My night was strange.

I went from a deep, deep sleep lying encased in Jack’s arms to being very suddenly wide awake just after dawn. Once my brain had switched on, there was nothing I could do to shut it off. I watched from inside the warm cocoon of his body, his heavy left leg was draped over me almost holding me in place, as the changing light danced around our bedroom. The heat of his body was intense but I refused to make him move. Moments like this very soon would become my solace and would have to keep me going for a long time, maybe even forever.

Eventually, he took a deep breath, murmured something incoherent, smiled a little and turned his body slightly, removing his leg from mine. I lifted his arm and shuffled down the bed. I made my escape and turned once again to look at his sleeping form.

Not taking my eyes away from him I fumbled around on the floor until I found his T-shirt from yesterday. I quickly placed it over my head and thrust my arms through the holes, as I did so I inhaled all the smells of him and let a smile take over my previously concerned face.

I looked back at and committed everything about him to memory. I had been awake for about an hour just watching him sleep peacefully beside me. I was so full of different emotions as I watched him. I felt like a crazy person, one minute I was smiling at the joy of what we had shared together last night and to be lucky enough to be sharing the new day with him. Then shedding a few lone tears at the thought of not having told him all he deserved to know and knowing that one day soon I would be leaving him, destroying him and myself in the process.

I just couldn’t think anymore. My head and heart couldn’t allow it

Surely, I deserved not to think and not to worry for a few short days?

Trying to convince myself that I did, I left the room, avoiding the creaky floorboard outside of our door and crept down the stairs.

The Aga was still alight as I pushed open the door to the large kitchen, it sent a small warm glow around the room. It might be summer but the old house was chilly when the sun wasn’t streaming in. I stepped inside the door and flinched as my bare feet found the cold slate floor. Glancing around I saw a pair of Jack’s boots underneath the table, he must have kicked them off last night. They would be perfect, and that happy thought made me smile. I bent down to retrieve them and righting the chair he had pushed over in his haste to get to me last night, I sat down on it and put them on my feet. They were far too big, obviously, but I hated cold feet, so they were much better than nothing. Standing I looked down at myself.

Captain America T-shirt and huge brown, leather, cleated boots. What a gorgeous sight I must look?

A laugh left my lips and it felt so, so good.

First things first. I made my way over to the kettle and filled it up.

Feeling brighter than I had only minutes before, I quickly decided that I would treat Jack to breakfast in bed. He had been looking after me for a while and I wanted to spoil him a little. Earlier in the week I had spotted a waffle maker and, as they were his favourite, I made up my mind that waffles with fresh fruit and maple syrup was on the menu.

An hour later after cleaning up the kitchen I was stood at the large sink washing up, when a long wolf whistle filled the silent room. I looked up to the window in front of me and could just make out the reflection of the bare torso of Jack behind me at the hallway door. His arms were crossed over his chest and he appeared to be leaning on the doorframe. I didn’t turn but continued to move my hands around in the foam as I cleaned our plates from yesterday’s picnic.

‘I was going to bring you up breakfast in bed.’ I tutted my disappointment at the end of the sentence.

‘Waffles?’ he questioned, still not moving from the doorframe.

‘Of course, but you’ve ruined the surprise now,’ I answered, looking again at his reflection in the glass.

‘You wanted to surprise me?’

‘I just wanted to give you a little treat.’ My hands stilled in the soapy water as I saw him push himself away from the doorframe and advance further into the kitchen, completely naked. I pulled in a deeper breath at the realisation. I wasn’t sure why it surprised me, Jack had always been very confident with his body.

‘Nothing, babe… not even my favourite breakfast in bed would be fucking better than the visual treat I have in front of my eyes right now… Although, thinking about it, you spread out on the large table behind me, covered in syrup and strawberries, would top all fucking surprises, just to let ya know in case you’re taking notes,’ his teasing voice whispered as he drew out the last couple of words making his breath caress the shell of my ear, as his arms slid around my waist and he breathed me in.

‘Morning, beautiful girl. Is it chauvinistic that I love finding ya in the kitchen, slaving over the sink and dressed in my clothes?’ I felt the muscles in his face contract with his smile.

I leant back into his embrace, wondering at the normality I felt. His T-shirt was so big it hung off me and Jack homed in on the bare skin. I was going to answer his question, but his mouth had found my neck and he began to kiss a path down to my exposed shoulder. All too soon he stopped kissing me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

‘Mmmmm?’ he questioned, probing for an answer.

‘Probably… but I don’t care. And the clothes were all I could find. I thought I looked rather gorgeous in them and as they smelt like you, that made me even happier.’

‘You sayin’ I stink?’ he teased.

I laughed at his response. ‘No.’

‘Whatcha sayin’ then?’ His head lifted away from my shoulder and he stared at me in the kitchen window and proffered me a wink.

I felt my core involuntarily tighten at that small movement. But the main feeling inside me was the feeling of immense contentment that burst out from my heart at just having him near. He was so beautiful even first thing in the morning. Blond hair, scruffy and unkempt, with an amazing amount of stubble that he appeared to have grown overnight, and twinkling bright blue eyes. I smiled back at him and felt his arms start to release me. Very quickly they found their way up and under his T-shirt, until his large warm hands cupped my breasts. I watched his knuckles moving around as he kneaded them under the thin material.

I gasped at the contact, closed my eyes and sucked in my bottom lip. My body had sprung to life. My nipples hardened as soon as they felt the rough abrasions on his hands. It was as if they knew exactly who they belonged to.

‘What I’m saying is that you need a cold shower.’ I filled up my hands with bubbles from the sink and cupping them together, I quickly threw the handful of water and bubbles over my shoulder to find his face.

He took a step back in surprise, releasing me in the process. I filled up my hands again with the warm concoction, and laughed out loud as he blew the bubbles away from his face with over exaggerated breaths. Finally, he opened one eye and looked at me smiling. His arms extended outwards, effectively trapping me, and his eyebrows raised in amusement under the streams of warm, bubbly water running down his face.

‘Oh yeah?’ he asked.

‘YES!’ Turning around quickly, I threw my remaining ammunition up high, aiming directly for his head.

As he instinctively brought his hands to his face, I made my bid for escape to the side heading for the large settee. One of his long arms caught me easily, and after pulling me back he picked me up to sit me on top of the oak draining board to the side of the sink. He forced my legs apart and stood as close as he could get to me, within the opening of my thighs. His erection soon made its way under the hem of the T-shirt I was wearing. One of his arms held me securely around the waist and the other set about making me as wet as possible. Handful after handful of the warm water found different parts of me, until I looked like I was about to take part in a wet T-shirt competition. It didn’t matter how much I pleaded, wiggled, screamed and slapped his hands away, he held me right where he wanted me.

Finally, when he realised that the sink was empty, he picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist. I threaded my fingers together at the back of his head, feeling the need to show him that I was as desperate as he was to feel our bodies closer together. His boots fell off my feet to once again find their place on the slate tiles with a loud thump.

He rested his forehead against mine for a few seconds as we just stared at each other, both of us caught in the moment between laughter and lust. Gradually our smiles receded and the passion took over. His lips came crashing to mine with a force I had never felt before. My mouth opened on persuasion and our tongues began to dance. I would never get enough of moments like these. All thoughts and fears left my head, in those few minutes all that existed was Jack and me. The intensity of feeling between us was so strong, I would never fathom out how I had managed to live without him in my life. I could hear our teeth clashing together as the kiss threatened to combust every single thing around us. His muscles contracted underneath the tight grip of my thighs, as he manoeuvred us very competently around the kitchen. Eventually our kiss calmed down and we both started to come up for air.

I heard another kitchen chair fall to the floor and my eyes opened to find his staring at me to wordlessly share the humour. I suppressed a giggle at the thought of us systematically ruining the furniture of one the few habitable rooms.

My body was being slowly lowered backwards and the cool leather hit my bare skin. Jack pushed me further down into the soft welcoming settee with one hand, as he covered my face with all the remaining bubbles he found in his hair with the other. I squirmed underneath him as he made sure as much of my face was covered as possible.

‘Noooooo!’ I gasped, revelling in the fact that as easily as laughter had turned to lust, we were once again back to laughter.

Eventually, he lifted me up, turned us both and pulled me on top of him. My heart blossomed as he hugged me to him and kissed the top of my head.

‘I love you, Lils.’

‘I love you too…I’d like to stay just like this, forever.’ My heart had spoken before I had allowed my brain to engage.

He squeezed me to him in answer and I squeezed my eyes tight in response. Immediately, I regretted my words and lay there waiting for him to say something I would have to respond to.

‘OH. FUCK!’ It wasn’t what I was expecting to come out of his mouth. I felt his body as it stiffened underneath me.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. One of his hands came up to his forehead as he grimaced.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’m the worst fucking brother in the world, that’s what.’

I followed his eyes and looked up behind me at the calendar on the kitchen wall. I hadn’t a clue what day it was, let alone the date. But the last Sunday in August had a love heart around it in pillar box red. Next to the heart was the name Sofia. I looked back at him in question.

‘My niece Sofia arrived last week. My sister Jassy and her husband John have adopted her. We’re all going to meet her this afternoon. I ain’t thought about it once since you’ve been here. I should have at least called them this week just to see how they’re coping with all the fucking screaming… I know I said about us having a couple of days of just us, but I really have to go today.’

‘Yes, of course you do.’ I looked at him and smiled.

‘And you’re coming with me.’

‘I am?’

‘Yep you are… Charlie will be there, and you’ve already met my mum and dad.’

‘How do we explain who I am?’ I hated the small voice of doubt that asked the question.

‘So, I ain’t gonna introduce you as the future mother of my babies, then?’ He grinned at me, shaking his head slightly. ‘No? Alright then, babe. I’ll just tell ‘em you’re my new housekeeper.’ He burst out laughing at his joke and slapped one of my bare bum cheeks as he rolled me over sideways against the back of the settee. ‘But for now, Lils, you and I have a date with some syrup… I’m gonna show ya exactly what I prefer to eat in the morning. Then I might let you shower, and then if you’re really fucking lucky, I’ll make us both breakfast.’ He gave me a cheeky wink and his mouth descended to find mine.