Samuel: Second Chance Romance/Secret Child (Cooper Brothers #2)

by Nikki Ashton

  “I actually don’t understand how me teaching the intermediate class impacts the Water Babies,” I groaned. “Their teacher hasn’t gone missing with a broken bone.”

  Amy sighed in exasperation and shifted Bella on her hip. “I told you this before. If you don’t do the intermediate class, Victoria will have to, which means there’s no one to teach Water Babies.”

  I glanced at the pool again, my fingers twitching at my side as water splashed against my leg. The clear water was calling me and I suddenly realised how much I’d missed it; cutting through the water with a feeling of weightlessness, the warm ache in my muscles and the smell of chlorine on my body.

  “How many in the class?” I asked.

  “Seven, all new starters tonight.” Amy smoothed a hand over her daughter’s head and pouted. “It would be a shame to waste the DBS check that you passed with flying colours. I mean, why go to all that trouble, Sam, if you’re not going to do it?”

  “How my damn brother lives with you I’ll never know. You’re a pain in the fucking arse.”

  Amy grinned. “I know, and stop cursing in front of my baby. She said balls yesterday.”

  “And?”

  “Eli was naked at the time and she was definitely pointing at the goods when she said it.”

  Laughing, I shook my head and leaned in to kiss Bella’s head. “Okay, but if I hate it I’m not doing it again next week. They’ll have to find someone else.”

  Amy grinned and padded off toward the baby pool while I strolled over to the small group of kids now all waiting on the side of the pool. They were various heights and weights, all chatting excitably. All except for one poor kid who was squeezed into a pair of swim trunks, looking about as happy to be there as I was. I was betting his parents had been told he needed to lose weight and this was the nightmare resolution they’d come up with. I made a mental note to keep a special eye on him and more importantly, make sure he didn’t sink to the bottom of pool. All the kids I was teaching were supposedly already able to swim, but I had a feeling this kid hadn’t swum for a good while.

  As my gaze ran over the rest of the kids, my heart stopped and despite the cool air blowing around the pool, a sticky heat broke out all over my body. My mouth went dry and I felt as though I was going to be sick as my gaze reached the last one standing alone, pinging the elastic of his goggles and looking over at the older kids doing life-saving drills in the deep end.

  He was tall for his age, which was eight, had broad shoulders for his age and dark hair that was styled to perfection in a high fade with a side parting. This kid was bright, did well at school but had a cocky mouth on him at times. How did I know these things about this kid?

  I knew because he was my kid. My eight year old son, Frankie West, who I’d never spoken to in my life.

  As each kid did a width of the pool using front crawl, my gaze kept being drawn to Frankie. I’d avoided eye contact with him for the whole hour, nervous that he might realise who I was, nervous about actually looking at him and feeling something. I didn’t think for one minute he’d figure out I was his dad; his mum had made it quite clear that I wasn’t ever going to be part of his life – not that I’d cared, it was for the best. Watching him now though, I couldn’t help noticing the aching feeling of guilt and regret that enveloped me. It wasn’t a totally alien feeling, over the last few years I’d found myself thinking about him and his mum a lot, especially around the time Elijah and Amy were doing the dance of second chances. All the shit they went through had made me wonder what my life might be like, if I was given another go at happiness.

  Once I got over the shock of him being there, I’d watched Frankie carefully, looking for anything that he might have inherited from me. As soon as he entered the water, I knew what it was. He was damn good, and most definitely had my swimming genes. His body position was perfectly horizontal and his head central and still, just as it should have been. His kick wasn’t coming from the hip, but even at just eight years of age, he almost had a textbook form.

  As Frankie gave a final kick and reached the edge of the pool first, my gaze went back to the other six kids. As I thought, Timothy, the chubby boy, was struggling and lagging behind the rest. Props to him though, he wasn’t giving up. Finally, he finished and I looked up at the huge clock on the wall seeing that it was time to finish.

  “Well done guys,” I called as they all held on to the edge or started to tread water. “You’ve worked hard today. Now for next week, I want you to practice in the mirror.”

  “The mirror,” a slight boy, who I think was called Toby, scoffed.

  “Yes, a mirror,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. “I want you to practice your arms and head movement and check the positioning in the mirror.”

  “Are we doing the crawl again next week?” Frankie asked.

  My heart thudded like a damn nervous teenager and I was glad my hands were tucked under my folded arms to stop them from shaking. I turned to Frankie and cleared my throat, it suddenly felt full and tickly.

  “Yes, probably.”

  I breathed in through my nose, anxious as he studied me. I wondered what he was thinking, and hoped it wasn’t that I was a dick. I wanted him to like me for the six weeks that I’d be teaching him to swim. The six weeks that I’d finally be in his life.

  “What?” I asked, as he tilted his head still watching me carefully.

  “You didn’t even think you’d be back next week did you?”

  My eyes widened as I took a half-step back. “Um, I don’t think I ever said that.”

  “No, but you thought it,” he sighed, pulling himself out of the pool. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have looked so nervous when you came over and you’d have had a plan and you don’t.”

  “I might have one,” I argued.

  The look he gave me was pretty fucking withering and I instantly saw myself in his attitude. I’d heard from my source that he was a smart mouthed kid and now I was seeing it first-hand. Quite rightly he didn’t believe me.

  “See you next week,” he sighed and ran off toward the changing rooms.

  “Hey, no running,” I shouted, anxious that he might fall.

  Frankie stopped and then started to do the tiniest steps, with an exaggerated tiptoe walk. I bit my lip trying not to laugh – the little shit.

  “Okay, kids,” I said turning back to the rest of the group. “I’ll see you all next week.”

  They all pulled themselves out, except Timothy who swam for the ladders, and left the pool with a chorus of goodbyes and that they’d see me the following week. As Timothy stomped past me, I called after him.

  “Hey Timothy.”

  He stopped and sighed, probably expecting me to tell him he wasn’t very good, no doubt.

  “Yeah.”

  “Well done today, dude. You did really well.”

  His face broke into a grin as he crossed his arms over his chubby belly. “Really?”

  “Yeah really,” I replied, nodding vigorously and giving him a smile. “I know you didn’t find it as easy as some of the others, but you never gave up and you finished every drill we did.”

  “Thanks, Sam.” He looked towards the coffee lounge that overlooked the pool and then back to me. “Bye, see you next week.”

  I couldn’t help the huge smile on my face as he started to run and then suddenly pulled up and started to walk, making me laugh quietly.

  As I started to walk to the changing rooms, I heard a knocking on the coffee lounge window that overlooked the pool. I turned to see Amy holding Bella, both of them now fully clothed. She gave me a thumbs up and mouthed ‘well done’. I gave her a thumbs up back and mouthed ‘fuck off’, with a huge, false grin on my face. Amy laughed and waved Bella’s hand at me to say goodbye.

  When I left the leisure centre half an hour later, after being cornered by Timothy’s exuberant mother, a light drizzle had started and I couldn’t wait to get back home and get a warm shower. I might have only stood on the side of the pool sho
uting instructions to a group of eight to ten year olds, but I was knackered.

  Throwing my gym bag over my shoulder, I pulled up the collar of my jacket and started to walk toward my car.

  “Sam.”

  The voice was one I would never forget, although not as sweet as I once remembered. It had a hint of steel to it and when I looked up, there was fiery anger in her eyes too.

  “Well if it isn’t Maisie West,” I sighed, unable to stop the grin creeping on my face.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she snapped, holding her hands out in front of her. “I told you, you’d never have anything to do with him, ever.”

  “Hang on a minute,” I hissed. “I didn’t know he was in the group, not until I walked into the pool.”

  “You can’t be around him, Sam. You just can’t. You have to tell them to get someone else.”

  She wrapped one arm over the front of her padded black coat, while her other hand shakily covered her mouth.

  “I’m not a fucking monster, Maisie, and it’s not as though I said ‘oh hey Frankie, I’m your dad, nice to meet you’.”

  “This is not funny,” she continued. “If my partner finds out you’re teaching Frankie, he’ll go ballistic.”

  I huffed at the mention of her partner. I knew all about him from my source – okay, it was my friend Hannah who lived two doors down from them and had a little girl in Frankie’s class. Apparently, Maisie had been living with some guy called Josh for four years and he worked in insurance and drove a fucking Audi prick wagon.

  “I could give two shits what your partner thinks,” I replied. “Now, I’m sorry this happened, but I didn’t damn plan it. I have no intention of telling Frankie who I am, so chill your fucking boots, Maisie.”

  She glanced behind her and when I followed her gaze, I noticed a red hatchback with a small dark head bobbing around inside.

  “What’s he doing?” I asked.

  “What?” Maisie swung around and then snapped impatiently. “Listening to music, he likes Northern Soul.”

  My eyes widened and Maisie tutted.

  “I didn’t encourage it, he just heard it and liked it.”

  “Playing our tunes were you Maisie?”

  “Oh fuck off,” she snapped, “and make sure Frankie doesn’t find out. Believe me, if there were any other decent swimming lessons close by he’d be there in a flash.”

  “Whatever you say, Maisie, whatever you say.”

  Without another word, I pushed past her to go to my car and wondered whether I should ask the leisure centre to find someone else.

  “Ah, fuck her,” I snarled to myself as I started the engine and drove away, not thinking about why I was feeling just a little bit excited.

  Maisie

  the past

  As Sam changed the vinyl record on what he told me had been his parents’ stereo, I watched him carefully, loving the sight of his hard, tight, naked bum and strong, wide shoulders and muscled arms, one of which had an amazing tattoo of an old fashioned fob watch and it was surrounded by thorns from a rose that was dropping its petals. Everything about Sam was gorgeous and for some reason he seemed to like me – a lot. At least I thought he did, I hoped he did. I wasn’t normally the sort of girl who slept with someone straight away, but when Sam had walked me home a week ago after seeing him in Ziggy’s, the local nightclub, he’d been sweet and romantic. He’d given me his jacket to wear and when I complained that my feet were aching, he dropped to his haunches and insisted I’d got onto his back. He carried me the rest of the way home and then kissed me at the garden gate, like some clichéd, cheesy chick film but I didn’t care, it had been perfect.

  When I’d seen him at Alex Drake’s party tonight, I knew he was watching me, his dark eyes were on me every time I glanced at him, but he didn’t seem to be bothered to speak, spending a lot of his time in the kitchen with his sister-in-law, Amy. Finally though, he came over to me and we’d chatted for a couple of hours. We’d kissed too and when he’d asked if he could walk me home I’d been more daring than I’d ever been and said no, but he could walk me to his home. As his mum and dad were on holiday, he’d brought me up to his old room rather than go back to the apartment he shared with his brother and his sister-in-law and within minutes of walking through the door, we’d fallen into bed and given each other an orgasm pretty quickly.

  “What’s this?” I asked, instantly liking the song that was playing.

  “This,” he said, slipping back under the duvet and snuggling closer to me, “is called ‘Do I Love You’ by Frank Wilson and is one of my favourite Northern Soul songs.”

  I shook my shoulders in time to the bouncing beat and smiled. “I like it.”

  “Yeah, well I like how your tits bounce when you do that,” Sam groaned, reaching down to take my nipple in his mouth.

  “Sam,” I gasped, loving the sting as he sucked hard.

  “You’re so fucking perfect,” he rasped, kissing his way up my chest with his hand in my hair.

  “No I’m not.”

  “Yeah you are.”

  His teeth nipped at the soft flesh below my ear and I groaned, feeling him getting hard against my leg. I dropped my head back onto the pillow, giving him better access to my neck, and was rewarded with his lips and tongue on them, making me moan with the pleasure of it.

  “Sam,” I whispered. “I think I need you to fuck me.”

  Sam laughed softly and looked up at me, resting a hand on my stomach.

  “You are so not what I thought,” he said, drawing lazy circles around my belly button.

  “In what way?” I breathed out, desperately thrusting my hips up, hoping that he’d move his fingers lower.

  “You need me to fuck you? Just never expected such a little potty mouth who was so demanding.”

  I gave a lazy smile, my eyes half-lidded as his lips found my nipple again. “The quiet ones are always the worst, apparently.”

  “Or maybe the best,” he groaned, lowering his hand to where I wanted it and inserting two fingers inside me.

  I gasped as he crooked them and started to rub against my sweet spot. Then when he moved down the bed and his mouth started to suck on my clit, I wanted to scream with the feelings that were passing through me like an electric current.

  After a few seconds I growled out an irritated sigh. “Sam,” I pleaded.

  His mouth left me as he lifted his head and grinned up at me through my parted legs.

  “So fucking impatient.”

  With a chuckle he removed his fingers and manoeuvred himself between my thighs, he reached for a condom and rolled it on, before hitching one of my legs up onto his hip. His mouth slammed onto mine and without any further hesitation, he pushed into me.

  I gasped and quickly matched his rhythm with my hips, my fingers digging into the hard muscles of his back. My cry of ecstasy seemed to urge Sam on as his thrusting went faster and deeper and his fingers pinched into my thighs as I clung onto him. The song he’d been playing on his stereo started again and its quick beat became Sam’s metronome as my heavy breaths duelled with his groans of pleasure in the silence of the room.

  Everything about Sam was hard and powerful and it wasn’t long before I could feel my orgasm building. As my skin heated as the first waves of my climax started to roll through me, Sam’s phone began to shrill out from on top of his chest of drawers. He didn’t stop or hesitate as he continued to pump into me, his lips helping to bring me to my pinnacle with heated kisses along my jaw and down my neck.

  As the phone stopped ringing, my orgasm hit and I cried out as the pleasure engulfed me.

  “Oh shit.”

  Sam continued moving in and out of me, hard and fast, and as my body started to relax into the overwhelming euphoria, he came hard, cursing and gripping the pillow next to my head.

  As we both gasped for breath, Sam’s mobile started ringing again.

  “Who the fuck is that?” he groaned, pulling out of me and moving onto his back, his chest heavin
g heavily.

  “Answer it,” I said breathily.

  “Later.” Sam turned his head to me and grinned. “Well that was pretty fucking awesome.”

  I gave him a shy smile, not sure why, seeing as he’d pretty much seen every part of me, naked.

  “You hungry?” he asked, leaning up on one elbow just as his mobile stopped ringing again.

  “Yes,” I replied. “And you know what I could eat?”

  “What?” He reached up and pushed some hair from my face, letting his hand linger of my cheek.

  “Cornflakes.”

  Laughing as he got out of bed, Sam removed the condom and wrapped it in a tissue before throwing it into the small waste bin by the door. “Really, not toast or pizza, but cornflakes?”

  I nodded and turned onto my side, giving me a better view of his gorgeous face and dark brown eyes...and naked body.

  “Okay let me-.”

  As his mobile started again, Sam stopped talking and looked at it over his shoulder.

  “Fuck it, whoever it is must be desperate to talk to me.”

  I glanced at the old fashioned alarm clock ticking away and saw that it was almost one in the morning, and suddenly my heart started to beat faster. No one called at this time, unless it was an emergency. Sam padded across to the stereo, turned it down, and then snatched up his mobile, as I watched him warily and waited, holding my breath as he answered.

  “Eli, this better be fucking important.”

  I guessed that Eli was already speaking, because almost immediately Sam dropped his head back and let out a sigh.