Taking Care Of Leah (18 page)

“Shit, yes…” he breathed, his grip on her head tightening. He reached down, holding her hand in place. “Slow down or I’m going to come too quick.”

Wasn’t that the point? He wanted to come in her mouth, didn’t he? But she did as she was told and let him choose the pace.

Slow and steady.

Slow and steady.

She went farther down until he hit the back of her mouth. Her gag reflex took charge and she yanked away, head-butting his fist.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

She nodded, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Sorry, I’m not used to this… Can I take the blindfold off please?”

“Since you asked so nicely.” He let go of her hair and released the ribbon. The satin mask fell to her lap and she looked up at him. Crap, he looked hot. All bothered and tense, and his cock was so swollen it throbbed. She smirked and dipped forward, taking his tip in her mouth again, this time looking up and keeping eye contact while she left light kisses along the sensitive skin.

“If you keep looking at me like that… Shit…” He threw his head back. His pecs and abs danced as he fought for control. She ran her tongue over the thick vein that snaked up his length. More pearly liquid oozed from the tip. She swallowed it down and took him as deep as she could without gagging.

One hand on his shaft, one hand holding on to his balls, she worked every part of him. She could feel his thighs trembling. His dick bobbed in her mouth, pulsing and twitching as she brought him closer to the edge.

“Fuck!” he yelled, shooting into her mouth. She swallowed each spurt down, reveling in the taste of his climax. Ty ran his hands over her hair, tugging at her as he dropped to his knees and engulfed her in an all-consuming kiss. His cock was beginning to soften, but was still semi-erect and pressing against her thigh as he knocked her back into the bed.

“You’re good at that,” he said between kisses, cupping her face with his palm.

“I have a good teacher.” She smiled, rolling into him. He grabbed her thigh, forcing her leg over his so that the tip of his dick rested at her entrance, still soaked and sore. She wasn’t sure if she could take any more. She wasn’t sure if he had any more to give.

“How do you feel about my lifestyle now?”

She shrugged. “It’s not that bad. I could get used to it. As long as you promise not to offer me to your friends,” she said, closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest.

“Never,” he said. “You’re not a commodity, I get that.” He kissed the top of her head and started to drift off. She listened to the steady thump of his heart as it found its resting pace, and the soft snore that came with every other breath. Taking in his relaxed frame, she found herself wondering if her Ty was anything like the one who had existed before she’d come into his life.

* * * *

A metallic trill sliced through the air, disturbing Leah from deep sleep. She reached for her mobile, batting at it to switch the alarm off. But nothing worked. Bleary-eyed, she peered through the darkness and saw Neil’s name flashing up.

Sleep disappeared. She sat bolt upright and clutched the phone to her ear, slapping Ty awake.

“Okay.” She nodded. “Yes.” A grin spread over her face. “Do you want me to come over? Okay. Bye.” She ended the call with a high-pitched squeal. “Maggie’s had a little girl!”

Ty rolled over, running a hand over her naked thigh. “Congratulations,” he croaked. He placed a lingering kiss on the curve of her waist but she shifted out from underneath his lips. “Maybe you can get some more of your stuff while you’re at it.”

Leah reached down, running her fingers through the thick bed of pubic curls, drifting her fingertips over the velvet skin of his cock. She felt it twitch, threatening to harden again. She pressed her lips to his and climbed from under the covers.

“I’ll wait outside the hospital,” he said. “Then we can grab something to eat and fill some more boxes.”

Pulling her clothes on, she turned to face him. Her hands upturned, she curled her fingers into loose fists and held them out to him. “Would you like to handcuff me to make sure I don’t run away as well?” Her arms dropped to her side. “I can drive myself, and I
might
get some more of my things.”

“The only thing stopping you from moving in was Jerry. He’s gone now—”

“No,” Leah interrupted. “The only thing stopping me was the fact that we barely know each other.” Her mind was like a plate of scrambled eggs. On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to stay with him, to never let him go, but on the other, it had only been a few weeks. She slipped into her heels, growing an additional four inches, and blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t know whether I’m coming or going right now. I have to go and see Maggie. Maybe we could go out for dinner tonight?”

“You mean a date?”

“Why not?” She shrugged. “We’ve done everything else a couple does. If you want me to move in officially, you’re going to have to earn it.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Hazel Clarke was born with a head of thick red hair and bright blue eyes that she blinked in the soft light of the hospital. Leah leaned over the transparent plastic cot and watched as she gurgled and tried to focus on the face in front of her.

“She’s beautiful,” Leah whispered, running a gentle finger down the baby’s nose. “How are you feeling?” she asked, sitting in the hard chair beside Maggie’s bed.

“Exhausted.” Maggie groaned, letting two thick pillows hold all her weight. “The little madam wakes every hour for a feed. I can see why some women choose formula.” She rubbed her chest and grimaced.

“It’s worth it, though.”

“Yes.” She smiled, rolling to her side and watching the baby as she fell into a soft slumber. “Where’s Neil?”

“I passed him in the hall. He’s going home to have a shower and get changed.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Anyone would think he was the one who’d spent twelve hours pushing a baby out of his vagina.” She pursed her lips. “Are you okay?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Neil’s asked his mum to come and stay for a few days while I’m in hospital. I don’t want you to think that we’ve evicted you to move her in.”

“Oh, shut up, Maggie. I should have moved out a long time ago.”

“Have you moved in with…?”

“Ty?”

“That’s it. Have you moved in with him?”

“I’m staying at his,” Leah said, treading around the words carefully. “I don’t know if I’m moving in permanently, though. It’s still early days.”

“Some people just know when they’ve found true love.”

“Is it love?” she asked. She’d told Ty that she loved him, but it had only been a week at the most.

“He’s certainly not Kyle.”

“No,” Leah mused. “He’s not.”

“Then what’s stopping you?”

“I don’t know… It’s all so…” She waved her hands in the air. “Different. Yvonne’s offered me her sofa.”

“You can’t sleep on a sofa. But it’s up to you.” She yawned.

“I should go and let you rest. I’m going to stop at the house and pick up a few more of my things. Do you want me to get you anything?”

“No, but ask Neil to bring me some chocolate.”

“Okay.” Leah chuckled. “When will they let you go home?”

“I don’t know yet. A couple of days?”

“I’ll come and see you tomorrow then.”

“Say hi to Yvonne.”

“I will do.” She kissed her sister’s cheek before leaving.

Sitting in the car, Leah wasn’t sure where to go. She glanced at the LED clock and saw that it was fast approaching lunchtime, which explained the grumbling pain that stretched across her stomach. Grabbing her phone, she fired off a quick text to Yvonne, but she was busy training for a ten-k run in a couple of weeks. She tried Rainie, wondering if she would get a reply at all. Leah smiled to herself when Rainie agreed to meet her.

* * * *

Rainie sat in the exact same seat she had the last time she and Leah met for coffee. But this time, she wasn’t daydreaming about being made into a swan. A lot had happened since they’d broken up for the summer holidays, and the autumn term was growing closer. She wasn’t interested in forcing Jerry to find her attractive. She’d been noticed by Lance. He wasn’t as good-looking as Jerry, or as fit, but he hadn’t scarpered as soon as they woke up either.

She lifted the mug to her lips and took a long drink, only placing it back on the table when Leah walked in. Rainie kept her stony expression as Leah slipped into the chair opposite and put her handbag by her leg. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe her. It was that she did. Jerry had used her to try to sneak into Leah’s knickers. Envy wasn’t an attractive emotion, Rainie knew that all too well, but she couldn’t help getting a glimpse of the green-eyed monster.

“It really wasn’t my fault,” Leah started, as if reading Rainie’s mind. “He came on to me, and I—”

“I know.” Rainie nodded, draining the last dregs from her cup. “I didn’t agree to meet you just so I could give you a hard time. You’ve been a good friend over the past few weeks. More than any of the other staff.” She couldn’t help the pang of loneliness that edged her words.

Leah reached out and grabbed Rainie’s hands. “I’m sorry if I’ve been a bitch.”

“You haven’t. I wish we’d gotten to know each other sooner. It would have been nice to have…a friend. But I’m sure you have plenty. You don’t need me.” She took a deep breath and looked Leah in the eye. “Why did you call me?”

Leaning back into her chair, Leah blew out a long breath. “I don’t have that many friends,” she confessed. “Since moving down, I’ve spent my time either working or at my sister’s. I’ve never been a social butterfly. Even when I was a kid, I spent most of my time in my room. Maggie was the popular one. She used to call me ‘Bookworm’.”

“At least you can attract men like Ty.”

Leah laughed. “You’ve probably slept with more men than I have! Ty told me all about the Christmas party.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear. My bedpost is still firmly intact. Not enough notches to cause a scratch, never mind break it.” Rainie pushed a few stray hairs behind her ear before shoving her glasses up her nose.

“Then that’s something we have in common. My exes, my
ex
,” she corrected herself, “wasn’t that great. Ty is a breath of fresh air compared to the garbage I’ve had to deal with. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize that.”

“Then why are you here with me and not with him? If I had a man like Ty, I wouldn’t let him out of my sights.”

“What about Lance?”

“He’s kind enough, and fantastic in bed, but who am I kidding? Look at me. Why would he want more than a one-night stand with someone who looks like they belong in a cake factory?”

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. I’m going to grab something to eat, do you want another coffee?”

“Thank you.” Rainie nodded and watched as Leah made her way to the counter.

Leah nudged a coffee across the table, settling her own next to a plastic tub of salad and couscous with a thick slab of crusty bread on a separate plate. Even shoveling forkfuls of lettuce and cucumber into her mouth, Leah looked refined and elegant.

“Congratulations on being an aunty, by the way.”

“Thank you.” Leah picked up the bread and began slathering it with butter.
Real
butter.

“Are you doing anything tonight?”

“Ty’s taking me out for a meal.”

“Oh. That’ll be nice.”

“Maybe we can all double date one day.”

“I don’t know… I’m not sure Lance and I are anything more than a one-night thing.”

“Has he called you?”

“No,” she said quietly, hiding in her coffee mug.

“Have you called him?”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do in September?” Rainie asked, changing the subject. “I mean, Mrs. Davis isn’t going to be thrilled about one of her teachers dating the caretaker—her nephew.”

Silence hung between them like a heavy weight, the only sound coming from the counter as the barista clunked mugs and cups together, stacking them in the dishwasher.

“How much do you know about Ty?” Leah asked, pushing her empty tub aside.

“A fair amount. He’s one of the only members of staff who talks to me about anything apart from parents and students.” She paused. “I’m sorry for the things I said. It wasn’t my place to tell you his secrets.”

“I’m glad you did. We talked a lot.”

“Good,” Rainie said, taking another sip of her coffee. “That’s good.”

Leah looked at her colleague, her friend. “What do you think I should do?” She had thought about September, how they were going to deal with their relationship—if that’s what it was—once they were back at school, but hadn’t thought about Hilary specifically. Questions began to race through her mind. Would she fire Ty? Would she fire
her
? What were the rules on dating colleagues? She wondered where she’d put the staff handbook. In a box somewhere, probably back at Maggie and Neil’s.

“Be honest,” Rainie offered. “She’s Ty’s aunt, he must know how to get hold of her. Maybe talk to her before we go back? That way she’s got a few weeks to get her head around it. Or don’t. Keep it secret.”

“Not helpful,” Leah muttered, finishing her coffee. She grabbed her phone and checked the time. “Sorry,” she said, shaking her head as she realized how rude she must have sounded. “It’s my problem, not yours.” She looked up. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”

“Who am I going to tell? I have to go.” Rainie grabbed her oversize bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “I need to ring Lance. At least then I’ll know if it’s more than a fling.”

“Of course. Sorry. You have your own relationship issues, you don’t need me adding to it all.”

“It’s not that.” Rainie sighed. “I’m glad you asked me to meet you. It’s nice to know that somebody wants to talk to me. I hope that we can stay friends.”

Leah couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, wishing that other people would look past the dowdy mask that Rainie wore. “Definitely.” She stood up and gave her friend a tight hug. “Please let me know how it goes with Lance.”