31 Days of Summer (31 Days #2) (25 page)

‘Ellie? Are you alright?’

‘Luiza, I’m sorry. I just … it’s …’ I blew out and
fluttered my hands in front of my eyes as I looked up at the ceiling.

‘Too much meeting us?’

‘No, God no. It’s just made me so happy to know
that Oliver will have some family, baby Oliver that is, I just … I wish my
parents were here too. I miss them so badly and they’d have loved him so much.’

‘And they’d have been so proud of you,
sweetheart,’ she advised, as she handed me a proper handkerchief with the blue
family
D
on it, that I’d thought stood for Dan when he handed me his up
in Scotland. ‘You’re strong, independent and honest. You could have taken
advantage of my son when you got pregnant and you didn’t.’

‘He’s been through enough,’ I nodded, as I wiped
my eyes.

‘As have you. No one will ever replace your
mother, but if you have space in your life for another friend, I’d like to be
that for you, you can count on me for anything you need,’ she smiled as she
rubbed a reassuring hand up and down my back. I nodded and cried a bit more, so
she gathered me up in her arms and hugged me, which made me even worse.

‘What’s going on?’ came Dan’s concerned voice
behind me.

‘She’s feeling emotional, only to be expected so
soon after the birth and being reunited with you, and now we’re all here and
her parents aren’t. Come and take her off my hands, she needs you, carino.’

‘Carino?’ I uttered, as she released me and spun
me around into Dan’s comforting chest and headed back upstairs.

‘It means darling,’ he confirmed, as he kissed the
top of my head. ‘What can I do, baby?’

‘Exactly what you are doing, just hold me for a
while,’ I whispered, as I put my arms around his slim waist. He was like a
shield for pain when he held me, like nothing could ever touch me. I don’t know
how I’d survived without him in my life and I never wanted to find out. I’d
thought that initial six months without him was bad, but that eleven month
spell, when I needed him most,
that
had been the worst. I looked up at
him and pursed my lips for a kiss.

‘You feel tense, if only I knew a way to relax
you,’ he winked with a smirk.

‘As soon as we’re all alone, I’ll hold you to
that,’ I smiled.

The rest of the afternoon went quickly. Magda
arrived and I insisted it was unfair to leave James sitting in the car, so he
was invited in too. Oliver had missed his early evening nap, he was too excited
watching all the new faces and babbled away to them making them all laugh. He
was such a sociable baby. I missed him, he was right in the room with me, but
everyone was enjoying taking their turns holding him so much I’d barely had a
cuddle with him myself. I felt a hand on my forearm and looked around to see
Magda smiling at me.

‘You’ll have more, Miss Ellie.’

‘I don’t think so,’ I sighed. ‘I really can’t see
him allowing it.’

‘He’ll come around. He has a stubborn streak, but
when he wants something he wants it. He wanted you, you can see he wants this
gorgeous little boy in his life and pretty soon he’ll want more. With you in
his life he is starting to forgive himself. Maybe one day he can finally let go
and move on with his new family.’

‘I hope so,’ I smiled. ‘He deserves so much
happiness after everything he’s been through.’

‘You are a very special lady and I’m so happy my
Ollie has you in his life.’

‘I’m the lucky one because not only do I get him,
but this extended family too,’ I smiled.

‘You have a built in baby watching service,’ she
confirmed. ‘He is such a good boy, Magda will have him any time for you.’

‘Thank you.’ I put my hand over hers and squeezed
it tightly before looking over at Oliver being bounced on his grandfather’s
knee. Magda suddenly stood up, marched over and grabbed him from a protesting
Daniel and carried him back over, offering him to me.

‘I think he needs his mother,’ she announced
loudly, with a sly wink at me. I burst into a wide smile. She knew it was the
other way around, I needed him. His little smile and happy gurgle to see me
broke my heart and he snuggled against my chest as I kissed his soft neck,
breathing in the delicious scent of baby powder on him.

‘Thank you,’ I whispered to Magda.

‘It is normal to have separation anxiety,’ she
nodded. ‘As long as it doesn’t continue for ever.’

‘I’m just so attached to him, especially as I
didn’t have Dan,’ I nodded.

‘He’s a good man, a very good man. We are so pleased
that he has found you and that you and little Oliver make him so happy. It has
been a long time since we saw him smiling like this.’

‘Thank you,’ I blushed.

We all went down to see everyone off and I was
embarrassed at everyone thanking me for the change in Dan. He was still the
same man, I hadn’t done anything, it was just maybe now he had stuff to look
forward to, instead of his monotonous daily routines. I set Oliver down for a
sleep with the new teddy sitting at the end of the cot watching over him and he
went out like a light. With all that excitement and a shorter than normal
daytime nap he was done in. I stood watching him, his little hands balled up
into fists either side of his head and his mouth ajar, and I swept his hair
back from his forehead.

‘I may be biased but I think he’s going to be a
looker,’ announced Dan, scaring me as he slipped his arms around my waist. How
did someone so tall manage to sneak up on me?

‘He
is
a looker, but with the genes in your
family I’d expect nothing less.’

‘I’m so proud of you. You looked after him so well
for all those months.’

‘I had lots of help, it wasn’t all me.’

‘You carried him, you gave birth to him and you
did it all without me at your side. I’m in awe of you, Ellie Baxter,’ he sighed
as he kissed the top of my head.

‘So,’ I sighed in return, knowing we couldn’t
delay the inevitable. ‘How are we going to do this?’

‘Come,’ he ordered, grasping my hand as I laughed
at his order again. One word, one word said in his sexy tone had me turned on
in an instant. He led me to the sofa and pulled me down onto his lap, his arms
around my waist and I automatically kissed him and rested my head on his
shoulder. ‘I want you to move to Scotland to live with me. Permanently.’

‘What?’ I exclaimed, as I bolted back upright.

‘You know that I can’t live in London, I have
obligations up there, my life is up there now.’

‘But my life is here,’ I protested. ‘My job, my
friends, this amazing house.’

‘Your life is with me.’

‘Why should it be that way around? There are two
of us here, maybe your life should be here, with us.’

‘Ellie,’ he sighed and raised one hand to pinch
the top of his nose. ‘You know why. I’m really trying, but I still feel guilt
if I’m away for too long. I also love the quiet and the fresh air. It’s a much
healthier environment to bring up my son than here in the city.’

‘So I don’t get any say in the matter? Everything
has to be your way?’ I looked at him, feeling hurt. Much as it touched me that
he wanted us to be part of his life, he was just expecting me to pack up and
move up there just like that?

‘You don’t need to work, I can provide for you
both. I’ll fly your friends up to stay whenever you want. In fact I’ll stop the
rentals on the boathouse and it can be where they stay when they come to visit.
I don’t see what the problem is.’

‘You can’t just dump this on me and expect me to
pack up my life just like that,’ I objected.

‘It’s hardly dumping, Ellie. You must have
considered what would happen once I found out about Oliver? You really thought
I’d be happy not being part of your lives every day?’

‘I hoped you’d want to be part of our lives,
here.’

‘God damn it,’ he muttered, as he shoved a hand
through his hair. ‘You expect me to live here and fly to Scotland on a daily
basis to see her?’

‘I hoped that you’d have resolved the guilt and
would no longer need to see her,’ I responded quietly and quickly got off his
lap and walked over to the cot to watch Oliver fast asleep. Was it so awful to
want to be a family without a reminder of his past every day?

‘I told you that’s a work in progress. I can’t
just get over that because you’re jealous.’ I closed my eyes and took a calming
breath. He was getting irritated now.

‘Then we’re at an impasse because I won’t just
bend to your will without my feelings being considered either. I’m not an
employee that you can boss around Dan, who’ll jump every time you say how
high.’

‘I beg to differ,’ he growled in my ear, before
spinning me around and throwing me over his shoulder.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ I exclaimed with a
smack to his utterly grabable backside. ‘We’re having a serious conversation.’

‘No. You’re defying me. I’m used to getting my own
way and if you think you don’t submit to me willingly, I’m about to make you
revise that statement,’ he announced, as he quickly rose up the stairs to the
bedroom.

‘You …
infuriate
me!’

‘Look in a mirror, baby,’ he bit back as he
launched me in the air and I bounced, sprawling on the bed as he towered over
me at its base. ‘Take off your clothes.’

‘No,’ I gasped as I propped myself up on my elbows
and scowled at him.

‘Take off your clothes, Ellie. Don’t make me ask
you again,’ he advised, as his long fingers started working on his shirt.
Button by button he unveiled his toned torso, those firm pecs, defined abs and
that V … O my God, that sexy damn V. I bit my lip and gulped. ‘We’re having
sex, right now. I’m going to work you over so well you’ll forget all the
reasons you want to be apart from me. You’ll be reminded of how much you need
me on a daily basis. Multiple times a day.’

‘You arrogant,
arrogant
man,’ I uttered in
disbelief, trying hard to ignore the sudden ache in my breasts and throbbing
between my thighs.

‘You know fucking me is as good as it gets, Ellie.
Those boys before me didn’t know how to treat you sexually, how to lick those
pert nipples or tease and suck that large clit of yours until you shatter
multiple times screaming my name. They didn’t fill you to your womb with a cock
so large you feel like your world is ending when I slide it out of you, leaving
you craving me for months until even masturbating can’t satiate that itch. Come
on, tell me that we don’t have the best sex of your life?’ he asked with a
raised brow, as he moved to undo his trousers and shoved them down to the
middle of his thighs, along with his boxers, as his heavy cock bounced free and
jutted upwards from his pelvis.

‘I seriously hate you sometimes,’ I responded
quietly, as I quickly reached for the buttons on my blouse and a slow lazy
smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

‘You love me, Ellie Baxter. Like I love you. Deep,
painful, can’t survive without each other love. Every day apart is like a slow
agonising death. Memories of being inside you were what keep us both going
these last few months, I won’t live on memories anymore. I want you close at
hand so if I get the urge to sink this cock of mine into you, I can at any
time,’ he confirmed, as he curled his long fingers around his wide girth and
slowly moved his hand up and down, moisture gathering on his plush head. ‘I can
bury myself in that tight cunt of yours, that wet, warm succulent mouth, or
maybe even that virgin backside you clench so tightly every time my cock
brushes past it. I own you now, just as you own me and if you need an orgasm
you’ll ask me for it. I control your pleasure from here on out.’

I gulped and nodded as I wriggled my shirt off and
kneeled on the bed to unzip my skirt. I was on the point of orgasm from his
speech alone. My knickers were warm and damp, signal enough of how much I
needed him sexually. No one had ever turned me on the way Dan did, no one ever
would. He was right, being without him had been like a slow death. One I never
wanted to experience again. I made short work of stripping and kneeled there on
the bed, naked, my chest heaving as I watched him speeding up the strokes on
his shaft. ‘Don’t,’ I complained.

‘Why not? This is what I’ll be doing frequently if
you continue to disobey me. I’ll deny you the pleasure of my cock, my fingers
and my tongue.’

‘You can’t bribe me to move to Scotland with sex,’
I moaned as I reached for my aching nipples.

‘Stop!’ he barked. ‘You don’t touch yourself
unless I tell you to. Spread your knees,’ he ordered. I cursed myself
internally for immediately complying. ‘You’re wet.’

‘Yes,’ I whispered.

‘Tell me what you need, Ellie.’

‘You,’ I nodded. ‘I need that thick cock of yours
inside me, stretching me, making me come over and over.’

‘Then suck your index finger, slowly.’

I nodded and raised my right hand and did as I was
told. I was pulsating down below, every clench imagining his thick shaft was
there to grip, moisture seeping from me on every release. He may be in control,
but that didn’t mean he was the only one who could tease. I slowly trailed my
tongue over the tip of my finger, letting it rotate in small circles as I kept
my eyes on his. I watched as his nostrils flared and his lips parted as he
hissed in a breath of air. I ran my tongue up and down my finger before my lips
enveloped it and slowly moved all the way down to the base as I shifted
slightly and parted my legs even further. I heard him groan and flicked my eyes
down to where his hand had tightened around himself. Without waiting for
further instructions, I dipped my other hand between my thighs and ran my
fingers through my puffed up swollen slick flesh and let out a soft cry. His
eyes narrowed immediately, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his cock
surged in his hand. Before I knew what was happening, I was on my back, my wet
fingers in his mouth as he powered into me with the force of a battering ram,
letting out a guttural groan and I cried out his name.