Alex caught hold of my shoulder. ‘Don’t tell me,’ he said with a laugh. ‘The guy’s got some kind of crazy crush on you. It’s all right. He’ll get over it.’
I spun round, beating at his chest with my fists, angered at Alex’s dismissal of Ryan’s feelings for me as just a crush. What we’d shared the night before went so much deeper than that. ‘No, it’s not all right. I’ve got to go after him.’
‘Dressed like that?’ Alex snorted. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Lily.’
‘OK, so I’ll go and change, and then I’ll find Ryan. And when we come back here, I’d appreciate it if you weren’t around.’
Now it was Alex’s turn to question whether I was serious. ‘You’d really choose him over me?’ he asked incredulously.
‘Every time,’ I replied. ‘I’m sorry, Alex. I can’t go back to you.’
The laundry basket, piled high with clothes I’d washed the day before, waited at the bottom of the stairs. Neither Ryan nor I had found the time to take it upstairs in all the excitement surrounding the party. I plucked the first garment that came to hand from the pile, a short, floaty blue sundress. Not caring that Alex might be peeking round the kitchen door, I let the robe drop to the ground, and pulled the dress over my head. I didn’t bother with any underwear, just stepped into a pair of flat sandals, grabbed my door key and left the house without a backward glance.
Not wanting to pass Alex again, I used the front door. It meant doubling back on myself, taking the little rutted track between Amanda’s cottage and its neighbour to get down to the edge of the cliff. Slithering and sliding on loose scree, I scrambled my way down the cliff path. At the bottom, I looked left and right, trying to get any clues as to which way Ryan had gone, but the sand was churned up with dozens of sets of footprints left behind by the partygoers. Ryan could have walked on this exact spot, and I wouldn’t be any the wiser. Looking at the blackened remnants of the pit where the barbecue had stood, I blinked back tears. Last night, everything had been perfect. Now Alex’s unexpected appearance – and my reaction to it – had ruined everything.
Calling Ryan’s name brought no response. Taking a moment to get my phone and bring it with me would have made sense; there was no guarantee he’d have answered it if he’d seen I was calling, but I might have been able to get hold of Giles or Charlie, see if they could knock some sense into him. I needed to speak to a sympathetic voice right now.
Short of options, I started running along the sand, hoping to find some trace of Ryan’s steps. On any other day, I’d have welcomed the fact the beach was deserted, but now a friendly passer-by might just have been able to tell me whether they’d seen a blond man heading in their direction. Every few hundred yards, I paused to look round, shouting, ‘Ryan! Ryan, where are you?’ until my voice was hoarse. My footwear wasn’t really suitable for running any kind of distance, and it wasn’t long before blisters had formed on both my heels. I could no longer see the little row of cottages on the cliff top, and realised I must have covered the best part of two miles in my futile search for Ryan.
Admitting defeat, I slipped the sandals off and went down to the water’s edge to bathe my sore feet, making no attempt to stem the tears that flowed down my cheeks. Ryan would come back home in his own time; I’d have to deal with the consequences when he did.
Some instinct told me to look back in the direction I’d come, and that’s when I saw him walking toward me.
‘Lily? Lily, are you OK?’ he asked. ‘What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be back with Alex?’
I shook my head. ‘I came looking for you. I wanted to explain everything.’
‘What’s to explain?’ he asked. ‘I saw the two of you together and you looked pretty cosy. It seemed as soon as you saw him again, what happened last night didn’t mean anything.’
‘That’s not true,’ I retorted. ‘It meant more than you know. Yes, Alex wanted me to get back together with him, but I had the choice – and I didn’t take it. I chose you, Ryan.’
He looked at me as though he didn’t quite believe what I was telling him. ‘Really?’
‘Really. Oh, I’m not denying that it felt good to be back in Alex’s arms, and I thought if I went with you, it’d be too much of a risk. I’d be letting my heart rule my head. But then I realised that’s what I want. When Alex walked out, he left me in a state where I couldn’t even write any more, and part of me knows that if he did that once, who’s to say he won’t do it again?’
‘But you looked right together,’ Ryan said. ‘You can’t deny that.’
‘Well, I caught sight of us in the mirror in your bedroom last night, and I thought we looked pretty good together too. I’m not stupid, Ryan. I know there’s no guarantee we have any more of a future together than I would with Alex, and I know the age difference between us might be an issue – if not for us, then for people like your mother – but I’m already falling in love with you, and I’m willing to take a chance on this working out if you are.’
It was a declaration any of the heroines in my book would have been proud of, and I meant every word of it. At first, Ryan didn’t respond, and I worried that our relationship was over before it had even really begun. Then he took me in his arms, crushing my breasts against his hard chest, and kissed me with a passion that left my lips swollen and pouting.
‘Oh, Lily.’ He sighed. ‘There’s nothing I want more.’
Hand in hand, we took the walk back to the cottage at a slow pace, Ryan mindful of my blistered feet. There was no sign of Alex when we arrived; his car had gone, and he hadn’t left as much as a goodbye note. I doubted I’d ever see him again and, despite everything that had happened, I couldn’t help feeling a pang of sadness at the way things had ended.
‘This will sound crazy,’ I said, half to myself, ‘but I can’t help wishing we’d parted on better terms.’
‘Don’t worry about him any more,’ Ryan said. ‘Let’s go upstairs and I’ll treat you to a foot massage.’
Barefoot, I let Ryan lead me upstairs. While I made myself comfortable on my bed, he went to the bathroom and filled a bowl with warm water. Using lavender-scented soap and a flannel, he carefully washed my feet clean of the sand and saltwater that crusted their soles, before rubbing them with soothing aloe vera lotion. His touch was sure, avoiding the sorest places, and I gave in to the sheer pleasure of having my feet so expertly massaged.
‘You’re very good at this,’ I murmured, as the pads of Ryan’s thumbs worked at the ball of my foot, just below my big toe, sending thrills all the way up to my pussy.
‘Sh, just lie back and enjoy it,’ he instructed me. When his lotion-slick hands slowly, surely moved higher, up my shins and heading for my thighs, I didn’t object. It had been a very long time since I’d had anyone concentrate on giving me pleasure with such single-minded purpose, and I wanted to enjoy every last moment of it. Without thinking, I adjusted my position on the bed, letting my legs loll apart a little more.
‘Oh fuck,’ I heard Ryan murmur, his gaze concentrated on the view up my skirt. ‘You’re not wearing any knickers.’
‘I – er – didn’t have time to put any on,’ I admitted. ‘I did leave the house in a bit of a hurry.’
‘Well, if you ever feel like forgetting them in future, don’t let me stop you,’ he replied. Using the flats of his hands, he pushed my thighs further apart, staring at the intricate whorls of my sex and breathing in my sharp, excited scent. ‘Oh Lily, I’ve just got to taste you.’
With that, he bent close, flicking out his tongue so he could run it the length of my cleft. My breath hissed in my throat as he made contact with the wet, sensitive flesh. Heartened by my reaction, he began to lick and lap in earnest, exploring all the way from the tight nub of my clit to the dark, hidden pucker of my anal hole. When the flat of his tongue brushed over that most intimate place, I wriggled with guilty delight.
‘You like that, don’t you, you bad girl?’ Ryan chuckled. ‘God, I’m going to have so much fun findi
ng out all your naughty secrets.’
‘Just as long as I get to find out yours,’ I replied, though I already reckoned I could get him hard in his underwear any time I chose to let him know I wasn’t wearing any panties. Because of his crouched-over position, I couldn’t see his crotch, but I knew he’d be hard now, cock stimulated beyond belief by the sight and taste of my bare, juicy pussy.
As he continued to tease me, taking each of my inner lips in his mouth in turn and sucking gently on them, I played with my aching nipples through my dress, pinching and squeezing them. My breasts felt full, swollen with desire, and if I hadn’t been enjoying the feel of Ryan’s mouth on my sex so much, I’d have wanted him to suckle at them.
‘Let’s get you naked,’ Ryan said, breaking off from what he was doing so he could guide me into a sitting position. He pulled the dress off over my head, before rapidly stripping out of his own clothes. Just as I’d suspected, his cock stood at full mast, the thick, rigid pole bobbing with his movements.
Naked and aroused, Ryan got back on the bed, lifting my legs over his shoulders so he could really bury his head in my pussy, his tongue laving my clit while his index finger burrowed up into my hole. That combination of finger and tongue stimulated me just where I needed it. Even before I was aware of it, my thigh muscles were gripping Ryan’s head, keeping it in place while I bucked against his mouth, sobbing and gasping with the force of my climax.
When I released my hold on him, his chin was iced with my juices and he was grinning broadly. ‘Wow, I’ve never made anyone come so hard before!’
‘Hopefully that’s only the start,’ I replied, ‘but I think we need to do something about this …’
Reaching out a hand, I wrapped my fingers round the plump head of his cock, stroking lightly but with definite intent. Ryan’s breathing quickened as I toyed with him.
‘Should I go get a condom or two?’ he panted.
I shook my head. ‘That might not be necessary. Just let me check first.’
My handbag lay on the floor, close to the bed. Hunting through it, past the usual litter of lipsticks, tampons, ballpoint pens, and packets of tissues, I finally found what I’d been looking for: a discreet black condom case. Opening it up, I found a strip of three condoms. If I remembered rightly, I’d bought them only a couple of days before Alex and I had split up, never dreaming we wouldn’t get to use them. They’d lain forgotten in the depths of my bag, until now.
Ryan quickly rolled one into place, then came to lie beside me on the bed. I was struck with the urge to be on top, and he didn’t complain when I pushed him down on his back, throwing a leg over his broad thighs. We kissed, hot and eager, as I held his cock, brushing it with my pussy lips a couple of times until he was begging me to stop teasing him.
With that, I inched myself down, my eyes never leaving his, feeling my muscles ripple and contract around the thick, latex-coated length of him. Just as before, I marvelled at the way he fitted so nicely inside me, almost as if he’d been designed to my exact specifications.
As soon as I began to move, I knew the orgasm I’d experienced earlier had only been the curtain-raiser. Sensation sparked in my belly, like little fireworks fizzing and bursting, letting me know the main event was about to take place.
Ryan nuzzled each of my nipples in turn, gently biting the little buds and making me squeal with delight. I rode him faster, rising and falling with increasing purpose. His hands gripped my bum cheeks, and as we both got closer to coming, he lifted me up and down on his shaft.
‘Yes, that’s it,’ I cried out, lost in a world where there was room for nothing but the steady pressure of my crotch rubbing against Ryan’s, the wiry hair around the root of his cock tickling my soft skin. The ripples that preceded the storm waves of orgasm spread out from my clit, and I let them carry me away. Beneath me, Ryan groaned, thrusting up hard at me as his own orgasm hit him, and I closed my eyes, speaking words that didn’t make any sense as I came like I never had before.
It was a long time before either of us could do anything more than gasp for breath and cling on tight to each other. At last, Ryan’s hold on me relaxed and I climbed off his groin, giddy and sated with pleasure.
‘Now do you doubt that I made the right choice?’ I asked, as we cuddled close.
He shook his head. ‘You know what you said earlier, about falling in love? Well, you make it so easy to do, Lily.
With that, he kissed me again and I knew that, no matter what else came of my long hot summer’s house-sitting for Amanda, I’d always have this beautiful, unforgettable moment to look back on. And many more to come, I hoped.
Epilogue
‘YOU MAKE IT SO easy to fall in love.’
I looked at the words again, before typing “THE END” beneath them. All writers are magpies, always listening out for the perfect line that they can borrow for their own purposes, and that’s what I’d tell Ryan if he ever saw his heartfelt declaration spilling from the lips of the hero of Seafront Attraction. It was more than a possibility, given that he’d worked his way through all my other published novels; if he did, he’d also discover I’d dedicated this latest book to him, with all my love.
Time for a celebratory coffee, I thought, or maybe something a little stronger. Maybe I’d see if Ryan and the boys wanted to join me in a glass of the Prosecco I’d put in the fridge, ready for the moment when I finished the last line of my manuscript. They were down the landing in Ryan’s room, listening to some Nu-metal band or other, the thump-thump of the bass audible even through the closed door. I didn’t worry about it; I’d been in the zone for the last week or so, tearing through the remaining chapters of the novel and wondering how I’d ever had a problem finishing it. They could have had an entire stack of speakers blasting out music day and night and it wouldn’t have disturbed me.
Later, when Giles and Charlie had gone back to their bed and breakfast accommodation for the evening, Ryan and I could have a more intimate celebration of our own. We’d waited a couple of days before admitting to them that we were sleeping with each other; their reaction had been to roll their eyes and wonder what had taken us so long. I had the feeling Amanda wouldn’t be quite so sanguine when she found out, but I’d worry about that when it happened. Everything between Ryan and me was still so new, I was trying to take everything as slowly as I could, though the overwhelming passion we felt for each other sometimes made that hard.
I knew that, unlike the heroines of my novels, I wasn’t guaranteed a happy-ever-after ending. But this had the potential to be much more than just a summer fling. Looking into Ryan’s eyes as I invited the boys to come down and join me in a drink, seeing the depth of emotion reflected there, I had the feeling we’d be heating up the winter too.
Heating Up Winter. Now, there’s a title for a novel, I thought, mentally filing it away till I was back at my computer. I’d recovered my writing touch, I’d found my perfect lover and I couldn’t be happier. Ryan’s footsteps close on the stairs behind me, his friends whooping their congratulations at me as they followed in his wake, I went to open the Prosecco.
Just Another Lady
by Penelope Friday
Chapter One
ELINOR EVERTON COULD DATE almost to the day when it was that she had begun to fall in love with Lucius Crozier. It was a hot summer, and Lucius had come home from Harrow, suddenly grown up and unexpectedly handsome, no longer the schoolboy with whom the tomboy Elinor had loved to squabble. The Croziers had come, en famille, to see the Evertons; and Elinor had tumbled into the room to greet Lucius with her usual informality, only to be shocked into shyness and embarrassment at this new version of her old companion. Suddenly her limbs all seemed too long; her red hair shamefully in need of brushing; her dress grubby and unflattering.
‘Good morning, Elinor,’ said Lucius, his voice a deep drawl.
Elinor felt something flutter inside her. Lucius had never made her feel this way before. ‘H … hello,’ she stammered, standing on one leg and then t
he other, shifting her weight uncomfortably.
There was an expression on Lucius’s face which made Elinor feel as if he were laughing at her, which only increased her discomfort.
Her father said, ‘The girl doesn’t recognise you, Lucius,’ in a cheerful teasing manner, and Elinor felt herself blush.
‘How are you?’ she asked, her voice small.
Lucius leaned back in his chair and flicked an imaginary piece of fluff from his impeccable waistcoat. ‘All the better for seeing you, Elinor, of course.’
Elinor bit her lip, sure she was being teased, not quite certain whether she liked or loathed it. Certainly it gave her a funny feeling that she could not quite process. That feeling had grown as she and Lucius had been thrown into each other’s company over the next few weeks. Sometimes he seemed to treat her like a little girl; at other moments, he would look at her in a strange way, or make a comment which seemed to hint at something more than the mild affection of a young gentleman for a tearaway girl barely out of her childhood. Every day she fell further and further in love; a feeling which she resented and was frightened of – for why would Lucius Crozier ever take an interest in her, a girl with unladylike manners, unruly auburn hair and no expectations to speak of?
She attempted to make up for this by baiting Lucius as much as she could: if he said the day was fine, she would say it was “too hot”. If he had told her black was black, she would have said it was white. Their squabbles became regular and more and more venomous, until one day Lucius grabbed her wrist and pulled her to face him.
‘What is the matter with you, Elinor Everton?’ he demanded.
She’d have had to look up to meet his gaze, so she stared firmly at his shoulder. The place where his fingers touched her wrist felt hot and strange; she was aware of her senses prickling.
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