by Fay Keenan
‘Now I really do feel like a teenager,’ Kate replied. ‘And the problem is, I feel like I’ve got the raging libido of a sixteen-year-old, too. What I’m worried about is that it’s going to lead me into some very wild choices if we’re not careful.’
Harry, in answer, pulled Kate towards him and onto his lap, where she could feel an enticing hardness in his jeans. She wriggled provocatively and felt his hips thrust towards her reflexively. ‘Keep doing that and I’m going to be following very close behind you in those wild choices.’ His right hand tangled through her hair and stroked the back of her neck before he pulled her towards him for another kiss, into which he groaned.
‘Would it be too shocking for me to admit that I basically want to drag you off to bed right now?’ Kate said breathlessly.
‘I promise not to be shocked,’ Harry replied. ‘But I have to warn you, I’m feeling a little rusty. It’s been a while.’
Kate laughed. ‘I’m so glad you said that. You’re basically my first since…’ she trailed off, then grinned. ‘So, no pressure, then.’
Harry looked reflective for a moment. ‘I promise not to judge if you don’t. And we don’t have to… you know. Let’s see how it goes.’
‘Agreed,’ Kate replied. ‘Although the way I’m feeling right now, don’t be surprised if we end up swinging from the chandeliers!’
Harry looked wary. ‘Are you sure they’ll take our weight?’
‘I’m willing to try if you are.’ Reluctantly, but knowing she couldn’t face the prospect of making love on Tom and Aidan’s sofa and look them in the eye afterwards, she climbed off Harry’s lap and took him by the hand to pull him up with her. ‘Shall we?’
Without needing any further prompting, Harry followed Kate out of the room, leaving the coffee to stew gently in the cafetière, completely forgotten.
As Kate pushed open the door to the room where she’d been staying, Harry burst out laughing. ‘A single bed? Seriously? It’ll be like being a student again!’
Kate laughed, too. ‘I know, but this room’s so small, you’d never get anything bigger in here. It’ll be cosy all right.’
‘That it will,’ Harry said, a husky note in his voice. ‘But since I’ve got to open the shop in the morning, I probably shouldn’t stay too long anyway.’
‘You’re going to love me and leave me, are you?’ Kate said, then mentally kicked herself. ‘Sorry. Rusty at this, as I said.’
In answer, Harry gathered her up in his arms and kicked the bedroom door shut behind him. ‘Just keep doing what you were doing downstairs and we’ll see how we go, shall we?’
They tumbled down onto the patchwork bedspread that adorned Kate’s single bed, which was, thankfully, pushed up against the inside wall of the room. ‘At least we’re not in too much danger of falling out on that side,’ Harry said.
Realising that the two of them were far from teenager sized, it soon became apparent that, in order to be comfortable, they’d have to press very close together. This wasn’t really a problem; Kate found herself wanting to feel every inch of Harry against her, and there was no doubt, from what she could feel of Harry’s body, that he felt the same way. But how far were they willing to go?
‘Look, Harry,’ Kate breathed as they began a slow, leisurely necking session on top of her bedspread. ‘I was only half joking about being rusty.’ She propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him. His hair was dishevelled from her fingers running through it, and his face was flushed, eyes heavy with desire. She felt a warmth running through her core, just looking at him; the desire to know this man intimately was overwhelming.
‘Kate,’ Harry said softly. ‘If I left it to my body to make the decisions right now, I’d be ripping your clothes off and making love until the sun came back up. But my head, not my cock, is in charge, if only by a fraction. You are under no obligation to put any part of you near any part of me. I’m happy to just kiss you on this ridiculous single bed until you throw me out. And if you do decide you want more… we can stop at any point.’
‘Where were you twenty years ago?’ Kate replied, touched beyond belief at his measured response to her indecision.
‘I’m here now,’ he whispered. ‘So let’s make the most of it, shall we?’ He pulled her down on top of him so she could feel his whole length beneath her, and that sensation of being a teenager in a forbidden situation was shooting white hot bolts of lightning through her. She felt the throbbing, pulsing sense of arousal between her thighs. They hadn’t even removed any of their clothes and she was ready to shag him senseless.
‘Oh God, Harry,’ Kate murmured. ‘I think I’m ready to make some terribly bad choices.’ She reached down Harry’s body to cup the prominent bulge in his jeans.
‘Glad to hear it,’ Harry’s voice was suddenly gruff with desire, and Kate knew at that moment that she was going to make the most of this time they had.
Just as she was unzipping his flies, and preparing to sneak an inquisitive hand into Harry’s boxer shorts, the sound of the front door slamming made her jump out of her skin.
‘Mum? Are you home?’ Corey’s voice came drifting up the stairs.
In a panic, Kate whipped her hand out of Harry’s jeans and sat up hurriedly. ‘Yeah,’ she said, trying to make her voice sound as if she hadn’t just been about to begin making love to her date. ‘Everything okay? I thought you were pulling an all-nighter with Sam on Call of Duty.’
‘That was the plan,’ Corey said, ‘but something came up.’
‘If only,’ Kate muttered, grinning apologetically at Harry, who was hastily doing up his flies.
‘What was that, then?’ Kate called, creeping towards the bedroom door. She motioned to Harry to stay put, mindful that, despite his evident liking for Harry, her son might not take too kindly to the prospect that his mother had been about to have sex on her first proper date in years. ‘Give me a sec,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll sneak you out in a minute.’ Pulling open the door, stepping out swiftly and closing it behind her with an apologetic glance at Harry, she padded down the landing to the top of the stairs.
Corey was standing at the bottom of the stairs, snacking on the remains of the pizza that Sam had obviously sent home with him. Waiting until he’d finished his mouthful, he looked up at her. ‘Florence has gone into labour, so they’ve headed over to the hospital. Sam figured I’d be better off sleeping back here tonight.’
‘Oh my goodness,’ Kate said, all thoughts of Harry forgotten. ‘But she’s not due for another two and a bit weeks.’
‘Well, the baby must have had other ideas,’ Corey said. As if noticing his mother’s dishevelled appearance for the first time, he continued. ‘Did you have a nice time? Were you in bed?’
‘Er, yes, I did, thanks.’ Kate knew she was blushing. ‘I got in and must have nodded off.’ She felt bad for lying to Corey, but the boy had been through so much over the past couple of years, she didn’t want to freak him out by admitting that she wasn’t alone. ‘Look, er, why don’t you head off to bed? I’ll put the pizza box in the recycling. It’s nearly midnight, after all, and I should probably phone Sam, see if everything’s okay. You can use the bathroom first, if you want.’
‘Okay.’ Corey didn’t seem to suspect anything was amiss. ‘I’ll see you in the morning. Do you think you might see Harry again? You know, have another date?’
Kate couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face, both at Corey’s innocent question and the thought of Harry himself stewing in her bedroom and, horrors, the cafetière and two untouched cups stewing in the living room, which would be a dead giveaway that she hadn’t come home alone, too.
‘I might,’ she said, injecting a teasing note into her voice. ‘Now get yourself off to bed.’
‘Okay, okay,’ Corey said. ‘Night, Mum.’
‘Goodnight, darling,’ Kate replied. She waited until her son had passed her on the landing and she’d heard him lock the bathroom door behind himself before scampering back to her room.
‘Quick,’ she whispered, barely able to disguise her laughter as she saw Harry sitting on her bed like a teenager, flipping through his phone while he waited for her to come back. ‘He’s in the bathroom. You’ll have to sneak out.’
Harry grinned. ‘How exciting. Although not quite as exciting as what we were doing before Corey came home.’ He stood up, strode over to where she was standing in the doorway and pulled her to him. ‘You are the best kisser.’
‘You’re not so bad yourself,’ Kate said, surrendering to another kiss before remembering that Harry was supposed to be leaving. ‘Now, quick, get out before we both have some awkward questions to answer.’
Harry reluctantly disentangled himself and padded behind her down the stairs and to the front door. ‘Can I see you again?’ he asked as Kate opened the front door as quietly as she could.
‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Definitely, definitely yes.’ She kissed him again. ‘If we’d stayed in the living room, we could have styled it out, but I don’t really want to have to answer awkward questions from my son tonight. And I’m not sure I can just sit next to you and make polite conversation with him now I’ve stuck my hand in your trousers, either. Let’s finish this soon.’
Harry moaned quietly as they kissed again. ‘Very, very soon,’ he said.
Kate giggled, but then swiftly shushed herself. ‘I’ll be thinking about that all night.’
‘Me too.’ Harry took her hand and pressed it against the fly of his jeans once more. ‘You’ve given me a lot to think about.’
Kate pressed herself against Harry, trapping her hand against him and feeling more very definite stirrings. ‘I can’t believe Florence’s baby’s got such terrible timing. I’ll be having words about that.’
‘Goodnight, Kate,’ Harry murmured. ‘See you soon.’
‘Goodnight, Harry,’ Kate whispered. ‘Now, quick, get out of here before Corey looks out of his bedroom window.’
As Harry left, Kate sagged against the door frame. She knew, without a doubt, she’d happily have had sex with Harry, had Corey not come home and put that prospect on ice. But there would be another time, she was sure. It was clear that he was as keen on her as she was on him. It was also clear, though, that new relationships were complicated, especially with children in the mix. At that thought, she realised she’d better send Sam a text and find out what was going on. After all, if there was going to be a new baby a little sooner than expected, she might be needed to help out.
37
Kate was still smiling as she cleared up the cafetière, and despite the fact that the coffee was well past its best, she poured out a cup to take up to bed, when her phone rang. So unaccustomed was she to actually using the phone to make or answer calls, she nearly dropped it onto the kitchen floor. Scrabbling to get hold of it, her heart leapt when she saw it was Sam, who she’d intended to text before she went to bed. It was a little soon, perhaps, for news of Florence and the baby, but then, as she knew from personal experience, these things didn’t go by a stopwatch. Corey had been delivered so quickly she and Phil had barely made it to the hospital before his head had crowned, whereas Will had been a thirty-five hour labour and almost ended up in a C-section. Tom, after that, actually had been a Caesarean – but a planned one, this time.
‘Hey,’ she said, once she’d managed to locate the green button on screen. ‘How are you and Florence doing? Corey told me you had to make a mad dash to the hospital.’
There was momentary silence on the line, and then Kate heard the drawing of a shaky breath. ‘Sam?’ she asked, a slow, rolling panic beginning in her stomach and rising up her throat. ‘What is it? What’s happened?’
Another breath, one with a definite shudder this time. Then what felt like an age before he spoke. ‘Can you get here, Katie? To Magdalene Park Hospital?’
‘Of course.’ Kate jumped up from her seat, hastily thrusting aside the coffee cup as she did so. ‘Tell me what’s going on, Sam. Is Florence okay? Is the baby okay?’
‘Oh Christ…’ his voice trailed off again, and Kate’s heart thumped, fearing the worst.
‘Sam, what is it? Please, tell me.’
‘Just come,’ Sam’s voice came eventually. ‘I – we – need you.’
‘I’ll be there as soon as I can,’ Kate said, forcing a calm she didn’t feel into her voice. Her hands were shaking so badly, she could barely hold the phone. ‘Can you tell me what’s going on?’
Sam drew another shuddery breath that echoed down the phone line. ‘It all happened so fast. I’ll explain when you get here.’
‘I’m leaving now.’ Dashing back upstairs, she drew a deep breath before knocking on Corey’s bedroom door. Corey was getting ready for bed, sliding his gangly frame into a T-shirt, hair still wet from the shower. She felt a rush of affection for her eldest, precious boy, and all of a sudden she remembered how overwhelming it was to become a parent. She had the instant, burning desire to gather all three of her children close, to have them back under one roof again. She couldn’t imagine what Sam must be going through. Something was clearly very, very wrong.
‘Sam’s just rung me,’ Kate said. ‘He wants me to meet him over at Magdalene Park Hospital.’
Corey’s face registered concern, then panic, and Kate cursed herself for her own shaky tone. ‘What’s wrong? Is it the baby?’
‘I’m not quite sure, love. I’ll know more when I get there.’
‘Is Florence okay?’ Corey walked up to Kate, and she pulled him close in a hug to fortify them both.
‘I’ll call you as soon as I know anything. Will you be all right for the rest of the night if I head over to the hospital to help out?’
‘Sure.’ Corey smiled, but Kate could see how upset he was at the news. ‘Let me know if there’s anything I can do.’
‘I will. Thanks, love. And if anything comes up, or you’re unsure about anything, call me.’
‘Just go, Mum. I’ll be fine. Uncle Sam and Aunt Florence need you.’ As Kate released Corey from her embrace, she gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile.
‘I’ll speak to you soon.’ Kissing him on the forehead, she headed swiftly back down the stairs.
Kate grabbed her handbag and a hoodie from the hooks by the front door, changed her shoes into a more practical pair of Converse, then checked that she had car and house keys before she pulled open the door and stepped out into the dusky summer night. Her hands were shaking so badly that she could barely hold the steering wheel. What if Florence, heaven forbid, had died? How would Sam cope with being a single father to a child only hours old? No, she couldn’t think like that; she had to stay positive. Sam hadn’t made much sense on the phone, understandably; she’d find out more when she got there.
As she sped the miles between Willowbury and the hospital in Taunton, Kate’s mind flashed back to all three of her own births. At the time they had been shattering, physically and emotionally, but she and Phil had, despite the shell shock, got through those tough days with overwhelming love for the babies they’d created between them. Even though the marriage was over, she’d forever be grateful for the children. What if Florence never got the chance to be the mother she’d been so excited to be?
Pulling into the hospital car park a little time later, Kate barely remembered to lock her car before she was dashing through the doors, desperate to find Sam. She followed the signs to the maternity ward, and it was only then that she hesitated. Would they even let her in at this time? Were visiting hours for relations over? Thinking that the best course of action was to call Sam and let him know she was here, she was just swiping her phone to get to his number when she caught sight of him through the window of the sturdy double doors that led to the ward. Even from that distance, she could see the haunted look of his body language.
At a loss as to how to attract his attention, she was relieved when he looked over to the door. Hurrying to the button that released the door, he pulled it swiftly shut after him and joined her just outside in the co
rridor.
‘Katie, thank Christ you’re here,’ he said, his voice marginally stronger than it had seemed on the phone.
For a moment, Kate was lost for words, so, reaching out, she enfolded Sam in the firmest hug she could muster. ‘What happened? Where’re Florence and the baby?’
As Sam broke away from her, he ran a weary hand over his eyes, which only looked marginally less haunted now that she was here with him. ‘Florence went into labour this evening, about three hours after Corey came over,’ he said. ‘We’d been warned that because of the way the placenta was lying, it might happen. At first we thought it was just a false alarm, but we decided it was best to make a move when the contractions got to five minutes apart.’
‘Sensible decision,’ Kate said.
‘Our daughter was born fairly quickly, but there was an issue with the placenta; it just wouldn’t budge. And then…’ He swallowed hard, obviously struggling to relive the frantic post-birth moments. ‘Florence started bleeding. Badly. Christ, Katie, even flying patients to hospital like I do, I’ve never seen someone lose so much blood so quickly.’ Sam was well used to the daily traumas of the emergency services, having served as a pilot in the Somerset Air Ambulance for the past three and a bit years. He’d often spoken of the ability to shut off and do the job, to put things into boxes while the medics tended to patients in flight, even if the trauma caught up with him afterwards, but this was different. This was very, very personal.
‘Oh God, Sam,’ Kate whispered. ‘I’m so sorry.’ She reached out and squeezed his hand. They’d paused in the corridor.
‘They took her to theatre about an hour ago,’ Sam continued. ‘When someone came down to tell me how she was, they told me they’d had to give her a massive blood transfusion. They’re still working on her.’ He raked his hand impatiently over his eyes, although the tears hadn’t yet spilt.
‘And the baby?’ Kate asked. ‘Where is she?’
Sam, despite the horrors of the past few hours, managed a small smile. ‘She’s in the nursery. I was with her until I figured you were close to the hospital.’
