Falling For Lucas (Falling Book 6)

by Tracy Lorraine

  I feel terrible. Everyone’s here to celebrate Lucas’ birthday, and I’m sat here like a wet weekend. I have the urge to excuse myself, collect Bailey from Taylor’s lap, and spend the night in my car. I don’t want to bring the atmosphere down on what should be a happy night for them.

  “Is everyone okay for drinks? I’m going to show Nicole to the guest room.”

  Everyone mutters that they’re fine and continue with their earlier conversations that I was too distracted to even acknowledge the topics of.

  I follow silently behind Lilly as she makes her way up the stairs. This was a mistake. Lilly has enough to deal with already; she doesn’t need me getting in her way. The thoughts don’t stop me from walking into a stunning guest room with a ginormous bed with more cushions than should be possible to squeeze on.

  “I can go to a hotel,” I offer weakly.

  “Don’t be stupid, Nic. This is where you belong—until you find your feet, at least.”

  I perch myself on the edge of the bed and look around the luxurious cream and gold room. “Your house is stunning.”

  “Thank you.” She beams at my praise. “So when did you get Bailey?”

  I’m relieved that’s the question she starts with. I was dreading she’d go straight in with Declan’s disappearing act.

  “About a month after Mum died. I needed someone to talk to, and I’ve always wanted a dog but she was allergic. I thought it was the right time.”

  “He’s a real cutie.”

  “He is. Cheeky as hell, though. He’s kept me on my toes.”

  “Is he house trained?” she asks with a wince, clearly thinking about her expensive carpets.

  “Yes. Well, he is at home, so I’m hoping that translates to here, too.”

  “Me too,” she mumbles quietly. “What’s the plan then, Nic Nac?” The use of her childhood nickname for me makes me smile for the first time since she opened the door.

  “No idea. It was just time to make a fresh start, so here I am.”

  “What about the house and everything up there?”

  “All sold and sorted. New people moved in this afternoon. It’s all over, Lills.” My voice cracks and a lump the size of a tennis ball appears in my throat. “Sh…she’s gone, and it’s over. I’ve no idea what I’m meant to do now.” Lilly pulls me into her arms and holds me while I cry.

  “You can stay here as long as you need to. You know that, right?” she asks once I’ve settled down. “Do you have money?”

  I nod. Mum didn’t own much of our house, but after all the fees and everything, I’ve walked away with a few thousand pounds. Enough for me to start over, but I’m going to need a job as soon as possible, as I don’t want to use it all for living. Ideally, I’d love to use it to buy a place of my own—if that’s even possible with the house prices down here.

  “Why don’t you make yourself at home? Have a bath, relax. I’ll get the guys to bring your stuff from your car and leave it outside the door. I’d love it if you came down and had a drink with us, but you do what you need to do, okay?”

  I nod again and pull her into another bone crushing hug. “Thank you,” I whisper, just about managing to get the words out through my clogged throat.

  “Always. I’m here for whatever you need. Lucas too. Everything’s going to be okay. You’ll see.”

  With one final squeeze, she gets up and walks to the door. “The en suite’s fully stocked, and make sure you turn the jets on—they’re incredible. I’ll be back in a few minutes with a drink for you.”

  I watch her leave and quietly close the door behind her before falling back on the bed. I sigh as my body sinks into the thick duvet. I think I’m going to like staying here.

  When Lilly returns, I’m in the en suite running the bath. I look back over my shoulder when I hear her knock and poke her head in. I can’t help but smile when I see she hasn’t just brought me a drink but an entire bottle of wine—and in a cooler no less.

  She shrugs. “I thought you might have needed more than one.”

  The second she leaves, I strip out of my clothes and slide my tired, aching body into the bath. I sink down until all but my head is submerged, and allow the hot water to soothe my muscles.

  I hear footsteps and commotion outside the room. Lilly must have rallied the men to help with my stuff.

  As I rest back with the scent of vanilla filling the air, I can’t help but feel at home—an odd feeling because I’ve never been here before. I may still be sceptical as to whether this was the right move or not, but it’s an amazing feeling to be near someone I love once again. For all intents and purposes, Lilly is my sister. We’ve been best friends since we were in nappies, so I have no doubt that coming to her is the right thing to do. It’s the other half of her I’m worried about. Her evil twin.

  I try not to let thoughts of the last time I saw him back into my head. I’ve dissected every second of those intense few minutes with him the day of Mum’s funeral before I ducked under his arm and ran for the stairs. I still haven’t been able to make any sense of it, or the feelings it kick-started in my body. Then there’s tonight. Did he run away because he knew I was at the door?

  * * *

  I didn’t end up re-joining the others last night after my bath. I intended to; I didn’t want to seem unsocial, but I made the mistake of lying down on the bed before I got dressed. I swear I only blinked, but the next thing I know, it’s morning.

  I sit myself up and find that the towel I fell asleep wrapped in is now in a pile on the floor and I’m naked. I quickly get out of bed and wrap myself in the cold, damp towel so I can grab my case that’s still out in the corridor where it was left.

  The house is in silence and I understand why when I pull my phone from my handbag and see that it’s 5am. Pulling the curtain to the side, I see that the sun is just starting to rise. Feeling alive for the first time in months, I pull on a pair of leggings, a sports bra and my trainers with the intention of going for a run along the beach.

  A thought suddenly hits me. Bailey. I glance around the room but I already know he’s not in here. I panic and my heart starts to pound. Where is he? I swipe up my phone and ear buds before rushing from the room.

  Every door is shut bar one so I silently walk over and peek in. The room is pretty dark so it’s hard to see much but I can clearly make out two cots and a brown ball of fluff curled up between them on the cream carpet. I smile at the sight before whispering for Bailey. It takes a few attempts but I eventually get his attention. When he sees me, his eyes light up. He springs from the floor and rushes over, his tail wagging ten to the dozen.

  “Hey, pup,” I whisper when he gets to me. “Were you protecting the babies? Come on, you’re going to love where we’re going,” I say as we make our way down the stairs as quietly as possible with an over excited puppy in tow.

  When we get to the front door, I find his lead on the sideboard and clip it to his collar. I’ve no idea where I’m going, but I see the sea the second I open the front door, so I just head in that direction and hope for the best.

  Ten minutes later, we walk down on to the sand. The sun is just coming up over the horizon, casting a gorgeous orange glow across the water.

  Taking a deep breath I allow myself to soak it all up.

  “This is home now, pup. Do you like it?” Bailey’s pulling at his lead, desperate to go and explore the vastness of the beach in front of him. Bending down, I unclip him and then watch as he races across the sand towards a couple of sea gulls. They soon spot him coming and rush to escape but it doesn’t stop Bailey, who continues to try to catch them.

  I laugh as I watch him jump into the air and it feels so good. The fresh sea air and the sun have me seeing the world in a different light this morning. Maybe what Lilly said last night is true. Maybe everything will be okay.

  I’ve no idea how long I run for but when Bailey starts to flag a little, I come to a stop, climb up on a rock, and look out to sea. Bailey flops down by the side of me, pant
ing, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

  I haven’t seen anyone, and the peacefulness is so soothing. It’s exactly what I need to get my head together and to start thinking about my future.

  Only a few minutes later I spot a figure out in the sea. The distance between us makes them almost a dot on the horizon. It doesn’t take long before I realise they’re surfing. Maybe I’m not the only one making the most of this gorgeous sunrise then.

  I continue watching as the figure hits wave after wave. I don’t have the faintest idea about surfing, but it looks to me like they know what they’re doing.

  I lose myself in a trance watching them riding each wave before falling off, paddling back out and then getting back up again. It’s hypnotic, and strangely relaxing.

  I feel a little disappointed that it’s over when I watch the person slowly emerge from the water with their board in their arms.

  My eyes are glued to what I presume is a guy as he digs his board into the sand before undoing the top of his wetsuit. He might be far in the distance, but I can tell this guy has a body every girl dreams of. I continue watching, and as he gets closer to me, my eyes are fixated on his torso. Well, I guess surfing does that, I say to myself sarcastically.

  The closer he gets, the more details I can see. His deep cut V lines that drop into the bottom half of his wetsuit, his defined six pack that every woman in the country would probably pay good money to lick, and his strong, wide chest and shoulders. And then it all comes crashing down when he gets close enough that I hear his voice.

  “You’re still here then, Ginge?”

  Fuck. Me. It’s Declan. Bailey must sense my hatred because the second he notices we have company, he starts growling.

  My eyes fly up to his face, hoping and praying I just imagined those words coming out of his mouth. But no. It’s him. My worst fucking nightmare and the only reason I almost didn’t come here.

  I sit frozen still on my rock as he stares down at me with hard eyes.

  “What, you not seen a topless man before?” He’s got an amused smirk on his face, but I’m not stupid enough to think he’s all that happy about the situation. He can’t stand me as much as I can’t him. Why he had to be the first person I met in this place, god only knows.

  As he stares down at me I feel my temperature start to pick up and heat floods down between my legs. I tell myself it’s a natural reaction to the fine body stood in front of me and absolutely nothing to do with who it actually is, because he’s the worlds biggest wanker and if I never see him again, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

  “Take a picture if you want. This is the one and only time you’ll ever be close enough to my naked skin.”

  “Fuck you,” I snap. His words drag me back to the situation at hand. “You’re not all that. I’ve seen better.”

  “Is that right? The way you were drooling just then tells another story. I’d put money on the fact this is the closest you’ve ever been to a naked man in your life.”

  Deciding against arguing with him, or defending my lack of love life besides my school boyfriend, I keep my mouth shut.

  “I guess it’s something you’ll have to just live with. No one wants to fuck a ginger.”

  My blood boils and I rush to stand up so he doesn’t have to look down on me. The rock under my feet means I’m eye to eye with him once I’m at full height.

  “Well then, you’ll never know that we have magical pussies. You’ll have to settle with the regular ones.” I’ve no idea where the words come from but I feel like puffing my chest out with pride when his eyes widen in response.

  “I happen to be a fan of the normal ones.”

  “Good for you. I hope one of them bites it off,” I say, dropping my gaze down to his crotch, but I instantly regret it. Closing my eyes for a beat, I will the image of his impressive looking bulge out of my mind before jumping down from the rock and walking away. “Come on, pup,” I call. “Hopefully he’ll get washed out to sea.”

  I can feel his stare burning into my back so I make sure I add a little extra sass to my hips as I head towards the path and off the beach.

  I come to a stop when I know I’m out of his sight. I bend down to put Bailey’s lead on before leaning back against the wall next to me as my heart continues to try to pound out of my chest. I’ve never answered back to him like that but I feel amazing that I did. A smile twitches at the corners of my mouth as I remember the look on his face when I didn’t just cower away. It’s not something I’m likely to forget for a while.

  This is my new start, my new life. I’ll be fucked if I’m going to let Declan bloody Morrison ruin it for me.

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