Always You: Prequel to Falling for Mr Wrong

by Joanne Dannon

Seeing him leaning against the wall waiting for her, made her tummy flip-flop. She loved his high cheekbones, his blue eyes and his impressive height. Even in heels, she still had to look up to him. She liked that.

  And what about his muscle definition? Her belly tumbled in appreciation. He was even better looking than he had been when they’d dated, if that was possible. She was attracted to him, was that so wrong? He was hot and he was hers.

  “Hello,” she said before kissing him on the lips. Enough with the cheek kisses; she wanted to feel those lips on her mouth.

  “You’re looking beautiful,” he said with sincerity. “Did you rest this afternoon?”

  “I did and I read my book,” she confessed.

  His brow lifted. “In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never read.”

  She looped her arm through his. “I told you I’ve changed. I started to read because I thought it was a good idea, but then I found that I loved it.”

  Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead he said, “Good.”

  He drew her to the side, so they were against the wall, away from the commotion of the busy lobby. “I want to take a leap of faith with you,” he said in a low voice.

  Her eyes widened and her heart fluttered in excitement. “You mean that?”

  “Yes,” he nodded.

  “I can see how much you’ve changed. All the good bits of you, like your kindness and willingness to help, that were buried,” his forefinger pointed to her ribs, “have surfaced.” He paused. “I don’t know if you’ve changed permanently or just for a while and you’ll revert back to your old ways, but I trust you.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. “Today, I read up online about the course you did. It’s legitimate and the number of people who’ve turned their lives around is truly inspirational. I believe you’re one of them,” he said.

  Throwing her arms around him, she collapsed against him. “Thank you Ash, for believing in me.” She drew in a ragged breath. “I changed to make myself a better woman. I did this for me, but I also want my parents and you to be proud of me, not ashamed. Thank you for the chance, I won’t let you down.” She pressed her mouth against his. “Thank you.”

  Hugging her close, she snuggled into his arms, never wanting to leave them.

  They stayed in each other’s arms, but the noise of people’s chatter reminded them they were in a public place. “Let’s have dinner and talk more. I have a surprise for you.”

  “Did you want to go back to your place, in Arad?”

  “It’ll take an hour and I’d prefer to be here with you,” he said.

  The meaning of his words were not lost on her, and she snuggled in close, thankful that they would be together.

  “Let’s eat and then have some alone time, shall we?” he whispered in her ear.

  “I’d rather go upstairs now,” she replied honestly.

  “You know how much I want you.” His fingers came up to tuck some loose strands of hair behind her ear, “But I think we need to eat.”

  “Okay,” she said, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat anything with all the excitement in my belly.”

  “I know how you feel. My colleague was teasing me this afternoon about the goofy grin on my face, apparently it’s been there all afternoon,” he confessed.

  In the restaurant, their gazes were focused on each other, his hand covering hers, unable to stop touching her. They ordered and then sat back, each grinning at the other.

  “We have serious stuff to talk about,” he said.

  “I wasn’t expecting that,” she replied as concern wormed its way through her belly.

  “I’m taking a leap of faith but there’s more to it. I know I don’t have to spell it out for you, but my family were hoping I’d marry someone more stable than you. They weren’t happy with my decision and you dumping me only re-enforced what they thought of you—”

  “That I’m a slut?”

  “No,” he snapped. “I’m their son, and of course they’re going to worry about me. But you have a reputation of being wild and unpredictable. It didn’t sit well with my parents, who have conservative values. They know your foster parents and were hoping you’d settle down and be more responsible.”

  She bowed her head in remorse. She’d never really paid attention to others and the impact of her actions. “Mum and Dad have been really good to us. I broke their trust so many times but this time, I’m doing the right thing by them and myself.”

  “I believe you,” he said.

  “I know,” she admitted. That was exactly how she felt after betraying everyone’s trust so many times, it wasn’t easy expecting them to believe she wasn’t going to fall back into her old ways. “But this time, I’m doing it.” She paused. “Losing you was the worst thing to happen to me, I can’t believe I let you go. Mum and Dad were furious with me and then appalled at my behaviour after you left. It took a chance meeting with Amelia to turn my life around with LifeWorks. If she hadn’t got me in so soon, I may have reverted to my old ways.”

  “Maybe, but I think you’d finally realised it was time to change.” Compassion made his face soften and she could see understanding in the sparkle of his blue eyes.

  “Thanks for believing in me. I understand your parents wanting the best for you. I wouldn’t want my son dating someone like me, I mean, how I used to be.”

  “Don’t say that.” His fingers caressed her pulse point.

  “It’s true. I didn’t deserve you. Your parents work hard, they’re family oriented and caring.”

  “Bea,” he said before clearing his throat. “The problem when you drank too much is that you became happy and flirty. You were never a slut, you were just,” he paused, “overly affectionate.” He cleared his throat again. “I think some men got the wrong idea about you.”

  The breath caught in her throat. “How do you manage to see the good side of me? Even at the worst times.”

  He shook his head. “I just know you,” he said with a soft, sincere voice.

  Pride and stupidity had her almost losing him. How could she have been so foolish?

  Their meals arrived and he released her hand.

  “This looks delicious,” she said in a bright voice, admiring the presentation of the grilled fish, salad and roasted vegetables.

  “Beteavon,” he said.

  “I’m assuming that means bon appétit?” She speared a piece of fish and lifted it to her lips.

  “Yes.”

  They ate silently for a minute before he broke the silence. “I have something special planned for tomorrow.”

  Looking at him, her tummy tumbled with anticipation. “What are we doing?”

  “Hiking,” he announced. “But we’re starting early. We need to get up at 3 a.m.”

  She dropped her fork on to the tablecloth. “You’d better be joking. You want me to be up at an ungodly hour to hike, in the dark?”

  He grinned at her, as though he had a special secret he didn’t want to reveal. “Yes.” He gave her a searing look. “But if it’s okay, I’ll stay here overnight so I don’t have to drive an hour to pick you up tomorrow morning.”

  She replied to him in a low voice so only he could hear. “You didn’t have to organise a hike just so you could stay here.”

  “This is special. I want to do this with you and it’s all planned. I did take the liberty of bringing an overnight bag with me but if you’d rather—”

  “You know I’d rather have you. And as much as the idea of getting up so early makes me shudder, I’m prepared to do it because I trust you.” She toyed with her delicious food, too excited to eat it. “I never understood why you prefer calling yourself Ash, I love the name Nigel.”

  “Well, I don’t.” He placed his cutlery on the side of his plate. “I was named after my great-grandfather, Nigel Ashworth, who was a brilliant mathematician and helped the war effort in decoding the Nazi’s secret messages.”

  Her brow crinkled. “Didn’t they make a film ab
out that with that good-looking actor—?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “He was part of that team and my family are very proud of him.”

  She lifted her eyebrow. “So proud they named you after him?”

  He nodded and continued to eat his meal, while she could only pick at the vegetables.

  “You’re not eating?” He pointed to her still-full plate.

  “I’m too excited,” she confessed. “I was really hoping for us to happen again”—she waved her hand between them—“but I didn’t know if it would. Us being here is the best thing that could happen to me and I’m just bursting with excitement, like I’ve got fireworks exploding inside of me.”

  “It’s how I feel, too,” he said, taking her hand in his. “I never expected this.” Placing his cutlery on his plate to indicate they’d finished, he said, “Let’s go.”

  On their way out, he gave the head waiter enough notes to cover their dinner and a generous tip before they made their way to her room.

  Not saying anything in the elevator up, they held hands and just looked at each other. The walk to her room was rushed and before she knew it, they were inside and he was kissing her.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as his hand cupped her cheeks. His lips made their way along her jaw to the length of her neck. “I want it slow. I want to taste every beautiful bit of you.”

  She sighed, loving the feel of his hands cupping her bottom, lifting and carrying her to the bed. “Make love to me,” she said.

  Lying side by side, they each took time to gaze at the other’s face.

  “You’ve changed,” he said.

  “I told you—”

  “No, I mean, your face is different. When I said you’re beautiful, I meant it. But your skin glows with vitality and you look so much better. I love the new Bea. Plus you’ve put on some weight, got curves and it’s terribly sexy.”

  “I’ve got boobs,” she looked down at her cleavage.

  “I noticed.” He leaned down to nuzzle them. Coming back up to look at her, he said, “You’ve always been hot. Every bloke wanted you and I could see them undressing you with their eyes. But now,” he nibbled her ear lobe. “Now, you’re beautiful. The sex appeal is still there, but you’re softer. I don’t know how else to say it. From your curves to your glowing skin, you are just more beautiful than I remember.”

  She trailed her fingers down the side of his face. “I wanted another chance with you. I knew that I could only do that by making myself into a better person. This change was not just for you, it was for me.”

  “I can see that,” he suckled her earlobe before grazing his teeth on the rim.

  She shuddered in delight. “Enough talking, I want you.”

  He rolled on top of her, using his forearms so his weight didn’t press down on her.

  They kissed and kissed and kissed.

  He stopped and rolled off her. “As lovely as this dress is, I want it off.” He unbuttoned the shirt dress, before unsnapping her bra and tugging off her bikini panties.

  “My turn,” she said, helping him out of his cargo pants, shirt and underwear.

  They lay naked next to each, running their fingers along each other’s bodies.

  “I’m so happy,” she said. Her eyes filled with tears of joy.

  “Me, too,” he said before moving down her body and kissing her breasts. His fingers teased her nipples before his mouth suckled each to tiny pebbles.

  She leaned her head back into the softness of the pillow before his mouth trailed lower across her flat belly. Nuzzling her belly button, his tongue flicked out, making her cry out. Before long he’d inched his way to her feminine core and she sucked in a breath of anticipation.

  She’d never enjoyed oral sex until Ash had made her come multiple times and she’d realised the problem had been her past lovers who didn’t understand how to pleasure a woman that way.

  Using his mouth and tongue, she groaned under his onslaught. He knew exactly how to pleasure her. Looking up, she watched the sexy sight of his head between her legs and she almost came.

  His hands cupped her bottom and she tilted her hips. One finger, then two, he made love to her with his fingers and mouth and she groaned his name as her skin tingled with anticipation.

  “That feels amazing,” she panted.

  He gave her a searing look that melted her into submission, and she lay back, loving the incredible way he made her feel.

  He licked and tasted her, while his fingers massaged her intimately. No wonder they’d had so much sex when they were dating, the man was incredible.

  Looking up, he caught her gaze. “Touch yourself,” he commanded.

  Her hands moved to her breasts and she cupped them before gently squeezing her nipples.

  “Oh yeah,” he said. “Just like that.”

  His mouth returned to licking and tasting her, she could feel waves of pleasure escalate and she knew she was close to coming. Wanting to hold off, she moved her hands to her sides, loving the way he made her feel. So alive, so loved.

  With a flick of his wrist, he found her secret bud, massaged it gently. She cried out his name, she was so close and he knew it.

  With her eyes scrunched tight, she leaned back, enjoying every incredible moment.

  “Come for me, sweetheart,” he said before applying a little more pressure.

  The pleasure was too great and with his tongue lapping her and his fingers deeply bedded in her, she screamed out as an orgasm so powerful hit her. She clenched around him and her breathing was shallow and rapid.

  She felt him move but lay on the bed, unable to move. “That was amazing,” she said.

  Turning she saw him rummage through his discarded pants. He placed a couple of condoms on the side table before lying next to her. “I love it when you scream out my name.”

  “I love what you do to me,” she said touching his face. “I want more.”

  He lifted his eyebrow at her. “My favourite?”

  “It’s mine, too.” She shuddered in anticipation, knowing how much she enjoyed his favourite position.

  Shifting her, he was on all fours over her, allowing her to pleasure him orally while he did the same to her. Most guys she’d slept with had sex two ways, either missionary or doggie. But with Ash, she’d found a man who not only loved different positions but also loved oral sex. And not just receiving, he loved giving it to her.

  It made her feel loved and special. With Ash, she’d loved the opportunity to make love in ways that were fun. No wonder they’d spent so much time in bed.

  They spent time pleasuring each other, and when she was spent and exhausted from her multiple orgasms, he rolled on top of her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she cried out when he entered her. Slowly, he stroked her making her beg for more. He increased his pace and she lifted her hips to match each thrust. Their heavy breathing filled the room, perspiration made their skin soft and clammy.

  His fingers caressed her intimately as he entered her.

  “Oh yes,” she cried out.

  A few more thrusts, and she screamed out his name and her muscles clenched around him.

  Within seconds, he came, crying out her name before collapsing on her.

  Their breaths mingled.

  “That was amazing,” he said, before shifting his weight off her. They lay on the bed, each gulping down air. A couple of minutes passed before he said, “Let me deal with this.” He rose and disposed of the condom.

  “That was earth shattering,” she agreed, watching his perfectly shaped bottom as he walked to the bin. “I’m exhausted.”

  He came around and gathered the sheets over them, cuddling up against her. She shifted around to face him, “Tonight was incredible. I have no words for how special you make me feel.”

  He brushed his lips against hers. “I’m looking forward to more incredible nights with you.” He flicked off the bedside lamp and brought her against his chest, her bottom nestled against his groin. One hand cupped her br
east, the other against her waist.

  Bea smiled, thinking she’d never felt so happy or loved.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The following morning, Ash woke her to soft kisses and the smell of coffee. Opening her eyes, she found him fully dressed, holding a mug. “What a way to be woken up,” she purred.

  “Come on, sleepy head, we need to leave in fifteen minutes.”

  Rubbing her eyes, she took a long sip of her hot coffee and hopped out of bed, feeling the muscles in her lower body protest. She and Ash had made love a number of times during the night, the dull ache in her feminine core, a special reminder of how well they complimented each other.

  Dressed with rucksacks, they left the hotel and Ash drove expertly along the road in the dark.

  Yawning she asked, “Can you tell me now where we’re going?”

  “Masada,” he announced with pride.

  Her tummy tumbled. “We’re hiking all the way up there?” She couldn’t help but be shocked at his idea of walking all the way up the side of a mountain.

  “You’ll love it,” he reassured her. “We’ll take it slow.”

  The drive took them fifteen minutes and soon they’d parked. A few lamp posts provided limited lighting so they made their way to the trail, thanks to the glow of the moon and their flashlights.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she said. It was early morning, and still warm despite the darkness. Looking around, she noticed how many others were climbing despite the ungodly hour. That told her that they were about to do something special, and she decided not to complain further.

  Despite her new exercise regime she still found the climb hard work, and it took them fifty minutes to get to the top. The muscles in her legs ached and her breath came in short, sharp bursts.

  Holding his hand out, he helped her with the last few steps. “You did great,” he said. “It’s five hundred metres vertically.” He looked at his watch, “We did just about two thousand steps.”

  “I think I preferred the hiking yesterday.” She grinned.

  Whether it was the darkness or Ash’s good nature, he ignored her complaints. “Come on,” he tugged her towards him.

  They walked on the sandy ground towards the side that faced the Dead Sea. Seated on a rocky ledge, she gasped at the incredible sight in front of her. A large ball of orange rose from the sea creating the most spectacular sunrise she’d ever seen. Here, away from the city lights, the inky black sky lit up as the sun rose slowly and she was transfixed at the incredible sight.