A Natural Act (Contradictions) (24 page)

Craig groans. “Go home.”

“
Is that anyway to greet your big brothers?” Danny taunts.

Craig just glares at them and heads to the kitchen. I hear him open and close the fridge
door, sigh, and come back.

“
Been here a while I take it,” Craig drawls at them, tucking me into his side protectively.

“
We were hungry,” Danny shrugs shamelessly. At least I think it’s Danny. I’m basing it on the fact that he’s wearing a black shirt and Ian called the one in the black shirt Danny earlier today.

“
There are these things called supermarkets,” Craig tells him, dragging a chair over from the table so we can sit down opposite the twins who take up a three-seater sofa between the two of them.

“
But your food is free,” Rick winks.

Craig shakes his head but he honestly doesn’t seem that bothered. I get the impression he’s used to it.

“Sleeping here?” Craig asks them, hooking his arm around my waist as I sit on his knee.

“
Nah,” Rick shakes his head. “Thought about it but we’re gonna go out instead.”

Craig nods.

“Not staying at home,” Danny continues. “Matt and Elise had a face off after you left and he’s been a grumpy bastard ever since.”

Craig cringes in empathy.

“Where you two been anyway?” Rick asks me.

“
In town,” I tell him with a smile because I like that he’s talking directly to me but I’m not sure whether I should tell him exactly where we were, that’s up to Craig.

“
Went to see Jimmy,” Craig nods.

The twins eyes light up and they gesture for Craig to take his shirt off so they can see.

He shakes his head.

“
Craig,” Danny narrows his eyes.

He just shakes his head.

I can smell trouble in there so I rise to standing and step away.

“
Clever girl,” Rick winks at me just before he and his twin tackle Craig onto the floor.

Craig is laughing
as they pin him down. I don’t think he’s putting up much of a fight but he’s not making it easy for them.

“
Gonna help us, Isabella?” Danny chuckles, finally managing to pin Craig’s arms down.

I look at Craig’s face and he winks at me. I don’t think he’s all that bothered about the twins seeing the tattoo. He’s just enjoying messing with hem.

“Sure,” I reply with a grin, kneeling down next to my immobilised boyfriend so I can help tug his shirt up.

“
Fuck me,” Danny sighs, bending down low to get a better look.

“
Talk about an anti-climax,” Rick mocks, feigning a blow to Craig’s stomach.

“
Get off,” Craig laughs, shoving his brothers off of him and rising to his feet. He helps me up effortlessly and presses a kiss to my forehead to let me know he’s fine.

“
What is it?” Danny demands, flopping back onto the sofa.

“
Acronym,” Craig shrugs.

That’s news to me. I thought it was perhaps another language.

“Epomlepoy?” Rick raises any eyebrow.

Craig nods.

“Secretive bastard,” Danny chuckles, tossing a cushion at his head.

He just grins and pulls me into his lap again.

“You know what it means?” Danny asks me.

I shake my head with a slight pout and I feel Craig vibrate with silent laughter.

Danny groans. “We’ll get it out of you one day.”

“
Maybe,” Craig smirks but he looks doubtful.

“
Isabella,” Rick turns his attention on me, sprawling out on the sofa. “What did you think of the Carters?” He grins wickedly like he’s asking me a question that he already knows the answer to.

“
I think it’s fairly clear that I’m quite fond of at least one of you,” I tell him.

“
It’s me, isn’t it?” Danny grins at me, wiggling his eyebrows.

I can’t help but laugh, and I laugh even harder when I hear Craig growl and throw a cushion at Danny’s head.

“Message received,” the twins chuckle, rising to standing. “We’re off.”

“
’Bout time,” Craig grumbles but his eyes are still smiling.

“
Food delivery tomorrow evening. Takeaway coming in about half an hour,” Rick tells him. “We left you enough for breakfast.”

Craig nods and I’m slightly impressed that they’re replacing the mountains of food they’ve eaten.

“Laters,” they wink as they let themselves out of the front door.

“
Look after her,” one of them shouts as the door closes.

“
I will,” he tells me, pinning me down with his gaze. “Always will.”

“Like that, lady,” Craig grunts, his face buried between my legs.

“
Craig, please,” I pant in response because I was so close to climax and he stopped to talk to me.

He chuckles against my skin and the vibrations are so intense but I’m just not there.

I whimper gently as he pulls away again but I quickly change my mind as he pulls his jeans off. He’s commando so it doesn’t take long for me to get an eyeful of the pocket cucumber.

He reaches for a condom but I stop him.

He frowns.

“
Craig, I’ve taken injections,” I explain.

It takes him a few seconds to catch on.
“When?”

“
Most recently, last week on my lunch break. I’ve been taking them for years.”

He studies me for a little longer, a look of surprise on his face.
“By choice?” He prompts cautiously.

I nod.
“He never knew.”

He grins at this and abandons his search for the purple condoms.
“You sure?” He asks me.

I nod but I’m not fully focussed on the task because I’m watching the way he holds his erect cock in his large hand. The silver piercing twinkles at me and I nibble my lip as I imagine the way that will feel inside of me.

“Bella,” he prompts me with a wicked grin.

“
Please,” I urge.

“
Like it when you beg, Bella,” he tells me, his voice a low growl.

“
Is that why you’re keeping me waiting?” I pout, wiggling my hips to get closer to him.

“
Am I keeping you waiting?” He feigns surprise, rubbing his swollen tip against me. The movement rolls the ball of his piercing against my clit and my hips thrust upwards in an automatic response. Tazer and I are becoming very good friends.

He lets out a low grown as he positions himself against my moistened slit, pushing gently to ease himself inside me.

I know he’s trying to be gentle but it’s not fast enough so I reach down to grab his thighs, pulling my body weight down to force his full length inside me.

I almost cry out as I feel that devilish little ball massaging my inner walls. With very movement it hits all the right spots.

He’s letting me control the pace by pulling my weight down onto him with each thrust. His hands rest on the narrowest point of my waist, massaging my skin. His hands move up to my rib cage, cupping each breast and teasing my nipples with long fingers.

My movements increase in pace but Craig seems to sense that I can’t quite get there. He leans forwards to scoop me up, lifting me so that I’m straddled across his lap.

With his hands firmly grasping my rear end, he helps lift me up over him, his cock withdrawing so that only the tip remains inside of me. Then he pulls me down so that he reaches the deepest depths of me, spreading pleasure throughout.

It’s almost painful but it’s just on the pleasant side as he fills me completely. I’m attributing a good portion of that to the metallic
bead that feels indescribably good.

Oh how I love Tazer.

Within a few solid thrusts, I’m on the verge of ecstasy. He grins devilishly as he slows the pace, keeping me on the edge of my release. His teeth trail down my neck and I can feel the smile against my skin.

“
Please,” I whimper, my hands firmly grasping the broad expanse of his back to push myself down onto him.

“
Whatever you want, Bella,” he whispers against my skin, recommencing the rapid thrusting which quickly brings my pleasure levels rocketing back up to their peak.

I scream and feel my fingernails curling into the skin of his back as my orgasm rocks through every nerve ending. At the back of my mind, there’s the whispering of worry that I
might be hurting him but it disappears rapidly as I feel him release his seed inside of me.

As the last drops of his virility spill out, he moans and holds me close, his arms wrapped tightly around me.

When my breathing slows, he rises gently to standing, his semi-erect length still pulsating slightly inside of me.

Wordlessly, he walks us into the shower. When the water temperature meets his approval, he moves us both below the steady stream.

No speech is needed as he tenderly cleans us both, ensuring my hair is shampooed and conditioned. My back is massaged and my lips worshiped with tender kisses.

Sex with Craig is more than just the feast of carnal energy. It’s a physical and mental connection. There are no shields, there’s no shame, and there’s nothing between us.

We’re so in tune to each other that I can let my sexuality lead the way. I don’t remember ever experiencing such a level of freedom.

It’s perfect.

When we step out of the shower, I’m wrapped in one of our thick, white towels. He dries my hair with a smaller towel and makes sure I’m warm enough.

He removed the bandage from his tattoo once we were safely in the shower and he offers me a small dry towel now, asking me to pat the area dry.

I’d never pass up the opportunity to study his skin so I do as he asks, careful not to irritate the newly inked area of his body.

“
Epomlepoy,” I whisper, tracing the lettering with my gaze.

“
Epomlepoy,” he nods.

“
So it’s an acronym?” I prompt. I’m still curious to understand its meaning-

He nods, a slight lop-sided grin forming on his lips.

“Craig,” I complain playfully, crossing my arms across my chest.

He chuckles and pulls my arms away, his eyes firmly on my breasts. He reaches up and tests their weight in his hands.

I moan gently because it feels far too good and my breasts are still sensitive from my recent orgasm.

“
Want to know what it means,” he states. He already knows I want to know.

I nod.

He manages to break his eyes away from my naked bosom and scoops me up in his arms instead.

He carries us into the bedroom, putting me in the centre of the bed before joining me under the cover.

“Tell you what it means,” he whispers, spooning behind me with one arm as a cushion for my head and the other around my waist.

“
Yes please,” I snuggle closer to him contentedly, my body tired but my mind wide awake to give him my full attention.

“
There are conditions,” he tells me, pressing a kiss to my neck.

“
Okay…” I answer uncertainly because he sounds less confident than normal.

“
First, I tell you, we don’t speak of it again,” he says seriously.

“
Craig-”I start to question him.

“
No,” he cuts me off gently. Conditions aren’t up for debate.

I accept that because he seems so uncomfortable with this and I’m too curious not to let him continue. I need to k
now what the tattoo means.

“
Two. You don’t respond. Don’t want any response,” he tells me somewhat cryptically.

“
Okay,” I answer uncertainly with a nod of my head.

He takes a deep breath and I feel his chest expand against my back.

I intertwine my fingers with his own around my waist and gently rub his thumb to encourage him.

“
Never meant for this, Bella,” he begins. “Just wanted to help you find your feet.”

“
I know,” I mumble quietly because I understand why he struggled with the attraction between us.

“
You’re different to any woman I’ve ever met,” he continues, pausing only to press a kiss to the side of my head. “You don’t think you’re strong but you are. You fought passively. You took contraceptive injections. I’m guessing Nigel never knew?”

I shake my head.

“You kept it from as a form of silent protest,” Craig nods, sounding impressed. “That’s exactly the sort of thing I mean. You might not have retaliated with violence but you retaliated. That’s what counts. You were strong throughout it all.”

I swallow thickly because, at the time, not eating and ensuring I couldn’t get pregnant felt more like devious acts than acts of strength. I was almost ashamed of them.

“You made it impossible for me to stay away from you,” he whispers. “Your strength, your beauty, your intelligence, your compassion. Every part of you, Bella.”

I thought we were going to talk about his tattoo. I’m confused by this digression.

“Every part of me loves every part of you,” he whispers. It’s quiet but it’s said with complete confidence.

I forget to breathe for a few seconds.

“Every Part of Me…” I think out loud.

“
Yes,” he cuts me off before I can complete the sentence. “That’s what the tattoo means. It will be there forever because that fact will never change.

No matter what paths we take. I will always love every part of you, Bella.

No more needs to be said. Don’t ever want to hear you reciprocate. Don’t want you to love me back just want to remember the way I love you forever because I’m not sure I’ll ever find this love again.”

“
Why-” I frown, about to ask why he’d need to find it again but he shakes his head insistently.

“
Not talking ‘bout this, lady,” he insists. “Love you and that’s all you need to know.”

I don’t reply. He doesn’t want me to respond and I’m not sure if I could anyway. The L-word has popped into my
mind few times but I’ve always dismissed it immediately. If a heart is crushed and beaten, is it still capable of love?

“
Thank you,” he breathes out a sigh of relief when I don’t ask any questions.

I just squeeze his hand again but my mind is still mulling it all over. It’s almost like he doesn’t want me to love him. That makes no sense.

“Thank you,” I reply because he’s giving me the gift of his love. A gift normally restricted to family only for him. It’s a huge step forward for a man like Craig and it would be terrible for me not to let him know I appreciate it.

I decide to give myself time to work out why he wants this relationship to be one sided. I decide to accept his love and cherish it. I decide to figure out what love I am capable of in time; it can’t be rushed.