Chapter Twelve
Maya
“Please say something,” I beg.
He stares out over the stream, not paying attention to me at all. Stuck in his own thoughts. So I sit, and I wait.
He had to know the truth. I couldn’t have kept it from him for another moment longer.
“How do you feel about me?” Still, staring anywhere but at me. “I need to know if this is just some kind of puppy love from our childhood, or if it’s more.”
Is his anger directed towards his sister? Or me? I’m so scared to confess the way my heart has only ever beat for him. I can’t recall a time when I didn’t feel this way.
“I… Tommy,” I stammer. Nerves are making my hands shake.
One lone tear escaped from the corner of my eye.
He must have heard the wobble in my voice, as I have his full attention now.
His beautiful eyes focused solely on me.
“I love you, Tommy. I always have. I have tried so many times to forget about you, to move on and live my life. Everything always comes back to you.”
His focus never leaves me as he studies my face, taking in the truth of my words. Before he has a chance to respond, I continue.
“I need you to know, although I feared losing Fallon. I was scared of you losing her, too. Of being the reason your family fell apart. I could never do that to you,” I speak from experience.
Being in a broken home is horrendous, and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
The pitch of my voice gets higher the more I speak.
“I always assumed you didn’t feel the same way, that it was just our friendship you loved.
Losing you as a friend was the hardest part. ”
“Maya, it has always been you. Fuck, I bought a fucking office in Worcester just to be closer to you. How could you not have known how I felt? I wish you had spoken to me. Fallon would have got over it eventually, and we wouldn’t have missed out on so much time,” He takes my hand then, stroking his thumb in reassuring circles.
No one would know how caring and kind he is under that grumpy exterior.
“Because you have never told me. I was so young and na?ve, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought you felt the same.”
“I do, baby. I love you so fucking much.” Releasing my hand, he pushes me back so I’m lying beneath him. His arms caged me in as he stared me down, fire in his eyes. “I have always loved you. We will find a way around this, I promise you. If this is what you want?”
The question hangs in the air for a moment as I take in what he just confessed.
He loves me.
He fucking loves me!
“I have longed for you for so long. This…” He motions between us. “It's meant to be. It’s going to happen, but only if you want it to.”
“I do. I want this. Need this. Us. Everything,” Happy tears now cascade down the side of my face into my hair. I have wanted him for so long, I don’t know how to cope now that it’s possible.
He leans in, taking my lips with his. There is so much emotion with such a simple kiss. My fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him to me, needing more. It’s not enough.
“I need you,” I gasp out between kisses.
We’re no longer on the blanket from all the tumbling around we’ve been doing.
I roll him onto his back, straddling him.
Slowly, I tug the sweater he’s wearing from him, loving the feel of his bare chest under me.
Slowly, I glide my hands over his pecs, then his abs, making my way down to the waistband of his trousers.
“I’m clean and have an IUD. I need to feel you bare Tommy.”
A low growl erupts from him at that, the pressure of his hands gripping my arse tightening.
“I’m clean too, baby.” Releasing me, he sits up and drags the dress I’m wearing over the top of my head, then quickly rids me of my bra.
Leaving me in just my panties and tights.
Still straddling his waist, he brings me in close so were skin to skin.
His large, warm hands travel up my back.
One tangling in the hair at the nape of my neck, angling my head backwards to give him better access as he trails kisses from my ear to my collarbone.
“I love you,” He hums. “So fucking much.”
“Tommy,” I gasp. “I need you inside of me. now!”
He doesn’t hesitate. Freeing his thick cock from the constraints of his trousers, he pulls it back, pleasuring himself. Then, to my utter surprise, he gets the crotch of my tights in both hands and rips them apart. My mouth drops open in shock.
That was the sexiest thing I have ever witnessed.
Yanking my panties to the side, he smooths his thumb over my clit in slow, torturous circles.
“So wet for me, baby,” He states proudly.
I lift up higher onto my knees, giving him more room to angle his cock right where I desperately need him. He circles my entrance for a moment, wetting the tip of his cock before easing inside of me. I lower myself back down, taking him in whole.
“Look at me, I want those eyes on me as you ride me.”
Fuck.
We start to pick up pace, his pelvis grinding my clit at our closeness. Grasping onto each other like our life depends on it. His arm is wrapped around me, pressing me to him whilst the other squeezes my arse cheek, helping to guide me up and down him.
All the sensation is too much, taking me over the edge so quickly that I scream out his name. When he knows my orgasm is fading, he flips us so I’m back to lying on my back. Hiking one of my legs over his shoulder, he pumps into me deep and fast before coming to his own climax.
He drops down onto the grass, taking me with him so my body is covering his. Our chests are rising and falling in tandem.
“That was…” I start, too lost for words to continue.
“Us. How it is always meant to be.”
God, this man and his way with words.
“This car is bloody ridiculous,” I laugh as he puts his foot on the accelerator.
After our confessions earlier, we cuddled under the stars for a short while, then decided it was getting far too cold when my place was so close.
“Ha, it is. It’s fun though, isn’t it?” He smirks, still keeping his eyes on the road. “Grab my phone and change the music if you want.”
Big green flag alert. A man willing to offer up his phone. Opening his music app, I search for his most recent songs.
“As if you’ve recently listened to ‘Teenage Dirtbag,’” I angle the phone at him with a chuckle. Then hit play.
“Well, it reminds me of you.”
“That’s sweet, but I think we need a different song. You’re no longer my teenage dirtbag.” The way our conversation flows so easily is just how we used to be. Parts of that teenage boy shine through his armour.
“Then you can find us another one,” He winks.
“I feel like we have missed out on so much. I want to know more about you now.” Curiosity is taking over me. “Tell me something from the past few years”
“What do you want to know?
“Everything.”
“Well, you know that I went to university. After that, I started T.Jackson construction. About two years in, everything changed. Suddenly, the company was huge. I had to take Max on to help me, as all I did was travel to the different offices, and I needed someone I could trust to keep an eye on things at home.” He rolls his eyes at that.
Max is a pain in the arse; he always has been.
“So really all I have done is work. I do have a place in the Balearics that I escape to as often as I can, though.”
“I am so proud of you, Tommy. You knew what you wanted and went out and got it.” And I am so proud of him. That boy who used to tell me his dreams and goals finally achieved them all.
“Have you been in many relationships before? Bet that was hard with working away so much.”
“Nope. You are my first,” His lips barely contain his smile. “No one ever compared to you.”
Well, I feel bad now. To be fair, none of mine were ever anything serious. Not when my heart was never free to give away. Is it bad that I’m ecstatic that he’s never been serious before?
“Have you heard from Jake since that night? You never really told me what happened.”
“Nothing at all. I did see him a few days later with another woman. So hopefully that means he’s moved on.
” I hope at least. I feel less guilty knowing we’re both with other people.
I fill him in more in depth over how our relationship was and how it ended.
His knuckles are turning white as he grips the steering wheel.
“What a fucking dick head. Stay away from him, Maya. Something about him has never sat well with me.”
I have never been one to take being told what I can and can’t do well, but I know it’s not jealousy that drives him; it’s protection. He has always been my protector.
“I know. I will, don’t worry,” I tell him. Putting my hand on top of his. Finally, his grip relaxes.
“I hate that you’ve been through this. That we lost so much time.” Remorse leaks out of each word. “Why did Fallon have to have a stick up her arse about us?”
That’s the question I have always wanted to know the answer to. She never actually told me why she didn’t want us together.
“I honestly wish I could give you a reason.”
He pulls back up at my cabin, turning off the ignition.
“I’m going back home for a few days this week. I need to go into the main office to work some things out. Are you free Saturday night?” Disappointment must be visible on my face, because he laughs at me. “It’s only for a few days, then I plan to come straight back to you.”
“Did you mean what you said earlier? Did you really open an office here to be closer to me?” I wanted to ask him earlier, but let’s just say I was a little preoccupied.
“Yes. Maya, I wasn’t joking when I said it’s always been you. We just needed the chance, and to have that, I needed to be closer to you.” He looks into my eyes as he speaks, truth pouring from his words.
How bloody rich is he? To be able to just open an office like that for the sake of it, never mind the car we’re sitting in, too. I have so many questions, but don’t want to embarrass myself by asking them.
“I need to go home and pack, ready to leave early tomorrow, but Saturday? I promise to take you out properly.”
“Tonight was perfect, Tommy. I don’t need to be wined and dined. Being with you is enough.” And I mean every word of it. “What about a night in mine?”
“That sounds perfect.”