He looks at me awkwardly and fiddles with some plates in front of him.
“James?” I wonder why he’s being so shifty all of a sudden.
“Okay, don’t take this the wrong way but I rang them yesterday evening before I went to the party. But it’s not what you think.”
I bring my hand up to sit on my hips, “So you didn’t think I was that much of a sure thing that I’d be around for breakfast. You didn’t think that I would just fall into bed with you and you could have your wicked way with me?”
“The way I see it, you had your wicked way with me too.” He grins and I do my best to keep my face straight even though I want to laugh. I shake my head and turn to walk out the door but he twirls me back round and brings me close to him.
“Okay, okay, let’s talk and I’ll-“
He stops mid-sentence and flexes his fingers on my back then rubs his hands up and down my sides, “Wait, this is my shirt. How did I not notice this before?”
“Because you were too busy giving yourself a mental pat on the back for getting what you wanted.” I say huffily, hoping he gets that I’m pissed.
“That’s true, I was very happy I got what I wanted. Because I’ve wanted it for so long, and it was better than I ever imagined our next time to be like. I didn’t order breakfast because I thought you’d be here. I ordered it because I hoped you would. And if you were, I wanted there to be something special the next day that might make you hang around a bit longer.”
His head bends down to kiss behind my ear and he drags his teeth over my earlobe as he talks, sending a shiver all over. “So do you want to hang around a bit longer? Maybe the rest of the day?” He pulls back to look in my eyes and I have to take a deep breath at the intense look he’s giving me.
“Yes,” I finally breathe out and his relief is palpable as I feel his muscles relax around me.
“Cool. Sit down and I’ll get us some drinks. Coffee, tea, orange juice?”
“Coffee, for me please.”
He puts the kettle on and finishes loading up the plates with breakfast. It’s like he’s just ordered everything off their menu; there’s fresh fruit, pastries, yoghurt, cereal, bacon sandwiches, and pancakes.
“I didn’t know what you would want so I got some of everything.” He looks at me and there’s an uncertainty in his eyes, a vulnerability that I’m not used to seeing from him.
“I love it all. I don’t know where to start.”
“Let’s start at the beginning.” He says as he places a mug of coffee in front of me and sits on the stool opposite. His eyes have narrowed and I’m not so sure he’s talking about breakfast anymore.
He sips his tea and bites into a croissant. He’s waiting for me to start and I can’t find the right words yet, so I gesture for him to go first.
“Okay. Nine months ago I saw a very beautiful blonde haired girl in a bar. She was wearing a sinfully short dress.” His eyes smile like he’s remembering that night and my heart starts being wildly as I wait to hear what he’s going to say next.
“She had these killer legs, and a smile that lit up the room, but she was flirting with a load of guys. Problem. But I devised a very cunning plan with a little help from the Date Doctor and it worked. And I couldn’t believe it when I asked her to go home with me and she agreed.” He gulps down some more tea and clears his throat, and I’m left staring in anticipation of the rest of the story. It’s like I’m reading it a romance novel and it’s not actually my life.
“She was hot, and I mean hotter than the Caribbean hot, and I had to pinch myself several times that night to make sure it was actually happening, and I hadn’t passed out drunk somewhere dreaming her up. She was sexy, fun, knew exactly how to please me and honestly the way she felt in my arms was enough to keep her on my mind the following week. I didn’t get her name and I was kicking myself I let her go; I think I was just in shock.”
Hearing that night from his point of view is so strange because I remember everything up until we left the bar. I remember his huge grin as we talked and flirted, and the feel of his body against mine when we were grinding on the dance floor, his hands and his mouth on my neck. He clears his throat again, and it’s a nervous, apprehensive gesture, but his honesty is only making me more addicted to his words.
“You have to know though, I’m not used to feeling something that strong. I’m not proud to admit I’ve been with a lot of girls but this one, she was different. I knew it then but struggled to admit it. The next week I was having drinks with friends and she showed up like she’d just stepped straight out of my dreams. I’m a guy, I don’t believe in fate or destiny or any of that mushy bullshit, but even I had to admit there was some force out there throwing us together. But again, I faced another problem. She was too drunk to remember our night together. A night I hadn’t stopped thinking about. So you can imagine how frustrated I was.”
I nod and pick up my coffee.
“I thought she didn’t care, and I felt stupid for thinking about it so much when she obviously hadn’t. All I could think about that night was kissing her again, taking her back to my bed, again. So when I saw her talking to another guy who had his arm around her I just snapped. I realised she was like me, someone just looking for fun, one-nighters. So as she flirted with one guy, I did the same with a girl I know. The game ended, and she won. She slept with him, and I tried my damn hardest to forget about her.”
I sip my coffee as he takes another bite of his croissant thoughtfully.
“I didn’t sleep with Ryan.”
He looks up at me, and his eyes search mine to try and get the rest of the story. “Ryan’s a good friend, but I didn’t want him like that. I wanted you. But when you saw us together, there was something that just overtook you like you were going to flip. And when Shannon draped herself all over you, you didn’t push her away and I was hurt, because I thought you wanted me too. You allowed her to put her hands on you, you kissed her right in front of me and all I could think about was getting you off my mind. So I played the game too. He walked me home but nothing else happened.”
This is the first time we’re getting it all out in the open and it feels like hearing the night from each other’s point of view has given us both something to think about. It’s the first time we’ve realised that we’ve both been feeling exactly the same; wanting each other but trying our best to forget.
I stick my fork into a piece of pineapple and hover it against my lips.
“So, the kiss last month? A mistake?” I take a bite then wait with baited breath for his answer.
He puts down his bacon sandwich, and leans back taking a swig of tea. “The only mistake I made that night was not admitting to you how I felt. I was taken aback at how strong my feelings were for you, still, and yeah, I was a bit unsure of what I wanted. Laurel, I haven’t had a relationship in years. It’s not because I don’t like you, because I do. I’ve just been so used to the single life. Girls always try and get me to settle down with them, it’s annoying; they become clingy, stroppy when I can’t spend time with them. I work all hours when I’m on a project, travel the country looking for the next one that’s going to grab me and I’ve just not got close to anyone because of it. Then I met you, and you changed my outlook on it all. I actually want to spend time with you, hell I should be working right now but I’m playing hooky. You’re a bad influence on me, babe.” He shakes his head with that cute half smile and I have a sudden urge to wrap my arms around him, so I get up and move round the counter. His eyes widen; I’ve taken him by surprise, but he swings around and I settle in between his legs and rest my head on his shoulder. His arms close in tight around my back and he draws little circles on my hip. “I don’t know how it’s taken me this long to get my shit together, but it is definitely together now,” he murmurs into my hair. A few more seconds and I pull away dazed, his scent is intoxicating and the feel of his hard chest underneath my hands has me gripping the edge of the counter so I don’t throw myself at him.
&
nbsp; “What are you thinking, babe?” He’s frowning and I realise I pulled away so abruptly he still has his hands out, and my face is burning.
“Nothing.” I respond quickly, embarrassed about where my thoughts have actually taken me. My eyes drop to his chest, I’m trying really hard not to reach my hand out and stroke over every muscle and duck my head to lick his nipples just like he was doing to mine earlier.
“Oh, really?” He asks sceptically, and gets out his seat, and as soon as my back hits the counter I realise I’ve stepped to the side and he’s followed.
“I think…” He picks up my hand and pulls a finger into his mouth, sucking gently and running his tongue all over. His eyes are fixed on mine and they are so full of heat that I let out a soft moan imagining his tongue everywhere else.
“…That you…” He lets my hand drop and moves in closer, tugging my hair back and gripping my neck so it’s completely bared to him. He pulls the collar of his shirt to the side and, starting at my collarbone, licks all the way up to my ear. I’m wet and tingling all over as I clench my legs together but it makes the ache even stronger.
“…Are thinking…” His kisses come slow and tender on my neck and whilst his breath warms my skin, one hand floats slowly up the back of my thigh. I close my eyes and drown in his soft touch.
His hand reaches the top of my thigh and he stops, expecting to feel the edge of some material but I was so wrapped up in the smell of his shirt earlier I forgot to put my underwear on. He looks in my eyes with a knowing smirk and if he doesn’t move his hand up further in the next few seconds I’m going to move it for him.
“What am I thinking?” My voice is just a whisper in the air as his hand moves up spreading out and gripping my ass so tightly that his fingers are nearly reaching the place I’m so desperate for his touch. My loud whimper gives him a devilish smile and the hunger in his eyes sends shockwaves straight down to my core.
“This…” He says gruffly, and with skilful hands he lifts me up against his chest crashing his lips against mine as he moves us over to the table at the far end of the kitchen. He sits me down on the edge and tosses a chair out the way so he can lower his body over mine.
His hands quickly undo the buttons of his shirt and pull it wide open so he can see all of me. His eyes wander all the way down slowly lingering on my breasts, and lowers his mouth to them, stubble tickling my skin. “Is this what you were thinking about, babe?”
I can only moan a response and feel his smile against the top of my breast. He brings his hands up to stroke them whilst he continues to kiss his way down my stomach and further until his mouth is covering my core and he’s burying his face deep. He licks and teases and I try to sit up and watch but when his tongue darts inside me I drop my head back against the table and moan loudly. My hands find his hair and I hold his head to me because I know I wouldn’t be able to stand it if he stopped.
“You have to know how good you taste,” he mumbles in between licks and before I can say anything he’s pulled me so I’m sitting up and his lips are moving against mine forcefully. Our tongues are entwining and I can taste myself on his mouth, but surprisingly I don’t find it disgusting; it turns me on even more. My hands glide up over his biceps and shoulders and I clutch them firmly whilst he slips two finger deep inside me, and its pleasure and pain at the same time but the pain hardly registers as he starts moving them in and out. His eyes hold mine, I can’t look away. They have an intense, feral blaze that makes me want to melt against him but he’s holding me back so he can watch my face. I start to ride his fingers, wanting more, wanting it faster, feeling the simmering heat start to boil inside me as he kisses my neck.
He breathes heavily in my ear, “God, you look so beautiful when you’re about to come.” The pad of his thumb slips over my clit and I don’t realise I’m so close until with one last hard thrust he hooks his fingers, hitting the spot that has me moaning his name and clinging to him as hard as I can whilst I shakily come down from my high.
“Oh my…” I breathe in unsteadily. A slow, satisfied smile creeps on my face as I lift my head to look at him.
“That is definitely what I was thinking about.”
A deep chuckle vibrates in his chest, and I lower my face to his pecs, feeling his heart beat racing under my cheek.
Chapter Twelve
James
God, I don’t think she realises what she does to me. Her soft curves in my hands, her sexy moans in my ear and the way she clings to me when she comes are things I never thought I’d get again but it was totally worth the wait. Although if I’d got my shit together ages ago I could have had the past nine months of this. We’ve lost out on so much time but I’m not going to let that happen anymore. Now it’s all about grabbing any opportunity and time with her I can, making sure she gets to know the real me.
“Have you finished with breakfast?” I ask as I pull my shirt back round her and start to button the front.
“Yes, thank you. Have you? I’ll clear up if you have.”
“Uh, uh. No princess should have to clear up her boyfriend’s mess. I’ll do it.” I move over to the other side of the room, and start to empty the plates and wrap the left-over food up to put in the fridge. I can feel her eyes on me still and as I look over, she closes her open mouth and cocks her eyebrow at me.
“What?”
“Boyfriend? You and your assumptions, Dawson.” She shakes her head at me and I start to feel like an idiot at having just told her everything I felt about her. How could I have read the situation so differently, I thought that was what she wanted too? Everything I’ve waited for is slipping away in an instant until she does the little tell-tale sign of chewing on the inside of her cheek; she’s trying to hold back laughter.
“Babe…that wasn’t nice.” I walk over to her and we’re both trying to hold back smiles. “Naughty girls have to be punished.”
She raises her head in defiance but I lift my arms and make a show of wiggling my fingers.
“No, don’t. Please.” She shakes her head furiously and a nervous laugh’s escaping but she’s desperately begging me not to with her eyes.
“I have to. I can’t control them. Quick Laurel, move.” She screams and tries to climb off the table but I move to block her each time she leans a different way. “Please. Don’t. I can’t stand it.” She’s laughing and giggling as I bring my hands out to tickle every bit of skin I can find.
“James, please. Get off.” She screams and wriggles and squirms in my grip and I can’t hide my laughter either.
“Not until you say it.”
“Never.” She shakes her head laughing and moans as my hands find a particularly sensitive spot on the side of her stomach. “Please, stop.”
“Right, that’s it...” I pick her up still screaming and throw her over my shoulder.
“What are you doing? James put me down,” she begs, lashing out and hitting my backside.
“Ssh, quiet woman.” I slap her playfully on the butt which just makes her scream louder.
“No. What are you going to do?” She’s still laughing but I can hear she’s worried.
I climb the stairs and head down the hallway to the bathroom. “Why are we going in here? What are you doing?” I chuckle at both the laughter and frustration in her voice, and reach out to turn the shower above the bath on high.
“You wouldn’t dare. I’ve still got your shirt on. I don’t want a shower yet.” She tries to slap me again and wriggle out of my grip but I tighten my hold on her, “I don’t care about my shirt. And yes, babe, I would dare.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll say it.”
“I’m waiting…”
“You can be my boyfriend, you lucky thing.” I grin with satisfaction but it won’t stop me from doing what I had planned.
“Thanks babe, but I’m going in now.”
She laughs and splutters as I step under the shower head and the water soaks her through.
“So Dawson, I was thinking…” Laurel start
s to say as she finishes drying her hair.
“Uh, oh.” I wince teasingly and she walks over the bed to grab a pillow, and chucks it at me.
“Dick.” She flings over her shoulder and struts her way back into the bathroom.
“Hey I resent that.”
“I thought you liked it when I called you names?”
“Yeah, cool names like Hot Stuff, or Sex God, or King of Pleasure.” I smile when she rolls her eyes and lie down on the bed just watching her as she lays out all the girly shit she had in her Mary Poppins bag and starts to put her make-up on.
“I don’t know why you bother with that stuff, it doesn’t make you look any better.” She swings round to glare at me with her hip jutted out and her eyebrow raised.
“Babe don’t give me that look. I didn’t mean it like that. You’re beautiful enough as it is. You don’t need it.”
“Hmm, better.”
“So what were you thinking?” I ask, relieved I managed to get my foot out my mouth.
“Well, I mean, how’s it going to be now? You know its Cassie’s catch-up drinks tonight. What’s going to happen? Are we going separately, or are we going to tell people? ‘Cause you know I’m fine with it any way you want it, I just need to know how it’s going to play out.”
She’s been talking so fast, waving her mascara thing round in the air, she didn’t see me appear behind her.
“Babe, we’re going together.” I put my arms around her waist and kiss her neck, watching her reflection through the mirror. Her mouth parts and her head tilts to the side to allow me better access.
“I told you. You’re mine now. I want everyone to know it. And I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my hands off you.”
I grip her hips and pull her back against me.
Sweet Reflection (Truth) Page 13
