Harry ran his hand through his hair, his pierced eyebrow twitching with impatience. Sophia was right, so far she only knew about his ill mother and the dealing. He had to trust her; there wasn’t any other way.
“I have never done drugs but I’m selling them because I’m trying to get money together for my mother’s operation. As you know, she has cancer, but it’s in the very early stage. She is on the waiting list, but it could be months before she will even be considered to go under the knife. By then it could be too late. The cancer could have spread and there wouldn’t be any point going through with the operation.”
Harry stopped talking and wondered if she was going to believe him. He hated himself that there was no other way, but he couldn’t sit at home while his mother suffered.
Sophia’s eyes were wide with shock.
“You are selling drugs because you want to finance your mother’s operation?” she repeated.
“Yes, Sophia, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I don’t expect you to understand,” he paused, sounding calm. “All of my brothers were always in trouble. They skipped school and got in with the wrong people, but me, I was never into drugs and fights. I’m not saying that I was an angel, but I was never interested in that shit. I just wanted to move away from Belfast. I needed money and I thought that drugs would solve the problem. Then Mum got ill, so I had to change my plans and take care of her.”
He sounded bitter. He couldn’t believe that he’d made that decision, but that was in the past now. Sophia was quiet, but she looked pale, staring at Harry with her large beautiful eyes. He wasn’t even sure why he’d told her about his secret.
“How much is the operation?” she asked.
“It’s around thirty thousand pounds,” he breathed out, exhausted by talking about this with her. The whole thing was a big mess, but he was willing to do anything to help his mother. Lennox and Maxwell couldn’t do anything. His brothers were broke and behind bars.
“So that’s why you were caught with cocaine a few months ago?”
He nodded. Sophia exhaled and looked away. He wanted to know what she was thinking.
“You know what is going to happen if you get caught again, right? They won’t just give you community service.”
“I’m aware of what could happen, you don’t have to tell me. I had a clean plan in my head. I was going to move away, then my brother’s mate called me up, saying that there was a chance to make some good money. There was a large undercover operation in Belfast and they caught me. My mother couldn’t believe it because I always stayed away from trouble. After I came out, she got ill. I refused to get into dealing again, but I couldn’t sit back when the doctors kept saying that we just had to wait. They told us it could be six to eight months. After her appointment in the hospital, I went to a few guys. I told them that I wanted to start again. They agreed because of my brothers.”
“You are doing this the wrong way,” she hissed, pacing around him.
“Don’t be delusional, Sophia. I lost my job when I was caught. The judge went easy on me because it was my first offence, but my boss didn’t want to keep me on after that. The bank wouldn’t give us a loan. Mum had to stop working. No one would have that kind of cash.”
“How long are you going to carry on with dealing drugs?”
He broke eye contact and looked at the sea. He didn’t expect her to react so calmly. He thought that she would start panicking, trying to convince him to stop.
“Until the end of the summer. I have got a good sum of money already,” he said. Then he shook his head, signalling the end of the conversation. “Come on, let’s walk. I want to show you my favourite spot.”
Harry smiled and started climbing the sandy dune. He wasn’t sure if Sophia understood what he was going through, but he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Right now he was with Sophia and he wanted to show her that he cared about her. They moved to another small beach, which was equally beautiful. Two ruined fishing boats were just adding to the charm of this spot. The waves were wilder and the storm was approaching. Harry rarely saw anyone here; the roads were so remote that no one was willing to abandon their car in the middle of nowhere. He’d never brought anyone else here, and he used to come here often to clear his head.
“We are going to have a picnic here,” he announced. Sophia smiled; the breeze was tangling her blonde hair. Harry thought that she looked beautiful, even when she was shivering. Her golden skin was shimmering and her pupils were dilated with excitement.
“Sounds great,” she beamed.
“Let’s see who can get to that boat first. If I win I’m going to kiss you,” he said and started running before she realised what he’d said. Harry was fast and he didn’t expect that she would catch up with him. He nearly tripped when he saw her sprinting, beating him by over a few metres.
“I guess I won, so you won’t be kissing me,” she chuckled, breathing heavily.
“How did you do that? Are you some kind of a superhero?” he gasped. He wasn’t in shape at all. He’d been skipping the gym for quite some time.
“I’m just a good runner. I always wanted to be an athlete, but my parents...”
“Well? What happened then?” he asked, putting his rucksack down. Sophia looked reluctant to explain.
“Well, they were against sports. They didn’t want me to compete or train.”
“Why not? There is nothing wrong with running.”
“As I said before, my parents always wanted me to do well, but not in sports. They believe in a solid education and art.”
“And you didn’t fight with them?”
“I tried, but I’m the only child, and in the end I just accepted it,” she replied.
“Sorry, but your parents have no idea what they are talking about. You should always follow your dreams, no matter what.”
“Have you got any dreams? If your mother wasn’t ill, what would you do?” she asked.
“I don’t know, I was good at rugby when I was in school. My coach said that I should have gone to university.”
“So why didn’t you go?”
“Because my brothers went to prison and my mother couldn’t afford to pay the mortgage, so I had to help out,” he explained. “I started working in the office as a help desk assistant. You know the rest of the story.”
He always wanted to get away from Belfast; he had plans and aspirations. His mates kept telling him that he didn’t have to go to university to become someone. When Lennox got sentenced, Harry had to find a job. His plans were pushed aside.
“Don’t give up on that dream,” she said.
“Look who is giving me advice. You should have gone against your parents and done whatever you wanted to do.”
She didn’t reply and Harry started to unpack the rucksack. He wanted her to forget about her life, at for today. For now they were free. He put the blanket on the sand and took out his homemade sandwiches.
“Thank you for bringing me here. This place is beautiful,” she sighed, looking at the wild sea.
“Stop talking and eat. You must be starving,” he said and pulled her down towards him. Sophia landed on his lap.
“Harry, I –”
“Shh. I don’t want you to worry about anything right now. Just enjoy the moment.”
He wanted to seal his lips onto hers, but he restrained himself. This moment needed to last longer, he didn’t want to rush things.
They ate in silence, staring at the perfect view in front of them. Every now and again, Sophia’s arm brushed against his shoulder and he couldn’t stop thinking about her soft lips. He was trying to ignore his erection, but she was right beside him and she was making it very difficult. Her nipples were showing through the thin fabric of her bra and T-shirt. He licked his upper lip and handed her a bottle of water. It was so much easier to not talk, and when their eyes locked, Harry lost whatever self-control he had left.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice.
“What are you saying sorr
y for?”
He threw the water back into his rucksack and pushed his body towards hers. She was caught off guard, so she didn’t have time to react when his lips brushed hers. She smelled of oranges. He kissed her, wrapping his whole body against hers. His hand slid across her jeans and down to her buttocks.
“For this,” he breathed out while kissing her. A flicker of uncertainty flashed through her eyes. He had her pinned down underneath him, but the heat that evaporated through her skin was driving him insane. “Do you want me to stop?”
Her amber eyes were looking directly at him but he didn’t see any resistance in them. She shook her head and Harry laughed.
“That’s my girl,” he replied with a hoarse tone, brushing his thumb over her sweet lips. She shivered and closed her eyes. This was the sign that allowed Harry to forget whatever rules were set for today.
Chapter Eighteen
Sophia’s heart stopped beating for a long, blissful moment. He was pinning her against his chest, kissing her slowly. His hands moved alongside her body, and her breath faltered at the intimacy of his touch. Sophia tasted the sea on his lips. She felt his erection pressed against her thigh. A shiver travelled over her spine and stopped between her legs. She groaned when he sucked on her top lip. His kiss deepened and she felt his tongue inside her mouth. His right hand was on her buttock, pressing her harder to him.
“Oh, Sophia, you’re stunning,” he breathed into her ear. His right hand found her bare flesh, the skin on her stomach burned after the traces of his fingertips. When he finally slipped underneath her trousers the ache between her legs pulsed. She was still fully clothed, but she felt the heat shoot through her whole body, wanting more of him. She felt her nipples harden underneath his chest. She was lost, falling, her heart jackhammering as his fingers slid under the button of her jeans.
She was unsure why she wasn’t screaming for him to stop when his hand found her knickers. Sophia knew her limits; she would automatically pull away if he touched her, if his fingers were near the scars. Instead, he moved his finger to her sex, releasing every ounce of energy that pooled between her legs. She gasped as his tongue moved down to her breasts and the other finger started circulating over her sex.
She never allowed anyone else to go any further than this, but she wanted him to continue. The throbbing sensation pounded inside her; she was wet for him, ready to end this blissful torture.
“Do you like what I’m doing to you?” he asked in a hoarse tone; he was so hard pressed against her. He sucked in a breath through his teeth.
“Hmm.”
“Come on, beautiful. You need to tell me how it feels.”
His voice sounded so far away. Sophia was slowly losing control of her body. She wasn’t getting enough of his touch and she wanted more. He suddenly stopped moving his fingers and she opened her eyes. His chocolate gaze was gleaming with fire.
“Well then, how do I make you feel?” he asked in a husky whisper.
“It’s mind-blowing,” she replied, flushing. He laughed.
“So I’m guessing that you don’t want me to stop?”
“No.”
When his finger slipped inside her, she felt the thrilling waves of excitement down her core. His thumb brushed the length of her, kissing her at the same time. She had no idea what was happening to her body, but with his every movement her pulse increased, and her heart throbbed. The pulse between her legs started to hurt.
“Come on, Sophia. I know that you want to come,” he murmured in her ear. “You are so wet.”
Something inside her head started buzzing. She let go of a small scream when the spasm of pleasure shot through her and she climaxed. He was still pushing his fingers in and out. A shot of ecstasy swelled through her body and a moan tumbled from her lips. Her eyes were glazed over when he pulled his hand away.
Was that an orgasm? Had he really done that to her?
He moved his head and placed it on top of her chest. Her breathing was slowly coming back to normal; she felt lightheaded but incredibly peaceful. If an orgasm was so amazing, why hadn’t she tried it before?
“Are you okay?” he asked, lifting his head. She smiled.
“Yes,” she replied. “How are you?”
“I’m great. So did you enjoy that?” he asked, smiling and arching his eyebrow.
“Yes, more than you can imagine.”
“I’m glad to hear it, now let’s go before we get soaked by the storm,” he chuckled and helped Sophia onto her feet. She felt great; light, flushed, and relaxed but she couldn’t tell him that she had never experienced anything like that before.
“Storm?”
“Yes, look through there.” He pointed out at the dark heavy clouds that started to gather on the sky. The wind picked up and Sophia shivered. He was right; the storm was approaching fast. Harry kept glancing at her, still holding her hand. She wasn’t sure what to do or say. After all, this naughty encounter brought them close together, but Sophia was still worried about what had happened between them. This was so wrong on so many levels. She couldn’t possibly think that this was going anywhere.
They walked back in silence. Harry seemed lost in his thoughts and Sophia couldn’t stop thinking about tomorrow.
“Are you taking me home?” she asked, pulling her hair back in ponytail to put the helmet on. Harry shook his head.
“No, I want you to meet someone,” he said.
“Someone?”
“You will see. Just get your beautiful arse on the bike and stop asking questions,” he ordered, laughing. She wanted to argue but then she knew that he wouldn’t listen. The time that she spent with him was magical and she didn’t want to go back to reality.
They both didn’t notice the black Audi that was parked a distance from them. The man inside took out his phone and dialled.
“They are together again,” he said in a deep, raspy voice. For a long moment he was listening to the instructions, nodding and staring at the couple ahead of him.
“I understand, sir. I’ll keep an eye on him. If it’s necessary I’ll interfere.”
The man inside the car flipped his phone off and started the engine as Harry drove off. He didn’t like what he saw and his client was furious.
***
As they drove back to Belfast, Harry enjoyed Sophia’s arms around his waist. He wanted to be inside of her. She was so ready for him on the beach. He wanted to rip her clothes off and just make love to her. She didn’t judge him like others did, and he was relaxed when he was with her. He didn’t expect Sophia to be so understanding. He wanted to know what was going on inside her head.
When they finally arrived back in Belfast, he turned towards the familiar surroundings. He planned this day in advance and he was ready to introduce her to Lennox, his older brother. They were always close, but they both wanted different things. Lennox never understood Harry’s ambitions. He wanted to show her that he wasn’t like his brother. He wanted her to understand that he was doing whatever he had to, not because he wanted to.
Harry parked his motorcycle in the car park. He’d filled in the necessary paperwork beforehand, just to make sure that another person was allowed in. Maybe this idea was completely crazy, but he wanted her close.
“Where are we, Harry?” she asked, running her hand through her hair.
“We are going to visit my brother,” he announced.
Sophia looked around, focusing on the building in front of her. Harry sucked at the corner of his mouth, staring at her.
“Your brother? But this is mad! What if someone recognises me?”
“No one knows you here. Besides, all the guards are dealing with the main probation service in the centre. I really want you to meet my brother, Lennox. This is really important to me,” he said, taking her palm and kissing it.
“Why is this so important?”
“Because it’s important for you to understand that I’m not like him.”
She drew a breath, staring at him hesitating. Was he as
king for too much?
“You don’t need to prove anything to me, Harry. I understand your reasons, although I don’t approve of them.”
“Lennox is expecting you. Don’t worry, I said that you are my friend.”
Sophia nodded, but Harry sensed that she was afraid. She wasn’t sure what to expect from his big brother. The fact was that Lennox was loud and unpredictable.
They walked through the entrance to the reception and were directed to the waiting area. Harry was nervous because he had no idea how Lennox was going to react. His brother didn’t know how to behave around women. He made money so he was always surrounded by them. He had his priorities.
Cutter: Contemporary Romance Novel Page 12
