The Complete Memories Series (15 page)

For the first time since leaving here when I was twelve, I’m starting to feel like myself again. I look the same and I sound the same... But there’s a softness in my eyes and a brightness in my smile that wasn’t there before.

I grab my phone and head back downstairs. Alec is leaning against the kitchen side, his polo shirt whiter than white against his sun-kissed skin. Not to mention it looks good with his muscles. Ahem.

I beam at him and skip across the kitchen, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Good morning!” I sing.

“Good morning, Princess.” He smirks at me, amused, and wraps his arms round my waist. “You’re happy today.”

“I’m always happy.” I lean back and pout slightly.

“Unless you’re on your period,” Gram calls from the front room where she’s glued to Jeremy Kyle. I can hear him telling someone to use protection, like normal.

“Yep, thanks for that one Gram.” I cringe slightly.

Alec chuckles and kisses my forehead. “It’s a good job I’ve known her for years. If you were any other girl, I’d be running after that comment.”

“Oh, so you’re here for my Gram, hmm?” I raise an eyebrow at him.

“No,” he laughs. “I heard there’s this amazing, beautiful, sweet girl living here. Do you know where I can find her?”

“Yeah, she ran away, sorry.” I shrug one shoulder. “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

“Good,” he says. “I’m pretty sure you’d kick her ass anyway.”

“You bet I would,. I grin and stand on my tiptoes, kissing him again.

“Sick,” Bing mutters and opens the fridge.

“Nice boxers, Bing,” Alec comments. I bury my face into his neck.

“Don’t you start it, pretty boy. I happen to like you. That could change very quickly and you wouldn’t want that, considering you’re going out with my sister.” Bing narrows his eyes.

Alec crooks his finger and Bing steps forward. “Mate, if I were you, when Vi visits the post office later, I’d search this place top to bottom.”

“Why?” Bing asks in the same hushed voice Alec used.

“Because my mum saw her in Primark yesterday in Barnstaple buying some Spongebob boxers, and I’d say they weren’t for your Dad.”

“Holy mother....” Bing shakes his head and turns around. “Bloody woman will kill me.”

I bite my lip, smiling, and watch him go. Alec puts his thumb on my lip and gently teases it from between my teeth.

“Please don’t bite your lip,” he whispers in a lower, husky voice.

I glance up and his eyes are focused on my mouth. “Why not?”

“Because.... Ah.” He closes his eyes. “When you do it, it’s goddamn sexy, Princess.”

“What, so don’t do this?” I bite my lip again, more of it this time, and look at him innocently.

“Yep,” he says in an almost strangled voice and stands up straight. “Definitely don’t do that.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Okay. I won’t.”

I turn my face away from him. He exhales and I tilt my face back, biting the other side of my lip.

“Lexy,” he growls.

Oh. I’m in trouble.

“Alec?” I smile sweetly and move back.

“What did I just say?”

“I... I can’t remember.” I back into the wall, looking up at him. Somehow I still have a straight face.

He puts his hands against the wall, one either side of my head and bends his face down to mine.

“Don’t bite your lip like that,” he mutters in my ear.

His lips ghost along my jaw, stealing my breath away before meeting mine in a forceful kiss full of want. I kiss him back, looping my arms under his and holding his shoulders. He pushes his body into mine against the wall, his kiss hard and desperate, and-

Oh!

“You tell ‘em, Jezza!” Gram yells. “You should have put something on the end of it!”

Alec steps back and I open my eyes, breathing hard. I look up into his eyes that are darkened with want, with need, and I shiver.

“We need to go, Princess. Now,’’ he says quietly. I nod and slip past him to grab my bag.

Damn it! All I wanna do is grab him and let him kiss me like that again, my back pressing into the stone cold wall. I finally know what it means to be kissed senseless and sheesh - if biting my lip gets that kind of reaction, I need to do it more often.

“Bye, Gram!” I call and open the front door.

“Have fun, kids!” she yells.

Alec opens his car door and I climb in.

“You should know,” he grumbles, “that pretty little dress is not helping.”

One side of my mouth curls upwards and I watch him as he walks around the car. He makes me lose control, and I kinda like it.

He gets in next to me, puts his keys in and starts the engine.

“You can stop looking at me like that as well,” he warns without looking at me.

“Why? What’s wrong with how I’m looking at you?” I ask innocently.

“Nothing, nothing at all, Princess,” he says with a throaty laugh. “But Jen told me you’re still a virgin and your first time isn’t gonna be because I couldn’t control myself. It’s gonna be when you say so, where you say so, and how you say so. I want it to be something you’ll remember because it was special, not because it’s something you’ll regret.”

My cheeks are flaming. Jen. I hate her. I’m gonna kill her.

“Hey.” Alec glances over and threads his fingers through mine. “Don’t be embarrassed, Princess. I like the fact you are. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“But you....”

“Have had sex but never made love. I intend to remedy that with you, beautiful. Whenever you’re ready to.”

I look over at him and tighten my grip on his hand.

If I wasn’t already before, then I’m falling head over heels for this guy now.

Mother of all that is fucking holy and sacred.

That lip between those teeth should be illegal in the case of making men everywhere go crazy with need.

I tap the steering wheel impatiently and try not to shake my leg when my foot is on the accelerator. I keep my gaze straight ahead.

‘‘You’re not looking at me,’’ Lexy says quietly.

‘‘That’s because if I do there’s a pretty good chance the day I have planned won’t be happening.’’

‘‘Oh.’’ I can imagine the smirk on those pink lips...

Don’t even go there.

‘‘I thought we were going surfing?’’ I ask as I eye the boats in the harbour. ‘‘‘Cause this is a funny lookin’ beach, Alec.’’

‘‘We were going surfing, then I got a call from my mate who owns the boat, Reg. He’s doing deliveries today between Lundy and here so I thought I’d ask if he’d take us with him. He won’t be back for another week.’’ Alec takes my hand and tugs me towards a boat with cracked red paint.

‘‘Sheesh,’’ I mutter. ‘‘Thanks for the warning.’’

I look at the boat as I slowly approach it. Besides the paint job, it’s in perfect condition, bobbing along on the water. It’s nice, I guess, as far as boats go.

But it’s a boat. A boat. I. Don’t. Do. Boats.

Full stop.

There’s only so much rocking about on water a person can take. Yes, I’ve been on one before to get to Lundy, but that was then, and this is now. I haven’t stepped foot on a boat for five years. That’s a long damn time.

‘‘Come on, Princess.’’ Alec turns. ‘‘It’s not that bad, I promise.’’

‘‘Er, yeah.’’ I swallow, looking between him and the boat.

‘‘Wow.’’

‘‘What?’’

He stops and looks down at me in front of him. ‘‘You actually are scared of the boat, aren’t you?’’

‘‘Nope,’’ I say stubbornly. ‘‘Slightly apprehensive, maybe, but not scared.’’

He chuckles. ‘‘Scared, then.’’

I shake my head vehemently. ‘‘Nope.’’

‘‘Princess.’’ He touches my cheek with his thumb. ‘‘I can see the panic in your eyes, it’s no good lying to me. Come on, it’s only a quick journey. Just think, you finally get to snorkel.’’

‘‘You do realise I’ve only snorkelled twice, right?’’

‘‘I didn’t know that, but I do now.’’ He takes my bag from me. ‘‘I’ve snorkelled at Lundy a few times now. You’ll be fine. Come on.’’

He hops up onto the boat and holds his hands out for me. I take a deep breath, put my hands in his and let him pull me up. The boat rocks with the movement and I freeze, gripping his arm. He shakes his head.

‘‘Do you really think I’m gonna let you go overboard?’’ Alec chuckles.

I glance up at him. ‘‘Maybe.’’

He laughs and wraps an arm round my waist.

‘‘Alec, is that you?’’ A voice calls from below the deck.

‘‘Sure is, Reg.’’ Alec calls back.

‘‘Come on down!’’

Alec leads me down to the cabin. It’s nothing special. A standard black couch sits in the corner, there’s a small table with two chairs and a small cupboard. Standing in the middle of it all is Reg. His hair is cut short, almost right to his scalp, and his darkly tanned skin makes it hard for me to tell if he’s just really tanned or if he’s naturally darker-skinned.

The boys shake hands and I’m introduced.

‘‘Damn, Alec, where did you find her?’’ Reg slaps his shoulder.

Alec winks at me. ‘‘She found me.’’

Reg shakes his head and looks at me. ‘‘If you ever get bored of this prick, you know where to find me.’’

He turns to go up to the deck and I laugh. ‘‘I sure do.’’

‘‘Oi,’’ Alec growls to Reg’s laughter.

‘‘Yes?’’ I bat my eyelashes at him.

‘‘You’re not gonna get bored of me.’’

‘‘Am I not?’’ I walk back and sit on the sofa.

‘‘Not a chance.’’ He stalks towards me, a predator like gleam in his eye. I look up at him through lowered lashes and see him swallow. I delight in his expression and take it one step further.

I bite my lip.

‘‘Um,’’ Alec whispers, stopping and running his hand through his hair.

‘‘Mm?’’ I tilt my head to the side.

‘‘Oh, boy.’’ He sinks into the sofa next to me and leans his head on the back of it.

‘‘What’s wrong?’’ I turn my head to the side, facing him. He rolls his head towards mine.

‘‘You. When you.... Do that. It drives me crazy.’’

I smile at him. ‘‘Good.’’

‘‘Good?!’’ His eyes widen.

‘‘Yep.’’ I shrug one shoulder. ‘‘Maybe I like making you go crazy.’’

‘‘Okay.’’ He shakes his head and sits up, propping his chin up on his hand. ‘‘What happened to the girl who tried to run away from me yesterday, all shy?’’

‘‘She decided to keep her promise and not run away.’’ I look into his darkened, stormy coloured eyes. ‘‘So, she’s being honest instead.’’

Alec nods and moves forward, his breath fanning my face. ‘‘Then maybe, I shouldn’t hold back much either.’’

My breath hitches and I shake my head slightly.

‘‘I don’t want you to,’’ I whisper.

His eyes search my face. I move my body closer to him and he runs his fingers through my hair.

‘‘Princess?’’

‘‘Mm?’’

He moves closer to me yet, his lips brushing mine as light as a feather.

‘‘You’re beautiful,’’ he says softly. I smile against his mouth.

‘‘You told me that yesterday.’’

‘‘I know.’’ He cups my head. ‘‘And I’ll tell you every day, too.’’

His lips press against mine and I automatically kiss him back.

I don’t notice the starting of the boat. I don’t notice how we bob on the open water. I don’t notice anything but the guy sitting next to me.

But I do notice how he’s stealing both my breath and my heart with a simple kiss.

~

‘‘See? It wasn’t bad.’’ Alec grins devilishly at me.

‘‘Okay, okay.’’ I wrap my arm around his waist and lean into him. ‘‘It wasn’t bad.’’

His arm goes over my shoulders and he picks up the bag he brought from the boat.

There’s something magical about the three mile long island that is Lundy. It’s the place where the Atlantic Ocean and Bristol Channel meet. Look to the west and you can see nothing but open sea for miles, and that’s because there’s nothing between Lundy and America besides the open water. 

It’s peaceful here. No one pushes past anyone, in fact, there’s hardly anyone here at all. When I look up I can see the famous puffins bouncing on the cliff edges, taking flight and landing again. The Old Light stands proud and tall, the brickwork glistening in the sun.

I breathe deeply, a sense of peace and serenity settling into my body. That’s the effect Lundy has on you. It makes you feel at home, happy, relaxed.

‘‘Come on.’’ Alec steers me towards a hut. ‘‘Get changed and we’ll go find you some seals.’’

I take the bag from him, kiss his cheek and shut myself in a cubicle of the hut. I pull out a wetsuit and grimace.

Damn. I hate these things.

Knowing there’s no other way out, I strip to my bikini and begin the tedious task of rolling the horrid material over my skin. Once it’s on, I stare down at my feet. Obviously, the flippers won’t be easy to walk in.... I sigh and slip my sandals on.

Wetsuit and gladiator sandals.

Attractive.

I open the door. Alec’s eyes rove over my body, doing a double take at my feet.

‘‘Alright,’’ I huff, shoving the bag at him.

‘‘Nice outfit,’’ he chuckles. I shoot a glare at him and stalk past him. I hear the shuffle of gravel under his feet as he comes after me.

‘‘I love it when you storm off.’’ He slides an arm around me, cupping my hip. ‘‘Do you know why?’’

‘‘Nope, but I’m pretty sure you’re about to tell me.’’ I roll my eyes.

‘‘Besides the fact you’re going the wrong way, you have a really, really nice ass.’’

I stop. Look at him. Huff again.

‘‘You could have said I was going the wrong way.’’

‘‘I just did,’’ he smirks.

‘‘Before, Alec.’’

‘‘I know.’’ He spins us round to face the direction we just came from and we start walking again. ‘‘But like I said, you have a really nice ass, and I kinda like it when you’re mad at me.’’

‘‘You’re so strange.’’ I shake my head.

‘‘You know it’s all part of my charm.’’ He winks at me. I smile despite myself. He’s charming alright – too damn charming.

‘‘Stop,’’ I elbow his side.

‘‘Oooh, it hurts.’’ He mock bends over, taking me with him. I laugh and elbow him again.

‘‘Get off, you idiot.’’

He laughs and takes my hand, leading me down some steps onto a small beach. It’s surrounded by cliffs, and although the sand is a bit gritty the gentle waves crawl up it smoothly.

‘‘Are we doing it here?’’ I ask as Alec sets the bag down.

‘‘Sure are, Princess. It’s my favourite place on the island. Wait till we get down there.’’ He helps me put on all the equipment and I shed the gladiator sandals in favour of flippers.

‘‘I feel like an idiot,’’ I mumble as we walk out into the warm water.

‘‘You still look beautiful. A beautiful idiot, granted.’’ Alec winks at me and I grin at him. ‘‘Ready, Princess?’’

I nod and put in my mouthpiece. Alec drops under the water and I copy him. He takes my hand underwater and we swim out a little.

Little fish in a range of colours swim past us and I marvel at them. Seaweed, anemones and shells stick to the rocks, the seaweed and anemones swaying with the movement of the water. Lobsters and crabs scuttle along the sea floor. I poke the back of a crab and he runs sideways between two rocks. I giggle.

Alec smiles at me around his mouthpiece and I shrug a little, feeling like a small child in Santa’s Grotto. I let go of Alec and swim up over the rocks, watching in amazement as fish feel the movement of the water and scatter in a rippling rainbow of colour.

Below the surface it’s a different world, different in every way. The view, the feelings, the sensations.

Alec swims up to me and his eyes stand out even more underwater. It’s like they fit in with the marine life, sparkling as they watch me. My lips curl slightly and I swim backwards, feeling light and weightless. I hit something solid and two strong arms wrap around me.

I relax back into Alec and we float with the waves, lost in a world of natural colour.

~

‘‘How was your day, dear?’’ Grammy asks after I get back.

‘‘Amazing.’’ I smile and sit next to her on the sofa.

‘‘What did you do?’’ Mum hands me a glass of wine.

I tuck my feet up on the sofa under me. ‘‘Snorkelling in Lundy.’’

Mum smiles. ‘‘How was it?’’

‘‘Amazing,’’ I sigh, sipping the wine and smiling.

‘‘‘Must be love, love, love,’’’ Grammy sings, waving her glass.

‘‘Shut up!’’ I poke her arm and she giggles like a school girl.

‘‘He’s really got a thing for you, that lad,’’ Grammy muses.

I roll my eyes. ‘‘So you keep saying. Has Dad started the barbecue yet?’’

‘‘He should have.’’ Mum pokes her head round the door to look. ‘‘Yes.’’

‘‘He’s a hell of a looker, is our Alec,’’ Gram continues on, oblivious to the change in conversation. ‘‘Good heart, too. Granted, he’s a bit of a lad but oh my, Lexy girl, he’s only got eyes for you, you mark my words.’’

Mum sends me a sympathetic smile and I shrug one shoulder. In the last three and a half weeks, I’ve figured out it’s easier to just let Gram get it out.

‘‘And if he doesn’t, I’ll give him a good kick in the goolies!’’ Jen bursts into the cottage and laughs.

‘‘Who invited you?’’ I joke in mock disgust.

‘‘Um, barbecue? Wine? Hello? Is there anyone at home in your pretty malteser brain?’’ She knocks my head as she walks past and accepts the wine glass Grammy shoves at her.

‘‘Catch up, Jennifer!’’ Gram cackles and leans over to stage whisper. ‘‘I’m on my third!’’

‘‘Really?’’ I ask Mum. ‘‘You’re letting her get drunk?’’

‘‘Darling, if I don’t let her, she’ll simply drink ours when we’re not looking.’’ Mum sighs.

‘‘Let me?’’ Grammy stands and waggles her finger at both of us. ‘‘You girls forget I’m the adult here!’’

Jen purses her lips as she tries to hold in her laughter.

‘‘Of course, Mother,’’ Mum says with a straight face. How? It’s all I can do not to collapse in a pile of giggles.

‘‘I’m going to check on the sausages,’’ Grammy announces and leaves the room, humming to herself while swinging her glass of wine.

Jen raises her eyebrows and snorts. ‘‘I sure hope she means eating sausages and she doesn’t have Roger stashed in the cupboard under the stairs.’’

Ah, yes.

Roger.

Grammy’s latest fancy man who, according to her, is playing both her and Mabel off against each other.

Yep. Move on over, Eastenders. Lilac Bay is the place to be for your non-stop drama!

‘‘Please don’t get her started on Roger,’’ Mum sighs. ‘‘At least, not until I’m too drunk to care.’’

‘‘Oh dear,’’ I deadpan. ‘‘One of those days?’’

‘‘I took her to the Post Office this morning for her pension and it turns out Mabel’s car had broken down so Roger had kindly offered to give her a lift. Needless to say, your Grandmother was not impressed.’’