Steal My Breath (Elixir #1)

by Nina Levine

  Me: I’ll see you then.

  * * *

  “Make me a cosmo please, Luke,” my mother says as she settles on the stool in front of me. She has recently started visiting the bar more often. Dumping her handbag on the counter between us, she adds, “It’s been a bitch of a day and I need a drink.”

  I raise a brow. “You haven’t had one yet?” I find that hard to believe.

  She purses her lips. “Don’t be a bastard to your mother. I’ve only had a few, and that was at lunch.”

  Avery moves behind me and says, “I’ll make it, Estelle. Luke’s been a moody asshole for the last hour.” She avoids my glare as she makes the cocktail.

  “Why are you moody?” Mum asks.

  “No rea—”

  Avery cuts me off. “Oh, here she is now.”

  I follow her gaze to see Callie walking towards us. When she is standing in front of me, I say, “You’re late.” She’s at least an hour late, if not more. I actually expected her not to show now.

  She drops her bag on the counter next to Mum’s and takes the stool next to her. “It’s been an atrocious afternoon, Luke. You need to make me a vodka.”

  My mum is watching her with great interest. When she mentions vodka, Mum nods and says, “A woman after my own heart. Make her a vodka, Luke, and make it snappy.”

  Callie faces Mum. “Thank you. Finally, someone who bosses him around.”

  I smirk and make the drink.

  I’m not even getting involved in this. I want to see where it ends up.

  “Oh, honey, I’ve been bossing him around for twenty-eight years. Anytime you want something out of him, you just come to me.”

  Callie’s eyes widen and she coughs. “Oh, my goodness, are you Luke’s mother?”

  “I am. And I presume you’re dating my son?”

  Callie’s wild eyes meet mine. “Make that a double, buddy. You did not prepare me for this.”

  Mum laughs and places her hand on Callie’s arm. “In his defence, he didn’t know I was dropping by tonight. I have to say, I’m impressed with your skills.”

  “Which skills would those be?” Callie asks.

  “Getting a double anything out of my son is impressive. He usually refuses to give me any alcohol, let alone a double.”

  “Tell me what you want and I’ll order it for you.”

  Mum extends her hand. “Estelle Ashcroft. So pleased to meet you.”

  Callie takes her hand. “I’m Callie, and it’s lovely to meet you, too.”

  I place Callie’s vodka in front of her. “I’m rationing these tonight. Now tell me, why was your day bad?”

  She takes a long gulp. “Mrs Harper had a fall. I had to get her to the hospital, which meant I had to leave work early, which means I’m behind on my article. I’ve got a long night ahead of me now.”

  I frown. “Mrs Harper?”

  “My neighbour. She’s about ninety. They’re keeping her in hospital for a few days at least to monitor her because she hurt her hip pretty badly.”

  “Ah, so no roast for you tonight,” I say.

  She pokes her tongue at me. “No roast, smarty-pants. And no dessert either.”

  I smirk again. “Definitely no dessert. You’ve had a rough day today. Nothing good for breakfast and no dessert.”

  She takes another long gulp of her vodka. “Oh, screw you, Mr Hardy. I might go home and make my own dessert. And send you a photo.”

  Mum chokes on her drink. “Callie, you and I must really get together one day. Any woman who is willing to take on my son is a woman I need to get to know.”

  Callie holds her drink up to clink my mother’s glass. “We can drink cocktails and swap notes.”

  “Jesus,” I mutter.

  I leave them to their conversation to go and take care of some waiting customers. When I return twenty minutes later, Avery has made them both another drink and they’re getting on like a house on fire.

  I pull Avery aside. “No more drinks for either of them.”

  She pulls a face. “Really, Luke? You’re going all caveman now?”

  “If I see them with a drink after this one, I’m gonna be pissed off, Avery. Mum’s had enough for today and Callie needs to get home to do her work.”

  She rolls her eyes and wanders away muttering some shit I can’t hear.

  “Well, look at this cosy little party.” I turn to find Tyler standing between Mum and Callie; his arms draped over their shoulders.

  “Have you called your father, Tyler? He’s been looking for you this afternoon,” Mum says.

  “No, I’m avoiding him,” he says, annoyance flashing across his face. “And you should stop seeing him if that’s what is going on.”

  “I’m not seeing him. Why do all my sons think I’m seeing him again? I’ll have you all know right now that I have a new man.”

  I lean on the counter. “Really? Why haven’t we heard anything about him?” Whenever she has a new guy, we’re the first to know.

  She sips her drink. “Because I’m serious about this one and I wanted him to myself until I knew for sure.”

  “Knew what for sure?” Tyler asks.

  “That he’s the one.” Her shoulders straighten as she says this and her face lights up with happiness. I’m not convinced, though. Estelle Ashcroft meets “the one” at least twice a year.

  “How long have you been seeing him?” Tyler demands.

  “Four months and seven days.”

  Tyler scoffs. “That’s a blink. How can you know anything in four months?”

  Callie joins in. “Time means nothing when love is involved.”

  Mum raises her glass to Callie. “Thank you, Callie. I wholeheartedly agree with that. I met Luke’s father when I was nineteen and knew within a week that I loved him.”

  “And look how well that turned out,” I say.

  Callie shoots me a dirty look. She’s clearly taken with my mother and is siding with her tonight.

  “We may have divorced when you were six months old, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love him. Max Hardy was my first real love and I loved him until the day he died. Loving someone doesn’t always mean you’re front and centre in their life. Sometimes we love from afar because that’s all we can manage. Sometimes love hurts too much up close,” Mum says.

  I stare at her. This is the most she’s ever said about my father. Usually, she’s tight-lipped about their relationship. Before he died, my father told me their relationship was passionate and turbulent. He also mentioned that he’d always loved her, but they couldn’t be together.

  Callie finishes her drink and slides off her stool. Breaking the silence that’s descended on us after Mum’s outburst, she says, “I better get going so I can write this article. It was so good to meet you, Estelle.”

  Mum gives her one of the warmest smiles I’ve ever seen her give anyone. “And you too, Callie. Remember, we need to do lunch one day. Soon.”

  I move around to the other side of the bar. Eyeing Avery, I say, “I’ll be back soon.”

  She nods and waves goodbye to Callie before I walk her outside. When I have her alone, I pull her close and plant a long kiss on her lips. “Fuck, two days is too long. I can’t wait until Saturday to have you again.”

  “I’ll make it worth the wait. Remember, I’m bringing my A-game. By the way, I like your mum.”

  “She likes you, too.”

  “How do you know that?”

  I chuckle. “Trust me, when Estelle Ashcroft doesn’t like someone, they know, as does the rest of the world. You’d be feeling it if she didn’t like you.”

  She sags with obvious relief. “Thank, God.”

  “Were you worried about her?”

  “Of course. Every girl wants their boyfriend’s mother to like them.”

  “That word sounds good on your lips.”

  “Which word?”

  “Boyfriend.”

  She stands on her tiptoes and gives me a quick kiss. “Okay, I better go.”

&nbs
p; As she lets me go and takes a step away, I grab hold of her arm and pull her back to me. “Not so fast, baby.” At her frown, I say, “You forgot this.” And then I kiss her long and deep. When she comes up for air, breathless, I growl, “We don’t do quick kisses. Ever.”

  She blinks as she gets her bearings. “Bossy Luke, almost as good as dessert.”

  And then she’s gone and I’m left with a raging hard-on.

  23

  Callie

  “I’m so sorry about today,” Paris says as she grabs her bag and keys off the kitchen counter.

  I wave her away. “It’s no worries. Work’s gotta come first. Besides, I think Luke’s gonna spend some time in the garden and I’m all for sweaty, hot men. I’ll hang out with Sean and then after lunch, we might get lucky if he goes down for a nap. However today pans out will be fun.”

  And I might still get to bring out my A-game.

  “I think they might let me finish around midafternoon, so hopefully, you two can catch some time together then.”

  “Honestly, Paris, I’m just happy to be here with Luke and Sean. We don’t need alone time to be happy.”

  She pauses and gives me a smile. “I love that about you, Callie. I always thought it might be hard for Luke to find a woman willing to take Sean on too, but he scored gold with you.”

  Luke wanders into the kitchen wearing only shorts and catches my complete attention, effectively ending our conversation.

  “Put your tongue in, Callie,” Paris says before she leaves.

  I ignore her and track Luke’s movements. He pours himself a drink before finding my gaze. “You sure you’re good with this?”

  “With this no shirt activity?”

  I am more than okay with this.

  There should be more of this in my life.

  We could even go so far as no shorts, too.

  His lips twitch. “Yeah. That and you watching Sean while I mow.”

  I move to where he stands, unable to resist. Placing my hand on his abs, I trail my fingers over the ridges of his muscles. “Any day you wanna mow, you just call me. I’m all over this.”

  He drinks some of his water before placing the glass on the counter and taking hold of my face with both hands. Bending his face to mine, he kisses me. I lean into him and slide my hands up his body to loop around his neck.

  There should definitely be more of this in my life.

  When his lips finally leave mine, he says, “Fuck, I was looking forward to your A-game. I’ll take a raincheck on that.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we’ll manage a quick game later.”

  He smirks. “I like the way you think.”

  I move out of his embrace. “I’m going to check on Sean. You should go mow before I rip those shorts off you.”

  “Come see me later,” he demands with one final kiss before leaving me.

  I find Sean playing in his bedroom. “What you up to, mate?” I ask as I sit on his bed.

  He only gives me a quick glance. His attention is firmly on the toy cars he’s playing with. “Police chase,” he says.

  Upon closer inspection, I see the police car he has. “Do you want me to play with you?”

  He shakes his head but doesn’t answer me. I figure there’s no time to answer when you’re busy chasing baddies.

  I stand and move to the doorway. “I’ll be in the lounge room if you change your mind, okay?”

  Again, no words, just a quick nod.

  I end up on the couch with the notebook and pen I always carry in my bag. I’ve been writing more the last week than I have been for a long time. Curling up with some words today sounds like my version of heaven. Well, besides playing with Luke.

  I lose myself for what must be an hour or so. Sean is awfully quiet so I make a quick visit to check on him. I find him still playing quietly—this time with his blocks and puzzles. Being so engrossed in his toys, he doesn’t notice me, so I quietly leave him be.

  I’ve just settled myself back on the couch with a cup of coffee and my notebook when a knock on the front door demands my attention.

  Glenda’s bitchy face stares back at me when I answer the door. “Oh. You’re here again,” she mutters, bustling past me without waiting to be asked in.

  I close the door. “Yeah, me again.”

  She walks past the kitchen after noting there’s no one there, to the lounge room. Stopping, she turns to face me. “Where’s Luke?”

  The mower has stopped so there’s no way for her to know he’s outside. I briefly consider telling her he’s not home, but I can’t bring myself to lie. “He’s outside, gardening.”

  “So why are you here, then?”

  What the fuck?

  I settle in for a bitch fight because that seems to be all this woman wants. “Well, I came over so Luke could spend some time with my mouth… you know, he seems to like that part of me on a certain part of him, but Paris couldn’t look after Sean, so I’m doing that while he does his gardening.” My gaze zeroes in on her shock, and I push the point a little further. Leaning closer, I whisper, “Later on, I’ll suck him so good he’ll never forget my lips.”

  “Glenda,” Luke’s voice sounds from the hallway.

  Her eyes are wide with distaste from what I’ve just said and she takes a moment to look away from me. Turning to Luke, she says, “Callie was just telling me that Paris couldn’t look after Sean. You should have called. I would have been happy to take him for the day. Save you looking elsewhere for help.” I don’t miss the nasty way she says that last bit.

  He frowns and takes a moment to reply. “There was no need. We’re both here.” I don’t miss the way Luke says “we”. It makes putting up with Glenda worth every second.

  She appears a little flustered and unsure of herself. Clearly she also noticed the way Luke phrased his reply. Smoothing her dress, she says, “Well, I just came over to talk to you about Sean’s birthday. I’ve had some ideas for a party and wanted to run them by you.”

  The lines on Luke’s forehead deepen. “I haven’t had a chance to think about it yet. His birthday is more than three months away.” He seems confused as to why she’s thinking about it so soon. I’m confused as to why she’s even thinking about planning his party at all.

  “These things take time to plan, Luke. And I want to make his party really special this year.”

  “Okay.” He nods. “Can we talk about this another day? I’m in the middle of trying to fix the mower and tidying up the yard.”

  Her face falls, but she quickly recovers with what I presume is a fake smile. “Certainly. I’ll arrange a day for you and me to get together to go over it.”

  “Great. Line it up with Callie and Paris, too. We’ll need to make it a weekend.” With that, he leaves and heads towards the kitchen.

  I do my best not to laugh. The look of fury on her face tells me Glenda didn’t achieve what she set out to here. It amuses me that an adult can engage in such childish behaviour.

  “Does Luke know he’s picked up trash?” she asks. “I hardly think he’d like to hear the way you talk about sex in public.”

  I roll my eyes. “Oh, go fuck yourself, Glenda. And take a course in men. They love that kind of dirty talk; maybe you should try it one day.” When she doesn’t move, I add, “You can see yourself out.”

  I settle on the couch and pull my notebook out to begin writing again. No way am I going to allow her to rain on my parade. Luke wants me in his life. Glenda can’t ruin that.

  * * *

  I kiss Sean’s forehead and tiptoe out of his bedroom. He’s finally asleep after a whiney time at lunch fighting me about eating the sandwich I made him. He also didn’t want anything to do with the apple I cut up. I’m getting better at this, though. I stood my ground and he ate most of it. This gig is the hardest one I’ve ever had in my life. But I wouldn’t give it up for the world. The way his little arms clung to my neck when I carried him to bed and the way he showered kisses over my cheeks before he let me go wiped away th
e mental exhaustion I felt after lunch.

  After I retrieve the sandwich and drink I made Luke, I make my way downstairs to find him. I slow when I catch a glimpse of him. So does my breathing. He’s finished the mowing and is currently cutting branches from a tree down the back of the yard. His back and arm muscles flexing with each movement hypnotise me. I realise where Luke gets his muscles from—hard work in his garden rather than in the gym. That and the daily workouts he does at home.

  He finishes with the branches and stops to wipe his brow. As he does this, he turns and our eyes meet. Only for a moment, though, because I can’t help but drop my gaze to take in everything on display. I continue staring as he comes towards me.

  “Is Sean asleep?” he asks when he reaches me.

  I lift my gaze and nod. “Has anyone ever told you how sexy you are when you’re a sweaty mess?”

  “Only you, baby.”

  Butterflies.

  Whoosh.

  I take a deep breath and shove the sandwich and drink at him. “Some days I think I’d be much safer if you just didn’t speak.”

  He guzzles the water. “Why?”

  I stare at his chest. “Because I can barely cope with everything else you have—your muscles, your smile, your eyes—but when you speak, your voice does crazy things to me.” I look back up into his eyes. “And those words that come out of your mouth… I’m like a dazed teenager around you.”

  He places the plate and glass down on the steps before pulling me close. His lips crash down onto mine and he muddles my mind even more with a kiss that sweeps me off my feet. When he finally comes up for air, he growls, “And I’m like a fucking horny teenager when I’m around you, Callie.” His gaze drops to my mouth and he nips at it with his teeth. “These lips…” His mouth dips to my throat. “This hollow…” Further down to my breasts. “This perfection…” His hands slide down over my breasts and keep going until he hits the bottom of my top.

  Reaching under, his fingers meet my skin and I sway a little at his touch. He pushes my top up so he can taste my skin. His tongue licks a line between my breasts as he pushes my bra to the side. And then my nipple is in his mouth and my legs sway some more.