Just Human (20 page)

“Mum, don’t!”

“It’s so obvious, Liv. You must see it.”

I shake my head. “He’s tried to say it already and I stopped him. It’s too soon.”

“And you feel the same way?”

Sighing, I nod. “I can’t go there yet. I’m afraid of what will happen to me if he leaves again.”

“But it’s best to be honest darling.”

“Not if it leaves me vulnerable.”

She purses her lips. “Well don’t play games, he deserves your honesty.”

“I know. I just want to see what will happen when his holiday is over. If he wants to try, I will give it a go.”

“I hope you do sweetheart!” She grins at me and goes all silly. “I can’t believe he’s here.” She leans in and whispers, “And he’s gorgeous!”

“Mum!” I laugh, but I can’t disagree. I watch him chatting to Dave. He’s so good looking. I don’t know whether it’s age or just that the nineties were kind to no one, but he has something different about him now. Something that I’m sure lots of girls must notice.

We walk on, slowly catching up with the boys. Their conversation has moved on to golf and I’m relieved to hear that Danny has nothing more than a passing interest. We arrive at the restaurant and Danny and I are subjected to a series of gushy introductions. Steve, the owner, has heard all about me and the success of my restaurant. He wishes he had the confidence and the opportunity to start as early in life as me. Mum introduces Danny as if he is a returning war hero. He blushes at her flattery as he shakes hands with Steve and Sandra, Steve’s wife who appeared among us.

Once all of the introductions are finished and we’ve made a sufficiently loud entrance into the restaurant, we’re shown to a table in a quiet corner. It’s cosy, with reclaimed dining furniture that has all been rubbed down to bare wood. The built-in seating against the wall is upholstered in a vibrant pink-striped fabric, which is the restaurant’s main feature. Otherwise the decor is fairly rustic and natural. I like it; it really makes you feel at home. We’re sitting in the best corner and the tea lights on the table provide a warm glow.

Danny and I sit on the pink sofa seat, he gestures for me to go in first, then sits close to me. I’m feeling warm and pink-cheeked by the time we settle in. It’s mainly from all the wine we had at Mum’s before we left, but the ambiance here and the proximity of Danny is adding to the effect. Wine is really not my drink. I enjoy a nice amateur rosé, nothing too professional. But it makes me quite drunk, so I generally avoid it. I always end up like this with Mum and Dave though, because they only drink wine.

Before I have time to think about perhaps not drinking too much more, Dave has ordered us a bottle. So instead I strip off my jumper and give way to the relaxed vibe. Danny places his arm around me while he listens to Dave telling him about Steve’s association with some vineyards in France. This is obviously very impressive to Danny because he hangs onto Dave’s every word.

When the waiter comes to take our orders and everyone is distracted, Danny asks me if I’m okay.

“Yeah, I just shouldn’t drink wine,” I admit…gratuitous honesty, an effect of the wine. “It makes me really drunk.”

“Oh, me too!” he laughs. “I’m past my comfort level already. I’m so glad it’s not just me, I’ve been listening rather than speaking to keep from making an ass of myself…Have I been an ass?”

“No, not that I’ve noticed,” I smile. This information puts me immediately at ease. He isn’t likely to notice how drunk I am if he’s well on the way himself. We glance at each other and giggle.

“What are you two giggling about?” quizzes Mum.

“Nothing!” I reply innocently. Mum eyes us suspiciously. Once we’re both more at ease, the conversation flows freely. The food is wonderful, I start with the duck liver parfait with brioche toast and greengage chutney. Danny and Mum both have the smoked mackerel pate and Dave has spicy pork balls. For main course, we all have the steak. It’s the reason we’re here, apparently the best steak ever, so we hardly even look at the rest of the menu. The rumours are true. It’s melt-in-the-mouth-amazing and the ‘dripping’ chips were without doubt the best chips I have ever had.

The heartiness and quantity of the meal has a slightly sobering effect on me, so I have another glass of wine. I’ve lost track now of how much I’ve had to drink, but I’m not worried about my behaviour. I feel at ease, I’m with my family. Mum, Dave and Danny. He’s been touching me constantly since we sat down. Either his arm is around me or his hand is on my leg or he’s holding my hand or even just sitting so close that our bodies are touching. Coming here was the right thing to do; Mum and Dave’s acceptance of our hasty union has put my mind at rest.

Mum is a bit drunk too by the time we get the bill and she giggles as Dave and Danny squabble over paying. Dave wins, when I distract Danny with a kiss. We bid our hosts a fond farewell, I insist that Steve and Sandra must come up with Mum and Dave and eat at my place. Steve promises to arrange it and we set off noisily into the night. The cool air is welcome, although it does highlight the drunkenness. I link arms with Danny for support as much as affection. He squeezes my arm against his body and kisses the end of my nose lightly.

“Thanks for this,” he whispers.

“What?”

“Bringing me here. I’ve had a great night.”

“Me too.”

Then with Mum and Dave walking slightly ahead, he steers me towards a little gift shop with a recessed doorway. He pushes me against the shop door and takes my face in his hands, kissing me deeply.

“Danny!” I giggle, pulling away. “My parents are just there!”

“So?” he grins, wickedly, and kisses me again. Placing his hands on my bum and pulling me in close to him, he stares into my eyes. “I want you,” he whispers. “We should have gone to a hotel.”

My lips curl into a wry smile. “We’ll just have to be really quiet.”

His eyes widen. “We can’t! It wouldn’t be right.”

“Oh come on. We’ve done it before,” I tease. He raises an eyebrow. We need to catch up before they notice, so I push past him, taking his hand and march to close the distance with Mum and Dave.

“Oh there you are,” Mum says.

“Just looking in a shop window,” I maintain. Mum chuckles, knowingly.

Danny puts his arm around me and pulls me close, and we follow Mum and Dave the rest of the way home. When we get in, Dave begins the protracted process of making coffee from his machine. He loves the bloody thing and I instantly regret buying it for him for his birthday. If it was just a cup of instant, we could probably decline, but Dave will be disappointed if we turn this down. I exchange a look with Danny; I know he wants to go to bed as much as I do. But we don’t want to be too obvious, or rude, so we politely accept a coffee and dutifully sit and drink it with them.

“You two are quiet,” remarks Mum, a little too pointedly.

“Just tired,” I reply tersely.

“I guess I’m still a little jet-lagged,” offers Danny, picking up on the hidden dialogue between Mum and I. “I suppose I should turn in,” he murmurs and yawns, to prove his point. He looks at me for backup, so I stand and collect our coffee cups.

“Thanks for a lovely evening,” I say.

“Yes, it was great,” adds Danny. “Thanks.”

“You are most welcome,” says Mum as she struggles to get up out of her chair. “Leave those in the sink.”

We carry the cups out to the kitchen and, ignoring Mum’s request, I rinse them and place them on the draining board. Purely out of habit, I bang the coffee grounds out of the filter and clean the machine ready for tomorrow. It’s a La Spaziale machine, like we have at the diner, only smaller. Ever since I showed Dave mine, he has lusted after one, so Mum, Grace and I got it for him for his sixtieth birthday.

Mum looks back into the living room and tuts in exasperation.

“He's asleep!” She turns to us and says, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get my husband to bed! Goodnight.”

Danny smirks at me…we are alone. Standing on opposite sides of the kitchen, minutes pass. We listen as they both get ready for bed, then the bedroom door shuts. Danny moves towards me, backing me against the pantry door. He strokes my hair and pushes it behind my ear, then he kisses my exposed neck. I sigh. The touch of his lips sends a rush of excitement through my body. His lips travel upwards to my earlobe, sucking and kissing, then his hand curls around the back of my neck as he finds my tongue with his.

I push him back.

“Can you be quiet?” I ask.

“I can. Can you?” he teases.

“I don’t know, let’s see shall we?” I smile with a raised eyebrow, taking his hand as I switch off the lights. As we quietly walk up the stairs, he gently runs his index finger up my inside leg, making me gasp as he reaches his target. I wriggle away and giggle.

“Stop it,” I hiss and hold my finger to my lips. His eyes glint in the half-light, his smile telling me this is going to be fun. He hooks the back of my jeans with his finger and pulls me close to him as we reach the landing, pressing his front into my back. He kisses my neck again while his hand wanders across my stomach to the top of my jeans.

We are right outside my parent’s bedroom, when his hand slides into my jeans, past my knickers and his finger slowly enters me. I breathe out a quiet “
Oh!
”

“
Shh!
” he whispers, his lips pressed against my ear. I can feel his grin. His free hand urges me on and with his finger still in place, we move towards our room. I was pleased earlier when Mum put us in the room furthest from theirs. Once inside, he pulls his hand away and closes the door. I switch on the bedside light while he unzips the bag and rummages round for something. Condoms, he reveals, holding them up triumphantly. I smile.

He moves over to me and pulls my jumper and top up over my head, in one go. His hands travel quickly over my bare skin, caressing my breasts through my bra, before unhooking the clasp and casting it aside. He moves back then to my jeans, unzipping them but not removing them. He pauses to pull off his top then slips his hand back past my jeans and underwear and plunges two fingers into me.

“Now this is something we have done before with your parents next door," he whispers, close to my ear as his other hand slides into my hair, pulling me close for a kiss.

We kiss while his fingers do their magic inside me, so I pull at the button fly on his Levis and reach into his boxers. He is hard already and he gasps when I wrap my hand around him and begin to move. We stand in the middle of the room, half naked, kissing and touching, building our pace and both becoming breathless until finally a little moan escapes from my lips.

"
Shhh!
" he breathes, withdrawing his hand. I sag with disappointment. Okay, maybe it wasn’t such a little moan, he probably has a point. We need to keep quiet.

I kiss him again, occupying my lips before they let me down again. Then I slide both my hands into his jeans and push them down to the floor, following them with clear intentions. He stops me as I stoop and brings me back up to standing, shaking his head. He clearly has a different plan. He quickly kisses me and then spins me around until I’m facing away from him. He takes a couple of steps forward, in spite of his jeans around his legs. We stop in front of the small sofa and he bends me over it. I wasn’t expecting this and I look at him quizzically.

“I sat on the bed earlier and it creaks so loud,” he whispers. Then he suddenly yanks down my jeans and rips open a condom, he puts it on in record time. He flashes me a wicked smile and then fills me in one swift motion, taking me by surprise and delivering a wave of pleasure. Watching him over my shoulder the whole time, I can hardly stifle my moan.

He shakes his head, withdrawing and fixes me with his intense stare.

“You need to be quiet!” he says, with mischief in his eyes and a wry smile on his lips. I nod, so desperate now, I’ll do anything. I need him inside me again. He seems satisfied and suddenly pushes into me again. This time I respond with a suppressed groan and he continues. He holds onto my hips as I stand bent at the waist, my hands resting on the seat of the sofa. He draws back, then thrusts into me again and again, finding a rhythm. This is going to be fast.

I’m in ecstasy. I desperately try to keep quiet, but as he drives deeper and faster into me, I’m unable to prevent another small sound from escaping. He leans forwards over me and clasps his hand around my mouth.

“Quiet!” he hisses close to my ear. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on. He keeps his hand in place and picks up speed. I breathe heavily into his hand and feel his hot breath against my ear. He’s hitting my G-spot, hard, and I can feel myself getting close. Our breathing becomes more irregular as we can both contain our orgasms no more. I haven’t even touched myself. My hands are planted firmly on the sofa, but this is a case of mind over matter. I’m so turned on by his forceful nature and the urgency. I’m coming hard before I even know what has happened.

I cry, almost silently, into his hand as the intense pleasure hits me. He keeps going, nearing his own climax and just as the final waves of my orgasm are subsiding, I feel him tense. His breathing halts from the tension of his body, then he breathes out a huge sigh of release in my ear and I feel his whole body shuddering. As he comes back down to earth, he takes his hand away from my mouth and turns my face to meet his lips. It’s an awkward angle, but it’s an emotional kiss.

That was risky, being forceful like that, but I’m in heaven. Being told to shut up obviously floats my boat, who knew? He slides out of me as the kiss becomes more sensual and gently lifts me to standing and turns me to face him. He holds my face between his hands and gazes contentedly into my eyes. A slight smile touches his face as he closes his eyes and kisses me once more.

Thirteen.

Liv.

Get rid of him, whoever he is.

We spent the rest of the weekend relaxed and happy with my parents. We walked around Brighton, took in the sights, sat on the beach and did a spot of shopping. We brought the relaxed vibe home with us as well; the past week has been wonderful. My concerns have all but gone and, although we haven’t addressed it, we’re getting really cosy. I’m well aware that Danny has only been here for ten days, but our relationship doesn’t reflect that at all. From the outside looking in, we seem like any other established couple of our age.