by G. Bailey
“Wait,” Tilly says when I go to get out.
“Yeah?” I ask, and she chuckles as she wipes something from the side of my lip.
“My lipstick,” she says, and I kiss her.
“Don’t care,” I say, getting out of the car as I hear her laugh behind me.
I link my arm around her waist as we walk into the theatre, following the red rug on the floor. The theatre is amazing inside, everything is gold. Gold walls and floors, gold statues lining the walls. Our driver speaks to the staff, and then he takes us into the room we rented on the top floor overlooking the play. I open the door and thank the driver for shutting it behind me. There is a row of seats near the balcony and a buffet filled with food and drinks on the side. There is a small, white table, with two chairs set up in the other corner of the room. There’s light music playing from the theatre stage, and Tilly goes to look over the balcony.
“Is this all ours? The view is amazing,” Tilly says, and I move to stand next to her, pushing her hair to the side and gently kissing down her neck.
“Yes, it’s all ours for the night,” I say, and her breath catches when I gently suck on the spot under her ear. She turns in my arms, looking up at me and not moving as we stare at each other.
“Can anyone see us here?” she asks, sliding her hands down my chest. I know we are at the highest point.
“Not if we move further back into the room,” I say with a smirk, and she leans up and kisses me.
I want to take it slow, as I enjoy how she tastes, how her soft lips move across mine, but when she slides her hands into my hair, I can’t control the kiss anymore. The kiss becomes frantic from both of us, a kiss built up from all the tension we have had with each other since we first met. I walk backward, keeping my hands in her hair, and move her closer to the table in the room. I lift her onto the table as her hands slide down my waist and start undoing my trousers. I pull her dress down her chest, exposing her perfect breasts, and lean forward, twirling my tongue around one and making her moan louder.
“Shhh,” I say, and she chuckles a little for a second, but then she pushes down my trousers and boxers, pulling my hard cock into her soft hand. She moves her hand up and down, making me groan with how amazing it feels.
“Tilly,” I bite out, pushing her dress up to her hips and seeing her lack of underwear.
“You’re a bad girl, aren’t you?” I ask her, just before sliding my finger inside her and feeling how wet she is.
I rub my thumb around her clit, loving her little moans and the way her hand strokes my cock harder. When I feel her getting tighter around my finger, and her moans getting to the point where I know she is close to coming on my hand, I pull my finger out. I grab her hips and line my cock up before kissing her and sliding inside. She moans into my mouth, her nails pressing into my neck as I thrust into her again and again.
“Harley, oh my god, don’t stop.” She moans again and again as I feel her tighten around me and I pick up speed. I finish only moments later, our heavy breathing and her moans still filling the room.
“I love you, Harley King,” she tells me, and I gently lean forward, kissing her.
“I love you, too, Tilly Fox.”
106
Tilly
“TILLY!” I hear Izzy shout up the stairs just as I put baby girl down for her nap after a feed.
I cringe and look down at baby girl, praying that she doesn’t wake up, but she only stirs a little before rolling onto her side and cuddling the dinosaur teddy Jake gave her. I bought her lots of pink teddies and dolls, yet the old dinosaur teddy is what she has to sleep with every time.
I lean down and kiss her forehead, loving the little smile she gives, even in her sleep. She is so cute. I pick the baby monitor up and shut the bedroom door quietly just as Izzy gets to the top of the stairs and runs over to me.
“I’m engaged!” she says, showing me her hand with the large engagement ring on her finger. The ring has a large diamond in the middle and sapphires on the sides. I know Izzy has a sapphire necklace, and that it’s the only thing she has left from her mother; the fact he put those in the engagement ring is so sweet.
“Oh my god! I’m so happy for you!” I say, pulling her hand up and looking at the stunning ring closely.
“You have to tell me everything, the when and the where. Come on.” I tug on her hand and lead her up the stairs to Harley’s attic room, knowing he is out at the gym this morning. We both go and sit on the sofa, and she starts off.
“Okay, you know all the trips he took me on?” I nod. “Well, he has been trying to propose to me at each one, but something was always going wrong.”
“Okay, I feel really sorry for Blake now.” I chuckle, and she laughs.
“I know, right?” She looks down at her ring and then back up at me. “So, last night, we stayed at his mum's and had dinner. It was great, but some nurses had called in sick so his mum had to go in to cover. Then we had a power cut, and the power was out all night.”
“Same here, it must have been a blackout,” I tell her, and she nods.
“So, imagine this, the living room full of candles, the fire in the fireplace lit, and we were lying on the rug, after doing stuff–”
“To keep warm?” I wiggle my eyebrows at her, and she laughs.
“Exactly.” She winks. “Anyway, Blake went into the kitchen to get more candles, as some had gone out, and his phone started ringing. I went and grabbed his jacket to find his phone, just in case it was important–”
“And you found the ring box?” I say, clapping my hands.
“Well, it fell out onto the floor and I picked it up, opening it as Blake came in. He laughed, explaining all the romantic things he had planned and how they all went wrong as he held my one hand and got down on one knee.”
“Aww,” I say, wiping my eyes. This is exactly what I wanted for her; she deserves this so much.
“The speech he gave me, about how we met, the struggles we had, and how he never wants me anywhere but at his side . . . oh my god, I was in tears,” Izzy says, wiping a few tears away at the memory.
“You remember when we used to sit and watch those witch TV shows with your mum? How she told you that you’d find a perfect guy one day,” I say, and she chuckles.
“I remember we used to watch those shows over and over again.” She sniffles a little. “I miss her. I wish she was here to help me pick a dress, and to meet Blake,” Izzy admits.
“She would have loved him,” I say, squeezing her hand.
“I know. Would you be my maid of honour?” she asks me suddenly, and I pull her to me. I wrap my arms around her, and she sobs a little into my shoulder.
“Of course, I will, and even though your mum isn’t here, we won’t forget her on your wedding day. She will be with you,” I tell her, rubbing her back.
“I know she is with me. I see her when I do simple things like buying apples from the shops and how she used to pick each one up and see what shape they were before buying them.”
“I remember she didn’t like apples that were odd shapes.” I chuckle with Izzy as I pull away from the hug.
“Thank you for coming here, I didn’t realise how much I missed having someone from my past around until you came here. I know I could talk about my mum to anyone, but it’s not the same. I know you remember her.”
“I’m always here to talk,” I tell her, and she holds my hand.
“I’m going to ask Harley to walk me down the aisle, and I know Blake is asking Sebastian to be his best man,” she tells me. “Right . . . I have to go tell Allie and Maisy. We are meeting up for lunch. Do you want to come?” she asks me.
“No, hun. I have work to catch up with. But have fun,” I say, hugging her once more before she leaves.
I pull my laptop off the coffee table and start editing the book that was sent to me yesterday. Thankfully, the author is in no rush, but I don’t want to leave her long without getting the first edit back to her. I spend the next half an hour ed
iting. I know I can’t do too much more before baby girl wakes up.
“Hey, gorgeous,” I hear Harley say as he comes into the room and shuts the door. I put my laptop down, knowing I will have to do more tonight. Overall, it’s not badly written, and it won’t be a massive job.
“Hey, did you hear about Izzy and Blake?” I ask, watching as he comes over and sits next to me on the sofa. Harley looks so much more relaxed and less stressed since everything with Arthur is behind him and we are together. I like seeing him like this, and the smile he always wears.
“Yeah, she called. Thank God, he actually managed to ask without something going wrong. I was starting to feel bad for him.” Harley chuckles, and I move across the sofa, swinging my one leg over him and sitting on his lap.
“I missed waking up next to you this morning,” I whisper across his lips.
“I gave you a lie in, you deserved it.” He chuckles, and I brush my lips down his neck, his hands tightening on my hips. “Tilly,” he warns when I move my hips and rub myself against him, feeling him getting hard beneath me.
“Yes, Harley?” I ask, sliding off his lap and onto my knees in front of him.
I slowly undo his belt as he watches me, his eyes locked on mine the whole time. He lifts his hips a little to help me pull his trousers off, and I take his large cock into my hand. He groans as I lean forward, sliding my tongue around the tip before gently sucking him into my mouth. He is big enough that it’s hard not to gag when I take all of him into my mouth, and he grabs my hair, holding my head in place as I keep still, letting him take over. He fucks my mouth, hard and fast as it’s clear he is losing control, but I love it. I love seeing him relax like this. He suddenly stops, lifting me up, and pushing me onto the sofa. I moan a little when he pulls my leggings and red panties off before turning me so that I’m on my knees on the sofa. I feel his hand cup me from behind.
“So wet from just having me in your mouth,” he whispers, more to himself, before he moves his hand and slides his cock deep inside me.
I arch my back as he grabs my hips and starts pounding away, his grip almost bruising, but the pleasure of having him inside me makes me barely notice. My own hand slides down, rubbing circles on my clit and if anything, it makes him lose more control as he moves faster inside me. He leans forward just as I come and bites down on my shoulder gently, and I moan his name as he finishes inside me. I collapse to the sofa with Harley pulling me to him so that I’m lying on his chest.
“It’s never been like this,” he says after a long silence.
“Like what?” I ask him.
“It’s never meant anything to me, it was just sex. With you, I swear I feel everything, and I never want it to end,” he says.
“It will never end, I don’t want it to either,” I whisper, and he holds me tighter.
107
Tilly
“Hey, you,” I say, resting my hand on Harley’s back, and he turns around with a smile. I rake my eyes over him, seeing him covered in dirt from the gardening he has been doing all day. It’s been three days since the theatre. As soon as we got back, Harley moved my baby and me into his bedroom. He had already emptied a wardrobe for us. My eyes can’t move away from the muscled body under his shirt, the way his hair is down like it always is when he gardens, and, finally, to meet his amused, green eyes.
“What exactly are you thinking about?” he asks, and I grin.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I reply.
“I’m nearly finished here, and then I will have a shower and cook if you want? Maybe we can do whatever you were just thinking about?” he asks me.
“I can cook,” I tell him, and he nods, reaching out his dirt-covered hands to hold me.
“Err, nope. You are all dirty,” I say, making him chuckle.
“But I want a dirty kiss from my girlfriend,” he says, standing up as I walk backward. When I see the playful look in his eyes, I turn and run into the house, hearing him laughing behind me all the way.
I stop running when I get to the kitchen and put the baby monitor down on the side as baby girl sleeps. I’ve booked to register her birth in three days, and I still haven’t chosen a name. I don’t know why it seems so hard to do. I have a list of names, but none of them seem to suit her.
I put some pasta on to boil and then get the ingredients out to make the cheese sauce. I’m grating cheese when my phone rings, and I pick up.
“Hello?” I ask, but no one answers. I look down at the number, seeing it’s unknown. I keep getting these phones calls this week.
“Hello?” I ask again. Still no reply.
The phone goes dead, and I put it on the side. I doubt it’s anything other than someone selling something, or a dodgy line. I grate the cheese and add it to the sauce I’ve made as Harley comes into the kitchen. Harley’s hair is still slightly wet, hanging around his handsome face, and he only has a pair of black, jogging trousers on, showing off his impressive chest.
“I checked baby girl, and she is fast asleep. What are you making?” he asks, coming over and sliding his hands around my waist.
“Cheese pasta,” I comment, as he kisses my cheek. “It’s going to be a little while yet,” I tell him, turning off the heat. I drain the pasta, while Harley watches, and mix it in with the sauce. I add it to a tray and put more grated cheese on top before placing the tray into the oven.
“Can I ask you to do something with me?” Harley asks me, and I turn to look at him after closing the oven.
“What’s up?” I ask. I know him well enough to see he is worried about something.
“Arthur gave me this note after I won the fights. It’s only an address, time, date, and a name I don’t recognise,” he says, handing the note to me. The address isn’t far from here, about forty minutes away, and the name ‘Julie Smith’ is written above it. At the bottom is tomorrow’s date and a time: two thirty.
“I Google searched the address, it’s a home for mentally ill people, a dodgy one at that,” Harley says with a confused look that matches mine.
“Why would he send you there?” I ask, having no clue what to make of it.
“That’s the point, I don’t know,” he says, and I hand the note back to him.
“Of course I will go with you. I will ask my mum to come and sit with baby girl,” I comment, and he nods.
“Thank you, I doubt it’s anything, but I want you at my side either way,” he tells me, and I lean up, kissing his cheek.
“Are you registering the baby’s name as baby girl?” he asks with a cheeky grin.
“No,” I say, chuckling.
“Okay, how about after we go to this tomorrow, we sit and go through names?” he asks, and I nod.
“I would love that,” I say.
“Harley, does it bother you that I have a daughter? That . . . well–” I blurt out, and he puts a finger to my lips.
“Can I tell you the truth?” he asks me and even though part of me doesn’t want to know, I still nod.
“A tiny part of me hates that she isn’t my daughter, not biologically, anyway. Another part of me wants to be like a dad to her. I hope one day you might let me adopt her and marry you. I’m a hundred percent in this with you, and she comes with you. I’m not that kind of man, Tilly. I love you, and I love her, too,” he tells me, his voice strong and firm. There isn’t a part of me that doesn’t doubt how he feels.
“Harley,” I say with a sigh.
“You know I can’t have kids. That I want to adopt someday; it’s always been my plan. This was never my plan, but I’m a believer in fate. I think it’s fate that brought both of you to me, and I plan to keep you both happy and safe,” he tells me.
“Why don’t you come with me when I register her? I will never let Daniel near her, and I know you’re not her father, but you have been one to her since she was born. That means more,” I say.
“You mean that? I could bring my lawyer and formally adopt her that way,” he says, thinking about it.
“No
one has to know she isn’t yours, Harley, if you’re on the birth certificate . . .” I say, and he nods.
“If this is what you want,” he tells me, and I wrap my arms around him, resting my head against his chest.
“It is,” I whisper.
“We will have to tell her someday, who her biological father really is and everything that happened. I don’t want her to hate us if she finds out any other way.”
“When she is older, we will tell her together,” I agree.
I know I will have to tell my baby girl one day about her biological father, but she won’t able to understand the reasons I ran away from him until she’s older. I just hope he never finds us, not just for our sake, but for Harley’s. I know Harley would kill him if he came anywhere near me.
108
Harley
“You never tell us anything about our mother,” I tell my father as he lies back on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling. I wouldn’t dare ask him anything about our mother if he wasn’t so drunk that he can’t even stand up. I look at my pathetic excuse for a father, dribble coming out of his mouth and his dazed eyes. I doubt it’s just alcohol in his system tonight.
“Your mother was smart and perfect for me to control,” he mumbles out.
“Did you love her? Why did she leave?” I ask him, and he laughs.
“I never loved her, only one girl was for me and–” he goes to answer and falls to sleep, his body falling onto the sofa. I wonder who the girl he loved was, and I hope she is far away from this mess of a man. When I look at my father, it makes more sense why my mother left, but I will never understand why she left us with him. What kind of mother would leave her children with a monster?
“This place looks rough,” Tilly says as I pull into the drive of the mental home. She must be thinking the same things as I am.
