Blush: A Strangers-to-Lovers Romance

by Rachel De Lune

  I made my way back across to my uncle’s. By late morning, he was usually lounging around the flat or working at his laptop. It seemed that despite having a very successful bar and plenty of money, he had no other friends or hobbies, and I was his new project to occupy his vacuum of time. Before hitting the stairs, I paused and listened for the soft click-tap of the laptop, radio or television. Everything was silent, so I climb my way to the top.

  No sign of him, but plenty of mess left behind. I’d assumed old guys knew how to clean up after themselves. I dumped my gym kit, and a bunch of other dirty washing in the machine and set it going, before tackling the remnants of Uncle Eric’s breakfast things.

  Having my own place meant that I could keep it the way I wanted—pristine. Everything had a place, and that’s where it lived. A little discipline and order wasn’t hard, but these things seemed to be out of reach for Uncle Eric.

  It was like our roles had been reversed somehow. I was behaving like the responsible adult, and he was the young layabout. And every time I was about to lose my shit over it, I’d remember that I was staying rent-free and had a job, thanks to him.

  After I straightened the place out, I crashed in my room. I should have been home and sleeping this morning, but Matthew had wanted a favour. It turned out to be him doing me a favour. What were the odds of running into Astrid again? But I needed to catch some sleep. And it would stop me wanting to check my phone every ten minutes to see if she’d messaged me, too.

  Sure enough, sleep was what I needed because it hit me fast, and I was gone.

  Much sooner than I’d have liked, I woke, but again, not to the haunting aftermath of the nightmare that I’d been struggling with. It was a relief to be able to start the day without being reminded of my shortcomings.

  The first thing I did is snag my phone from the table, and there was a message from a number I didn’t recognise.

  Hey! I thought I’d finally get around to sending you that message. You have my number now. Astrid

  It wasn’t much, but I’d take it. And I’d slept all afternoon, so I didn’t have to worry about texting her right back. I grinned to myself and set about sorting the washing and grabbing some food before work. It was dark out, and if it weren’t for the early morning workouts and the occasional day off to myself, I would have forgotten what sunlight looked like. All the night shifts and sleeping in the day were fine, but throw in winter and the perpetual dullness, and I was beginning to feel like a vampire.

  On the journey into work, I text her back.

  I’m glad you finally messaged. In a strange coincidence, I’m at the spot we first met. Leo

  Really? And why is that? Hot date?

  Was she fishing? She said she wanted fun, but I wasn’t that guy, at least, not now. Easy hook-ups with strangers weren’t what I needed to help me get my life back on track. Plus, there was something about Astrid, and I wouldn’t make her believe something that wasn’t true.

  No. The only hot date I have is with a girl on Friday, although we’re yet to work out the details.

  Good to know. Although, I’m not sure we’d call it a date. More like a meeting. I asked you to pick up my lessons in defence, so I’ll be the one doing the hitting.

  Cute.

  Not been called that in a while. Friday. Gym. Ten? You can bring the coffee.

  Deal.

  The text conversation made work bearable, and I managed to get home before three in the morning. It was the same the following night, so when I set my alarm to be back up and out of the door on Friday morning, I didn’t feel like I’d just crawled to bed. It helped, I was looking forward to seeing Astrid again and regardless of whether she saw this as a date or not, I sure as hell did. She gave me something to look forward to for the first time since Maddison’s death, too.

  How do you take your coffee?

  The last thing I wanted was to bring her a black coffee when she wanted one of those cream, sugar dessert things that had barely any coffee in.

  You remembered. I’ll have a caramel cappuccino, please. See you soon.

  I made my way to the gym with her coffee and my tea and dumped my gear in the locker before going out to wait near the punching bags. The morning rush in the gym was clearing, and only a few other guys were working out on the mats. Even though we’d be taking it very steady, I quickly wrapped my hands, going over the motion on autopilot to save my knuckles. The gym had gloves that Astrid could borrow again.

  I looked up from my task and saw her. Her streak of purple hair was softer, and I think it had a blue tinge now. But my eyes didn’t linger there for long. They fell over her eyes and saw she was already grinning at me.

  She was in a loosely fitted t-shirt that fell over her shoulder, giving me a glimpse of the start of her tattoo. My eyes followed the black and grey down her arm until I realised I was staring.

  “Hey,” I gruffed out, kicking myself for being rude.

  “Hey, yourself. Are we fighting today?” She nodded to my gauze-protected hands.

  “Just to be safe. You said you were the one who wanted to punch, but I want to show you how to safely.”

  “Fair enough.”

  I handed her the caramel drink.

  “Thanks.” She cupped the coffee in her palms as if I’d just handed her something precious. “Right. Where do we start?” Her soft smile of contentment ignited something inside of me.

  “A warm-up, gentle exercise and then a few boxing routines.”

  “Are you a personal trainer?” She looked at me, quizzically.

  “No.” I chuckled. “Just have a healthy respect for fitness.”

  “Hmm-hmm.” She smiled, lighting her face up like a beacon. She was beautiful.

  The warm-up and stretches were easy, and although there was no conversation, there was plenty of eye contact. Her eyes speared me with their vivid blue, each time she caught me looking. She had a lithe figure to go with her petite frame, toned, so I’d guess she worked out.

  “Come on. I’ll show you. Then we’ll swap positions.” Restlessness burned through my veins. Maybe the ritual of binding my hands had me remembering what came next. Only this time, I had to remain in control—and a gentleman. Don’t forget that one.

  I picked one of the bags and positioned myself in front, making sure my weight was even, my feet were grounded, and I showed her a volley of punches. My aim was to keep it slow and steady for her to watch and pick up, but my ego pushed that aside, and after a few rounds, I pushed the pace and speed.

  “Okay there, Rocky.”

  “Sorry. Here.” I stepped back and let her take my place. She got in position, and I watched her hips as she moved her stance. That enticing flare, wrapped in skin-tight fabric was so tempting—all I wanted was to place my hands on them to ensure she was in the correct position. But I stepped back and stood behind the bag. God, this was killing me.

  She focussed those blue eyes and looked at the spot on the bag where she wanted to hit. One, two, one-two. Her shoulders twisted, her arms stayed strong and powerful. As she found her rhythm, she adjusted her stance, finding a comfortable spot. Holding the bag, the impact of every punch vibrated through to my shoulder, and I could feel the increase in power behind them as she found her confidence.

  “Remember to breathe,” I prompted, and she started short sharp breaths in and out in time with her body’s movement.

  Her petite frame disguised the power she started to exert, and the hotter she got, the sexier she looked. I didn’t want the bag between us. Fuck, right then I didn’t even want clothes between us. The mental image of her out of those clothes flitted across my mind, distracting me enough that her next punch had me backing up a step.

  She stopped, pulling up short. “Okay?”

  “Sure. You’re a natural. Want to try the hand pads?” I diverted the mental track of my mind and got back to what she was here for.

  I walk out and grab the two hand targets and come back to her. She had a glow about her and looked as though she
was having fun.

  “Hit me.” I couldn’t keep the grin from my face as I said it.

  “All right, Leo.” She looked me up and down with a seductive smile, sending my blood pressure through the roof before she threw the first punch. I forced tension into my arms as I held my hands up as targets. She kept her punches short and sharp, and my eyes just want to devour her.

  “Stop looking at me like that, Leo!” she panted.

  “Like what?” My innocent protest was lame, but hey, we were having fun, right.

  “Like you’d rather be doing something else with me.” Her focus didn’t slip, and she wasn’t letting up. Her skin blushed pink with exertion, hitting me with yet another visual.

  This had been a bad idea—a very bad idea. She didn’t want to be hit on by some jerk. I was supposed to be helping her, and all I could do was imagine her sweaty body naked against mine. Fuck.

  She stopped. Her breathing heavy as she pulled oxygen into her lungs with controlled gasps. I dropped my arms to my side, and we stayed, stuck, looking at each other—her breathing and my heartbeat the only other sounds in the room.

  She brought her wrist to her mouth and tore the glove’s strap with her teeth, pulling her hands free.

  “Are we done?” I asked as disappointment kicked me in the balls as I dropped the pads.

  “I hope not.” She lunged towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck and attacking my lips with hers.

  Fucking beautiful.

  I circled her waist and found my fingers over her warm skin at her midriff, desperate to explore more. The taste of her sweet and salty lips sent all my blood south, and I fought my hips from jutting out to grind against her. I lifted her easily, taking her weight in my arms, and walked us over to the wall behind the punch bags.

  Her nails raked down my neck and through my hair as she deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue into my mouth and back out, again and again, until all I could think about was shoving my dick inside her.

  With the wall supporting some of her weight, I leaned against her, making sure she could feel just how fucking hard I was for her right now. She mewled deliciously, and if my eyes weren’t already closed, they would have rolled back in my head.

  Too many clothes. Too much between us.

  “Astrid,” I groaned, knowing that I had to stop or I was likely to do something very fucking stupid.

  “Changing rooms,” she sighed.

  “What?”

  “I want you, but I’m not overly keen on doing this in public.” She kissed down my neck, sending a buzzing through my veins and blocking out some of her words. “Changing rooms. Shower cubicle. I don’t intend to wait.”

  “Wait. Yes, probably best to wait.” I leaned my arm on the wall, praying for something to give me the strength to put this girl down and cool the heat between us, at least until I could find a bed.

  Her lips worked their magic up to mine again, but her teeth gripped hold, and a flash of pain woke me up from my Astrid-haze.

  “Fuck.” I loosened my hold of her, and she slid down my body to the floor.

  “Come on.” She took my hand and led me through to the changing rooms, walking straight in and finding the closest shower cubicle. I followed like a little puppy because right now, that was about the limit of my brain function due to the lack of blood flow.

  We squeezed in, and she turned to lock the door.

  “Astrid, jeez.” I ran my hands through my hair. “Just think about this for a second.”

  “What’s to think about? I want you. I can see you want me.” She glanced down, and my dick was tenting my shorts in front of us.

  “I don’t have any protection. I know you wanted fun, but this isn’t what I had in mind.” Even though I was saying the words, I was inching towards her, ready to attack because as soon as she gave me a clear, yes please, that was it. No more gentleman forcing the brakes on.

  “I’m on the pill. And despite how I’m acting, I don’t do this all the time. You seem to have a certain effect on me, Leo. Now, can we get back to it, or do I need to take a cold shower?”

  I lost it.

  She’d given me all the green lights, and now I was free to think of only one thing. Having hot sex with a fucking beautiful girl.

  She looked hot and flushed, but at the corner of her eyes, I could see an edge of nerves. Perhaps her confidence was faltering. Hell, I didn’t want that. I stepped closer to her, forcing her against the wall. With every ounce of restraint in my body, I slowly lowered my lips to hers. As much as this was hot and heavy, a part of me wanted to savour every fucking second.

  But the second she moaned into my mouth, my intent vanished.

  My fingers searched for the band of her gym leggings and tugged them down, frantic to get to bare skin. She was hot and yanking her clothes off was far from sexy, but it didn’t seem that we were that concerned.

  My lips bruised hers as I refused to give up one treat for another. Finally, she toed off her shoes and stepped out of her leggings, giving me free access. My fingers slid up her toned thighs and slipped past the lace edge of her knickers.

  “Jesus, Astrid. Fuck, you’re fucking soaked.” I pushed and curled two fingers inside of her slick heat and watched as her head tilted back in bliss. Her hands planted on my shoulders and locked, keeping me in place and content to work her up.

  My dick was rock fucking hard and protested against the lack of attention, but it would only be a matter of time. I wanted Astrid to fucking light up. No way was she blowing me off after this.

  “Enough with the warm-up, Leo.” Astrid moaned, her head still tilted back and rolling against the wall.

  “Hell, yeah.”

  I pulled my fingers free and sucked them into my mouth before grabbing my cock and bending to get a better angle. Astrid lifted her leg over my hip, and I lifted her body clear off the floor and pushed her up against the wall. “Last chance,” I panted.

  “Fuck me already.” Her eyes locked onto mine. And at that moment, all I wanted was to do whatever this girl asked of me. My chest tightened, and my gut dropped, so instead of getting lost, I positioned my dick and slid inside of her. Neither of us broke the eye contact, and it was a fucking turn on watching her eyes dilate as I filled her up, inch by inch.

  I positioned my hands and set to work on making Astrid come apart, without coming first.

  As I began to move back and forth, the urge to let the desire take over grew heavy in my muscles. Every time I pulled back, the need to thrust harder, to pound against her, swamped me. “God, Astrid.”

  “Just let go. I won’t break.”

  So I did.

  Her legs clenched around my waist, and I leant into her body, using one of my hands to brace against the wall. And my hips and legs did the rest. I thrust, slammed, and drove my cock into her, again and again until her cheeks burned and her teeth dug into her bottom lip to keep her from crying out.

  The rush of an orgasm was close, but no way was I coming before her.

  My muscles contracted, and I kept up my rhythm as Astrid’s eyes screwed tightly together, and her head nodded frantically. She spasmed in my arms, and I relaxed, letting the jolt of lust take over and explode out of my system.

  “Fucking hell!” She couldn’t contain her words.

  I kissed her hard. But she gave as good as she got.

  Our breathing filled the space between us as we both came back to earth.

  “Fuck, you’re amazing.”

  “Well, you weren’t too bad yourself.”

  The slightly starry-eyed glaze of her eyes and the glow on her cheeks made me feel like a fucking hero.

  “What next?” I kissed her neck, wanting to savour every morsel.

  “I go and take a proper shower.” She pushed off and slipped from my hold. She smiled, pulled her leggings back on and broke the spell I was under.

  “I want to see you again.” I didn’t want this to be a one-time thing with Astrid. Hell, I’d never wanted that, and I was sure it w
asn’t the sex talking.

  “And you will. Thank you for the workout.” She straightened herself and looked back at me, slumped against the cubical wall. Her lips looked puffy from all the abuse I’d rained down on them. She smiled again before pulling the door open and vanishing.

  7

  Leo

  I made use of the shower to cool off. Boy, did I need it. The spray was shitty, but it doused me in lukewarm water and brought me back down to earth.

  Hook-ups with girls weren’t my thing. Sure, there’d been a few at The Club, usually, after a fight, but I never wanted to be the jerk who didn’t call back. And the girls who circled that place weren’t there looking for a relationship. They knew the score.

  But Astrid. Man.

  I had her number. She said we’d see each other again, but as I rinsed myself clean of her sweat, a sinking feeling opened in my gut. Had she played me?

  Shit, my head was messed up. The self-doubt routine had never been a problem before… I didn’t finish the sentence because I knew why there was doubt there now. Maddison. Making the right choices, doing the right thing.

  I grabbed my stuff and got changed—my mood totally taking a cliff dive. As I cleared out the things in my locker, a couple of other guys walked into the room, reminding me how public our private tryst had really been.

  On the tube ride home, I stared at my phone screen. Or more specifically, the last messages Astrid had sent. My fingers hovered over the screen as I worked out what I wanted to say to her. All of them came off as lame in my head, so I went with simple.

  Hey. So how about a proper date next time?

  I hit send and shut my eyes.

  Coffee?

  Considering we’ve already had sex, I thought dinner might be more appropriate.