Sexy Hart (Sexy Series) (31 page)

Oh…
“Oh… well, yes. It’s wonderful, that thought is… wonderful, Oliver. I’m really looking forward to being able to do this with you all the time.”

“Me too, and soon we’ll be able to do it with everyone else as well. Then, one day, not too far off - we’ll come here as a family, with our babies…”

My heart races and my skin breaks out in prickly goose bumps. “Oh gosh, Oliver… I will love that.”

He smiles, perfectly. “I know. So will I… I won’t deny that I don’t think I can wait to see you pregnant… feel my baby moving under your skin and then watch as you nurture a newborn; raise our child with me.”

“Oh dear god, do you want me to cry again?” I scold. “You can’t talk like that unless you want me to be an emotional wreck. I’ve wanted this forever, Oliver.”

“You’ve got it now, darling. And as soon as we’re ready, we’ll make our baby.”

I remember our unprotected sex of a few days ago and wonder if anything might have happened then… it probably didn’t and I would like to wait until we’re an open couple for a while before we conceive, but I would be overjoyed to know that there is a baby inside me… Oliver’s baby. “I can’t wait.”

“You know what I keep picturing? It’s probably a bit odd - but it keeps going around in my head; it’s you, in my house, your hand resting on your big, pregnant belly - those new rings on your finger, setting the table as I serve up the dinner.”

Warmth spreads through my body, a feeling that I really am completely loved - no man would
ever
confess to something remotely as romantic as that unless they were head over heels in love. “Oh gosh, Oliver… I can’t wait until that day.”

Our meal arrives and we begin to eat, easily chatting about everything and anything, just as we would have done in the old days. The subject of the rings comes up again and we decide that we won’t begin wearing them, just to take them on and off every five minutes to hide the truth from people; apart from it being very awkward, it would also make it too easy for them to be lost. So we decide that we will not begin wearing our new rings, until everybody knows. And when they do - they will stay on our fingers, forever.
This really is real, isn’t it?

~~~~~~~

We spend a good couple of hours at the restaurant, thoroughly enjoying each and every minute of it, before returning home at about five thirty. We do very well not to fall asleep when we enjoy a cup of tea and a cuddle on one of the sofas in the lounge, and before we know it, it’s time to make a light dinner and head up to bed.

An early night is in order of course, and I think - as Oliver intended - we end up slipping into the
cosy bed having had a long soak in his spacious bath together, at about nine fifteen or so. Both of us exhausted and looking forward to a long, peaceful sleep, we still manage to make love in the most romantic, slowest of ways - both of us climaxing together and falling sleep almost instantly in each other’s arms. I love being with Oliver, it feels destined… unquestionable… so right.

CHAPTER 14

SUNDAY 23RD JUNE

We both get up at the same time this morning and move around the house comfortably together while I get ready for work. Oliver will pop into the office to catch up on some of the work there - but he won’t need to go on site today so he has a later start than me.

As I do my make-up, he makes us breakfast downstairs like a perfect husband. I could get used to
all of this ‘playing husband and wife’ lark… oh wait, we’re not playing… this
is
my life. And I can’t be any more excited about that fact.

A poached egg on toast and cup of tea is just what I needed before my early, weekend start. I don’t work weekends much anymore, not since Jessica became our assistant manager and the business grew a little, but I must go in today to catch up on everything.

Oliver offers to deliver me to the Cakery door again, but I’m happy to walk and I really don’t want people seeing us together so early in the morning. It would be a little suspicious. I am hoping no one realises that I don’t have my car, but if I collect that, it’ll be sitting outside Oliver’s house over night until Monday and anyone that happens to drive past that knows us, will know I’m staying there. His parents and friends for example. There’s so much to consider when embarking on a secret romance. Or marriage, should I say.

As I’m ready to leave, Oliver gives me the most enormous, most delicious cuddle with a kiss that will be on my mind all day. I can’t wait to get back here later to spend another lovely evening with my
boyfr… husband.

Walking down the High Street towards my lovely little shop, I smell that familiar, sweet,
chocolatey smell and I’m reminded just how much I missed my baby. I pause outside to simply look at Bear’s Cakery in all its glory. The pretty, traditional multi-pane bay window with a gorgeous new pastel-coloured display inside, and our beautiful sign above it. I don’t think I will ever lose my love for this place, or the pride that Bea and I made it ourselves.

Not everyone is here yet when I step inside, but it’s so lovely to see Jessica again, sitting behind the counter, piping tiny white dots onto a four
tier, ivory wedding cake, and Marie who’s making up some batters.

They welcome me perfectly and once I’ve made everyone a drink, I sit down with the appointment and order books and have a long, detailed look through everything new. It’s
all fantastic, exactly how it would have been done should Bea or I been here and I really feel so lucky for having such fantastic employees.

I allocate myself some projects and schedule some time off in the diary for Jessica before asking Marie to mix me up a one egg chocolate batter to make four of Oliver’s
favourite cupcakes for dessert this evening. I tell the girls I’m seeing a friend and taking a box of cupcakes as a gesture - something not unheard of, we do it all the time, so they won’t think it strange.

Of course they know Oliver, he’s always in the shop having a chat with Bea and I whilst enjoying a
cuppa and his favourite. He always comes in alone, which I occasionally wonder about, he never brings a colleague with him to enjoy a mid-morning or afternoon treat… come to think of it, I rarely see his work colleagues. I’ve met one or two in the pub every now and again, but if they have a night out altogether, we’ve never really joined them. I wonder why that is?

Although I spend my day dreaming about my new lovely man, I really enjoy being back at work and getting back to my old life, with the satisfying knowledge that it’s now just as exciting after hours, too. It goes by so fast, too, and before I know it, I’m walking back to the house with our dessert.

I have keys to Oliver’s house, not that I’ve ever used them if he’s in, only if I’ve offered to stop by to drop something off while he’s out, but I feel like it’s okay now; I’m allowed. So I let myself in and my stomach immediately rumbles at the most delicious smell of cooking.

Closing the door, I kick my shoes off and drop my bag, calling out for Oliver to let him know I’m home, and I immediately see him at the kitchen doorway, apron on, smiling like the sexiest man you’ve ever seen in your entire life. And I swoon. And swoon. And yes, I swoon again. It’s amazing how, once you allow yourself to - you can literally feel yourself falling deeper and deeper in love with someone. It’s heavenly.

“Hey, gorgeous girl,”

“Hey handsome…”

“You look so fucking hot…”

“So do you… want to do me?”

“Definitely.”

I drop the cake box on the side table and run to the staircase, giggling, and he follows me, running after me, stripping his clothes from his delicious body. Once in the bedroom, he captures me in the corner, taking my clothes off and kissing me wherever he can find some naked flesh. It’s fun, and it’s hot, and if every time I return from work goes like this, I will be the happiest girl alive.

It’s a very short, very passionate, very exciting love-making session, and as we’re lying, panting next to one another on the bed, Oliver tells me he has to get back downstairs so stir the special treat he’s making me for dinner. Intrigued, I slip on a nightie and follow him down the stairs to see what he’s preparing.

“Whatever it is, it smells amazing,” I say, entering the kitchen behind him.

“Do you recognise the smell?”

“Mmm… I’m not sure, why? What is it?”

“Sit at the table, darling,” he suggests and I do, excited and hungry. “I actually think it’s pretty ready, so if you’re ready for dinner, I’m ready to serve…”

“Yes!”

He places two small bowls on my place mat, and the same on his, and offers me a spoon. Then, he returns to the stove and transfers whatever he’s cooking into two, matching large bowls and walks to the table, placing them between us in the centre. “Sweetcorn chowder and seafood gumbo, as the lady loves.”

“Oh my god!” I cry, absolutely loving the fact that he has gone to the effort of making the two dishes we shared at the ‘Country Club’ on my birthday, the day before we changed our lives. “I can’t believe you made this!”

“And why not? Am I not husband and chef extraordinaire?”

“Wow - it seems you absolutely are, it looks and smells incredible!”

“Goodo, tuck in…”

Well, my husband can
cook
. I’ve always known he was more than capable in the kitchen but
my word
, this was delicious. He will be cooking me these dishes again and that’s for sure. “Oliver, that was amazing.” I say, rubbing my full belly as I stand to take the dishes to the washer.

“I’m glad you thought so. Did it take you back?”

“Did it take me back to Vegas? To my birthday? To making love in the morning? To kissing in the pool? To the moment in the hallway? To shopping in the esplanade? To my beautiful earrings? To the fountains? To the kiss? To the ride? To the roulette? To drinks and dancing and… proposals?”

“… I kind of meant to the lunch, but I’m so glad you remember all of those things anyway…” he says with a cute grin, wrapping his arms around me and kissing the back of my neck.

“Well it made me think of all of those things… and more. That trip was perfect and I will never, ever forget it.”

“Well good. The same goes for me.”

I turn and hug him, closing my eyes and savouring everything about him from his strength and size to his warmth and affection. “I brought your cupcakes for dessert.”

“The chocolate ones?” he asks, excitedly.

“Yep.”

“You’re the best, ever.”

I giggle against his body and run my hands up and down his large back. ”I love that we don’t have to feel guilty to do this… other than because we got married without telling anyone, I mean.”

“You mean… because I’m not with… anyone else?”

“Yeah, like before, we’d do something and then you’d go back to her, making us both feel terrible.”

He sighs, loudly, and rests his chin on the top of my head. “Oh, gorgeous girl. It was probably one of the hardest things I ever had to do… spend that time with you and then
have to go and lay down next to her. I wanted you so badly. I knew she wasn’t right for me, I’ve never been unfaithful in my life until that first time in LA, I should probably have dumped her right away but it was a bit difficult on holiday.”

“I know. It was really wrong of us. But on a pretty selfish note, if we hadn’t have done that… we may never be where we are now. So as bad as it may make me feel
, I have to love that it happened.”

“Don’t forget that she was at it, too, Clare.”

“That doesn’t make what we did any less bad. We’re all as bad as each other. But I would do it again, if it meant I got to keep you.”

“Me too.
In a heartbeat. Oh…” he says, releasing me, “I forgot the music!”

“Oh, never mind.”

“No, I’ll put it on now. We can wash up to it.”

He puts his iPod in its dock and presses play as he joins me over by the sink and begins to fill it as I load the dishwasher.
When he turns the tap off, I can hear the start of the song and it’s one that I adore; ‘Kiss Me’ by Ed Sheeran.

“Oh… Ol, I love this song.”

“Me too…” he says, turning from the sink and taking the dirty plate from my hands. “Let’s dance.”

Listening to these lovely lyrics and having my beautiful man ask me to dance in his kitchen is just the most perfectly romantic experience in the world. He opens his arms for me to step into and I wrap mine around his neck as I do, running my fingers up his soft hair and feeling his body against mine. He presses one hand against the bottom of my back, holding me against him, and places the other on my jaw, brushing my cheek with his thumb.

When the lyrics suggest it, Oliver whispers, “Kiss me,” and lowers his head to meet mine to kiss me softly. I watch his face move against mine again but when I look up at his eyes, this time, he’s watching me, too.

“Why do you do that?” he asks against my mouth, smiling.

“What?” I pull away.

“Keep your eyes open sometimes.”

“Sometimes?”

“Yeah, you do it a lot, I notice.”