LAUREN

 

 

It was still dark, the light from the lamp pouring in the little squares of window, casting the patchwork of the frame on the bed. I had been asleep, lying on my side, Tyler cocooning my body with the warmth of his own. One arm was draped over my side protectively, even in sleep his grip not loosening as though he were afraid that I would leave. I turned in his embrace when he relaxed his hold for a moment, rolling to my other side so I could study him.

Today was my birthday and I couldn’t ask for a better present. Tyler was mine again and I was his. I had planned on spending the day ignoring the fact it was my birthday, ignoring the phone calls and the text messages, and watching an entire season of my favourite cooking show with the curtains pulled and the door locked. Somehow I suspected my family wouldn’t turn up unannounced this year. But now, I would get to spend it with Tyler.

It was strange seeing him in my small bedroom. He looked out of place, like he belonged only in his oversized bed with the dark sheets rather than squished into my smaller one, the hideous pink and silver duvet Sadie had bought, tucked beneath his chin. The shadow of stubble grazing his jawline had deepened. His hair, a haphazard mess, pressed into the pillow. Knowing he was naked beneath the covers elicited a tingle of excitement as my hand searched the darkness in the space between us before resting on the dip of his waist. His skin felt smooth as I ran my hand over his hip, letting it fall until I found him. I didn’t know if he was half-awake or merely having a dream which excited him, but he was semi-hard and sprung to life as soon as I wrapped my fingers around his length. He stretched a little, moving to his back, my hand on his cock creating a tent with the covers. His eyes weren’t open, his breathing was still deep, rhythmic and controlled. I toyed with him, stroking up and down, encouraging his full length and hardness to come to the fore. He moaned. His moans controlled a direct line to between my legs and I shuffled closer to him, pressing my naked body against his.

It wasn’t until I straddled him, resting my exposed body on his hips that he opened his eyes. He smiled at me lazily, sleep still holding onto him, eyes glazed by a curious lust. Slowly the sleep fell away and Tyler focussed on me, the glazed curiosity of before replaced with a burning need. Without a word, he reached between us, guiding his hardness inside me. I gasped with the fullness of him, closing my eyes as I rocked slowly, relishing the hardness of him, feeling every steel-like inch. Resting his hands on my hips, Tyler let me control the speed of our movements. I chose slow and gentle, circling my hips, savouring the feel of him inside me.

Tyler watched as I rode him, eyes lowering to my breasts as I pulled his hands to them, content to forget everything but the sensations rippling through me. Moving slowly across my skin, letting his fingers drag and create friction as he pulled them downwards, his thumb found my clit, and I stopped all movement. I sat impaled on his cock as it surged within, responding to his thumb dipping into my wetness. He worked in circles, mimicking the movements I had been making with my hips. My head fell back and my hair tickled the flesh of my back as I arched my chest high into the air, pressing towards him, encouraging his attention. Every few seconds I lifted my hips, withdrawing from the length of him before sliding back down again, a small moan escaping every time I allowed him full access.

The slow, constant repetition of his thumb soon had the delicious tingle of completion looming. Feeling the rise in my arousal, Tyler increased the speed of his attention and I began to pant as sparks fizzled in my depths, building and spreading to every part before erupting into a glorious orgasm that overwhelmed me.

Tyler stayed still, letting me squirm and grind against him until I came down from my high, my limbs turning to jelly. Tugging me forward against his chest, he held me tight as he rose his hips, thrusting into me time and time again until he too cried out, his mouth pressed to the top of my head as he came. I flopped against him, spent and undone, letting myself relax as the last spurts of him throbbed inside.

I think we fell asleep like that, me lying on top, breasts pressed to his chest, head tucked beneath his chin, him still inside me. But when I woke in the morning, I was alone with his side of the bed cold, but I could hear rustling coming from the kitchen, music playing faintly in the background. I smiled to myself, snuggling down into the blankets, relishing the warmth for a few more moments before tossing the covers aside, wrapping a dressing gown over my shoulders and pressing my feet into fluffy slippers.

Tyler stood in the kitchen, jeans on, top bare and Sadie’s pristine and unused apron tied around his waist. The blush of a bruise could be seen spreading across his side, the darkness under his left eye had deepened and the split on his lip had not sealed over, due to the activities of the night before.

“Morning, sunshine.” He walked over, planting a generous kiss on my lips before returning to the stove top and winking. “It’s a good thing I went to the store the other day because there is nothing in your cupboards other than canned spaghetti. There is no way I’m eating that. And I thought you should have something nice for your birthday breakfast.”

“You know it’s my birthday?”

Tyler snorted. “Of course I know it’s your birthday.”

As he stirred the pot, I perched myself on one of the kitchen stools, watching him from across the bench. I wanted to sigh with contentment. I wanted to smile. I wanted to press my nose to his skin and inhale his scent. Mint and musk.

“Who started round two last night?” he asked, chuckling under his breath. “I woke with you on top of me and no idea of how it happened. I don’t know if I reached out for you in my sleep, or if it was you reaching out for me.”

“That might have been me,” I said somewhat sheepishly, the memory of my actions appearing a little brazen in the bright light of day. “Just call it an early birthday present.”

“For you or me?” Tyler stopped stirring the yellowish sauce and walked over, leaning across the counter to place a kiss on my nose. “For the record, you can wake me like that anytime you please. I’m not sure if I have ever been woken quite so…” He stopped, pausing to find the right word as he walked back to the pot on the stovetop. “So enticingly,” he finished.

Leaning over the kitchen bench, I peered at the food on offer. There appeared to be some sort of fish sliced thinly, salmon I thought. I despised salmon.

“Before you complain,” Tyler said, noticing I was inspecting what was on offer. “It’s smoked trout, not salmon. It tastes cleaner. I think you’ll like it. I’ve got bread in the oven and a hollandaise sauce on the go. I’ll start the eggs once the bread’s done.”

“I knew there was a reason I wanted you back,” I joked.

Tyler held out a spoonful of the sauce. “Open,” he said and I couldn’t help the thrill that rushed through me, my body automatically responding to the memory of the night before when he had used that command for an entirely different reason.

It tasted delicious. Just the right amount of lemon and mustard which I only knew it contained thanks to Peta. “Yum,” I responded, licking my lips. Tyler’s eyes became stuck on the movement, and he visibly adjusted the bulge that emerged in the front of his jeans.

“You shouldn’t lick your lips like that near me,” he growled tenderly, stalking around the kitchen counter until he stood in front of me. His kiss was soft, the flavour of the sauce still dancing on my tongue as he toyed with my bottom lip, biting it ever so gently.

“Who’s licking what?” Sadie appeared in the doorway, her body covered by petite shorts and a crop top, seemingly oblivious to the temperature of the crisp morning. She leaned against the doorframe, one ankle crossed over the other, her arms folded over her chest. “Actually,” she said, peeling herself away from her leaning post. “Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know. I was all for you guys getting back together, honestly, I was. But now that it’s all going on right in front of me,” she waved her hand in a circle in front of my face, “I’m not so sure.”

Tyler laughed. It was a hearty and carefree laugh that I hadn’t heard in a long time. “Well, get used to it,” he replied and my heart soared.

“So you sorted your shit with Gabe then?” Sadie dipped her finger into the sauce and licked it, her eyes blinking in surprised approval.

Tyler nodded, pulling the bread out of the oven and placing it on the bench. The scent that drifted over caused my mouth to salivate. “You could say that.”

“Is he the one that did that—” this time she waved her hand in front of Tyler’s face, “—to your pretty little profile?”

“I object to being called pretty,” Tyler replied.

“But it’s what you are,” she cooed. “You’re so pretty.” She drew out the words, laughing at Tyler’s disgusted expression. “He’s pretty, isn’t he?” Sadie said, turning to me.

“You are very pretty,” I replied.

Tyler batted his eyelashes and smirked wickedly. “One egg or two?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Two,” Sadie and I replied at the same time. “So?” Sadie continued. “You never answered. Was Gabe the one who did that to your face?” She ripped the end of the bread off and stuffed it into her mouth, poking her tongue out when Tyler scolded her.

“Only because I let him.” He broke an egg into the simmering water.

Sadie laughed. “Right. You ‘let’ him.” She placed air quotes around the word let.

“I did,” Tyler started to protest, but then realising Sadie was trying to get a rise, he shrugged it off. “Think whatever you want, Sadie Anderson, you are not going to ruin this for me. Gabe and I reached an understanding. I agreed not to act like an arsehole and he agreed to stop harassing Lauren. It was after that the fists flew, and I know you probably won’t believe me, but we did that for Jake.”

Sadie just lifted her eyebrows, claiming scepticism without speaking.

“Believe what you want, but it’s true.”

“Whatever you say.” Sadie shrugged and winked at me again. “But for god’s sake would you please put a top on.” She rubbed her fists into her eyes. “I think you’ve scarred my eyeballs.”

The smoked trout with fresh bread, eggs and hollandaise sauce was divine. We ate with plates balanced on our knees, Tyler still defiantly topless, much to Sadie’s outspoken disgust.

After announcing she was going out for a run and reiterating the rules she had stated the night before, Sadie jogged out the door, buds pressing into her ears, her head bouncing in time to the unheard beat.

“The sooner you move back in with me the better,” Tyler said, bending to load the dishwasher I didn’t know we had.

“One step at a time.”

He looked up, surprised. “What do you mean? You’re not going to stay here, are you?”

“I was intending on it, yes.”

“But it’s so small. And cold. And messy.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, squeezing tightly, before remembering the bruise blushing over his side and releasing my grip a little. “But it’s mine. Well, really it’s Sadie’s, but I pay rent so it’s mine too,” I replied. “Besides, I kind of like seeing you here, all uncomfortable.”

“So, what you’re saying,” he replied, pulling apart the hold of my arms and spinning to face me. “Is that you like seeing me suffer.”

“Suffer is taking it a little far, don’t you think?” I let a look of faux horror pass over my face. “You mean the shower is over the bath,” I mocked. “Heaven forbid!”

One corner of Tyler’s mouth turned upwards. “I never said that.”

“But you thought it, didn’t you?” I teased, knowing I was right.

“I guess I’d have to try it out first. Care to join?” He stepped away, jostling the waistband of his jeans down as I watched from behind, each step letting them fall further, his boxers following suit until the pale skin of his backside was exposed. Turning around, he leaned with one hand pressed to the bathroom door, the other on his hip, grinning seductively as he stood completely naked in the hallway, his erection strong.

Screwing up my face, I pretended to weigh my options before laughing and running down the hall, jumping into his arms as his hand braced my backside, my legs wrapping around his waist. He winced a little when I hit the tender patch on his side. “Sorry!” I squealed.

“I didn’t feel a thing,” he lied, lips moving towards mine. We kissed as he walked into the bathroom.

Lowering me back down, he undid the tie of my gown and let it fall to the floor. “My god, I love looking at you. One day I want you to spend the entire day naked. Nothing, and I mean nothing, covering you.”

Reaching behind the tacky shower curtain, I turned the facet, allowing the water to cascade into the bath. “Ready to lower yourself to the insufferable torture of a bath-shower?” I stepped in, the base feeling gritty under my feet.

“I guess you’ve got to try everything once.” Tyler stepped in behind me, circling his arms around my waist as I stepped under the stream of water, letting it flow over my head, flattening my hair to my scalp.

The bathroom was in stark contrast to the sleek lines of Tyler’s Scandinavian inspired ensuite. Little patches of mould that simply wouldn’t budge despite any amount of scrubbing grazed the ceiling. The wallpaper was ripped in places, jagged edges hanging from the walls. The mirror was old and mottled, green around the edges. But Tyler ignored all that as his mouth found my neck, my head falling to the side as the sensation of the warm water travelling over my body and Tyler’s attention melted my insides.

The birthday I had planned on ignoring was turning out to be my best one yet.