Nodding, he moves to pull down the blankets of my bed, waiting until I’ve climbed in before he gets in beside me and wraps me in his arms before pressing his lips to mine. “I love you, Cody,” he whispers.
“I love you too,” I whisper back, before closing my eyes and falling fast into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 34
Brad
I wake around 4am, to the sound of the first bird singing and release a contented sigh as Dakota wriggles in her sleep and snuggles up against me. Her face is pressed into my chest, and her legs entwined in mine.
As she moves, her thigh brushes between my legs, causing my morning erection to jump and nudge against her leg. I close my eyes and grit my teeth, willing my hard-on to go down, and when I open my eyes, she’s looking up at me with an amused smile on her face.
“I didn’t do that on purpose,” I assure her, as she moves a little and it jumps again. She giggles a little, and I chuckle. “You need to stay still.” She moves a little again, and suddenly our laughter ceases when she brushes her lips against mine.
All it takes is a moment for the mood to change as the brush of our lips becomes an intense kiss that has my hand sliding down to her arse, as I pull her firmly against me. Her fingers drag down my back and instead of rolling so I’m on top like she normally would, Dakota moves in a way that urges me to roll so she’s on top of me, her legs still entwined with mine as her pelvis presses against my cock.
“I want to be the one to give you pleasure,” she whispers. “Just like you’ve done for me. And I want the same rules to apply–if you say stop, we stop.”
I let out my breath and nod, trying to relax as she takes control and slowly slides her way down my body. I tense up slightly when she kisses just above my boxers then tucks her fingers in the elastic waistband and pulls them downward.
Nerves skitter about in my stomach as I feel my cock spring free. It’s that mix of anticipation and worry that’s been causing me to call a halt to all of our other encounters. But the moment her mouth closes over my shaft, all of that trepidation flies out the window, and all I can do is fight to maintain control, so this isn’t over the second her hand joins in and pumps my length.
“Holy crap,” I hiss, as she pumps her hand back and forth, and she swirls her tongue lightly around my tip. “Sweetheart, I can’t…” I moan, straining to keep hold because this feels so damn good.
My hands slide into her hair, and I move to pull away or I’m going to blow in her mouth. But, she holds on tight and soon, all my control is gone, and I’m finding my release in the warmth of her mouth, as I pulse my orgasm down her throat.
When I’m done, she sucks hard as she slowly removes her mouth from my shaft. I groan slightly, and she moves up my body to lie beside me. I smile, gently touching her face. “That was…” I start.
“Incredibly arousing,” she whispers breathlessly, and I nod because I’m still hard as a rock.
***
Dakota
The space in between my legs throbs with both need and want. I never thought doing that for him would feel as amazing as it just did. But I’m feeling on edge, and I want nothing more than to slide my leg over to straddle him. Inside I ache, and I’m longing for him to be inside me again just like he was my first time. But, I don’t want to be pushy–I’ve already pushed him so much.
I’m squirming against him, pressing my legs together to try and calm some of the pulsing between my thighs. But it doesn’t do any good. “I guess I’d better get up,” I whisper, looking into his blue eyes as my head swims with arousal. He nods, but his arm moves around my waist and tightens.
I move against him, feeling his erection pressing against my thigh, before his fingers move to slide just beneath the edge of my pyjama shorts. “I want you,” he murmurs.
“I want you,” I whisper in return. His fingers slide my pants down my legs, his hands moving back up my thighs until he’s at my waist, gripping me to guide my movement so I straddle him.
I gasp as my core brushes against his cock, my body quivering in anticipation. I lift my singlet off and drop it on the floor beside the bed.
“Condom?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“I just want you. I’m on the pill.”
He nods and holds my hips, as I reach between us and guide his long shaft to my opening. We lock eyes, and I slowly lower myself down his thick length, feeling myself stretching and adjusting around him in the most achingly wonderful way.
A groan escapes his throat as I begin to move over him, gasping and panting, a pressure building within me as my insides push and pull and stretch.
“Oh god, Brad,” I moan, feeling the coil tighten before I explode around him. He grips my hips again them flips me onto my back, moving inside me so he’s driving his cock into me deeply. It makes my orgasm come in waves, and I struggle not to yell in ecstasy. “Oh!”
He pushes inside me once more, and I feel his throb as he spills himself inside me. I pulse pleasurably around him, before suddenly, I feel tears build behind my eyes then spill out onto my cheeks. I turn my head, trying to hide them from him, not wanting him to think he’s hurt me. But he sees anyway.
“Oh god, no. Are you alright? Cody?”
I shake my head, and wipe at my tears. “I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m just happy.”
“You’re crying because you’re happy?”
I nod. “I can’t help it, they’re just falling out by themselves,” I laugh, trying to wipe at them and stem their flow.
He leans down and gently kisses my lips. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I promise,” I assure him. “In fact, I’d like it if you did that again.”
Chapter 35
Brad
After spending the night talking to Dakota, revealing all of our thoughts and fears regarding our relationship, it was as if we both finally accepted that we each found our relationship equally important. And it made taking that final step so much easier. I think it meant a lot more because we were on the same page emotionally.
In a way, we were both scared of doing something to ruin things and send the other away again. But now, we know that this is our time, and neither of us is willing to let it go. We’ve made a promise to always be there for each other, to always take care, and that’s what we’re going to do.
Tonight, I’m finally taking her to Quay to show her one of the most important parts of my life.
“Everyone’s really looking forward to meeting you,” I say, as I walk her up to the front door.
“No they aren’t,” she laughs, nudging me in the side with her body as she walks alongside me, holding my hand.
“They are. I talk about how amazing you are all the time. They want to know who this woman is who makes me so happy.”
She smiles and blushes, and I lean down to kiss her on the cheek before I hug her against me.
Ruby greets us, and leads us to a quiet table before leaving Dakota and me alone. “I kind of organised all of this during the day, so they’ll just bring everything out to us. I want you to taste all of my favourite dishes. Is that cool with you.”
She smiles. “Of course, I’m honoured you’re going to so much trouble.”
I laugh. “Well, my staff is.”
“I’ll be sure to thank them.”
Enjoying the view of the harbour, we sit and talk comfortably as we eat our way through tasting portions of the entire menu. She tries everything and her favourites are the Congee of mud crab, and Slow cooked duck. To top it all off, we drink a glass of Gembrook Hill Pinot Noir, which is my personal favourite from the restaurant’s wine list.
“I had to come out and meet this lady for myself,” Gus, my sous chef says, as he arrives at our table with Chocolate ethereal for our desert. “You know, ever since this man started to see you, he’s been whistling constantly.”
“Whistling?” Dakota asks with a laugh. “That must drive everyone crazy.”
“No,” Gus says. “We just join in.
We’re like the thirty dwarves, whistling while we work. How are you enjoying your meal?”
Dakota runs her hand down the front of her black silk dress. “It’s been amazing. Thank you. Brad tells me your ice cream is the best in the world.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, but the recipe has won some awards.”
“My son thinks it’s heaven. I snuck him some from Brad’s night at the kayaking club.”
“I’ll make him a tub all of his own.”
Gus makes his excuses and leaves the table, shaking my hand and kissing Dakota’s.
“You whistle?” she asks with a laugh, and I shrug.
“You make me happy.”
***
Dakota
When dinner is over, I’m full of food and feeling a gentle buzz from the wine. I’m smiling, I’m happy, I’m on the arm of my love, and everything in the world seems right for once.
“Brad!” We hear as we exit through the front door of Quay. The city air has a chill in it this close to the water, and Brad and draped his jacket over my shoulders.
Turning, we see Ruby jogging toward us. “What’s up?” Brad asks, as she reaches us.
“Nothing, I just haven’t got the chance to talk to you both since Dakota walked in on us talking at your apartment.” She looks at me. “I just want you to know that I’m sorry, and that I would never, ever share that information with anybody.”
I reach out and pat her on the arm. “It’s fine, Ruby, you don’t need to be sorry. I overreacted–you did nothing wrong.”
“I just wanted to make sure we were cool. I don’t want any weirdness going on. Brad and I have been friends for a long time, and I’d hate to cause any problems.”
“You didn’t. It’s fine. I’m glad you’re looking well. How are you feeling?”
She shrugs. “I’m OK. I have a restraining order, and he’s being charged so…”
“Ruby.” The voice cuts through the night, hitting me in the base of my spine and travelling upward. “Can I talk to you? It’ll only take a minute.”
Brad stiffens. Ruby seems upset. My heart thuds in my chest and a flash of memory flicks in my mind.
‘Hold her down. It’ll only take a minute.’
That voice.
Slowly I turn around and see the man the voice belongs to. Ruby is telling him to go away. That he can’t be here. And Brad is doing the same. I can’t take my eyes off him. That voice. Those tattoos–the gang sign on his neck…
“Oh god,” I whisper, grabbing a hold of Brad’s arm, holding on as tight as I can. “B…B…Brad,” I gasp out his name, barely able to speak as my body begins to shake. “B…Brad.”
“Ruby, go inside and call the police,” Brad says, moving me behind him protectively as she runs back into the restaurant.
“Mind your own fucking business,” the guy yells.
“Get away from here,” Brad demands, before turning back to me and gripping my arms. “Go back inside with Ruby.”
I latch on tight, not wanting to let go. “Brad. It’s him. It’s him. He’s one of them.”
With his brow furrowed, he looks at me. “What?” Then his eyes grow wide as realisation dawns on him, and a growl emanates deep within his throat. I barely get the chance to register the movement before Brad lets go of me and lunges at him.
“Brad!” I yell, afraid that he’s going to get hurt, as I see the gang member attack him with a ferocity unlike I’ve ever seen before.
But Brad meets him blow for blow, fuelled by his anger and hatred for what was done to me. Then suddenly, there are two other guys joining in against Brad.
I don’t know what comes over me, but I run in too, removing my heels just before I reach them and hitting the spike into one guy’s back. He howls and turns to me, his arms shooting out to connect with my chest. The blow sends me flying backward, and I land on my arse with a thud.
Somehow, Brad breaks free of them and rushes to my aid, but they’re charging, and I scream. Nothing happens. Instead, they freeze and look toward the restaurant.
“Wanna see how fast we can de-bone meat?”
I turn to the voice, recognising it as the sous chef, Gus. But I’m surprised when it isn’t just him. It looks like the entire kitchen staff is standing there, holding a variety of knifes, or mallets–one even has a fire extinguisher.
The group of attackers take a look between each other, obviously weighing up their options.
“The police are on their way. I don’t think you can take on all of us,” Gus says, as Brad helps me up from the ground.
“Are you alright?” he whispers, and I nod, clinging to his arm.
“I’m OK. I’m not the one bleeding.”
He’s taken quite the beating, although, he shakes it off as though a split lip, a grazed jaw and a cut cheekbone aren’t a problem for him.
“Yeah, run you fucking cowards!” one of the kitchen hands yells as the three men disappear into the crowd.
Chapter 36
Brad
“They did a good job cutting open your cheek,” Dakota comments, as she pinches my skin together and places a Steri-Strip over it to close the wound. “Maybe we should have taken you to emergency to get stitches.”
“You have a little boy to get to school in the morning. We would have been there all night,” I say, watching the concern in her eyes, as she surveys the damage done to my face and knuckles from fighting those three guys. Never have I wanted to kill someone as I did in that moment when I was fighting that scum, Tony Ryder. Perhaps I would have if those other two hadn’t joined in. And now I’m pissed because they got away.
When the police came, we all gave our statements and Dakota told them that she recognised Ryder as one of her attackers. We were assured that they’d bring him in for questioning and get an order to retrieve a DNA sample. But either way, he’s going to get put away. Just adding the violation of his restraining order to his long list of priors means he is going to do some time.
By the time we were done, it was midnight when we walked in the door of my apartment.
As she cleans up the cuts of my knuckles, I take her hands in mine. “Are you OK?”
She shrugs one shoulder and reaches for the can of spray bandage that’s in my first aid kit. “I just hope they catch him. I just want at least one of them to pay for what they did.”
She sprays the sealant over the grazes on my knuckles and blows on them lightly.
“They will,” I whisper, wincing slightly from the sting. “I’m sure of it.”
Standing, I take the spray from her hand, and place it on the benchtop before wrapping her in my arms and pulling her against me, needing her close because tonight, more than any other night, has taught me how powerless we are in some situations. And I hate the fact that bastard has been walking free for so many years, and he’s now hurt two women in my life. God only knows how many others he’s attacked during that time. I shudder to think about it.
“Come on, it’s getting late. I’ll drive you home.”
“Will you stay with me?” she asks, as she picks up her bag and we begin to walk toward the door.
“If that’s what you want.”
“It is. I don’t want to sleep without you. Not tonight.”
***
Dakota
Throughout the night, I sleep fitfully, glad every time I wake with a start and Brad is there to comfort me and lull me back to sleep in his arms. His heartbeat comforts me as I listen through his chest, and his arms make me feel safe.
By morning, I wonder if he’s slept at all, because he seems even more exhausted than I am as he stands in the kitchen, yawning and waiting for the coffee to brew.
“Good morning. I didn’t realise we had a visitor overnight,” mum says, as she walks out in her dressing gown and slippers and opens the fridge to get the milk.
I’m preparing toast and cereal before I go and drag Riley out of bed, and I place everything on the dining table.
“It was all PG, I promise,�
� Brad says, as he accepts the milk from her hands and pulls out another mug to make a coffee for her too. “We just had a bit of a rough night.”
“I can see that,” she comments, taking in the bruising on Brad’s face. “What in the world happened?”
“I saw one of the men who attacked me, mum,” I say, and her face pales in response.
“I thought you didn’t know what they looked like,” she whispers, confused and in shock.
“I don’t, well, I didn’t. But I recognised his voice and his tattoos. It was him, I know it was.”
“Well, did you tell the police?”
Brad answers. “We did. He’s known to them because he’s been hauled in for assault before. They just haven’t had cause for a DNA sample, but they’ll get a court order to get one when they bring him in.”
Mum sits down at the table and chews on her thumbnail. “God that’s just terrible. I hope they catch him and lock him away in the deepest darkest dungeon they can find.”
“So do I,” I say, as I walk toward Riley’s room to get him out of bed.
“Brad!” he yells excitedly as soon as he sees him in the kitchen. He runs over and throws himself against him, wrapping his small arms around his waist.
“Good morning, Riley,” Brad smiles, genuinely happy to see him.
“Did you sleep over again?”
“I did. Is that OK?”
“Sure it is. You can sleep over every night if you want. Then you can make me breakfast and dinner and maybe some of those sausage rolls. And you could take me to school and to the park. It would be really cool because my friends could see your car. What happened to your face?”
A Beautiful Taste Page 15
