by Vawn Cassidy
‘Maybe I’m just not that lovable.’ I smile weakly in an attempt to lighten the mood.
He blinks and straightens his back, his eyes flashing with steely determination. ‘Come on.’ He grabs my hand and starts walking briskly.
‘What are you doing?’
‘There’s something I want to show you.’ He pulls me along quickly as we head up the steps to the restaurant and opens the door, shoving me through.
‘Beck, what are you…’
‘SURPRISE!’ A deafening cheer roars through the restaurant and several confetti cannons erupt in my direction. Startled, I almost take an involuntary step back, but Beck places his hand on my back to stop me retreating.
I blink rapidly as the brightly coloured metallic confetti brushes my eyelashes and settles in my hair. Several large tables have been pushed together to create a large banquet table. There are balloons and bunting everywhere and a large sign that reads ‘Happy Birthday Nat!’
I can’t seem to swallow past the lump in my throat, and my eyes are burning.
‘How did you know?’ I whisper hoarsely.
‘I told them!’ Pia appears through the crowd of people and leaps into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck. I hold her to me tightly, burying my face into her neck and breathing her in. ‘Happy Birthday, baby brother,’ she whispers as she pulls back.
I can barely catch my breath as everyone moves forward to greet me. Molly and Bernard are there, attached at the hip. Bea and her daughter, Lila, who is making eyes at Beck’s younger brother Quinn, much to the amusement of Juni and Joss. Quinn, however, seems to only have eyes for Georgie, who is standing laughing with my sister and Ryan. Jesse and Reed are also here, standing with Mel, who’s smiling at me warmly. Florrie from the coffee shop is here, so is Colin from the Cupcake shop, in fact, he’s standing, beaming next to a mountain, and I do mean mountain, of cupcakes arranged on a tall acrylic stand. In front of the cupcakes is a massive frosted sheet cake, with the words ‘Happy Birthday Nat!’ iced on it, and my eyes fill with tears. It’s a real birthday cake, not some posh desert in whatever boring and expensive restaurant my parents deemed to take me and Pia to.
‘But.’ I swallow past the knot of emotion burning at the back of my throat. ‘I’m supposed to be working.’
‘Not tonight, Nat, love.’ Mel smiles widely as she hugs me, her eyes cutting across the room.
I follow her line of vision and see my sous chef, Hayley, behind the counter in the open plan kitchen.
‘Sit your arse down, Nat!’ she calls across the room. ‘We’re going to make you the best birthday meal you’ve ever had!’ Toby my line cook appears beside her and shoots me two thumbs up and a wide grin.
‘Not loved, eh?’ Beck whispers in my ear.
Completely overwhelmed with happiness and such a rush of love for everyone, I spin around, throwing my arms around Beck’s neck and lay one on him. I feel his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me in and kissing me back as the sounds of hoots and catcalls ring in my ears.
I pull back grinning against his mouth, ‘I can’t believe you guys did this!’
‘You deserve it, Nat.’ He brushes my lips softly as he smiles. ‘Now, birthday boy, do you want your presents?’
‘I get presents too!’ I beam at him.
‘Of course, you do.’ He shakes his head. ‘What sort of a birthday would it be without presents?’
He pulls me toward the table and into the waiting crowd of people, where I’m hugged, kissed, jostled, and slapped on the back. All the regulars stop by to wish me happy birthday and buy me drinks. I’m feeling so much love tonight that I may break out singing the Lion King any moment, although that may be the alcohol on an empty stomach talking.
While drinks are bought and food orders are placed, I’m presented with an endless stream of gifts. Now, I may have been raised in privilege, but I have never felt so spoiled as I do right now. These aren’t cursory gifts bought because they’re expensive or on trend. They’re silly and thoughtful, and every single one makes me smile.
Molly has bought me boxers with eggplant emoji’s splashed all over them, much to Bea’s utter mortification, especially when she had to lean over and explain to Bernard what that particular emoji is supposed to infer.
Ryan gives me a case of his Bad Decision beer, along with a wink and a ‘you’re welcome’ smirk. I get a waterproof watch from Pia, and Reed, Quinn and Jesse clubbed together to get me a waterproof GoPro for when I’m surfing. Joss, Juni and Lila, all made me sweet little friendship bracelets from brightly coloured cord and clear beads, which came from recycled plastics from the local beach clean-up.
Then Georgie leans over and hands me her phone.
‘Thanks, Georgie, but I’ve got my own.’ I laugh.
‘Twat.’ She grins at me affectionately. ‘Look at the picture.’
I glance down at a photo of a gorgeous custom-made surfboard. Georgie is insanely talented. She may run the surf school and swim shack for her parents, but her real passion is for designing and making handmade surfboards. I look closer at the eye-catching graphics painted on the underside and in a wild rip curl script is my name.
‘Oh my god,’ I breath. ‘Is this… mine?’
‘No, lame arse, it’s for the other Nat whose birthday party I’m at.’ She laughs. ‘Of course, it’s yours, but given the size of it, I thought it best not to lug it over to the restaurant. It’s over at the shack when you’re ready for it.’
‘I don’t know what to say,’ I mutter.
‘Tell me I’m awesome and that you love me.’ She winks, and so I do, wrapping my arms around her and telling her I love her, not missing the wistful look Quinn sends her way when she’s not looking.
We eat, we drink, and we laugh. I’ve never felt so welcome or so loved, and it’s like being wrapped up in a warm blanket of pure contentment. If people don’t stop being so nice to me, I may just break down and cry like a baby.
I look up as Melanie taps her glass and stands up to make a speech.
‘Alright, calm down.’ She smiles. ‘I’d like to make a toast. This is the first time we’ve celebrated a birthday in here since Sully passed away, and I’d just like to say how glad I am it’s yours, Nat.’ She looks down at me warmly. ‘You have no idea the light you’ve brought with you since you arrived in the bay and tried to toss yourself headfirst into the ocean.’
‘You told her?’ I hiss to Beck, and he grins as the table erupts in laughter.
‘Anyway, I’m so glad Beck didn’t let you drown. Seriously though, Nat, you’ve brought Sully’s back to life, and you mean a lot to us. You’re not just part of our community, you’re part of our extended ragtag patchwork family. We may be rough around the edges, but it works, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say, we love you, and we hope you decide to stay permanently. TO NAT!’
A rousing chorus ripples around the table accompanied by raised glasses, and I can feel my eyes burning.
Yep, about to cry just like a baby.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nat
When the man calls you his muse and gives you everything you didn’t know you needed, it’s time to just admit he owns your heart…
I spin around with the sand beneath my feet, the moon high above and the scent of the briny waves floating around me as Beck watches with a soft smile on his face.
‘Dance with me, Beck.’ I reach for him. ‘Dance with me in the moonlight.’
He slides his arms around me slowly, wrapping them around my waist as I drape my arms around his neck, and we dance slow circles in the sand.
‘Sometimes, Nat,’ he rumbles quietly. ‘I think you’ve been conjured from a midsummer night’s dream; a beautiful fae creature of magic, sent to enchant me, and I wonder if you’re real.’
‘I’m real,’ I whisper against his mouth, reaching for his hand and laying it on my chest. ‘Touch me.’ I shiver, overwhelmed by the rush of feeling for this man that I didn’t see coming and am utterly defence
less against. ‘I’m real.’
‘Nat.’ His lips press against mine, and I’m sinking. I can’t do anything but breathe in and taste the man I’m hopelessly in love with.
‘Come home with me,’ he murmurs. ‘I want to give you my present.’
I can’t help the smile that curves at the corner of my mouth.
‘I know exactly where your mind just went,’ he chuckles. ‘That too, but I have something else in mind, something special.’
Intrigued, I follow him along the beach, holding his hand as we wind up the secret path to the bluffs and toward the sea cottage. Once inside, he leads me to his studio and flips the lights on, pulling me toward the large worktable he usually sculpts clay models on. Standing in the middle of the table is a large object, maybe three feet high and covered with a drop cloth.
I stop in front of the object, looking down curiously.
‘Happy Birthday, Nat.’ He smiles, and I can see he’s a little nervous.
Reaching out, I draw the cloth off slowly and can’t help the sharp intake of my breath. The material slithers across the cool metal and slips from my lax fingers to pool on the floor. My eyes widen as I take in every tiny, painstaking, and intricate detail.
‘Beck,’ I whisper in awe.
‘Do you like it?’ he asks quietly.
‘I love it,’ I breathe.
It’s one of his bronzes, but it’s me. He’s sculpted me rising up out of the foaming waves, my back arched lithely, my naked torso thrust forward, and my head falling back with my eyes closed. My hands are outstretched and palms facing upward, my curling hair whips back from my serene face in an unseen wind. Every line and curve of my body is a detailed replica of me, right down to the ‘V’ shape of my pelvis. The waves rising around me, show the rounded curves of the top of my buttocks and hover just above where my cock begins, showing a hint of pubes. It’s scandalous and sexy, and so powerful. It’s utterly beautiful, and I’m absolutely floored by his talent.
‘Is this how you see me?’ I whisper hoarsely.
‘Yes.’ He reaches out and strokes the statue. ‘I began sculpting it the day I met you, and it began to take shape the more I learned every inch of your body.’ He turns to stare at me. ‘I know your face and your body so well; I could sculpt you with my eyes closed.’
‘Beck,’ I choke, absolutely speechless.
‘This is how I see you, Nat,’ he says quietly. ‘Beautiful, powerful, and sexy. I watched you that day, I saw you step onto the beach and tilt your head to the rain, catching the raindrops in your palms as the sea roared around you wildly. I remember thinking to myself that you looked like a young god commanding the waves.’ He turns back to glance at the statue again with a smile. ‘I call this one Poseidon.’
‘It’s incredible, Beck.’ I reach out to touch it, running my fingertips down the torso to the groin.
‘I called Ellen at the Dalton Gallery,’ he tells me with a bashful smile.
‘You did?’ I reply.
‘Yeah.’ He grins adorably. ‘I did what you said. I told her I wouldn’t be able to offer a full collection until next year, and she agreed when I told her about the new pieces I’d be working on.’
‘New pieces?’
‘I’m doing more pieces to go alongside Poseidon. It’s going to be a kind of Gods of the Ocean theme. If you don’t mind lending me your one to be displayed.’
‘Of course not.’ I smile. ‘Beck, I’m so proud of you,’ I breathe again stepping into him and wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his.
‘You’re my muse, Nat,’ he murmurs against my lips. ‘You’re all I see…’ He slides his tongue into my mouth, tasting me. ‘You’re all I want.’
It’s a slow, sexy slide, keeping pace with the thudding of my heart. There’s none of the frantic desperation there usually is between us. It’s deeper, slower, hotter, like wading through thick syrupy molasses. My head falls back as he trails open mouthed kisses down my throat. My back arches, almost mirroring the statue sitting beside us, and thrusting my pelvis against his. I can feel the hot, hard length of him rubbing against me, and I want him, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my whole life… he’s everything.
His mouth returns to mine, and he kisses me wetly, sucking my tongue into his mouth. I pull back, breathing deeply and shivering. ‘Make love to me, Beck,’ I beg against his mouth. ‘Please.’
I almost expect him to throw me down on the sofa, which, to be fair, probably needs reupholstering by now, or to bend me over the table, or even press me against the wall, all of which we’ve done, several times. Instead, he pulls back, his hazel eyes blazing to almost hot green. He tugs my hands, pulling me from the room.
By the time we climb the stairs and reach his bedroom, I’m aching for him. We kick shoes off, strip socks and shirts and fall to the bed. His mouth is on mine again as his delicious weight presses down on me. I unbutton his jeans, sliding my hands down the back of the loose material into his briefs and cupping his firm arse cheeks, massaging them as he rocks against me. Feeling bolder, I slide my finger down the length of his crease, pressing the tip to his tight furled hole and massaging it gently. I’m rewarded with his deep guttural moan in my mouth. I haven’t played with his arse yet, but I want to. I don’t know if he’s bottomed before, but I’m desperate to own every inch of his body just like he owns mine.
Just as I’m tempted to reach for the lube so I can slide my finger into his tight hole, he pulls back, shoving the rest of his clothes down his legs and kicks them away, so he’s standing gloriously nude and erect in the moonlight pouring through the window.
He’s so beautiful and all mine.
He leans in and strips my jeans and boxers, leaving me naked for his hungry eyes. I reach for him, but instead, he starts at my ankles, kissing his way slowly upwards, spreading my legs, until his reaches the apex of my thighs. He presses in, nips lightly at my balls before spreading my cheeks and thrusting his tongue into my hole.
I moan loudly as he settles between my spread legs and begins rimming me with a single-minded dedication. I fist my hands in the sheets, determined not to take my cock in my hand, no matter how much it aches. I want this to last as long as possible. I don’t want him to ever stop touching me.
I’m unconsciously rocking against his face now as he groans low, and I can see him grinding into the bed, trying to seek some relief for his painfully hard dick. He’s so turned on I think incredulously, he’s turned on from tonging me.
He reaches up and grabs the bottle of lube from the bedside, and before I can do anything more than grunt, he slides those beautiful long, talented fingers inside me and curls them, immediately hitting my prostate and working it masterfully.
I can’t do anything but arch helplessly into his touch, my knees falling open wider and giving him more access, desperately riding his hand as he fingers me open. I cry out again, my eyes tightly closed, and my mouth open at the intense wave of pleasure.
‘I love watching you like this.’ His voice is a delicious low growl as he stares at me. ‘I love seeing the pleasure on your face as I do this.’
He shoves his fingers deeper and curls them again, rubbing against my inner wall and working that magic spot. A thin trail of precum stretches from my slit to my belly and catches his eye. He leans forward licking my slit and sucking the tip of my cock into his hot mouth teasingly.
‘Mmm,’ he hums in delight. ‘You taste so good.’
‘Beck, please,’ I beg. ‘I need you inside me.’
He crawls up my body pressing us together skin to skin as he leans over and reaches for a condom. I don’t know what comes over me, but I reach out and grab his wrist to stop him.
‘Nat?’
‘I…’ I bite my lip, unsure if I should ask for what it is I really want.
‘What is it, baby?’ he mutters, searching my face.
‘Do we have to use a condom?’ I whisper hesitantly.
His sharp intake of breath worries me. ‘You wan
t me to go bareback?’ he asks in that gravelly tone that always tightens my balls.
‘I…’ I swallow nervously. ‘Yes, I want to feel your naked cock. I want the heat and the burn. I want your cum inside me… I’m clean, you know I am.’ At this point I’ve swallowed his cum so many times that I’m not even sure the condom is necessary.
‘Nat.’ He presses his fevered forehead to mine. ‘I’ve never had sex without a condom.’
‘It’s okay.’ I shake my head. ‘You don’t have to.’ Swallowing down the keen edge of disappointment, I reach for the condom for him, but he reaches out this time to stop me.
His fingers lace with mine as he watches me with those hot eyes. Pinning my hand to the bed beside my head, he reaches down between our bodies with his other hand and excitement knots in my stomach as I feel him using the lube already coating his hand from fingering me to coat his cock. I lift my knees up either side of his thighs, canting my hips as he notches his head at my hole and begins to push in slowly.
A long moan escapes his lips, and I watch his face avidly, the way his eyes close and his mouth falls open as he concentrates on the feel of my hot passage around his bare cock. It feels just as incredible for me, and without the pinch of the rubber, I just feel hot, hard, slick heat as he slides all the way in, bottoming out and pressing his wiry pubes and balls to the tender skin of my arse.
‘God, Nat,’ he gasps. ‘So good, you feel so good,’
‘Move,’ I pant, feeling the hard steely length of him impaling me.
He grabs my other hand, twining his fingers with mine and pinning my hands to the bed above me as he pulls out almost to the tip and thrusts back in.
‘Fuck!’ I throw my head back and gasp, my spine arching as he presses me more firmly into the mattress sliding in and out of my hole torturously slow.
I’ve always got off on him holding me down as he shoves his cock in me, but this is a whole other level of intense pleasure. I wind my legs around his thrusting hips as he plunges in and out of my body. Leaning forward, he takes my mouth again, plunging his tongue into my mouth, mimicking what his cock is doing to my body.
