Stockholm Surrender

by Lily Harlem

  “Mmm, I guess.”

  “So anyway, to cut a long story short, as you know I went on the trip too.”

  She nodded.

  “Well, on the first evening Ty sneaks into my hotel room. It is, of course, one hell of a night, no more games, no more hostage-taking, just us, giving in to the overwhelming attraction we feel…” I paused at the memory of us writhing, sweaty and desperate on the bed, pleasuring each other, exploring each other. Making fantasy reality.

  “And…”

  “And the next morning, oh my god, you won’t believe this?”

  “If I believe everything else you’re telling me then I don’t see why not.”

  I frowned slightly. “Next morning, Dad stalks into my room and is stomping around while Ty is hiding in the bathroom.”

  Trinny suppressed a giggle. “No way.”

  “Yes way, and it wasn’t funny, I was terrified. Here was my kidnapper, my lover, half naked in my hotel en suite while my dad was…” I hesitated.

  “Penny?”

  “While my dad was wondering why one of the curtain tiebacks was looped around the headboard.” I rested my palm against my suddenly hot cheek and giggled.

  “You kinky bugger, you,” Trinny said, clearly loving that juicy detail.

  “Oh Trinny, he’s so perfect, we’re so perfect. When we’re together sparks fly. When he holds me I feel like I’ve come home. I’ve never felt like that before, ever, with anyone.” I sighed. “That was the most perfect night of my life.”

  “Was that the last time you saw him?”

  “Oh god, no. The next day he just about gave me a heart attack by turning up at the meeting with Dad and the lawyer.”

  “Oh Jesus.”

  “And then, bloody hell, then, Dad invited him to join us for dinner that evening. Seemed to think he was the sort of nice young man I should be dating.”

  Trinny gulped her wine then burst into a coughing fit. I had to whack her hard on the back. “You all right?”

  “Yes, yes,” she said in a croaky voice. “What happened at dinner?”

  “I had to sit through the meal—”

  “What did you wear?”

  “That red silk dress, you know, the Oriental one.”

  She nodded. “Fab. Suits you.”

  “Thanks. Ty was completely charming and Mum and Dad adored him, even though he was actually their worst nightmare, the person who’d thrown their lives, and mine, into chaos.”

  “Didn’t you find it hard to pretend you didn’t know one another after you’d been shagging the night before?”

  “Yes, absolutely, it was excruciating. But we managed, except for one slip-up when he dropped a sugar in my tea.”

  Trinny frowned.

  “We were supposed to have only just met. How would he know I took sugar?”

  “Shit, of course.”

  “Phil spotted it but I smoothed it over when I spoke to him later.” I fell quiet, the memory of my and Ty’s dance flooding my mind. Sometimes, if I thought about it hard enough, I could still feel his arms around me, smell his fresh aftershave and feel the heat from his body radiating onto mine.

  “And that was the last time you saw him?”

  I nodded and stared down at my wine.

  Were Ty and I really destined to have only those few sweet hours together? One night in each other’s arms? One perfect dance?

  Finally, through teary eyes, I told Trinny that he’d fallen in love with me and that the biggest regret of my life, to date, was not saying it back. Every morning the remorse grew in my chest like a big, sticky lump of candy until by the end of the day I felt nauseous with it. If only I’d said it back. Maybe then, when James had been released, Ty would have come to find me.

  *

  The kettle came to the boil, returning my thoughts to the long, lonely evening ahead in my little student room. I dropped a teabag in a mug and, pouring the steaming water over it, realized I had to accept that I’d done a pretty good job of losing the man who owned my heart.

  I headed into my bedroom and shut the door. The bulb had finally given up and I raked through my drawer for another. As I was bent over, shuffling in the dark, there was a tapping noise against my window.

  Once. Twice. Three times.

  I straightened, wondering what it could be. A bird, perhaps. No, it was too late. I crawled across the bed, tugged open the curtains and let the amber glow from the lamppost flood my darkened room.

  Catching my breath, I clutched my chest. My mind reeled and I had to double blink to be sure I was seeing correctly.

  What the hell?

  I scrabbled for the window catch and flung it open.

  “Hi, baby.”

  “Ty!” He was sitting on a thick branch of the tree with his legs dangling down. He wore a parka coat with the fur-trimmed hood pulled up against the cold and his big black boots swung gently. The light above him cast shadows over his face but I could see his eyes sparkling.

  “What are you doing here?” I gasped.

  He grinned even wider. “I’ve got someone I want you to say hi to.”

  He pointed to a branch below. Another male figure sat looking up at me. “Hey, Penny, it’s great to meet you at last.”

  “James?”

  “Yep,” Ty said. “The one and only James Hill who wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that.” My head was spinning and I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

  “Please, don’t be modest,” James said. “Ty has told me how instrumental you were in bringing attention to my case and how you persuaded your father to put in a good word with the Thai officials.”

  “Anyone would have done the same in my position,” I said. My heart raced. I was shaking with excitement.

  Ty is here.

  James is here.

  “So come on,” Ty said, dropping a handful of tiny pebbles onto the path below. “Get packed, we’re going away for the weekend.”

  “Going away where?”

  “To my aunt’s holiday cottage,” James said. “It’s about an hour from here, in a cute little village. She’s said I can use it for as long as I need to recover from my ordeal.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, come on, chuck some stuff in a bag,” Ty said, gripping the branch above him. “We’ve got lost time to make up for, baby.”

  My heart soared. Go away, with Ty and James. Oh my god. How quickly my fortunes and my mood had changed. “Okay, five minutes.”

  “You better make that two,” Ty said, “Or else I’m coming up to get you.”

  James jumped to the frosty ground below with a thump. “Yeah, hurry up,” he shouted. “We’re parked on double yellow.”

  I slammed shut my window, drew up the curtains and scanned my room. Two minutes, okay, I could do this.

  I grabbed a rucksack, threw in my best underwear, my washbag, makeup bag, another pair of jeans, two tops and a fleece. After ramming my feet into sneakers and pulling on a coat, I snatched up my mobile and lunged for the door. I paused at Tara’s notice board and scribbled a quick note to say I’d gone away for the weekend, just in case anyone wondered about my whereabouts.

  Dashing through the lounge, I enjoyed the heady moment of anticipation. Ty was here, he’d sought me out. That knowledge in itself was like the most potent drug in the world and I flew on its euphoric effect.

  I barged through the fire door and took the stairs two at a time, my bag bouncing wildly over my shoulder. It was as if my feet were not my own, they were racing so fast, I was hardly pausing to check my footing.

  I reached the bottom and froze.

  There he was.

  Filling the doorframe and standing stock still.

  Our eyes connected. My breaths were short, sharp pants. He was even more beautiful than I remembered. Even in an old parka coat, on a cold January evening standing in a grotty student hallway, he exuded strength and passion. His face, his presence was eve
rything I ever wanted.

  If it was possible, I fell even more in love with him in that moment.

  With a sudden flurry he stepped forward, scooped me up and twirled me in the air. A grin spread on his face, and I melted under its spell for the briefest of seconds before he kissed me.

  He sought my tongue with his and tangled his hands in my hair. I dropped my rucksack and locked my legs around his waist, gripped his shoulders and clung to him. He tasted of fresh open water, mint and Ty, that special, all-male flavor that I knew I would never get enough of.

  “Oh god, I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured between his frantic kisses.

  “Me too,” I gasped, cupping his jaw. “I can’t believe you’re really here.” I kissed his mouth, across his cheek and up to his temple.

  “I landed yesterday,” he said breathlessly, “from Perth, spent the night at James’ parents’, slept most of today and then there was only one place I was heading.”

  “Where?”

  “Here, baby, to get you. I’ve just traveled around the world to come and get you, be with you. You’re all I can think of. I need you like I need my heart to beat.”

  I thought my own heart would burst with happiness. “Oh Ty, it’s been so awful without you. I’ve hated every minute of not knowing—”

  “I’m here now, and it’s going to be different, no more sneaking around. James is out, there’s no reason why we can’t be together, properly.”

  “I’m so pleased he’s free.”

  “You and me both.”

  “Not as bloody glad as me.”

  I turned.

  James stood in the doorway, swinging a set of car keys from his finger. “Come on, lovebirds. I don’t want a parking ticket. I’ve had enough brushes with the law to last a lifetime.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The hour to the cottage flew by. James drove, Ty sat in the back, and I was in the passenger seat. We all chatted over one another, there was so much to say and I felt as if I already knew James. He was so similar to Ty in the way he spoke about adventure and the future and I could see why the two had become such firm friends.

  He talked about the day of his release, how wonderful it was being greeted by his parents, brother and Ty, and I studied his profile as it was highlighted by cars traveling in the opposite direction. His face was longer than Ty’s, his nose big but straight and he had a dark freckle beneath his left eye. His mouth was soft and sensual, quick to smile despite all he’d been through, but his brown eyes, when they turned and caught mine, couldn’t hide the trauma of his recent past.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said.

  “You do?”

  “That I don’t look the same as the photographs you’ve seen.”

  “Actually I was thinking that you don’t look too worse for wear. Ty described you as very thin and sick when he saw you in prison.”

  “I was thin and sick. Most days I felt so ill I wondered if it would be my last day on this earth. But Mum’s home cooking, several vitamin shots and sleeping in a proper bed for fourteen hours a night has just about set me right again.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “You and me both. I’ll soon be back to my former glory.” He flexed his arm as if showing off his biceps and grinned naughtily.

  I couldn’t help but smile back.

  *

  The little cottage was built from dark brick and had a slate roof and small windows. It was very quaint and set slightly outside the village. As we pulled on to the gravel driveway, tiny flakes of snow began to fall, sparkling in the light of a lamppost.

  “I’m starving,” James said, turning off the engine and stepping into the chill air.

  “Mmm, me too,” Ty said, opening my door and holding his hand out to me. “But not for food.”

  I allowed him to pull me up and fell into his waiting kiss. I still couldn’t believe he was really here, that we were really together after all this time.

  “Oh shit,” James groaned. “I forgot I was going to have to put up with squeaking bloody bedsprings all night.” He turned and headed up the garden path toward the house.

  “Probably all day too,” Ty said.

  James flung open the front door. “Get in, the pair of you, and do what you need to do. I’ll unload the car and get started on some food.”

  Ty bent down and scooped me into his arms, gripping me firmly and pressing me into his chest.

  “Hey,” I giggled, looping my arms around his neck and swinging my feet.

  “Just try to have some consideration for a guy who hasn’t had sex in a very long time, will you?” James laughed, his breath clouding in front of his face.

  Ty didn’t reply. He took big, crunching paces over the gravel and climbed the creaking staircase like a man possessed. He shoved his shoulder at the first door he came to, barged into the dark room and dropped me on the bed. He was over me in an instant, his mouth claiming mine, his hands roaming my body wildly, as if he didn’t know where to start touching me first.

  “Oh baby, I’ve missed you,” he gasped, fiddling with the buttons on my jeans.

  “And I’ve missed you.”

  “How much?”

  I shoved at his coat, dragged it down his shoulders and he paused to shuck it from his arms. “Like, like some days I didn’t know if I could even get out of bed,” I said. “Not knowing where you were, if you still wanted me?”

  “Oh, I want you all right, can’t you tell?”

  “Yes, oh yes. Please, Ty, make love to me, now.” I was so wet for him.

  “That’s exactly what I had in mind.” Through the dim light he gave me a quick, cheeky smile then stood, wrenched my sneakers from my feet and tore my trousers and knickers from my legs. Cool air surrounded my pussy as I spread my thighs. He released his cock from his jeans and I sucked in hot, ragged breaths, hardly able to believe he was actually here, before me.

  My anticipation bubbled as I waited for him to roll on a condom. He dropped back over me. I still wore my coat and my arms felt cumbersome as I locked them around his shoulders, but I couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. His cock and my pussy were about to connect, that was all that mattered.

  “Do you remember how good I can make you feel?” he asked, nudging the smooth head of his shaft through my slick folds, searching for my hot entrance.

  “I could do with reminding,” I gasped against his lips. “It’s been a while.”

  “Reminder coming right up.”

  He forged into me, one hard ram that shoved his cock to the hilt and bashed his pubic bone over my clit. I cried out and he caught the noise in his mouth, kissing me hard and urgently.

  “Ah fuck, yes,” he groaned, pulling his cock almost out then barging back in.

  I looped my legs around the ruck of his hastily shoved-down jeans and jerked my hips up to meet his thrusts. The aching pleasure when he hit maximum penetration was heavenly, a filling sensation that flooded my soul and overtook my world. But I was impatient for the climax, the culmination of our joining. I’d waited too damn long for this to be patient for even another second.

  “Faster,” I gasped. “Fuck me harder, faster.”

  It was as though my words flicked a switch inside him. If he’d been barely harnessed and urgent before, now he was wild. His pace picked up to a harsh, burningly intense rhythm. His hands were up my jumper, teasing my breasts, sliding around my butt cheeks, in my hair and curving around my neck.

  “Ah, ah, ah, yes, yes, yes,” I hissed into his ear. “That’s it, oh, Ty. Show me how much you missed me.”

  My clit was getting ready to explode, my heart thumping in my chest. I clamped my pussy around his cock and gave in to the inevitability of orgasm. “Oh, oh,” I cried, “oh, that’s it, I’m there already, come with me.”

  Suspended on a plane of bliss, I allowed my clit to swell then pulse out its glorious release. My pussy followed suit, squeezing and contracting around Ty’s steely cock in a series of powerful contractions.<
br />
  “Ah baby, I love how you do that, fuck yes…” he cried, lifting his head and freezing deep inside me. He hissed in a breath then his shaft was pumping. Great throbbing beats of pleasure that filled the condom.

  I captured his face in my hands and shoved my tongue into his mouth, searching for his as though my life depended upon it. He kissed me back, passionately, desperately, then scooped his hands under my shoulders and held me tight and close.

  Eventually our kisses slowed, his cock softened and I became hot in my coat. I shifted and dropped my legs from around his thighs.

  “That was definitely worth traveling halfway around the world for,” he whispered. “But just so you know, we have another eighty-three fucks to get through.”

  “Eighty-three?” I smoothed my hands over his hair, pushing it back from his face.

  Through the silvery shadows he grinned. “Yeah, I figure it’s six weeks since I last saw you, going on twice a night, which we know is our average.”

  I giggled. “That is only based on one night together.”

  He shrugged. “It could be more, you’re right, but it was all my calculation had to work with, and that means we’ve missed eighty-four fucks, so now that’s the first one down we can make a start on the others.” He brushed his lips over mine. “I hope you’re not planning on getting out of bed for the next couple of days.”

  “Mmm, it sounds like the perfect plan, but…”

  “There’s a ‘but’?”

  “But I’m starving, and I can smell onions and garlic frying. If we’re going on this sex marathon we better have food.”

  He hesitated for a second then slid from me. “Yep, you’re right, got to keep our strength up.”

  I washed up quickly in the small bathroom then followed my nose to the kitchen. James stood at the cooker stirring a delicious-looking tomato concoction and Ty sat at a battered pine table sipping a bottle of beer.

  “Smells great,” I said.

  “Bolognese,” James said, smiling at me.

  “Yum, my favorite.”

  Ty stood, reached into the fridge and passed me a beer.

  “Cheers,” I said, popping the lid and sitting down. “So how did the commentary job go on the water taxi?”