“What’s wrong?” I ask, twisting the door handle even though it’s not moving. “Can you let me in?”
Still without response, I press my teeth together and stalk back to the entryway to get my keys and open it myself. This is just childish fucking bullshit. As I pass the lounge room, all eyes are on me, but the look on my face must tell them I’m not in the mood for talking, because they quickly look away and pretend to be talking about something else.
Paige
We pushed the two beds together last night, so I’m lying across the middle of both of them, listening to Radiohead’s OK Computer, my headphones blasting the track Lucky into my ears to block out any sounds around me. I just overreacted big time. I’ve never done the jealous girlfriend thing before, although I’ve never cared so much about someone before either. In the past, the men I was with were a means to an end. I chose them for reasons other than attraction.
When the breeze from the door opening hits me, I sit up on my elbows and pull the buds from my ears. He looks pissed.
“Didn’t you hear me knock?”
I shake my head as I shut the music off. “It was too loud,” I say, sliding myself up, so I am sitting on the bed against the wall.
“Are you going to tell me what’s up?” He folds his arms, watching me intently as he waits for my response.
“I walked in and saw you flirting with the new girl. I hated it.”
He raises his eyebrows and then shifts his hands to his hips. “You think I was flirting with her?”
“Uh, yeah. You were all smiling and laughing while she was touching you. Then you jumped up all guilty the second you saw me.”
He chuckles. I'm having a jealous hissy fit, and he's chuckling at me.
“Have you considered that I was jumping up because I was relieved you were home? You were gone for over an hour to get milk. I was worried. Jolene was going on and on in my ear, and I was trying to be polite and listen. But all I could think about was you. I jumped up because I was glad you were back and nothing bad had happened. We had literally just told her I had a girlfriend because she was the one flirting with me.”
“I’m your girlfriend now?” I ask, feeling ridiculous at how my heart just did cartwheels through my chest when he said it.
He climbs on the bed and kneels in front of me. “Paige, we live together; you are way more than just my girlfriend. I have zero interest in anyone but you.”
“Why were you letting her touch you?”
“I wasn’t. I hate girls being all over me. I find it incredibly uncomfortable.”
“Yeah right, you hate pretty girls flirting with you and touching you?”
“Paige, I was overweight when I was a kid, right up until my late teens. Girls like Jolene dated my friends, but they didn’t give me the time of day. When I got into sports, lost a bunch of weight and started to bulk up with muscle, suddenly these girls were looking at me like I was this new guy they’d never met before. They made their interest obvious—just like Jolene was now. I admit, I went with it more than a few times—because I’m a guy, not a saint—but it was all hollow. Those girls, they didn’t like me, or we would have been dating when I was overweight. They only liked what I looked like and what being with me did for them. I’m not stupid. I know how I look, and I know I attract women, but I don’t want them. The only woman I care about touching me or flirting with me is you. Never doubt that.”
“You were chubby?” I ask, disbelieving, trying not to smile.
“Why are you laughing? I’m pouring my heart out here.” He laughs back.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that the image of you as a chubby kid is so adorable!”
He pulls me toward him and rolls on top of me, biting on my neck so it tickles like hell. I’m laughing so hard that I slap at his back and yell, “Stop. Stop!”
Slowing his mouth to a gentle kiss, he pulls away and looks down into my face as he holds himself over me.
“Can I tell you something?” I ask, touching his face.
“Anything,” he replies.
“I haven’t had a man in my life for six years.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Six years?”
“I didn’t think I could care about anyone again.” I didn’t think I could ever trust a man again either.
A smile spreads over his mouth as he leans closer, lowering his voice to a low deep gravel that hums through my body when he speaks. “You care about me?”
“Very much,” I whisper. I care so much that I'm riddled with guilt over my deception. He deserves the truth, and he'll get it. But I need more time. We only have a few weeks. When his mouth meets mine, my body responds immediately, and I wrap my arms and legs around him, writhing against him, pushing away the voices fighting over keeping him and chasing him away
Breaking away for a moment, he looks down at me, eyes sparkling. “That was some trick you showed me this morning,” he growls, pressing his erection against me, nipping me on my neck and driving me wild.
“Do you want me to show you again?” I whisper, gasping as he pushes himself against me once more.
“Hell yeah.” He grins, eyes twinkling as he rolls onto his back, still holding me against him. I make a big show of sliding down his body, undoing his pants slowly before releasing his erection, gliding my hand up and down his smooth shaft before lowering my mouth.
“No yelling,” I tease, before taking him in my mouth and slowly drawing him in.
Twenty-Three
Paige
“You seem much happier these past couple of weeks,” Andrea comments during the afternoon lull in the salon. “You and Elliot must be getting along well then?”
“Are we ever,” I reply, attempting to keep the ear to ear grin to myself as I put the kettle on to make us both a tea. I can’t help but gush a little about how great things have been since we moved into the room in the flat together.
“Oh, I want an Elliot too,” she sighs, accepting the mug as I hand it to her. “Are you doing anything special this weekend?” she asks. “It’s not long until he has to go home is it?”
My mood plummets as I’m reminded that our time is almost over. “He’s going home in a week, actually. So, I’ve planned a great weekend at a B and B in Lyme Regis. It looks amazing,” I tell her as brightly as I can.
“Oh, I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t realise he’s leaving that soon,” she sympathises, sipping her tea and watching me with interest.
“It’s fine, Andrea. We both knew this was coming. We’ve been trying to have fun while we can, instead of worrying about what will happen when he goes. I’ve been refusing to talk about it.”
“But you have to face it soon. There’s only one week.”
“Maybe we’ll discuss it on Monday. But for this weekend—our last weekend—I need to keep it fun.”
“If you’re going to a B and B, I can bet it’ll be a whole lot of fun.” She laughs, winking at me suggestively.
I feel the heat rise in my cheeks as I return her laughter while images of Elliot in bed flick through my mind, warming my core. Out of all the men I’ve slept with in my time, he's by far the best. I don’t know if it’s his technique or if it’s because of our connection. But, I crave him.
Our last weekend together is going to be amazing, I won’t accept anything less.
* * *
Elliot
After leaving the flat early Saturday morning, I drive Paige’s newly acquired car to the bed-and-breakfast she picked out for us to spend a night at. It takes us nearly three hours to get there, and after listening to the Jebediah disc for the second time through, Paige switches to the radio and tunes it into her phone so we spend the rest of the trip listening to 90s alternative rock. She’s got a great voice as she sings along, knowing the lyrics to every song. I’m surprised at how many songs I also know the lyrics to, like Radiohead’s Creep and Powderfinger’s Passenger.
“Almost there,” I say, as I turn onto the road that leads up to where we’re staying.
“I can’
t wait.” Paige grins, wriggling happily in her seat. “My arse is so numb, I can’t wait to stretch my legs.”
“We could have stopped, you know,” I point out.
“I know, but I want to spend all of our time here. It's beautiful isn’t it?” she gushes.
And as I pull the car into a parking space outside the bed-and-breakfast, I’m inclined to agree.
“Wow.” I look up at the grand building, rendered a sandy colour and set in the most idyllic coastal setting. We climb out of the car and stretch as we look around at the storybook English gardens, and the view that continues uninterrupted over rolling hills and all the way to the sea.
Taking a deep breath, I fill my lungs. I don’t think I have ever had such clean air in my chest in my entire life.
“This is amazing.” Paige smiles as she spins in a slow circle, taking in her surroundings.
I open the boot and take out our suitcase, waiting for her to join me so I can wrap my arm around her waist and walk inside together.
There’s a small woman with brown curly hair waiting for us when we enter. She introduces herself as Beattie and shows us upstairs to our room. Walking ahead, she chats away about what time breakfast is served, and where they get all of their produce from. I stop listening when she opens the door to our room, and I’m faced with this giant iron bed, covered in white pillows and a pale green quilt. I want nothing more than to flop down on top of it. Sleeping on two single beds pushed together hasn’t been the most comfortable experience of my adult life, so paying as much as we are for this weekend seems totally worth it for the bed alone.
Paige
I can’t help but smile as I see the way Elliot is looking at the bed. I half expect him to lift off the floor and float toward it on a cloud of desire. I can’t wait to lie on it either. It looks like heaven.
“I’ll just leave you both to get settled then,” Beattie says, as she lays some pamphlets on a little table by the door and closes it softly behind her.
Elliot looks at me and grins then drops our bag and somehow manages to go from standing next to me to lying on the bed before I’ve had the chance to blink twice.
“Oh my god. This is amazing,” he moans. “I have missed having a decent mattress sooooo much.”
“I’ve never had a great mattress, but I agree. This bed is divine,” I say as I climb on the bed and lie next to him.
Resting my head on his chest, we lie together quietly. I run my fingers gently up and down his side while he plays with my hair. It feels so nice that my hand slowly stills, and I drift off to sleep.
Elliot
“Thanks so much for organising this weekend,” I say after a while. No response. “Paige?” When I lift my head, she stirs a little, shifting even closer to me in her sleep.
I'm filled with so much emotion that it takes extra long for me to exhale. I want to tell her I love her this weekend. But, I don’t want her to think I’m only doing it because I’m about to go and there’s no real consequence to me saying it. I want her to know that I want to be with her. I want her to know that if she doesn’t want to return to Australia, then I want to come back to her as soon as I can get a new working Visa.
There’s so much we need to say, but it’s hard finding the right time to say it. We both agreed not to talk about what will happen when I leave, but my leaving is just around the corner. We have to face it sometime.
After a while, I close my eyes too, drifting off with her in my arms. I’m fully aware that this is one less time I’ll get to do it. Unless she agrees to come home with me.
Paige
It’s almost dark when I wake up, still wrapped around Elliot. I love having my head on his chest, listening to his deep rhythmic breathing as he sleeps. I tilt my head up and kiss his jawline. He never shaves on the weekends and after a full day, he almost has a beard.
“Hey, baby,” I coo at him to rouse him awake.
His eyes flutter open, and he looks down at me smiling. “Hey, what time is it?” he croaks, taking a deep breath as he stretches his body out to wake himself fully.
“Almost 5:30,” I tell him softly. “You want to get some dinner?”
Springing to life, he rolls on top of me, sending excited butterflies dancing through my body as he kisses me passionately. “I’d rather stay here and feed off you,” he murmurs, slowly undoing the buttons on my shirt as he trails kisses down my chest until he reaches the apex of my cleavage. He flicks his tongue against my skin while his hand cups my breast, squeezing it as I gasp, arching myself beneath him. Pulling the lace of my bra to the side, he kneads my flesh and swirls his tongue over my already erect nipple. I pull at his shirt as he works me into a frenzy while he worships my breasts, crying out in loss when he moves his mouth back up to my neck and buttons up my shirt one handed.
“But I think we’ll need food,” he murmurs against my skin. “I’m planning on keeping you up all night.”
Shivers run through me as I think about what’s in store later. Then I watch him stand and lie there immobile, a quivering mess after being worked up moments before. Holding out his hand, he pulls me up off the bed, kissing me once more before tugging me towards the door to go in search of somewhere to eat.
He holds the door of the car open for me, his eyes dark and seductive as he watches my movement. A groan escapes his mouth as I slide my hand down his body as I enter the car—I may or may not have let my hand trail over what felt like a very firm rod in his pants—grinning wickedly at him.
“Cheeky.” He chuckles as he adjusts himself slightly and closes the door, walking calmly over to the driver’s side to slide behind the wheel. “Do you know what you want to eat?” he asks, reversing us out of our parking space and pulling onto the road.
“Well, I did, but you put a stop to that.” I pout, earning myself a beautiful grin in response.
“We’ll just see what we find then, huh?”
“Can’t we skip dinner and just go back? Finish what you started?”
“What I started? Paige, you started this whole thing the moment you laid those gorgeous amber eyes on me in the plane. I haven't stopped wanting you for a moment since.”
“Amber eyes, huh? I’ve never thought of them like that. You were pretty hot on the plane yourself, you know,” I admit.
“Yeah? Well, you were pretty indifferent for a girl who thought I was hot.”
“Indifference and disinterest are two very different things, Elliot.”
“Care to elaborate on that?” He flicks me a glance as he concentrates on the road. I feel like saying ‘not really’, but I find myself answering his question instead.
“I’d been on my own for a long-time, and I’d given up on men way before then. I didn’t think I could ever have something like this, someone like you.” I smile as I study his profile. “I guess I wasn’t letting myself look at you like that.”
He pulls the car into a parking space outside a restaurant that’s overlooking the water, but we don’t get out. We sit and study each other for a moment instead. I can see the questions running through his mind and hold my breath while I wait to see what he says next. I think I just shared too much information, and I’m not sure what he picked up on.
“I’m glad you gave us a chance then,” he says finally, surprising me by not pushing for more answers. “Come on, let’s go eat.” He tilts his head towards the restaurant as he opens his door, unfolding his long lean body before walking around to my door to help me out.
“Thank you,” I say, taking his hand. I can see a small sparkle in his eyes as he smiles down at me, and I’m reminded of the plane when he held his hand out to steady me, but I refused to take it.
Slipping my arms around his neck, I rise on my tiptoes and press my lips against his, breathing him in deeply as his mouth responds to mine, kissing me fervently, his arms wrapping tightly around me as he pulls me against him.
Humming as I pull away, I run my fingers through his growing hair as I gaze into his eyes. “Thank you for
not giving up on me,” I murmur softly.
“You’re worth it,” he says, smiling as he pulls me close to him and guides me into the restaurant. The moment the doors open, the smell of cooked fish and vegetables collide with my nose, and I'm suddenly starving.
We both select the catch of the day, served on a bed of steamed vegetables, drizzled with a lemon and dill sauce. Each mouthful is amazing as we talk easily with each other about anything and everything, being careful to avoid any more relationship talk, both knowing we were straying a little too close to talking about his leaving. We can’t let his imminent departure ruin what little time we have left.
After dinner, we take a walk along The Cobb; this big brick ocean wall that stretches out into the sea like a pier. Huddling together as the cold wind comes off the water. It whips my hair about so it attacks us both in the face.
Laughing I twist it with my hand and try to hold it to one side. “Don’t look in my eyes. I think I just became Medusa,” I joke as wisps break free and blow straight back into Elliot’s face.
He takes hold of my shoulders and guides me so I’m standing with the wind blowing towards me. “Then I’ll turn to stone,” he says seriously, as he stares into my eyes. Then he captures my mouth in his, sliding his tongue against my own as my toes curl from the electricity that courses through my body each time we connect.
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” I ask, filled with complete wonder over the man who compliments me so thoroughly.
“Just lucky I guess.” He smiles. “We need photos,” he tells me, pulling his phone from his pocket and readying the camera.
We lean into each other, smiling as he holds the phone out, snapping picture after picture as we smile, kiss and laugh. As he scrolls through the photos, and we admire his handiwork, it’s hard to ignore that voice inside that’s telling me these photos are to remember our last weekend together. This is it. There won’t be any more.
Beautiful Boxset: Beautiful Series, books 1-4 Page 60