A Price to Pay

by Alice Raine

  ‘I liked it.’ Pausing, I placed my hands on his chest and ran my fingers over the material, loving the firmness of his pecs below.

  Leaning forwards, he offered his mouth for a kiss which I immediately took, placing my lips upon his and humming with pleasure when he lazily ran his tongue across mine. ‘I’m glad.’ He flashed me a cheeky wink. ‘I enjoyed it, too. Very much,’ he mused, a smile pulling his lips up as he raised a hand and ran it gently through my tangled hair, attempting to smooth it after his earlier grabbing.

  There was another creak of floorboards above us and we both looked up at the ceiling before sharing a joint chuckle. ‘Perhaps we better not push our luck, hmm?’ With another wink, Oliver reached across the sofa and grabbed a box of tissues for our clean-up. Helping me lift myself up, he let out a moan of pleasure as his softening length slipped from my body, and then we wiped ourselves clean and sorted out our clothes.

  I shifted from his lap and he snuggled me into his side and lifted my destroyed knickers in his hand, giving a satisfied chuckle as he did so. ‘I owe you an underwear shopping trip.’

  I laughed and grabbed the scrap of lace from him, looking up at him with mock disapproval. His hair was a mess from where my fingers had explored it earlier, but with the relaxed expression and grin on his face he looked devastatingly handsome and impossible to stay mad at.

  ‘So that was a practice of how we might consummate our marriage, was it?’ I asked lightly as I curled deeper into his embrace.

  ‘Hmm. Yes, it was rather good, I thought.’

  I nodded in agreement, a laugh bubbling up my throat.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ Oliver shifted slightly so he could look down at me in confusion, but his perplexed expression only made me laugh harder.

  ‘So you’re planning to celebrate our marriage union by sticking your finger up my bum, are you?’ I asked, attempting to keep my face serious, but not managing it in the slightest.

  As soon as he realised what I’d been laughing about Oliver’s face relaxed and he chuckled along with me. ‘It hadn’t been my intention, no, but I got caught up in the moment,’ he admitted, looking uncharacteristically sheepish.

  ‘And they say romance is dead.’

  Oliver turned in his seat and began to tickle me on the underside of my ribs. ‘I’ll stick more than just a finger up your arse if you don’t stop teasing…’ he promised darkly, thrusting his groin against my thigh as he did so.

  Oh. That idea stopped me in my tracks. Oliver was very fortunate in the manhood department and I’d felt full to the brim with just his finger inside me. Would he even fit back there? I’ll be honest, after enjoying what we’d just done together I wasn’t averse to giving it a go one day.

  Oliver tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, assessing my expression and no doubt reading every single filthy thought that was going through my mind.

  ‘Although judging by the look on your face you’re not opposed to the idea, so maybe I’ll do it anyway…’

  A huge breath filled my lungs as I sought out his hand and linked our fingers. ‘We could certainly experiment…’ I offered softly, enjoying the way his eyes lit up as I did so. ‘But perhaps not on our wedding day.’

  This time Oliver didn’t just chuckle; he let out a full-blown belly laugh and nodded in agreement. ‘No, I agree. Romance only on our wedding day. I plan on worshipping you from head to toe.’

  Romance and full body worshipping. Now that really did sound like a perfect way to consummate our marriage.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Robyn

  ‘Engaged! I can’t believe it!’ My mum took hold of my hand and examined my ring again with a fond smile on her lips. Oliver and I had just met up with Mum and Dad to break the news of our engagement, and as I’d hoped, my parents were thrilled with the development.

  Dad and Oliver were at the counter in the restaurant ordering our lunches, leaving Mum and me to a few minutes of girl time.

  ‘I’m going to need to get on a wedding diet, pronto,’ Mum declared, giving her stomach a small pat. ‘This man of yours certainly doesn’t hang around, does he?’

  I smiled, but couldn’t pass any comment, because she was spot on. When Oliver set his mind to something it would take a bulldozer in his way to stop him, as I had found out many times since we’d been together.

  ‘You’ve only been living with him a few weeks and now you’re getting married in just over two months!’ Mum gushed, shaking her head in amusement, but then her eyes widened and her cheeks took on some extra colour.

  ‘Goodness… you’re not… you’re not pregnant, are you, love?’ she whispered urgently as her eyes flicked to my stomach and back to my face. ‘Do I need to prepare myself for becoming a grandma as well as a mother-in-law?’

  Really? I’d thought it was amusing when Sasha jumped to the pregnancy conclusion, but now my mum was thinking the same thing, too? Was everyone going to make this link and think I was up the duff just because we wanted to get married quickly?

  ‘No, Mum!’ I shook my head and rolled my eyes. ‘I’m not pregnant. We just really want to get married and don’t see any reason to delay it.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ She gave my hand a squeeze. ‘You know that your father and I wouldn’t mind if you were pregnant before marriage. It’s not like we’re traditional like that, I mean, you live with him, so you and Oliver obviously sleep together already…’

  God, were we really having this conversation? ‘Mum!’ Holding up a hand, I scrunched my face up in embarrassment. Mum and I were close, but we weren’t “let’s talk about sex” kind of close. The last time I’d discussed anything vaguely sexual with her was when I was sixteen and she’d given me the birds and the bees talk and that had been mortifying enough.

  ‘Please, let’s not discuss that, OK? I promise you, I’m not pregnant.’

  Mum finally seemed satisfied, and amusingly didn’t look anywhere near as mortified by this whole conversation as I felt. If Mum knew exactly what Oliver and I get up to together behind closed doors she might not look quite so relaxed, I thought with a smirk.

  ‘Your father and I had a very short engagement, too, did I ever tell you that?’

  Relaxing slightly now that she wasn’t attempting to delve further into my sex life with Oliver, I shook my head. ‘No. You guys met at a dance class when you were eighteen, I think? But that’s all I can remember.’

  Mum smiled and glanced towards where Dad stood in the queue with Oliver. They were both currently engrossed in assessing the wine list, but I suspected that Oliver would make the final decision.

  ‘We did. Your father was quite the dancer back in those days. He had a right set of twinkle toes on him and he literally swept me off my feet.’

  ‘And you guys fell head over heels in love and so got married quickly?’ I guessed.

  ‘Not quite.’ Mum licked her lips and shrugged. ‘We fell madly in lust first, but my mum, your gran, God bless her soul, could be so strict and she’d barely even let me hold his hand when we first started dating.’ Faffing with her napkin, Mum flashed me a wicked, almost dirty smile, an expression I’m not sure I’d even seen on my mother before. ‘It was very frustrating.’

  Reading between the lines I let out a gasp. ‘So… so you married Dad so you guys could have sex?’ I blurted, my eyebrows jumping up towards my hairline.

  ‘No!’ Mum laughed and flushed an even deeper shade of red. ‘Well… sort of, yes,’ she confessed, almost looking like a teenager again as she giggled and flashed another look across at my dad. Wow, this was all quite enlightening. It was also a bit yuck – I mean, no child wants to think about their parents having sex, do they?

  ‘Luckily for us, lust and love came hand in hand and here we are, years later and still happily married.’ Giving my hand a squeeze, she brought my attention back to her gaze. ‘I predict the same outcome for you and Oliver. I can see the way he looks at you and it reminds me of how your father used to look at me.’

  We both
turned our gazes towards the queue, and this time I found Oliver staring straight at me with an expression on his face that was hot enough to melt my panties.

  ‘That, Robyn, is the look of a smitten man,’ I heard my mum murmur to me, but I was so caught up in his magnetic stare that I couldn’t find any words to reply, because quite simply, I was a woman smitten, too.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Marcus

  Flicking through the pages on my phone, I tried to decide which location would be best for Oliver’s stag do. Amsterdam certainly had some appeal; it was close, cheap, and the local beers were great. Barcelona was another option, but Oliver knew the city inside out and I’d decided it might be nice to go somewhere a little different. I also had Luxembourg, Prague, and Budapest on my list, but ideally I needed Oliver’s input in choosing the perfect place.

  We had been set to meet tonight to discuss it, but he’d just text me to rearrange, so I was now sitting in Club Twist with a nearly full pint and no one to talk to.

  It was as if fate had decided I needed company tonight, because I’d barely put my phone down after receiving Oliver’s text when I saw Sasha coming over to me. She had a nervous smile on her face, and to be fair she was right to look anxious. We’d basically avoided each other for the last few weeks since our very public argument, and things between us were now awkward as fuck.

  I took in her long hair, wide eyes, and slightly parted lips and then sharply turned my gaze away. She was so beautiful it was almost painful being close to her, and such a bloody shame that we were so incompatible in our views on sex and relationships.

  ‘Hey, big boy,’ she said cautiously as she joined me at the bar and slid up onto the stool beside me. Her words had been jokey, but I could hear a nervous hesitancy in her voice which was a million miles away from her usual bravado.

  David behind the bar heard her nickname for me, and grinned at me while jokingly grabbing his crotch before seeing my scowl and wandering off to the other end of the bar. Grimacing, I shook my head – it might be a complimentary nickname, but I really hoped it didn’t stick for too long.

  Once she was settled, she angled her head and gave me a small smile that made something inside me clench. This girl really did affect me like no other, and I had to draw in a deep breath to compose myself.

  ‘So, look, I wanted to apologise for being a bitch the other week. I… I was feeling a little oversensitive and I took it out on you. I shouldn’t have done that.’

  I knew how stubborn Sasha was, so I genuinely hadn’t been expecting her words and suspected that they must have been quite hard for her to say. ‘Apology accepted. I reacted badly, too, so I also apologise.’ I took a sip of my beer, hoping we could keep this conversation short and sweet – being this close to her was driving me insane with the need to touch her. The tips of my fingers literally tingled with the urge to reach out.

  Unfortunately, she settled herself more comfortably on the stool, not looking as if she was planning on leaving anytime soon, and I had to focus on my beer to avoid staring at her. ‘We need to try and play nice, for the sake of Robyn and Oliver’s wedding.’

  Nodding, I drew in a deep breath. ‘I know. I am being nice.’ We shared a long glance that made my groin give a kick of lust, and I sighed heavily. ‘Sorry if it sounds harsh, but it’s just easier for me if I avoid you.’

  A long silence fell between us. After several moments where we both looked away, our eyes joined, and some seriously intense shit passed between us, but this time it was Sasha who broke the bond and looked away. ‘You sure I can’t change your mind about having a little fun with me? I’m sure it would magically make all this awkwardness go away.’

  This topic, again. But tonight, her words sounded more jokey than serious, as if she was finally getting the message that I wasn’t interested in casual sex with her. I smiled wistfully, wishing things could be different between us, but knowing that with my issues, this was how it had to be. Just friends. Albeit friends who seemed to share an insanely hot chemistry.

  ‘Nope,’ I fired back, before taking a slow sip of my beer. ‘Have you changed your mind about only doing one-nighters?’

  I was surprised to see Sasha’s bravado drop away slightly. Her expression became more open than I’d ever seen it and she chewed briefly on her lower lip, exposing a minute show of vulnerability. A brief glimmer of sadness crossed through her eyes, hinting at what I’d long suspected – that Sasha might well have a few demons of her own buried beneath the polished front that she seemed to put on for everyone around her.

  It would seem we were both a little broken inside. In another time and place we could well have been a perfect match for each other; two broken pieces coming together to form one whole.

  ‘No.’ Just like that her moment of weakness had passed and her armour slid back into place seamlessly, and she scrunched up her nose and twirled her wine glass between a finger and thumb. ‘Why would I want a relationship and all the painful shit that comes with it?’ Pulling in a low breath, she shook her head, seemingly lost in a world of her own for a few seconds. ‘Emotions just lead to you getting hurt.’

  Her last words were almost a whisper, as if she hadn’t meant to say them aloud, but they seemed to be the most honest statement she’d ever made to me. I frowned and examined her expression more closely. She was staring ahead resolutely now, seeming determined not to make eye contact with me, but I swore I could see that trace of pain flickering in her eyes again. Had someone hurt her in the past? Was that why she fucked around and wouldn’t date? Maybe she’d been in love and had her heart broken, leaving her to think that it was easier to just not let anyone close again.

  If either of us had a right to be scared senseless of entering another relationship, it was me. Not that Sasha knew about my past, but with my history it was a bloody miracle I hadn’t decided to be completely celibate for the rest of my life.

  ‘You can’t think that relationships are all bad. Look at Robyn and Oliver, they’re a great match. They’re so loved up it’s almost sickening, but there’s no pain or hurt there, just support, love, and comfort.’

  Sasha frowned and finally looked across at me and met my gaze. She seemed to be weighing up my words, and agreeing with them, even though it went against her own long-held beliefs. ‘That’s true, I guess.’

  ‘True, but not enough to make you change your ways, huh?’ I murmured quietly, wondering if we might be on the verge of making a breakthrough in the honesty between us.

  Sasha fiddled with her wine glass again, her face tense with thought. ‘No… I… I won’t do that. I just can’t.’ Her voice was pained, as if saying she couldn’t be with me hurt her physically, and I once again wondered what on earth could have happened to her to make her so tough in her beliefs.

  ‘In which case we’re both just going to make the best of this situation for the sake of our friends. I’m not having this rift between you and me ruining Oliver’s big day.’

  Sasha nodded immediately. ‘Ditto.’ Sighing, she stood up and downed the last dregs of her wine. ‘Polite and friendly it is, then. See you around,’ she muttered as she dumped her empty glass and left my side.

  I raised my glass in a mock toast to our agreement, but as I watched her walk away from me, my heart aching at the loss, I knew it was going to be way harder to stick to than it sounded.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Robyn

  I opened the door to find Sasha on my doorstep with her arms folded and a determined expression on her face.

  ‘I need a drinking buddy tonight, and don’t give me any excuses that you’re doing something for the wedding with Oliver. It’s girls’ night.’

  The fact that she hadn’t even bothered to say hello before launching into her demand made it fairly clear there was no way she was going to be diverted on her plans, so even though it was Tuesday and most definitely not a designated “girls’ night” as she had proclaimed, I shrugged, grabbed my jacket from the rack, and stepped outside to join he
r.

  ‘Lead the way.’

  ‘Oh.’ Sasha paused and glanced over my shoulder into the house. ‘That was easier than I’d thought. I expected you to say you couldn’t come out.’

  ‘I’m not a kid who needs permission for a play date, Sash. Besides, Oliver hasn’t arrived home from work yet, so a drink sounds great. Where are we going?’

  Sasha smiled and linked her arm with mine before guiding us down the pavement. ‘How about that wine bar on the corner? It’ll be my local once I’m moved in; I may as well give it a trial run.’

  ‘Cool. It’s nice in there. I’ve been with Oliver a few times.’ With our destination planned, we set off. ‘How’s the flat sale coming along?’

  Sasha smiled and glanced back over her shoulder in the direction of what would hopefully soon be her new home. ‘Good. The survey came back today clean as a whistle, so now it’s just a case of getting our solicitors to finalise the exchange of contracts. Completion should be within two weeks.’

  ‘Oh my gosh, Sasha! That’s brilliant!’ Giving her arm a squeeze, I grinned. ‘Just think, soon this little walk to the local wine bar could become a regular occurrence.’

  ‘Could?’ Sasha spat in mock disgust. ‘There’s no could about it; it bloody well will!’

  The first few minutes of our walk passed with small talk as we caught up on how each other’s week had been so far, but the whole time we were chatting I could sense an underlying tension in Sasha.

  Once we were settled at a table in the wine bar and both had a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc in our hands, I turned to Sasha and gave her a look. ‘So, it’s lovely to catch up and everything, but I’m suspecting there is an underlying reason that we’re here on a Tuesday night. What’s up?’

  Sasha frowned and straightened her shoulders defensively. ‘Can’t I just want a drink with my best mate?’ I’d known Sasha long enough to know how stubborn she could be, but I also knew that all her bravado and bluntness were hiding her vulnerability, and so I smiled supportively and nodded.