After the End

by Natasha Preston

  My hands fly to his shoulders, and I glue my body to his. Linc’s lips are strong and demanding, and he kisses me like it’s the last thing he’s ever going to do.

  Linc pulls me close, his hand sliding up my back and into my hair. “Tilly,” he moans against my mouth.

  Back upstairs!

  Linc nips my bottom lip as the temperature in his kitchen soars. I feel the kiss down to my toes. His tongue slips into my mouth, and I suck.

  “Fuck, Tilly,” Linc says, pulling back and holding my upper arms. “If you want to talk, we need to stop because I’m seconds from carrying you upstairs.”

  Sounds good to me.

  “Okay,” I breathe.

  As much as I want to go back to bed and explore his body in daylight, we do have a lot to discuss. We always end up taking steps back, so I want to try to do this right now. I don’t know how I could go back to the way we were after being so close to him. Last night changed everything forever.

  “What happens now? So that I’m clear because nothing with us has been clear,” he asks, pressing his forehead against mine.

  “Now, I guess you recover from your hangover and take me on a date.”

  “A date? But that’s so other people normal? Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go and have an argument in the middle of a storm?” he teases.

  “There isn’t a storm forecast today, so we’ll have to just try this instead.”

  His lips quirk, and his eyes dance. God, it is such a stark difference from last night. I don’t ever want to see him that down ever again. Whatever happens with family, I’m going to put me and Linc first. I think we deserve it.

  “Where do you want to go? Because I’m not sure I can go anyplace that’ll have noise above a whisper today.”

  “Damn it, there’s a marching band playing at the summer carnival all week.”

  He rolls his eyes. “They’re still doing that?”

  I nod. “They’ve not gotten any better either. How about we take a rain check on the date and stay in today?”

  “Nope, not happening, Tilly.”

  “You just said—”

  “I’m not giving you any time to talk yourself out of us going public. We’re going out, and I don’t care what anyone thinks. Let them talk. I’m just finally happy that we’re in this place.”

  I curl my arms around his back and lay my head on his chest. He knows me better than I thought. The longer we leave it, the harder it will get for me to go out and face the people who will no doubt talk about the siblings of Stanley and Robbie getting together.

  While I don’t think people are angry with Linc anymore—at least, not all of them—they are still mad at Stanley. There will be talk, and I’m just going to have to ignore that because I can’t have anything else come between us.

  Like when you undoubtedly have to see his parents and Stanley.

  “In that case, you can take me to dinner.”

  “We’ve been together for two seconds, and you’re already making demands. Is this how it’s going to be?”

  “We’re together?” I ask, grinning against his chest.

  He sighs. “You’re not funny.” Linc pulls back, so I look up at him. “We’re together, exclusively, and we’re serious. Okay?”

  I try not to laugh at how authoritative he’s being, and I actually kind of love that we’re on the same page. There is no way we could ever do casual and not get hurt. Hell, we can’t even be just friends without it hurting. Things have moved so far past casual that it’s not even funny.

  “Yeah, I’m good with that. I should go. My parents are due home this morning, and they’ll worry if I’m not there.”

  “Your parents are home now,” he says, looking out the kitchen window.

  I look around his shoulder. My parents’ car is pulling into our drive, and I groan.

  Linc drops his arms around me and takes a step back. His jaw is tight, but he doesn’t look angry. Not with me anyway.

  “No, I’m not worried about this. I like it here, on our own, and I was hoping to get to have you to myself a little longer, but I want you to come with me.”

  His eyes find mine in half a second flat.

  I step closer to him. “I’m not ashamed, and I’m not hiding. We’ve just arranged to go out tonight.”

  “You want me to go to yours now?”

  I shrug. “Sure.”

  His eyes widen. He’s scared. He’s not afraid of much, but being around my parents is on the list. But I know he’s only scared of hurting them even more.

  “They support us, Linc.”

  He stills. “They what?”

  “The day I was coming to yours and saw Stanley, I’d had a conversation with my mum. Remember, that’s why I went home? Mum figured it out right before I told her actually because she noticed that I hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly. You did that to me, how I felt about you did that. She told me that, if you made me happy, I should go for it. They don’t blame you, and they don’t hate you. She even told me to bring you to dinner.”

  He opens and closes his mouth, and then he shakes his head.

  “As much as I love you shirtless, you should probably put a top on before we go.”

  Linc stares at me like I’ve been speaking a different language.

  “They’re really okay with seeing me? When I first moved back …”

  “It was new and brought up a whole heap of semi-buried emotions, but now that they’ve worked through that, the way I did, they’re ready to move on, and they’re okay with you.”

  “Tilly,” he whispers, frowning like this is too much to get his head around.

  I take a step closer, so there’s no distance between us. “Linc, I spent a lot of time blaming you when it wasn’t your fault. I don’t want to carry that around anymore, so I don’t, and neither do my parents.”

  His chest rises and falls hard as he tries to make sense of what I’m saying. He never expected to be forgiven, but really, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Stanley should have been sober by the time he drove. Linc and Robbie had no idea that he wasn’t.

  Nothing will bring my brother back, and hating everyone involved that night only hurts me in the end.

  “You okay there? You’ve gone pretty quiet.”

  “I never thought this … Tilly, I’ve wanted you for so long or for you to at least not hate me. This doesn’t seem real. I think I need a minute to …” He sighs, frowning adorably into the distance.

  “Linc, you been pining?”

  He narrows his eyes. “Okay, I’m over it.” Chuckling, he pulls me into his arms, and I have never seen him look so settled. “Let me go get dressed and try to do something with my hair, so I don’t look so hungover.”

  “You don’t look hungover. You look like you had some chick tugging your hair.”

  “Fuck, I loved it when you did that.”

  “Didn’t suck for me either.” I shove his chest, not that he moves much, and point to the stairs. “Go and get ready.”

  45

  Linc

  I feel like shit. Physically, that is. Everything else is how it should be.

  Tilly is downstairs, waiting for me so that we can go to her house. I’m nervous as hell to be around her parents. I don’t want to cause them any pain. Even if they don’t blame me anymore, my brother is the one ultimately responsible, and no matter how angry I still am with him, he’s family.

  I splash water on my face and run my hands through my hair. Images of Tilly writhing underneath me flash through my mind. Nothing has ever felt as good as being inside her. My right hand and thoughts of her don’t even come close.

  “Linc, how is it taking you so long?” she shouts up the stairs.

  My watch shows that I’ve been up here for two minutes. Two.

  “Coming.”

  I don’t look half as bad as I feel. My head is pounding, but besides a little redness around my eyes, there’s no evidence of my drinking last night. My moment of weakness is not even something I have
the capacity to think about right now.

  Tilly is standing at the bottom of the stairs with a beautiful smile that makes my heart race. God, I’m so grateful that my parents decided to sell this house.

  “I thought you were making yourself look less rough?” she teases when I hit the bottom.

  I reach around and slap her very peachy arse. “I can’t believe I thought I missed you.”

  She laughs as I wrap my arms around her back. “It’s weird, you being back now. Not bad weird, but it kind of feels like you never left, you know?”

  “Hmm,” I say. I can’t agree. I felt every second of our four-year separation.

  Stepping forward into my chest, she looks up at me. “Come on, I need to get this done.”

  “You’re nervous.”

  “I just want it to go well,” she replies. “They’re being amazing with us, but in the back of my mind, I’m kind of scared that the reality will be harder. You know, will they really be okay when they see us?”

  “Tilly, everything is going to be fine. Maybe they’ll need a little longer, maybe there will be a few tough conversations, but I’m not going anywhere, and I will fight for you until my last breath. So, will you calm down, please?”

  “It doesn’t suck when you’re being sweet, you know.”

  I nod. “Noted. Now, let’s get out of here.”

  We leave my half-renovated house and head to hers. Tilly lets us in and calls for her parents. She has hold of my hand, and I squeeze.

  “Where have you been, Matilda?” her mum asks. Her mouth snaps shut as she notices me beside Tilly.

  “Did you just full-name me again?” Tilly says, lifting her blonde eyebrow.

  Emma ignores her daughter. “Lincoln, hello.”

  “Hey,” I reply, placing my palm on Tilly’s back. I want to ask how she is, but that doesn’t feel right.

  “Well, come in, you two. No need to be standing in the hallway,” Emma says. “Dan, put the kettle on. Tilly and Lincoln are here.”

  Tilly tugs me into the kitchen. Their house hasn’t changed much at all, though it doesn’t look at all dated.

  “Lincoln, how are you?” Dan asks, turning as we come into the kitchen.

  Neither of them looks like they want to kick me out, so it’s going well so far.

  “I’m doing okay, thanks. You guys?”

  Emma smiles. “We’re okay. We’re glad you and Tilly have worked things out.”

  “Me, too,” I reply.

  Tilly turns to me, grinning the way she did when we were younger. Her eyes aren’t carrying around any pain.

  She pulls me to the kitchen table, and we sit down with Emma while Dan makes coffee.

  “How is the house renovation going?” Emma asks.

  Easy subject.

  “Er, slow. I didn’t realise how much damage the leak last year had done. Ian and Jack have helped, but it’s taking time. We’re getting closer though.”

  “Aren’t you due back at work?”

  “No. I left my old job to go into business with my dad. Once I get back, we’re starting the new venture.” Seconds after I finish talking, I realise exactly what I said. Tilly is watching me like I’ve just kicked her, and I will do anything to never put that look on her face again. “But I guess I need to have a conversation with my dad.”

  This isn’t a conversation to be having in front of her parents, but that doesn’t stop her.

  “You were going to start up a business with your dad?”

  I clear my throat. “Yeah. He’s worked in advertising since he was eighteen, and I’ve recently found out that I’m good at it. He wants to go on his own, and I want to work for myself. Wanted.”

  She shakes her head. “That’s not a goal you can just give up, Linc.”

  “Yeah, actually, it is. My own business, house, and everything else are just details. If I can’t do the business from here, I’ll find a job somewhere.”

  Her parents watch silently, and for once, Tilly seems speechless.

  “You can’t just decide that right now.”

  “It was decided the second you walked into my house yesterday.”

  She narrows her eyes. “You’re so stubborn.”

  No, I’m just so over missing her. I’m not letting go now that I have her, and I will do whatever I need to do to be with her. I have money saved. I can rent here and get a job until I figure something more permanent out.

  “I’m stubborn?”

  She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m not that bad.”

  Dan snorts, and Tilly flashes him an evil look.

  “Come on, love,” he says.

  Tilly rolls her eyes but doesn’t push it. She is so stubborn. She fought against us for long enough.

  “So, things are finally good?” Emma asks, her eyes flitting between Tilly and me.

  “Really good,” she replies to her mum and gives me a smile.

  Yeah, there is no way I could leave this girl to start up a business with my dad. It’ll be here or nothing.

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Emma taps her mug and purses her lips.

  I get the impression from her silence that her question was much more loaded than that. She wanted a better response … probably about Stanley.

  “What?” Tilly asks, picking up on Emma’s reaction to her brief reply.

  “Well …” Emma trails off, unsure of how to put it into words.

  “He left because he knew it was a mistake, coming back, so he went home. I hadn’t known that he was coming; it had been a surprise to me, too,” I tell her.

  My heart dips as I think about the possibility of her not actually thinking about my brother. What if I’ve just volunteered information that reminds them who I am and who my brother is?

  Emma smiles, her hands stretching around her mug. “Thank you, Lincoln. Do you think he will return again? I take it, you’re sold on staying here?”

  “I’m definitely not going anywhere, and I don’t think he will come back.”

  Dan takes a sharp intake of breath. “Right. So, do you think you will be able to run a business from here?”

  “Yeah,” I reply.

  He nods, and I think he’s impressed that I’m willing to do anything to be with Tilly. That gets me points with the parents, surely.

  I’ll make it work, and if I can’t, I’ll do something else. Maybe I’ll just go solo or have a sister company and work with my dad indirectly. A career is important, but when I’m old and grey, I’m going to remember my life with Tilly, not my life at a desk. I would follow her to the ends of the earth and give up anything to be with her.

  “Sounds like something you need to discuss with your dad, Linc,” Tilly says.

  “I will, but don’t worry about it, okay?”

  She will always be number one.

  “Sure,” she replies. Her eyes burn into mine with flashbacks of last night.

  I clear my throat and avert my eyes before things get real awkward and I’m sitting here with a raging erection.

  46

  Linc

  The next morning, I’m getting dressed while Tilly is making coffee.

  She is downstairs, waiting for me. Waiting. For. Me.

  I still feel like I’m asleep. Like I’ll wake up soon, and things will be back to normal. The girl I’m in love with will be angry and push me away at every corner, and the town will still be treating me like a leper.

  But it’s not a dream. She’s here. She’s been here, in my house and my bed. Hell, she’s been in my bed a lot.

  Her parents were okay. There was no awkwardness once we had the I’ll work from here to be with her conversation.

  They don’t blame me for that night.

  I rub a towel over my wet hair and take in my reflection in the mirror. I look different, even to myself. The tension around my eyes that I got used to is gone. Tilly has not only brought personal happiness, but she’s also opened the door for forgiveness. I’ll always regret what happened the night of the accident. While I’ll
never fully let myself off, I no longer wake up, crippled by it.

  The towel joins my pile of clothes on the floor, and I head downstairs to find her.

  The smell of coffee pulls me toward the kitchen. Tilly is sitting at the table, taking a long sip. She looks up, and her amber eyes drink me in. She puts her mug down next to the one she has already made for me.

  “Hi,” she says, her lips gelling together in a bid to stop a stupidly big smile.

  “Hey.” I sit down and lean over.

  It’s taken no time at all to get used to her moving closer to me rather than further away. Our lips hit, and her eyes fly shut. I snake my hand around the side of her neck and up into her hair. She makes a small sound of pleasure as my mouth claims hers.

  “Your coffee will get cold,” she says as we separate.

  I sit back in my seat and grab the mug in both hands to stop myself from reaching for her. “I don’t care.”

  “You’ll get grumpy if you don’t caffeinate … and you’re already grumpy.”

  “Ouch. I think I’ve been like sunshine and rainbows the last couple days.”

  “Yes. Well, when you’re inside me, you’re pretty sunshiny.”

  “So, what do we learn from that? It’s not coffee I need; it’s you wrapped around my cock.” I point to the ceiling where my bedroom sits above.

  Tilly rolls her eyes with a laugh that has warmth spreading through my once-frosty chest.

  “Down, boy. I’m sore.”

  “I’d apologise, but you were the one who woke me up in the early hours this morning.”

  Her smile widens. “What are we doing today? Besides sex.”

  “Aren’t you working?”

  She shakes her head. “Not until tomorrow morning, so you’ve got me all day.”

  “Okay, let’s go then.”

  “Where?”

  “Just come and get in the car, Tilly.”

  Her eyebrows dip together. “Okay, I’ll go along with this. Am I dressed for whatever we’re doing?”

  I nod and drain another mouthful of coffee.