Silver Lining

by E. J. Shortall

  “Amb-”

  “No Craig, don’t. You asked me to be honest with you. At least do me the courtesy of doing the same.”

  “Shut up.” His harsh words and dominant tone catch me by surprise and I snap my mouth shut. “If you would let me get a word in, I could tell you that this crap spewing from your mouth is total bullshit.” Closing his eyes, he takes a deep calming breath. When he reopens them, he looks me straight in the eyes with total sincerity before continuing. “That is Aleisha. We were… friends when we were younger. I haven’t seen her for years until today. When Scott pointed her out, I reacted badly because I was surprised to see her. That’s all. I swear.”

  I continue to stare into his eyes, looking for any sign he might be lying to me, but find nothing there other than honesty.

  “I swear to you, baby, that up until a week ago, I was totally free and single. Then this beautiful blonde caught my eye, and I’ve been very much taken ever since.” When he reaches forward this time, I remain still and allow him pull me into a hug, wanting so much to believe him, but still feeling an element of caution.

  “Was she your girlfriend?”

  “Yes.”

  “Were you together long?”

  He sighs. “Amber, I don’t want to talk about it. It was a long time ago, in my past, where I want it to stay. Okay?”

  I decide to let it go, for now. He says it was a long time ago. I have to trust him.

  When we return to the pitch, hand in hand, the match has just ended and the players are shaking hands.

  “Dev, get your arse over here now.” His coach roars from the end of the pitch.

  “I better go and talk to him. Will you be okay?”

  “I’m fine. You better go.” I lean forward to give him a quick peck on the lips. He smiles down at me then jogs off to his coach and the rest of the team.

  “Oh my God, Ambs. What was that all about? Are you okay?” Becki’s voice drags my attention back from Craig’s fine backside as he jogs away.

  “Yeah, I think so. The girl is an ex of his from years ago. I’m guessing from the evils I was getting that she still has a bit of a soft spot for him. I jumped to the wrong conclusion… How did the game end?”

  Smiling she squeals. “They won. Scott scored the only goal in the eighty-ninth minute. I’m so proud of him.”

  I’m so glad they won. Hopefully Craig’s coach won’t rip into him too harshly now for leaving the pitch to deal with my pathetic rant.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  In the car driving back to Craig’s house, the atmosphere between us is a little tense. I don’t know if it’s from our run in, or if his coach really laid into him. Either way, he’s quiet and contemplative. And I don’t like it.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I try to lighten the mood with some idle chit chat. “Why do they call you Dev? I thought that was your real name last week.”

  A small smile tugs at his lips. “A few years back, before I took over the business, I lived with my grandparents in Devon for a while. I also try and go back whenever I can. When I first joined the team, someone heard me talking about our cottage there and he started calling me Dev. It’s stuck ever since.”

  As Craig pulls the car into his driveway, I notice another car, a silver Lexus hatchback, parked in front of the garage attached to the side of the house. It wasn’t there earlier and it stirs my curiosity. Craig doesn’t seem too bothered and doesn’t say anything as he shuts off the engine and reaches to open his door. “Stay there a minute,” he says as his door swings open and he gets out.

  Wondering why he’d want to leave me in here, I watch him closely as he rounds the front of the car then approaches my door and opens it like a true gentleman. I didn’t realise those existed these days. “Oh, how sweet and gentlemanly of you, kind sir,” I tease. When his features remain stoic, and I realise he’s being serious and not just joking around, my giggling stops and my smile changes from playful to adoration. No one has ever been gentlemanly enough to care to open car doors for me before. “Thank you,” I whisper as I get out and he closes the door behind me.

  “I should have been doing it before. I’m sorry I wasn’t. You should always be treated like a lady, Pingu.” He places the lightest touch of his lips to my forehead then reaches down to take my hand and walks us toward the house.

  As we enter the hallway, I’m immediately aware of noises coming from the kitchen, and the tantalising smell of roast beef hits my nostrils. I glance across at Craig as he leads us through the house, hoping for some idea from him who is here, but I get nothing. He carries on walking until we’re standing near the island in the centre of his kitchen, looking at a short dark haired lady who is humming a cheery tune while stirring something on the hob, oblivious to our presence.

  Craig drops my hand and walks around the island and kisses the top of her head. “Hi, mum. Thanks for coming and doing this.” She flinches and immediately turns, giving Craig a gentle thump on the chest.

  His mum? Oh God, why didn’t he warn me?

  “Jeeesus Craig, don’t sneak up on me like that.” She peers up at him and gives him a beaming smile then reaches her arms out for an embrace which he returns without hesitation. It’s clear they love each other very much, and I envy their closeness. I loved my mum and miss her so much, but we were never touchy feely like Craig and his mum appear to be.

  When they pull apart, her gaze immediately falls on me, and her smile widens. Craig walks back around to me and wraps his arm around me as he introduces us. “Mum, this is Amber. Amber, this is my lovely mum, Valerie.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Oh call me Val, please. Valerie makes me sound so uppity. It’s wonderful to meet you, Amber. I wish I could say Craig has told me so much about you, but the first I heard of you was this morning when he phoned to ask if I would come over and cook you both dinner.”

  Twisting abruptly in his arm, I look up at him with raised brows and a questioning look.

  “What?”

  “You said you were cooking. In fact, I’m sure you said, and I quote, “I make a mean Sunday roast.””

  Smiling sheepishly, he steps back to sit on one of the bar stools. “Did I? What I meant was, my mum makes a mean Sunday roast.”

  I playfully swot him on the shoulder then turn back around to face his mum. “It’s nice to meet you too, Val. Sorry about my appearance.” I look down at my faded jeans, hooded sweatshirt, and ratty old Converse shoes. I want to kill Craig for not telling me so I could have made more of an effort.

  “What are you talking about, darling? You look beautiful. I can see why you’ve got my Craig here enthralled.” She looks over to him with a warm maternal smile that melts my heart before walking around the counter to pull me into a brief but firm embrace.

  “Mum, how long before it’s ready? Do I have time to shower and change?” Oh, I hope she says yes. As much as his sweaty body and manly scent is a turn on, the mud and grass stains most certainly aren’t.

  “You’ve got plenty of time. Go ahead and have your shower.” She walks back to the stove and continues stirring the contents of the pan.

  Looking at me with a sexy smirk, Craig jerks his head to the side, indicating the way to the hall. “You wanna come with me? I’ll give you the grand tour of the upstairs.” Without waiting for my reply, he drops down from his stool and starts walking backward toward the doorway, his eyes firmly fixed on mine. I look back toward his mum, who is still pan watching, then across to Craig, and the heat in his eyes makes my stomach clench in anticipation and my knees go weak.

  Putting one foot in front of the other, I manage to follow Craig to the staircase. Once there, he steps aside and gestures for me to go ahead. I soon realise why when I’m a couple of steps up and he places his palms flat on my arse cheeks and cops a good feel, keeping a firm hold as we climb the stairs. At the top, he moves his hands to my hips and guides me left and along the hallway to a door at the end, and then reaches forward to open it. Stepping into the room, he kicks the doo
r shut behind us.

  “I like having you here,” Craig murmurs into my hair as he reaches his hands around to my stomach and tugs me back against him, holding me tight. His hand moves to sweep hair away from my face and neck, and he kisses the visible skin on my shoulder. He then runs his nose up my neck and cheek, finally resting near my ear. “You smell delicious…You know, I had every intention of behaving myself with you right now,” he whispers, “but the way you smell, the way you look ,and the way you’re quivering at my touch right now, I don’t think I can control myself.” He’s right. I have shivers rippling all through me.

  “Every man has a breaking point, Amber, and you appear to be mine.” He pulls me around to face him and with a passion bordering on violence, he slams me back against the wall and smashes his lips to mine. The small whimper that escapes my throat only ignites him further and, with a growl, he moves his hands down to cup the backs of my thighs to lift me off my feet. I immediately wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck whilst our tongues stroke and twist around each other, exploring each other, ravishing each other.

  “Umm, didn’t you come up here for a shower?” I manage to pant while trying to calm my racing heartbeat. “Your mum will wonder what’s up if we stay up here too long.” Obviously, my concern about his mum knowing what we’re up to is much greater than his, especially when he pushes his twitching erection into my aching core and wiggles his eyebrows. He has me so worked up wanting him… badly, but we can’t; not with his mum downstairs. It wouldn’t feel right.

  I start untangling my arms and legs and lower myself so I’m on solid ground again. Seeing the look of frustration and disappointment on his face has me feeling all kinds of guilty.

  Having sex with him while his mum is in the house is not an option, but there are other things I don’t mind doing to help ease his frustration.

  Reaching forward, I grab the hem of his T-shirt and start tugging it up. “Here, let me,” I whisper and continue to draw it up along his torso, exposing his toned flesh inch by glorious inch. Once it’s off, I move in to place a kiss on his muscular shoulder and slowly continue down over his tight pecs, sucking on his nipples as I pass. When I reach the waist of his shorts, I hook my thumbs underneath and slowly crouch lower, kissing my way down his body, taking his shorts and boxers with me. At his ankles, I pull his trainers, socks and shorts off, leaving him totally naked and his erection begging for attention.

  Resting on my knees, I peek up at him through my eyelashes and sweep my tongue across my lips. He takes a deep shuddering breath, closes his eyes and tilts his head back. I take a firm hold of him with my right hand and drop my head forward to lick along his length before swirling my tongue around the tip and sucking him in.

  His eyes immediately spring back open, his gaze a raging wildfire. “Amber, baby, what are… You don’t have to do… Oh Christ, that feels good.”

  Craig groans as I begin to move my lips up and down his silky, solid shaft and mirror those movements with my hand at his base. As desire consumes him, he instinctively grabs the sides of my head, burrowing his fingers into my hair, and flexes his hips, forcing himself deeper, taking what he wants. I’m more than happy to give him this. In fact, it’s a heady feeling, knowing it is me driving him crazy like this. I take a few deep breaths to relax my throat muscles and move my hands around to rest on his arse, gripping tightly and holding him where I want him.

  “Fuuuck… oh God… so good.” He closes his eyes again.

  I sense he’s close when his grip in my hair tightens and his breathing becomes erratic. I suck harder and move my left hand round to cup his balls as he starts to shudder and tries to pull back, but I hold him tight.

  “I’m gonna come, babe… Amber, I can’t hold back anymore,” he cries in a frantic voice. I continue to move, pulling my lips tighter and sucking harder as he groans again, and with one final deep thrust, he erupts. Salty liquid trickles down the back of my throat, and I quickly swallow, fighting my reflex to gag. As I slowly draw back, I curl my tongue around him until I reach the tip where I lick off the last remnants of his release and pull away completely.

  “Now, how about that shower?” I ask as I bend forward to kiss him on the lips, his face a mask of shocked pleasure.

  Half an hour later, Craig has tried, and failed, to get me in the shower with him, and we’re now sitting with his mum at his dining table with a roast beef feast in front of us. I’ve only ever seen something as extravagant as this at big Christmas gatherings with the whole family when I was younger.

  “This all looks wonderful, Val. Thank you so much.” The food smells divine, and I’m amazed that she has gone to so much effort for a complete stranger.

  We all tuck in and start chatting about Craig’s game, work, homes and Craig’s younger sister, Carly, who I find out is currently in her first year of studying music at the University of Bristol. The conversation between us is smooth and easy, which surprises me, because I am usually so shy and reserved around new people. Val has made me feel welcome from first meeting her, and I find myself talking to her as though we’ve known each other for years.

  Shortly after finishing the meal, Val announces that she has to get home to feed and walk Bruno, her English bulldog. We argue about cleaning up, and I win in the end, stating that she did all the hard work.

  “Take care of yourself, Amber. And make sure that son of mine treats you well, okay? He’ll have to bring you around one day. I’ve been told my meatloaf is to die for,” Val says with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “Thank you, I’d like that. And thanks again for a wonderful meal.” I give her a hug goodbye and watch as Craig walks her to the front door.

  Walking back into the dining room from the kitchen, I notice Craig and his mum having a heated discussion at the front door. Their voices are low so I can’t make out what they are saying. When Val raises her hands in exasperation, it’s clear that they’re at odds over something. She leans forward and kisses his cheek before turning and leaving.

  Craig remains silent at the closed door for a couple of minutes after his mum’s departure, and I contemplate going to him. It’s obvious that he’s working something through in his head, so I leave him be and take the rest of the dirty dishes into the kitchen and load them in the dishwasher.

  I’m wiping down the counter top when Craig walks in and sits on one of the stools, looking like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Is everything okay?” I ask when he just sits there staring at me as though if he looks away I might disappear.

  “Come here,” he says, his voice soft, and spreads his arms out wide. I’m a little concerned about his pensive mood but go into his arms willingly. As I step up to him, he pulls me in and wraps his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry. I’ve just got something on my mind."

  "Anything I can help with?" I instinctively move my hands to rub along his upper arms, wanting to support and comfort him.

  "No, it's just some legal stuff I need to sort out. I've stupidly left it too long and can't put it off anymore."

  “Sounds serious.”

  “No, not really. I just need to pull the plug on a contract.” He tilts his head to look at me, his expression apprehensive.

  “I’m sure you’ll get it sorted, whatever it is.” I wrap my arms around his neck and bend forward, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

  “Let’s hope so, because I’ll need it sorted so I can move forward with something far more important… Enough about that shit. What do you want to do for the rest of the evening?”

  ***

  “Denzel Washington.”

  “Pfft… it’s got to be Matt Damon. You can’t beat a bit of Bourne.”

  “You’re a girl. Of course you’ll say that.”

  “I take offence to that. The Bourne films are movie genius. The fact that Matt is easy on the eye just makes them that bit better.” I giggle, and Craig lightly pinches my side. “Ow.”

  We are lying, my back to his chest, on one of his
two large white sofas in his living room, debating our favourite movies and actors. A Denzel film is playing on his large plasma screen TV.

  “Easy on the eye, huh? And there was me thinking you weren’t as shallow as all that, that you thought more about brains than brawn.”

  “Oh, believe me, I go for the complete package, brains… and brawn.” Turning to face him, I lightly run my hand along his bicep and across his chest. “And you, Mr Silver, have it all.” I give him a quick kiss and turn back around to face the TV.

  Laying here in the comfort of Craig’s arms, I’m not really taking in the movie. My thoughts drift off to how comfortable I feel with Craig, especially cuddled up like we are at the moment. Today has certainly been an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows. I really had thought that after David’s antics in the morning, and then my hissy fit over the Aleisha situation, Craig would have turned and walked the other way. It makes me wonder what it is he sees in me; why he seems to be fighting so hard to give us a chance.

  Music drifts into my semi-conscious state from hidden speakers in the room. Blinking my eyes in the muted light from the lamps, I notice the TV is switched off. I must have dozed off. Craig shifts behind me, pulling me in close and nuzzling his face into my hair. “Start of Something Good” by Daughtry is playing. I’ve often listened to this song on my iPod and found myself thinking about those who are lucky enough to meet someone and feel so consumed by them and so full of hope for a future with them that they are prepared to fight.

  I’m beginning to realise that my relationship with David hadn’t been based on love and affection for a long, long time. I can’t remember a time when I’d cuddled with David like this and felt so content and comfortable. It’s in this moment that I decide to put my concerns to the side, enjoy my time with Craig and see where things go.

  “Will you stay with me tonight?” Craig whispers in my ear.

  I turn in his arms to face him. “I can’t. I’ve got to be at work early and I wanted to spend some time with Becki, make sure she’s settling in okay. I’m sorry.” It’s so tempting though.