Sweet Reflection (19 page)

“About bloody time.” Blake says, laughing.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you just did that to us.” Cassie says as she comes round and hugs us both. “I’m so happy for you.”

“I knew it. Didn’t I tell you? I knew if you weren’t already together it was going to happen tonight. You were both acting differently.” Jen squeals and hugs Laurel and then Emma joins in and they’re still hugging and talking excitedly but I can’t take much more.

“Sorry, I’m gonna have to cut in and steal her back I’m afraid. She’s been gone far too long.” Now that they all know I don’t hesitate in pulling her onto my lap to keep her close. “You won’t get any further away from me than this, so don’t even bother trying.” I say into her ear, and her grin touches either side of her face as she leans back into my chest.

The rest of the evening goes much better, and Laurel doesn’t leave my arms until it’s time to leave. I get the taxi driver to stop at her house first and tell her to wait in the car whilst I jog round the side to open her door.

She takes my hand and I walk her up to her front door, because I’m a gentleman at heart and I just want a few more minutes in her company.

“So tonight was fun. We should do it again.” She says, fiddling with her keys. That, I hear, means she wants to kiss. That good old Date Doctor.

“Laurel, I’m already thinking about the next time I can see you.”

“Aww, well aren’t you just a sweetheart?” she says falling into my arms.

“All because of you, babe.” I smile and wrap my arms around her while she grips me back tightly.

A few seconds later and she’s standing on her tiptoes with her mouth moving fervently against mine and hands resting on my chest. I slip out my tongue to massage hers and her head tilts to let me in further. Her hands fist in my shirt and when she whimpers again at my touch on her back, I know we have to slow it down. The last thing I want is for her mum to see me mauling her only daughter on the doorstep.

“We need to stop before I take you right here.”

Her breathing’s heavy as she drops back down onto her heels. “Yeah we should. I’ll speak to you soon.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” She repeats as she fumbles with the lock on the door and swings it open. Her shy smile is the last thing I see before it closes and I’m stumbling back down the steps on the highest high I’ve ever had.

Chapter Fourteen

Laurel

The nerves are taking over my body completely. Every part of me is humming, but I feel like I could be sick at any moment which is why begging is the only thing that’s going to keep me in control.

“
Please
don’t do anything embarrassing tonight, like get out my baby pictures or tell him the story of when I stripped naked at my fifth birthday party, I’m begging you. I’m too old for that.” I say to mum a few days later, now we’ve arranged dinner.

“Oh honey, I wouldn’t do that,” she says with a crafty wink that I know means I need to be on my best behaviour or she will. Actually she’ll probably do it anyway, doesn’t matter that I’m twenty-four. If my dad was here, it would have been him so I think she feels like she needs take his role too.

“Are you nervous?” She asks as I help her get the dinner together. My mum has always been a great cook, but it’s rare she gets the opportunity anymore because she’s always working. But tonight, she’s made sure to be here; she’s been desperate to meet him.

“Yeah, I guess. He doesn’t seem the type to have been home to meet the parents much. I don’t think he’s cared enough in his past relationships but I’m hoping this means he sees me differently.”

The doorbell rings and my hearts starts hammering against my chest.

“I’ll get it,” I say but mum walks quickly round the kitchen table to slip through the door before me and answers my huff with a big cheesy grin. I follow her through the hallway and take a few calming breaths to prepare myself. I haven’t brought a guy back here since Darren, because I’ve never felt enough about them. She swings open the door and his smile makes my heart stop for a second. His hair is styled in that sexy, messy, just got out of bed way, his shirt is fitted and skims the outlines of his muscles, I stand there unmoving, just watching. He’s holding out flowers for my mother and she’s laughing and smelling them and telling him he shouldn’t have. And he’s grinning and kissing her cheek and thanking her for inviting him to dinner.

“Honey, show James into the lounge. I’m going to put these in water and check on dinner.” She smiles at us both before walking back into the kitchen.

The air around us charges as my thoughts drift back to last weekend and our dirty session on the dance floor.

“Well hello there beautiful.” His voice is deep, but playful and that grin comes out just for me. I move backwards so we are in the lounge and he follows pushing the door so it’s closed over. His hand reaches out to cup my face and he presses a sweet kiss to my lips that soon turns into more when I move my hands up his chest and press myself against him. A tortured groan sounds from his throat as he drags his lips away from mine.

“You can’t do that here. It’s not fair.”

“You’re mine now, Dawson. I can do whatever I want.” I say and pull him back in front of me as I lean my shoulders against the wall.

“Is that so?” He asks, with an amused smile sweeping across his lips. And just to show him it is so, I bring his hands round me to settle on my butt and reach up to grip his hair and pull him down to my lips again. I suck on his top lip and he tightens his grip on me, squeezing roughly. His playful mood has shifted into something more dominant as his tongue slips inside my mouth and mine meets it urgently, a quiet moan escaping when he pushes me back flat against the wall, pinning me with his hips and rocking gently.

“Okay, we definitely have to stop.” I mumble pulling away quickly, and pushing all dirty thoughts out my mind.

I walk over to the sofa and pull my legs underneath me. “You’re dangerous, you know that?”

He chuckles lightly, then settles down next to me, “I’ve never been told that before. What’s the danger?”

I can’t let the conversation turn serious, even though that’s exactly how I’m feeling. He’s a danger to the wall I’ve built up to protect myself. A danger to everything I’ve worked hard to forget.

“My relationship with my mother! You made me forget she was even here. Five more minutes and I would have been screaming your name again.”

Mum peers round the door and offers to get us both drinks before heading back out to the kitchen.

“Lucky she didn’t come any closer than just inside the door. She would have got an eyeful.” I nod my head towards his lap laughing and throw him a cushion which he strategically places in front of him. He flashes a grin before grabbing my hand and pulling me in for a deep, toe-curling, heart-pounding, body-tingling kiss.

“No chance of this thing going down when you look like that,” he breathes against my mouth.

“Like what?” I squeak out quietly, noticing the heavy rasp to his voice that sends a streak of fire down to my tightly clenched thighs.

“Messy hair, red parted lips, exposed neck. Completely hot.” He smiles against my neck as he places little kisses on my skin and moves up to my jaw.

I can’t manage any words so I just sigh and relax into his arms as we kiss slowly and thoroughly, torturing ourselves because my mum will walk in any minute. With that realisation I pull away begrudgingly and lucky I did as she comes in a few seconds later.

“Here you are, honey.” She smiles and puts the drinks down in front of us.

“Can I help with anything Mrs Matthews?” He looks up at her with a wide grin that says he has my mother right where he wants her.

“Oh, please, that was my mother-in-law. Call me Judy. And you are a guest. I won’t have you lifting a finger.” She waves her hand as she heads back out to the kitchen and I take the opportunity to be the considerate daughter, “I better go and check on dinner, put the T.V on if you want. I’ll be back in a few.” I give him a quick peck on the lips before I leave. He’s been overtaking so many thoughts over the past nine months, it feels surreal to actually have him here in my house.

“You’re lost in thought, you alright over there?” I ask mum as I walk in the kitchen and see her paused and leaning against the counter, with the wooden spoon mid-stir.

She shakes her head and snaps out of the daze I caught her in, “Sorry honey, I’m just trying to work out where I’ve seen him. He looks so familiar. What was his last name again?”

“Dawson. Well maybe it’s from around here. He’s lived here all his life.” I shrug.

She frowns and looks thoughtful, “No that’s not it. There’s something…Oh I don’t know, I’ll keep thinking.” She carries on stirring the sauce and I take some plates of food out to the dining room. We only eat in here on special occasions so I’m smiling to myself that this is one of those times. I set the table earlier with mum’s best china and cutlery, and we have the fancy table-runner and candelabra in the centre. I poke my head into the lounge and see him sitting casually with his legs spread out and his elbow on the armrest.

“Hey, dinner’s ready.” I lead him into the dining room and gesture at a chair for him to sit. I go back through to the kitchen and bring out another tray with the chicken on it, which smells so amazing I’m practically salivating.

“Did you cook this?” James asks, his gaze full of admiration, obviously expecting me to say yes because I’ve been back and forth checking on it. In that second I’m kicking myself I threw out the Heston cookbook mum gave me: I’m a terrible girlfriend.

“Um, if cook means stir it and make sure it doesn’t burn after mum’s spent an hour making it from scratch then…yeah?” I hate cooking, and I’m useless at it, so I never bother trying.

“Don’t worry, babe. I’m rubbish too, so we’ll just have to survive on takeaways and dinner out. Unless I can persuade your mum to cook for us every night.”

“Cheeky thing. Like I have time to do that.” She walks in smiling, with a tray in her hands and places it down in the middle of the table. I see her eyes wander over his face again, still trying to remember and it’s slightly worrying she won’t let it drop.

He chuckles and winks at me, “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

He surveys the table and looks up at mum, “It looks great. Thank you.” She nods and I see the approval wash over her face at his manners.

“Those plans you did for Laurel’s store are fantastic. It was so nice of you to help her out.” She dishes up everyone’s food and gestures at us to start eating. I knew she’d bring those up tonight; she’s been trying to get more information out of me about our relationship for the last week.

“Ahh, it was a pleasure. She deserves it.” I can feel my cheeks are at boiling point in an instant under his gaze. He’s eating his food, but smiling with his eyes, and I can’t find the words to join in the conversation.

“So, what are you working on next?” Mum looks suitably fascinated as James tells her about the new hotel in Birmingham that’s opening up and his vision for it. She loves home and property shows, I think it allows her to imagine she could have been a creative instead of a number-cruncher. Creativity was always my dad’s forte. Cutlery clangs loudly on the plates next to me, making me jump.

“I’ve got it. Best of Year Awards 2013. You won!” She shrieks as she gets up and runs off into the lounge. I’ve never seen her like this before, she’s usually cool as a cucumber. She walks back in with a magazine in her hand, and lays it out on the dining table. Her face is lit up like a Christmas tree, and her eyes are looking at James with shock and excitement. He shifts in his seat, seemingly uncomfortable at the attention which confuses me slightly because he usually loves it. But then I have to think that he’s just had a crazy woman thrust a magazine with his picture laid out, right in his face.

Mum’s so happy she’s finally figured it out that she’s grinning from ear to ear. “See honey, this is it. He won a Best of Year award for his design project on an eco-house in London. Fancy place, too. It got so much press. He was even named one of the top ten up and coming designers of the year.” I glance at the page and there in full colour is a large photo of him with the house as the backdrop. He looks professional, but still with the young boyish charm he pulls off so well.

“Well, that is quite the achievement.” I say as I look up. His eyes meet mine, and he appears embarrassed. Men like him don’t usually blush do they? But I’m sure his cheeks have that reddish tint to them. He shrugs a shoulder as if to say
all in a day’s work
, and my respect for him shoots straight up a few ranks.

“Oh, sorry. I realise I went a bit over the top there.” She
giggles
, my fifty year old mother actually giggles like a little girl, and pats his shoulder, managing to downplay her enthusiasm for the rest of evening. But she still has that star-struck,
I’ve just met a celebrity
kind of look and even throws me a subtle wink when she excuses herself to go to bed, and I’m left there wondering how he’s managed to charm the pants off my mother so easily.

A week later and I’m having trouble keeping the grin off my face at a meeting with Alex. James and I have spent most of our nights and days off together, and I’m surprised he hasn’t wanted even one night to himself. It feels like we’re both trying to make up for lost time. Not that I’m complaining, how could I?

“Right, it has to be a man that is the reason behind your smile. I want details.” I laugh with Alex, as we sit in the café discussing some local advertising. She’s been so supportive of the business, and of me, and is quickly becoming a friend rather than just business partner.

“There is, I can’t lie. He’s just the right mix of bad boy and sweetheart and it’s taken us a while to get our acts together but we’re finally there.” I sigh happily into my coffee and look back up. “What about you, Alex? Are you attached?” There’s a naughty glimmer in her eye and there’s clearly someone she’s thinking of.