He reached to the side of the bed to where he’d left his jeans and pulled a condom out of the back pocket. He quickly rid himself of his shorts, and his erection stood out proudly from a thatch of blond curls. He was perfect—neither small, nor huge. The head was dome-shaped and swollen purple with blood flow, and a bead of pre-cum glistened at the slit. Kane moved to tear open the condom, but she got to her hands and knees and crawled to him. Her head was still foggy from her orgasm, but she wanted to give him the same pleasure he’d given her. He was sitting back on his haunches with his cock curving out and up. The position made it easy for her to lower her mouth to him and swipe up that drop of pre-cum with the flat of her tongue.
Kane took a sharp intake of breath as the salty fluid coated her tongue. He stilled in his movements with the condom, waiting for her next move. Holly circled her lips over the top of his dick and then sank her mouth low, taking him to the back of her throat. She bobbed up and down, loving the way he slid over her tongue, the head hitting the palate at the back of her mouth.
Holly paused at his hand on her shoulder.
“I want to be inside you.”
She moved her mouth from him and then straightened so they could share a kiss, tasting herself on his mouth, and knowing he’d be able to do the same. As they kissed, Kane worked the condom, sliding it down his length, then he pulled Holly up onto his lap so she straddled him. Her breasts pressed against his naked chest, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her feet hooking his back. His hands took hold of her bottom, and he used his hold on her to lift her, getting her into position. His erection pressed at her entrance before she sank deep.
Her mind tipped with pleasure at the sensation of his cock stretching her open. She clung to his shoulders as she rode his length, the position allowing her to angle her hips just right so her clit caught the sensation as well. Kane’s fingers dug hard into the cheeks of her bottom as their movement grew more frantic. Frantic kisses, tongues battling, lip biting, all through snatched breaths and hungry moans.
“Ah, fuck,” he groaned, his hips suddenly pistoning harder, slamming her up and down. “I’m gonna come.”
“Me too, me too,” she gasped and she did, her second orgasm of the night powering through her, sending her into another dimension of pleasure for a moment before she gradually fell back to earth.
They held each other as their breathing returned to normal and Holly no longer felt like her heart might explode out of her chest.
“You, Holly McCarty,” he said against her mouth, as they both grinned, flushed and happy, “are one fucking incredible woman.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she replied, and she thought her heart might burst again, but for a whole other reason.
Chapter Fourteen
Over the next few weeks, they took every opportunity to see each other, snatching little pockets of time that would have to sustain them until the next chance. The tattoo studio was only a fifteen-minute Tube ride from the office where she worked part time in HR, and they’d meet during their lunch breaks, unable to keep their hands off each other.
Kane found thoughts of Holly filled his mind constantly. All he could think about was how he felt when they were together, the softness of her skin under his fingertips, how she tasted when he pushed his tongue inside her. He loved all the noises she made when she came, all the little habits she had, and how she was always cold. Sure, maybe in time he’d find those things annoying, but right now he adored everything about her and he couldn’t see that changing any time soon. He hoped she felt the same way about him. It certainly seemed that way when they were together, how they always had an excuse to be touching, how they could sit and just be with each other for hours without needing to say a word.
He’d never had that with a woman—this easy comfort. Women had always been such hard work before, playing games and sulking if he didn’t call or see them often enough. But Holly had a life of her own. She had a son and a job and she knew exactly what she wanted. When she wanted to be with him, she said so, and when she was busy, that was fine, too. She was a woman who had her shit together, and it helped that the sex was incredible, too.
“I think it’s time,” she announced during her lunch break one day, while they sat side by side, holding hands as they drank coffee—or at least he drank coffee, while she had a cup of tea.
He frowned. “Time for what?”
“For you and Dylan to meet properly. You’re both this major part of my life, and it’s starting to feel wrong that I’m keeping you apart.” She smiled. “Besides, I want you around on the weekends where Dylan is home. I miss you when you’re not with me.”
He grinned. “I miss you, too. And yeah, I’d love to meet Dylan. You know I’m not going anywhere. It’s gonna happen eventually.”
She leaned in and kissed him. “I was hoping you’d say that. Okay, maybe we can go to the park next Saturday, kick a football around. Dylan would love that.”
“So would I.”
She squeezed her arms in to her body, as though giving herself a nervously excited hug. “Great, it’s a date.”
THAT SATURDAY ROLLED around.
Kane felt more nervous about meeting an eight-year-old boy than he ever had preparing to go on a date. Dylan was the most important person in Holly’s life, and if he messed this up, things might change between him and Holly. That was the last thing he wanted. He understood Holly always needed to put Dylan first and he respected her for that. He also knew if things were difficult between him and Dylan, it would put a definite dampener on their relationship.
He walked to the park around the corner from Holly’s house, a brand-new football tucked under his arm. He’d agonised for ages about what to bring, not wanting to turn up empty handed, while also not wanting it to seem as though he was buying Dylan’s affection.
Kane arrived at the park and looked around anxiously for Holly and her son. It was one of those strange gray London days, neither sunny nor miserable, just midway between. He stood awkwardly, scanning the other parents and kids for any sign of them, but there was none. A couple of the parents sent him suspicious glances, and he realised it didn’t look great, him as a single man, especially with his appearance, standing alone in a kids’ playground. They probably thought he was going to try to lure their children away with the offer of a new football.
To his relief, he spotted Holly and Dylan pushing through the gates of the park. She noticed him right away and lifted her hand in a wave. He exhaled a breath and made his way over to them. Dylan had inherited his mother’s blonde curls and big, blue eyes. He was a cute kid, though at eight, he probably hated the idea of being thought of as cute.
“Hey, guys,” Kane said when he reached them. He’d normally have leaned in and kissed Holly on the mouth about now, but he was painfully aware of Dylan’s watchful eyes.
Holly took the indecision out of his hands by standing on tiptoes and kissing his cheek.
“Hi,” she said and then looked to her son. “Dylan, you remember my friend, Kane?”
Dylan shrugged. “I guess.”
“Your mum says you like football,” Kane said, trying to get the kid animated.
Another shrug. “S’okay.”
Holly nudged her son in the side and then widened her eyes at Kane, as though to say ‘sorry!’
Dylan’s eyes narrowed as his gaze flicked over Kane’s exposed forearms. “My dad says only bad people have tattoos.”
“Dylan!” Holly snapped.
Kane tried not to flinch. This wasn’t going great so far. “Well, everyone is allowed to have their own opinion on things.” He was careful with the words he chose, not wanting to put Dylan’s dad down in front of the boy, even though he wanted to. “But in my mind, having tattoos is just like any other art. You wouldn’t look at art on a wall and think it was bad, would you?”
Dylan shook his head. “Guess not.”
“Tattoos are just my art. I designed most of them myself.”
; A spark of interest lit in his blue eyes. “You did?”
“Yeah. I love to draw. I normally do oriental work. You know what that is?”
His lips twisted. “Like Chinese and Japanese stuff.”
Kane grinned. “That’s right. You must be smart like your mum.”
Holly beamed, and he knew he’d said the right thing.
“Show me what other ones you’ve drawn?” Dylan asked.
“You like dragons?”
Another shrug. “Guess so.”
He pulled the arm of his shirt up to reveal the fire-breathing dragon curling around his bicep.
Dylan’s eyes widened. “Cool.”
“Thanks.” He straightened and threw the football up in the air. As the ball came down, he headed it, sending the ball back into the air. “You wanna play that game now?”
Dylan chased after the ball without even answering, and Kane threw a quick glance to Holly. She did the thumbs-up sign to him, and he took off, after Dylan. Within minutes, they were happily kicking the ball between them. Kane used a couple of rocks to mark out a goal, and he stood in position, with Dylan trying to get the ball past him, and letting him more often than not. Holly had taken a seat on one of the benches and watched the two of them with a smile on her face. Kane glanced over and caught her eye occasionally, and each time her smile widened. Seeing Holly this happy made him happy, too, and Dylan seemed to be enjoying himself.
Out of breath, and with flushed cheeks, they made their way back to Holly.
“You boys ready to go get something to drink?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m dying of thirst,” Dylan said, gasping like a drowning fish and clutching at his throat. “Then can we come back and play?”
“Maybe another day, kiddo,” she said.
Dylan gave a groan. “Ugh. I hate going home. I’d live in the park, if I could.”
She hooked an arm around his neck. “Then you’d end up very cold and sleeping on a bench.”
They all laughed, and something inside Kane warmed. He’d not had a bad childhood, but his parents were nothing like Holly. They’d been—and still were—pretty uptight, a strange formality existing between them at all times. He didn’t think he’d ever seen them show any kind of affection towards each other, and joking and messing around as a family had never existed. Maybe that’s why he’d gone off the rails so rapidly once he’d discovered his freedom as a teenager?
But being with this little family made him see how different things could be. They were easygoing and happy, and Kane was starting to think he could definitely get used to this way of life.
Chapter Fifteen
For the first time in many years, Holly was happy.
They fell into an easy routine. Mike still had Dylan every other weekend and so far had stuck to their arrangement, giving her and Kane some time together, which generally consisted of them eating, drinking, and have crazy sex all over the house. Then, on the alternating weekends, the three of them spent what felt like family time together. They went to the park or the cinema, ate out together or cooked meals at home. Dylan had got used to seeing Kane kissing her, or for them to be sitting on the couch, with her feet in his lap.
She loved those weekends as much as she loved the ones where it was just the two of them.
Kane hadn’t spent that weekend with her, however, which was usual for him. He often stayed right until Monday morning, where he left for work at the same time she was leaving to take Dylan to school, and then headed into work herself. This weekend, he’d gone to a tattooist convention in Manchester. She wasn’t going to pretend she hadn’t missed him, but they both still needed to have their lives outside of each other, even if it was only for one weekend. A part of her had been tempted to ask if she could swap her weekend to have Dylan with Mike, but he’d been good with sticking to the schedule lately, and she didn’t want to do anything to mess things up.
Anyway, she’d enjoyed her weekend alone in the end. She’d spent hours reading in the bath and had called her sister for the first time in too long. Saturday evening had been a couple of glasses of wine in front of a romance film she knew Kane would never have watched, but she did miss his strong, hot body when she climbed into bed. Sunday morning hadn’t been much fun either—lying in bed until late and cooking a hot breakfast wasn’t as satisfying when you were on your own.
So she was happy when the front door cracked open at exactly six pm, and her son barged into the house, Mike following close behind.
“Hi, sweetheart,” she called to Dylan, but didn’t get any answer.
The boy pushed past her and stomped his way up the stairs. She flinched as his bedroom door slammed shut.
Mike stood in the entrance hall, his face like thunder.
“Uh-oh,” she said, assuming they’d fallen out about something. “What’s happened?”
Mike glared at her, and her stomach sank. “Why the fuck is my son telling me he wants to get a tattoo when he’s older?”
Her stomach sank. “What?”
“Yeah. He’s being going on all weekend about all the cool tattoos your new delinquent boyfriend has and how he wants to be just like him. You can’t date someone like that, Holly. He’s a bad influence. What next? Is Dylan going to come home saying he wants to take drugs or that he’s going to rob a bank when he grows up?”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Oh, for goodness sake, Mike. Don’t be so ridiculous. Kane is a good guy.”
“I’m not being ridiculous. I don’t want you seeing him again.”
She barked laughter. “You can’t tell me who I can and can’t see.”
He folded his arms and glared at her. “I can if I believe you’re putting my son at risk. You’re aware this guy you’re seeing has a criminal record?”
Her blood froze in her veins. “So? It’s from years ago when he was younger. He got caught up with a bad crowd, that’s all.”
Mike’s eyes widened. “You knew he had criminal record, and you’re still exposing our son to him? You’re starting to make me wonder if Child Protective Services should be involved.”
Rage tore through her. “Don’t you dare threaten me with that,” she spat, jabbing her finger at him. “After everything you did, sleeping with girls practically young enough to be your daughter! You don’t get to say the people I choose to be with aren’t suitable.”
His eyes narrowed. “We’ll see about that.”
“Stop fighting!” Dylan’s shout broke through their argument. Holly glanced up to see he’d emerged from his room and was now standing at the top of the stairs. “I hate it when you fight!”
“We weren’t fighting, sweetie.”
“I’m not stupid, Mum! I’m not deaf either. I know when you’re fighting.”
“I’m just leaving, son,” Mike called up to him. “See you next week, okay?”
The look on Dylan’s face just about broke Holly’s heart. Tears shimmered in the boy’s eyes, and his lower lip poked out. He had his arms wrapped tightly around his body, as though trying to protect himself against the violence of his parents’ words.
Mike went to the door, but before he did, he hissed out of the corner of his mouth. “This isn’t over.”
She clamped her teeth together, her fists bunched, doing everything in her power to stop herself lashing out at him. How had she ever thought she had loved this man? There was nothing in him that she saw even slightly appealing now.
The door slammed shut, and she was left to plaster a smile on her face and try to act like normal for her son. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm the way she was shaking with anger. Hot tears burned the backs of her eyes, but the tears were from impotent fury more than sadness. She hated the way Mike would always have some input into her life, especially after all the times he’d cheated on her. It was as though he could do whatever he wanted, but he would always have some hold over her because of Dylan.
She wanted to call Kane and get him to come over—he’d be back from his convention by no
w—but that wasn’t fair. This was between her and Mike, and she couldn’t drag Kane into the middle of things every time she and her ex had a fight. Mike might not be able to be civil to Kane, but she couldn’t unburden all of this onto Kane and expect him to stay out of it as well.
Instead, she did her best to act normal. She coaxed her son back downstairs, made him some hot chocolate, and got him to talk about what he’d done that weekend. Every mention of Mike was like needles to her skin, but she forced herself to keep smiling. None of this was Dylan’s fault, and she couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be stuck in the middle.
She went through the normal Sunday night routine, sticking Dylan in the bath and washing his hair, and getting his uniform and bag ready for school the next day. She struggled to keep her mind off Mike’s threat, however. Would he really do that, and could Child Protective Services cause problems for her and Kane? Could they even take Dylan away and give Mike full custody? The thought terrified her. She loved that boy more than anything else in the world. Would she really be forced to choose between him and Kane?
Distracted, she managed to get Dylan to bed and then went back downstairs. She couldn’t settle, unable to concentrate enough to read a book or watch television. Her hand hovered over her phone. She wanted to call Kane, but knew she’d probably end up crying if she did.
Eventually, she gave up trying to occupy herself and climbed the stairs to check on Dylan. Pushing the bedroom door open, she instantly knew something wasn’t quite right. She looked for the usual lump beneath the covers, only it wasn’t there, only a smooth duvet across the bed. Was he in the bathroom? She hadn’t heard any signs of him, no water running or toilet flushing.
“Dylan,” she called out, the first flutters of worry stirring inside her. There was no answer. “Dylan!” she called again, louder now. “Dylan, where are you?”
Still no reply came.
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