31 Days of Autumn

by Fallowfield, C. J.

  ‘Want cookie.’

  ‘No, cookies are treats, they’re not for breakfast. Honestly, you have an appetite as large as your father’s.’

  ‘Where Daddy?’

  ‘Daddy will be down in a minute.’

  ‘Oliver want Jo-Jo,’ he pouted, pointing to the room next door. I kissed his forehead and shifted him to my hip, then made my way through the en-suite to the nursery next door, feeling my heart swell with love as I looked into the crib. My six month old son was still fast asleep, flat on his stomach, just like how Oliver used to lie. ‘Jo-Jo,’ yelled an excited Oliver with a clap of his hands.

  ‘Sssshhhh,’ I laughed, putting two fingers on Oliver’s lips in a bid to hush him. ‘You’ll wake him up. He’s a baby and needs lots more sleep than you.’ I smoothed some of Oliver’s dark hair back from his forehead, which I kissed. Oliver looked just like his dad, whereas Jonas had much lighter hair, and some of my features were already discernible on him. I’d so wanted a girl throughout my pregnancy, but when we found out we were having another boy, I couldn’t stay sad for long. Dan had been over the moon, but despite being a nervous wreck during the birth, he knew how much I wanted a girl, so he’d promised me that we’d try again. ‘Let’s leave him to sleep a little longer while we get breakfast ready, ok?’

  ‘Ok,’ Oliver beamed. He put his arms around my neck and snuggled against me. I headed through to the kitchen and strapped him into his booster seat at the dining table. I lay out his crayons and paper each night before I went to bed so he’d be occupied the moment he sat down, and sure enough, he started scribbling straight away. I went to get him some juice and set the coffee machine. I smiled to myself as I heard Dan bounding down the stairs. The smell of his first morning coffee, along with the promise of food, always roused him. ‘Daddy,’ Oliver called, craning his neck as he waited for him to appear, then yelled with happiness when he did.

  ‘Good morning, Ollie. What are you drawing there?’ Dan crouched at his side and kissed him, then ruffled his hair as he sat down next to him to observe his progress. Dan was the only one who called him Ollie, everyone else called him Oliver. I made our coffees as I watched them with a smile. Oliver loved his dad, especially when he had time to play with him. I headed over with Dan’s coffee, squealing as he slapped my backside when I walked away. He burst out laughing and Oliver started giggling. He adored Dan’s laugh, though his deep singing voice was still a whole other matter. I started preparing a full English breakfast as I listened to the two of them having fun together and sighed, full of contentment. I was so happy. I wished my mum and dad were here to see what an amazing life I had.

  We’d just started eating when I heard a cry from Jonas’s room.

  ‘I’ll go,’ Dan offered, kissing my cheek. ‘You eat too many cold breakfasts as it is. Enjoy it and I’ll get him changed and bring him out in a while.’

  ‘What about your breakfast,’ I protested, looking at his virtually untouched plate.

  ‘Stop worrying about everyone else. You know me and my appetite, I’ll eat anything and everything. Eat yours warm for once,’ he ordered, before tossing down his napkin and striding out. I took his plate and put it under the grill, which was still warm, to try and keep his food hot while he was gone. I wolfed mine down while also helping Oliver to draw. It nearly broke my heart to see Dan appear with Jonas in one arm, dressed in a fresh romper suit, yawning his head off.

  ‘Jo-Jo,’ Oliver called, holding out his arms. Dan crouched next to him and let Oliver give his baby brother a big wet sloppy kiss, before handing him over to me to feed.

  ‘So, what’s the plan for the day?’

  ‘When he’s fed, I’ll get Oliver cleaned up and changed, then have a shower myself. Dress in running gear. Mrs. McAdams is coming to look after the boys while we go out for the rest of the day,’ I confirmed.

  ‘We’re going running?’ he asked, his face looking crestfallen. ‘What about s-e-x,’ he spelled out, mouthing it instead of saying it out loud. Oliver was learning to talk so fast that we had to be so careful what we said around him. He’d already picked up the word “damn” from his Uncle Lucas, who I was still trying to get used to calling Lucas, now that he’d reverted from his middle name of Logan to his Christian name. Oliver saying “damn” hadn’t amused me as much as it had Dan and Luiza.

  ‘Trust me, Oliver Daniel Davenport, I’ve a whole day planned out for us and I’m sure you’ll be more than satisfied with the outcome.’

  Dan

  I grinned as I undid Ellie’s straps when we landed in the clearing just below the forest. She was taking me up to the waterfall. We hadn’t been back here since I’d brought her when I was trying to woo her, before she got pregnant with Oliver. In fact, that could have been the time she conceived.

  ‘We have no food or water,’ I reminded her, offering my hand for her to step down while I breathed in the scent of all the pine trees. God, I loved the air up here. So much fresher than London.

  ‘Like I’d let you go hungry,’ she replied with a roll of her eyes and a laugh.

  ‘You did this morning,’ I reminded her, taking the opportunity to run my eyes over her body again. She was in a tight t-shirt, a pair of loose-fitting, cut-off jersey shorts, and her trainers. Even casual, she took my breath away. She was everything I’d ever wanted in a woman. Loyal, loving, sexy, passionate, feisty, funny, caring, and nurturing. Seeing the way she mothered my two boys, not to mention me, reminded me that I was the luckiest guy alive. We’d not had the easiest start to our relationship, but having gone through all of that, we were so much stronger for it.

  ‘Here’s a bottle of water each, Mrs. Davenport. You have the satellite phone to call me when you’re ready?’ Dean shouted over the sound of the spinning helicopter blades above us.

  ‘I do,’ she confirmed, tapping the neoprene band on her arm that I’d assumed was holding her iPod. ‘Thanks, Dean, see you later.’

  ‘Enjoy your day,’ he nodded, flicking the controls. I moved Ellie to a safe distance as we watched him take off, then turned to face her.

  ‘I thought he was my pilot?’ I asked, amused to see her in control for once.

  ‘You swore for richer or for poorer and said all that you had was now mine. You know I only married you for your money, I’ll be filing for that divorce anytime now,’ she winked, making me chuckle with a shake of my head. ‘Come on, let’s warm up. If I remember right, it’s a long, steep climb up to the waterfall.’

  ‘It is,’ I frowned, suddenly concerned for her. ‘Are you sure you’re up to it? I could call Mr. McAdams to bring over the Argo ATV to take us up again.’

  ‘I had a baby, Dan. There’s nothing wrong with my legs, I can still run, thank you. In fact, I reckon I could beat you up there,’ she challenged.

  ‘Right,’ I nodded, flicking my head over to a fallen pine tree that would be perfect for us to stretch against. ‘In your dreams.’

  ‘O, game on, arrogant Davenport,’ she gasped.

  ‘Fine, I’ll give you a five minute head start, seeing as you’re a woman and you have shorter legs than me, but that’s all I’m giving you. You want to play in the big leagues, I’ll show you the big leagues.’

  ‘What do I get if I win?’ she asked, giving me a coy look as she put her foot up on the wide trunk and grabbed her toe. I was distracted for a moment by her curvaceous backside, her sexy cheeks peeking out from those shorts, tempting me as usual.

  ‘Me,’ I shrugged, matching her pose.

  ‘I can have you whenever I want, you need to come up with something a little more enticing than that.’

  ‘I was thinking about you getting me in Davenport’s board room, dressed in my three-piece suit, with a riding crop and some bondage rope. You’d have to call me “Sir” and obey all of my instructions. But, if that’s too boring for you …’ I shrugged with a teasing smile. Her beautiful green eyes sparkled with enthusiasm immediately.

  ‘The boardroom? On the huge table?’

  ‘And
the CEO’s chair. Might as well give me some good memories to get me through some of those tedious quarterly meetings.’

  ‘You’re on,’ she nodded, her smile lighting up her whole face, making me chuckle.

  ‘What do I get if I win?’ I asked, both of us changing our poses to stretch out the other leg.

  ‘Well, I was going to save it as a surprise for your birthday, but I guess I could use it as an incentive now,’ she mused, giving me a mysterious smile.

  ‘Baby, I can’t think of one single sexual position we haven’t now tried,’ I reminded her with a smug smirk. We really had been through the entire Karma Sutra and after Jonas had been born, she’d finally allowed me to claim her sexy backside. I’d thought it was never going to happen.

  ‘Not sex, but it may as well be, you’ll get that excited,’ she giggled.

  ‘What?’ I demanded, straightening up. I put my hands on my hips and flexed them from side to side as I waited for her answer.

  ‘I may, or may not, have used my connections to Hollywood’s leading actress to secure VIP passes for us to go on set in Canada to watch an episode of Arrow and The Flash being filmed, and to meet all the stars,’ she shrugged.

  ‘Are you serious?’ I exclaimed, beyond excited at the thought of it.

  ‘The Arrow director has even agreed to give you a walk on part, too.’

  ‘Ellie Davenport, I love you more than life itself, but knowing that’s my prize, I’m so going to whoop your arse.’ I grabbed her and crushed her to my chest, kissing her forcibly. She knew me better than anyone. The world saw a powerful alpha male at the top of his game, she saw the softer, down-to-earth man inside, the man who loved his family and comic show recreations and action films.

  ‘Damn it,’ she moaned. ‘I should have used that as an incentive to let me win, I have no chance now.’

  ‘I’m feeling in a generous mood after you’ve just given me the best birthday gift ever. I’ll make it a six minute head start.’

  ‘O, thanks so much. One whole minute more. You miserable bugger,’ she laughed, slapping my arm. I cocked my head to check out her shapely long legs. I was getting hard.

  ‘I’d suggest you get moving before I rip off your clothes, otherwise you’ll be too dazed to even think about standing, let alone running.’

  I laughed as she tossed me a glare before she started running up the track between the trees. I checked my watch and stood with my hands on my hips, watching her. Jesus, she’d only had my son six months ago, but you wouldn’t even know. She was back in shape already, sensational shape. I checked my watch again, impatient to make a start and catch her up. What most people didn’t know was that my Ellie was actually a master thief. Whenever she left me, even if it was only for a few minutes, it was like she took my breath and my heart with her. I’d spent many years feeling lonely, but I never felt more alone than those moments without her by my side. I shook my legs impatiently when she disappeared from view and checked my watch. It was still less than two minutes. Screw this, what if she fell over on the rough track and hurt herself while I was standing here waiting for my time to start? I made up my mind instantly and my legs powered me forward, over the dry ground, as I took deep inhalations of the hot air and the smell of the pine trees. This beat running in London any day, especially when I knew Ellie was my prize at the end of it. I was impressed when I made it over the first ridge and turned the corner to find she still wasn’t in sight.

  She really had worked hard on getting back in shape after Jonas was born. I grinned as I ran. I’d been so happy to hear we were having another boy, though I knew Ellie longed for a girl, which was why I’d reluctantly agreed to try again. Those last few weeks leading up to the birth had been the most stressful in my life. I’d barely slept for worry, but nothing compared to being in that delivery room with her. Memories of being back at Rebecca’s side all those years ago had made my heart beat out of my chest that day. Ellie had pleaded with me not to stay, to let Brooke be by her side instead. She’d insisted it wasn’t fair, that I shouldn’t have to go through it again, but I couldn’t leave her. No matter how much it hurt, I couldn’t walk away. The thought of something going wrong and me not being there to tell her again how I felt about her was too painful. Not to mention I hated that I hadn’t been there for Oliver’s birth. I knew Jonas being delivered by caesarean, at both the doctor's and my insistence due to his breech positioning, wasn’t the same, but no way was I missing another birth. That moment when Jonas arrived and the doctor reassured me that Ellie and my son were ok, I’d collapsed into a chair, completely drained, unable to say anything. While the staff tended to Ellie and my boy, Lucas had to come in to check on me. He’d joked that Ellie was the one who’d been cut open, yet I was the one who looked like he’d done ten rounds with Mike Tyson and needed a rest. I did, but not until much later that night, when I was stumbling on my feet from exhaustion, safe in the knowledge that my family was ok.

  I took my gaze off my feet pounding over the dry pine needles on the ground and looked up ahead. I grinned, I could see her again. It wouldn’t be long before I caught her up. I powered on, the thought of grabbing her and kissing her soft lips giving me an extra boost of energy. Part of me didn’t want to get her pregnant again, the selfish part of me that knew I’d struggle with the birth all over again. I was perfectly content with my two sons, and it was hard enough getting quality alone time with Ellie as it was, let alone if we added a third child to the tally. But the biggest part of me just wanted to make her happy. Seeing her smile, seeing the love she had for our children, knowing that she trusted me to protect them all, made my chest swell with pride. I may run one of the largest and most profitable corporations on the globe, but being the husband and father she needed me to be gave me so much more satisfaction. I knew how desperately she wanted a little girl and I’d promised to give her anything she wanted the day we got married. So, getting her pregnant again wasn’t something I could back out of.

  ‘No way,’ she uttered, astonishment all over her face as I caught her up and ran at her side. She looked down at her watch, then back up at me.

  ‘I cheated. I missed you.’

  ‘Oliver Daniel Davenport,’ she laughed, shaking her head. ‘I’m still holding you to that offer of sex in the boardroom that you promised if I won. In fact, to make up for not honouring our deal, I’ll expect a lovely new set of lingerie to wear for the occasion, too.’

  ‘Done,’ I confirmed, grimacing as I felt my cock swell at the thought of her in green lace matching underwear and a pair of high heels. She screamed when I grabbed her waist and spun her around, crushing her to my chest and kissing her. ‘I want you,’ I murmured against her lips.

  ‘I was going to let you have me under the waterfall,’ she confirmed between gasps for breath.

  ‘That’s about another twenty minute run and I’m not a patient man. How about a brief interlude?’ I suggested with a wiggle of my eyebrows.

  ‘Brief? I’ve never known you to be brief in your life.’ She locked her fingers behind my neck as she gazed up at me, her eyes full of adoration. I loved that her attraction to me was written all over her face. She’d never been able to hide it, not from the moment she shook my hand the first time we’d met in the airport.

  ‘I don’t know, you challenge my stamina, woman, every single damn time. Maybe I’ll imagine I’m with someone else and I’ll last a hell of a lot longer.’

  ‘Don’t you dare!’ she warned. ‘Firstly, I don’t want you to ever think about another woman, just as I don’t any men. Secondly, any more stamina and you’d kill me.’

  I laughed and slipped my hands down from her slim waist to clutch her gorgeous backside. I lifted her straight up my body and she quickly wrapped her legs around me, her breathing not evening out in the slightest. Her beautiful green eyes glistened with happiness and love. I couldn’t understand how her arsehole of an ex, Zac, had treated her so badly. She was the most incredible woman I’d ever met and I could never tire of he
r. I’d never stop loving her or wanting her, every single second of every damn day. I walked her over to the largest pine tree I could see, backing her up against it as I took her mouth in a possessive kiss. She was mine, she’d be mine until I took my last breath. I was never letting her go.

  ‘Ellie,’ I groaned, her tongue tangling with mine and creating an inferno of desire for her, which surged through my body.

  ‘I want you, Dan, so much,’ she whispered against my lips. ‘Don’t make me wait, please.’

  ‘I don’t want to wait either,’ I confirmed, grasping her ponytail with one hand as my tongue dove into her mouth. My other hand slid down into her knickers, grazing her clit lightly and making her whimper. Christ, I could feel her lips were swollen already and I’d bet she was soaked as well. Just the mere thought of sex made her flood. I always had to make her come before I fucked her. The minute I penetrated her, it took all of my strength not to want to come immediately as it was. If she came straight away, it was game over for both of us. This way, it meant the pleasure was prolonged, and I was all for that. She quickly caught the rhythm of my circling fingers, riding them as she clasped my face, kissing me back with so much passion my knees nearly buckled. I loved fucking outdoors, there was something about feeling the sun on your skin, a breeze catching your hair, not to mention the thought that anyone who decided to come for a hike could come across us at any moment. I was too selfish to share Ellie, to allow another man to see her naked body or watch her come, but the mere thought of maybe being caught had my cock stiffen even more.

  ‘Dan,’ she moaned, pulling her mouth away from mine as she gasped for air. ‘Please.’

  ‘Please what?’ I murmured, moving to kiss and bite her throat as she threw her head back against the tree supporting her.

  ‘You know what. Fuck me, please fuck me. It’s been hours.’