by Smith, Wendy
I step back to let him in, and we embrace, slapping one another on the back. Corey was the brother I was closest to growing up, the one who always took my side. Our last words to each other were harsh, but I hope that’s in the past.
“So, you’re back, and with Lily.” He pulls away and gives me a huge smile.
I nod. “There’s a lot I need to tell you.”
“Hold that thought.”
He heads back out to the ute, opening the rear door and pulling out a large container.
“I could kill a coffee. There’s some meat in the chilly bin for Lily.” He passes me as he comes in the front door and places the box in the hallway.
“Awesome. She’ll be stoked. I’ll go and start the coffee.”
He follows as I make my way into the kitchen. “It’s so good to see you. Are you back for good?”
“If things work out. Either way, I’m not living without Lily again.” I flick the switch on the jug.
Corey grins. “She was never the same without you. I wanted to get on a plane and smack you, but if Lily’s taken you back, she must be okay with what happened. We all took care of her.”
“So I’ve learned. Did you really think I’d decided to stay away? Knowing my own kid was back here?” The water boils, and I lean back on the bench.
Guilt sweeps his face. “I didn’t think so. It was really confusing. We had that argument and I knew you weren’t planning to come back. And then Mum said you were in the army and you had a girlfriend. I guess I thought you were being selfish, but I also got it. You guys were kids. We all were. None of us knew what responsibility really was. Some of us still don’t.”
“I didn’t know about Max. Mum kept it from me.”
I wish I could say my big brother’s surprised, but all he does is shrug and sit down at the table.
“That doesn’t shock you?” I drop teaspoons of coffee and sugar in our cups and pour the milk with some vague memory of Corey taking his coffee the same as mine.
“Owen caught me up. Do you remember what Mum and Dad were like when we were little? Dad had balls back then—he’d stand up to her. Something happened, Adam. Something killed him inside, and I’ve been trying to work it out what it is for ages.”
Pouring the water into the cups, I carry them to the table. “I have some vague memories.”
“She’s holding something over him. Has to be. He laughed when I asked him, but he doesn’t say boo unless she agrees to it.”
I sigh. “Nothing would surprise me. How did things get so screwed up? When I hit him up about it, he said there was more at stake than just Lily.”
Corey smiles. “Whatever it is, I’m glad you’re back. What do you think of Max? I thought I might offer to take him off Lily’s hands for the day.”
The back door opens and Max comes bounding in, followed by his mother with a basketful of laundry.
“Corey,” he shrieks, and runs around the table to sit beside him.
“Hey, Max. Lily. There’s a chilly bin full of meat by the front door.”
Lily places the basket of washing on a chair. “Thanks. It’s good to see you.”
“Great to see you guys. Especially this one.” He grips my shoulder. “I wondered if Max wanted to come and hang out with me for the rest of the day. I’m going to Owen’s to hang out and watch some movies.” He shifts his gaze to me. “I’d ask you too, but I have a feeling a day alone with the lovely Lily is probably more to your taste right now.”
Lily leans on my other shoulder. “Do you want to go, Max?”
He nods so hard I think his head might drop off. “I wonder if Owen will have some gingerbread men.”
“We’ll have to find out. I’ll just finish my coffee if you want to grab anything you need.” Corey grins.
“I don’t need anything. I’ve already got socks and shoes on from helping Mum.”
“Well, there you go.” Corey grins at us. “Enjoy your time alone, you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. I’ll bring him home around five so he’s back for dinner?”
Lily nods. “Sounds great. Max, you be good for Corey.”
“Yes, Mum.”
“Max is always good for me. He’s my little buddy, aren’t you?”
I smile at the easy relationship Corey and Max have, and yet I get pangs of jealousy. What Max and I have is special, but he’s had time to build that ease with Owen, Corey, and James.
It’ll take me a while to get over that.
* * *
Lily waves from the door until Corey’s car disappears from sight. It’s funny how Max wears her out, but the second they’re separated, it’s as if she’s no longer whole.
“As nice as it is to get a break, this place is so quiet without Max.” She walks back into the kitchen and toward the table where the coffee cups sit.
“It doesn’t have to be quiet. We can make our own noise.”
She laughs. “What are you suggesting?”
Picking up the cups, she takes them the short distance to the bench. I’m right behind her as she turns, and I press myself against her as she gasps. “You, me. Here.”
“Here?”
“We’re alone. I’m not very patient.”
Her breath quickens as she gazes at me, and she runs her fingers up my chest. Every touch only makes me want her more, and I can’t get enough.
“Now,” I growl, and her eyes widen. I spin her around and bend her over the kitchen table.
“Here?” she asks again.
“I’m not waiting.”
She lets out a joyful laugh as I reach around her waist and unzip her jeans, pushing them down to her ankles. Her body shakes and she pants staying still as I drop her panties right behind her jeans.
“Adam,” she moans. I haven’t even touched her yet.
Slipping my hand around her hips, I stroke her thigh before shifting my hand a little and finding her clit. She pushes back against me, another tiny moan escaping her lips. She knows what’s coming. She wants it. She wants me.
“You’re ready for me?”
She nods, and I slide my fingers back a little to double check. It doesn’t take much to prompt a response, her body clearly craving mine as I crave hers.
“Lily,” I whisper her name in her ear, and she shivers. Letting go for a moment, I unzip my own jeans and push them down. I vowed we’d never rush sex, that I wanted her naked so I could touch her, take it slow, but that vow is forgotten as I drive into her, and despite her knowing I’m right behind her, she gasps.
“Adam,” she cries, and leans over a little more giving me a better angle.
“You’re all mine now.” I laugh as I slide in and out of her. This—this is all I’ve ever needed. The greatest love I’ve ever known, and she belongs to me again.
“I always was.” She moans, pushing her hips up to meet me. Being inside her brings back memories, like the scent of leather car seats and sex mingling in the air as we hid from the world and promised to always love one another. At least now I can keep that promise.
“Being like this makes me think of old times. You still feel amazing,” I say.
She lets out another moan, and I tense, the build-up taking over my body before I close my eyes and let go. Everything I am and everything I have is hers. It’ll never be anyone else’s, and it never was. I was a fool to think I could be happy without her.
“Being able to do this is amazing.” She stills, and I stay there for a moment, her warmth around me.
“I’m not finished yet.”
I love the sound of Lily’s laugh, and as I slide out of her, she stands straight and turns. Her eyes are full of love as she places her hands on my chest. “Be that as it may, I’m going to clean up and I’ll be back in a second.” She raises her face to be kissed and I accept her invitation, the taste of coffee still fresh on her tongue.
“Make it quick.”
“It’s hard to go anywhere quick with your pants around your ankles.” She chuckles as she shuffles out of the room. I c
an’t help but grin at the sight of her bare arse disappearing through the door. Little does she know that when she comes back, there’ll be a whole lot more of her exposed.
That’s the first room other than the bedroom christened.
* * *
I’m waiting when she returns, grabbing her arms and kissing her. I want this for the rest of my life, only I can’t scare her just yet with that news.
“You pulled your pants up,” I say, raising my eyebrows.
“I’m too scared I’ll trip.”
“I’ll catch you.” I slip my arms around her, pulling her in tight.
“That’s the corniest thing I think I’ve ever heard.”
My hands are on her jeans again, and as I push the zip down she sighs. “Again?”
“Again. Figure we’ve got twelve years of sex to catch up on.”
Lily snorts, reaching for my shirt. I take a step back, and she follows me into the living room. “That’s a lot of sex.”
“I couldn’t keep my hands off you back then, remember?”
She nods, pulling my shirt over my head as I push her pants back down. I ache to have her again, to touch her, to taste her skin.
“Seems like you can’t keep your hands off me now,” she whispers.
With her pants around her ankles, I pull her T-shirt over her head and unclip her bra. She’s so beautiful naked, her breasts peaking into those dusky nipples.
Laughing, I pull her gently to the floor with me, and we lie down on the rug. Lily relaxes, closing her eyes and sighing as I cup her neck before running my hand down her shoulder and onto her breast.
Taking her other nipple in my mouth, I run my finger around the first one in circles. Her body shifts as her breathing grows faster. Unlike the fast pace we enjoyed in the kitchen, our living room sex is going to be slow.
“I bet you never thought you’d be naked on your living room floor with me,” I murmur, laughing softly.
“The thought never crossed my mind.” She runs her hand over my chest before dropping it to my jeans. As she pushes my jeans down and wraps her hand around my cock, her chest rises and falls quickly, and she meets my eyes with that innocent look she does so well. It sends a lightning bolt through my body, giving me the urge to corrupt her—although I think we did that to each other a long time ago.
Her hand drives me crazy, her gentle touch leaving me straining to maintain control. She props herself up on one elbow, and I don’t need to ask what she has in mind. So many nights when I was away I’d dream of her, of the times I would sneak into her room and we’d hide under the covers of her bed, touching each other, loving each other.
This is all those dreams coming true. Lily switches from angel to devil in an instant, a glint in her eye leaving me in no doubt as to what she’s about to do.
“You’re all mine now,” she says, mimicking my earlier words.
“I always was,” I repeat hers back to her and gasp as she lowers her head and takes me in her mouth. The pain of holding on is unbearable, but I don’t want this over quickly. I close my eyes, lost in her touch, moaning at the feel of her taking me deep.
She picks up the pace until I can’t control myself and I lose it, crying her name as I spill into her mouth. “Holy shit, Lily.”
Lily holds for a moment before lying back down beside me. “Good?”
“Well, that wasn’t how I thought this would end.” I grin, pulling her into my arms and kissing her on the nose.
“Better, or worse?”
“It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s all amazing.”
She laughs, placing her hand on my chest and pushing herself back to a seated position.
For a woman who wasn’t that confident about her body when I first knew her, she now seems content to be sitting in the middle of the living room floor without a single piece of clothing on. I’ve never seen her look so beautiful.
“Well, maybe what we need now is a shower. If you’re lucky I might make you some lunch.” She stands, and I prop myself up on one arm, placing a hand on her ankle.
“I thought maybe we could go upstairs and you could be lunch.”
Lily’s mouth twists as she seems to ponder my suggestion. “Race you.”
I chuckle. My pants are still around my ankles as I watch her take off up the stairs, and I lie back and smile to myself.
What have I started?
* * *
“Knock, knock.” Corey’s deep voice echoes in the entranceway. I step through from the kitchen, where I’ve started cooking dinner, to greet him and Max.
Max is exhausted. He walks as if he’s asleep on his feet, his shoulders slumped and his head down. My poor boy.
“We watched some movies, then Owen and I took him to the park to throw a ball around. You’ll be lucky if he stays awake for dinner,” Corey says. “So, you’re welcome.”
Max heads straight for the living room and the couch, where he flops down.
I grin. “Here I was being all organised so he had something to eat. I’m cooking one of your roasts. Lily’s having a sleep.”
“You wore her out that much?”
“No comment.”
Corey slaps me on the back as we walk through to the living room. Max’s eyes already heavy.
“Want some dinner, bud? It’s just about ready.”
While he nods, it’s clear his heart isn’t in it.
“How about I make you a sandwich instead? Then you can go straight up to bed.”
He gives me a tired smile and nods. I turn back toward the kitchen.
“It is okay for him to be sitting on that couch, isn’t it?” Corey asks.
“What are you talking about?”
He shrugs as I pick up the loaf of bread and pull out a couple of slices.
“I don’t know. Leftover bodily fluids. It’s been a long day.” Corey guffaws as I throw a slice of bread at him.
“The couch is clean. I don’t know if I’d sit on the rug though.” I turn back and take out another slice of bread, opening the cupboard to get the peanut butter. Max loves that.
Arms slip around my waist, and I turn my head to receive a kiss from my girl. “I heard that.”
“It’s only Corey.”
“No one important, then.” She slips past me and onto Corey, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek.
“I feel honoured. What did I do?”
“Gave us some time. Took good care of Max.”
“He’s on the couch, nearly asleep.”
She lets go and heads toward the living room. I lather the bread with peanut butter and pull a plate out of the cupboard.
“Can you have sex with your girlfriend more often? I get all of the love.” He laughs that throaty laugh of his that’s only become deeper since I’ve been gone.
“Just as well I’m not the jealous type.” That’s a lie and he knows it, but from behind his bearded face, he smiles, showing off his teeth.
“Whatever, Bro.”
I carry the sandwich out to Max. He’s resting against his mother, who strokes his hair and kisses his temple. The love between them warms the whole room.
“Look what I’ve got.” I hand the sandwich to him.
“Thanks, Dad.”
I squat in front of him. “Did you have fun with your uncles?”
For someone so tired, he becomes incredibly animated when I ask that, his whole face lighting up. “They’re my uncles?”
“They are. Corey and Owen are my brothers. Drew and James, too.”
Max grins, then takes a bite of his sandwich.
“We never really called them that. They were just friends.” Lily smoothes his hair.
The sandwich disappears, and I make Max another one before he admits defeat. I hug him, kissing him on the head before he makes his way up the stairs with his mother.
“Goodnight, Max.” I say.
He turns and gives Corey and I a little wave.
“He’s such a good kid. Just needs to be stimulated a
nd entertained,” Corey says. “I was like that.”
I nod. “Finding out about him has been mind-blowing. From the moment we met I felt this connection with him, and I thought it was just because he was Lily’s.”
“There’s a whole lot of you in there.” Corey claps me on the back.
“Want to stay for dinner?” I walk back to the kitchen to check on the roasting meat. The meat’s cooked, as are the potatoes and vegetables. He’s timed this just right.
“Smells great. I’d love to.” Corey sits at the table. “You can cook?”
“Enough to survive.”
“Hey, Lil,” Corey says. I turn to see Lily in the doorway. “I was just voicing my amazement that Adam can cook.”
“He’s actually got pretty good.” Lily sits opposite Corey. “I’ve been surprised.”
“Don’t you start. Max asleep already?”
“As soon as his head hit the pillow. He’ll be full of energy in the morning for school.”
I grab a tea towel and pull the roasting dish forward, sticking a fork in the small venison roast and lifting it onto the chopping board.
“That smells amazing.” Lily smiles.
“You’ll eat well out of that lot. There’s wild pork and quite a bit of venison. The old guy who hired me had a real issue with the deer killing native trees on his land,” Corey says.
“I appreciate it, but I still wish you didn’t have to kill them.” She frowns.
“We have this conversation every single time.” Corey rolls his eyes. “They’re a pest.”
“Doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“What are you going to do when you leave here? I assume that’s what’s going to happen now Adam’s back. What about your sheep? Will your freezer be full of mutton?”
Lily narrows her eyes at him. I love my brother, but I need to talk to Lily about what I want from the future before I announce anything to anyone else.
“You should really quit with the foreplay in front of my brother.” Corey grins, but it only lasts a few seconds. “Ouch. Don’t kick me under the table.”
I laugh. “Stop antagonising her, Corey.”
Slicing through the roast, I dish it up on plates with roast potatoes.
