. They’d also owned the same TV set since the nineties, so they couldn’t record episodes, which I was a little glad about. The cast got up to some crazy antics and I wasn’t sure they’d approve.
“I’ll be happy to tell you all about it,” James replied before going to grab his car keys.
He came to stand in front of me, and I stiffened, my eyes flaring as I screamed at him inside my head, don’t hug me! He seemed to interpret the warning, because he only gave me a tender smile, wished me happy birthday again, and then was on his way. I exhaled in relief, watching his retreating form.
Then Bennet’s eyes narrowed on me. As soon as the front door shut, my brother let out a mocking laugh, sidling up to me. “I never took you for someone who sleeps her way to the top.”
“That’s because I’m not,” I whisper-hissed.
“What are you two quarrelling about?” Mum questioned, folding her arms.
Bennet leaned against the counter, cocking his head as he replied, “Oh, just the little fact that Michaela is clearly sleeping with her boss.”
“Bennet!” Dad exclaimed. “How dare you make such an accusation!”
My heart pounded in my ears, my cheeks red as tomatoes. This was the absolute worst. I’d been hoping to break the news to them gently, but Bennet stole that from me. I stared daggers at him, and he stared back in challenge, but I refused to be cowed. And I definitely refused to let him shame me when I had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
“Actually,” I spoke low. “We’re seeing each other.”
“You are?” Mum questioned, her voiced rising in pitch. I expected she wasn’t feeling so friendly toward James and his mannerly hospitality any longer.
I nodded. “We didn’t plan it, but we developed feelings for one another. It’s still early days.” Right, and last night he made love to you on the couch in the next room. “We need to sort it all out, but I won’t be working for him anymore. I’ll still be working for the other cast members though.”
“Wait a second, isn’t James engaged to be married?” Dad asked, frowning in disapproval. “I do believe I remember you telling me he had a fiancé during one of our phone calls.”
Oh hell, why had I told him that? “He was engaged. They broke up recently.”
Mum’s eyes narrowed and Bennet looked like the cat that got the canary. “How recently?”
I stared at the floor. “About two months ago.”
A silence fell. A trickle of shame filtered in, but I refused to let it consume me. Yes, mine and James’ relationship wasn’t perfect, far from it, but I knew how I felt. I knew the honesty of his intentions when he looked at me. Being with him felt right and that was what mattered the most. Everything else could be worked around.
“That isn’t a very long time, Michaela,” Dad said. “Are you certain he’s over his fiancé?”
“Yes, I’m certain,” I answered, at the same time my stomach twisted. Was I certain? I thought of the day when Diana came to the house, how she’d pleaded with him to take her back. What if she eventually managed to convince him? The insecurity niggled at me. I knew James cared for me and that he was developing feelings. Not to mention I was pretty sure I was in love with him, but it was too early to be one hundred percent sure about anything.
Then his words from last night came back to me, and they obliterated any doubt.
I think I’m falling for you.
“We just don’t want you to get hurt,” Mum said. “James seems like a nice man, but he just got out of a serious relationship. He might not know what he’s feeling himself yet.”
“It could be a rebound,” Lawrence added gently. “You have to be careful, Michaela.”
I swallowed, not looking at Bennet. He was probably loving this, but my inner strength refused to let him win. Since moving to London and going out on my own, I’d discovered that I wasn’t some little orphan girl who needed to keep her head down. I was a young woman who had a good job that would likely lead to a successful career. The world was my oyster, and I didn’t need to seek permission to live my life.
I looked to Lawrence. “You’re right, it could be a rebound, but even if it is, that’s my chance to take. Whatever happens, the consequences are mine.” I met Bennet’s gaze, my expression stoic, confident and free of embarrassment or shame. I wouldn’t let him get the best of me. Not today.
Bennet looked decidedly disappointed he hadn’t managed to totally annihilate me, especially with such powerful ammo. The fact that he was a grown man still holding onto a teenage grudge he developed because his parents decided to adopt a little girl, diverting their focus away from him, showed just how immature he was. I held his gaze a moment longer, showing him I wasn’t fazed. He was the one to look away first, frowning at the floor.
“We’re just looking out for you. We love you,” Dad said. “But this is your decision and whatever happens, all we can do is be here to support you along the way.”
“Yes,” Mum agreed. “We love you so much, honey.”
“I love you, too,” I said, feeling extra emotional all of a sudden. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve such amazing parents, but I was just glad their hearts had been big enough to take me into their home.
“Come on,” Dad said, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “We’re only here for the day. I want to make the most of it. It’s not every day your only daughter turns twenty-three.”
I gave a smile, some of the tightness in my chest easing. Not counting Bennet’s brooding presence, I really did have the best family ever.
***
We’d just been seated at a table for six when I spotted James entering the restaurant. He held a small gift-wrapped box and a card, and my heart swelled when I realised they were for me. He’d bought me a birthday gift!
I’d sent him a text earlier to let him know I’d told my family about us. I didn’t want him coming to dinner completely unprepared. He stepped forward, pressing a gentle kiss to my cheek before greeting everybody else. Next, he handed me the card and the gift.
“Happy birthday, M,” he murmured in my ear, and goose bumps rose on my neck.
Memories of last night filled my head. It felt like so much more than just two people getting off. We had a connection, at least that was how I felt, and I couldn’t stop replaying what he’d said to me.
I think I’m falling for you.
Whatever doubts tried to invade my thoughts, those words killed them. James didn’t realise how much it meant to hear him say that. Still, I knew it was way too early to admit I loved him. I didn’t know how to describe it, but I just knew. Maybe it went all the way back to when I’d only admired him secretly from afar.
Obviously, I planned to wait for a more appropriate time to tell him. I didn’t want to scare him off completely. Besides, after crushing on him for so long, I was pretty much an expert on keeping my feelings hidden now.
Bennet had been sulking the entire day. I think it finally dawned on him that I wasn’t some little girl he could push around anymore. I was a fully-grown woman, our parents loved me, and I was a part of this family. I wasn’t going anywhere, so he ju
st needed to accept it.
“I was so sorry to hear about your mother passing away,” Dad said to James a little while into the meal. “How’s your father been holding up?”
“Not very well, actually,” James answered, rubbing at the light stubble on his jaw. “We’ve been trying our best to help him through it, but it’s been a rough few weeks.”
“Grief comes in many forms,” Dad said sombrely. “We all deal with it in different ways.”
“I was actually thinking you could talk to him,” I said, drawing Dad’s attention. “You’ve helped so many people through the years who’ve lost loved ones.”
“I’d definitely be happy to provide a friendly ear,” Dad said. “I’m by no means a qualified psychologist, but I am a good listener.” He turned to James. “Mention it to your father. If he’s interested, Michaela can provide my number.”
“I will, thank you. That’s very kind of you.” James cast me a grateful look, his hand coming to rest on my knee under the table.
“What about you?” Dad went on. “How have you been? Michaela mentioned you were close with your mother.” I had mentioned that, but I was a little embarrassed by Dad bringing it up. I didn’t want James thinking I was talking about him to anyone who’d listen.
He frowned, dragging his fork across his plate. “I’ve definitely been better, and I’ll never stop missing her. Now I just need to figure out how to live without her.”
Just like that, a thick ball of emotion sat heavy in my throat. I wished James wasn’t going through all this, wished he could’ve had a few more years with his mum. Under the table, where his hand still rested on my knee, I placed my hand on top of his, giving it a small squeeze.
“Well, I’m happy to talk with you, also. Not just your father,” Dad offered.
James cast me a look. “Michaela has actually been a big help in that department. She’s a great listener, too. She must’ve gotten it from you.”
Bennet gave a derisive snort. “Didn’t she tell you she’s adopted?”
