I thought for a moment, trying to get my head straight, I was reeling.
And then I realised, what was I doing? What was I thinking about? I wanted to see him, and knowing he was so close, I couldn’t just ignore him.
I didn’t say anything, just walked to the hall and headed down the stairs. I heard Nic follow me and I stepped out onto the street. Mercifully, it was late and there was not a soul about. The sight of me in my onesie would be enough to put anyone off their chips.
I looked down the road, first left, then right and spotted him. He saw me a moment or two after I saw him and sprang up off the bench as though he were going to break into a run and had forced himself not to. He hesitated just a little and then walked slowly towards me, stopping at safe distance.
“Jewls…” he croaked, “I’m so sorry, I really am, I-”
I shook my head. “It’s okay.”
He frowned as though unable to believe what he was hearing. “It is? Really?”
I finally broke into a smile. “Really. Can we put this whole mess behind us and give this one more shot?”
He nodded eagerly. “I’d really, really like that.”
I allowed myself to smile properly and before I had chance to do or say anything else he ran at me and grabbed me around the waist, lifting me effortlessly and spinning me round before setting me down and slamming his lips onto mine. He kissed me passionately, like a man starving for human affection, and I kissed him back with equal enthusiasm. My God I had missed him.
Nic clearing his throat broke our spell and I pulled myself away from him, sensing his reluctance to let me go. I made to step away and he pulled me back to him, grinning at his brother.
“So my work here is done, I’m gonna head home…” Nic said, obviously amused.
Micah grinned at him and nodded. “Thanks, bro.” he turned to me and let out a happy sigh. “You going back to work tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s my day off.”
“Mine too. Wanna spend it together? We could maybe take a picnic to the beach, sunbathe and talk? Yeah? Just me and you, some proper time together not working. What do you say?”
Wow, what was I gonna say? No? Fat chance of that. I nodded, feeling my insides just unknot in relief that this pain I had been through for two days was over.
“I would really like that…”
He nodded happily. “Okay…” he took my hand and walked me back to my front door, propelling me back into his arms when we got there. He held me tight for a while and then kissed my forehead. “I’ll knock for you, about ten?”
“Ten it is…” I agreed and he kissed my lips again.
“Sleep well babe. And thank you. You won’t regret giving me another chance, I promise. No more screwing up. Good night, Jewls.”
“Goodnight, Micah.”
He kissed my cheek, winked and then he and Nic got into Nic’s car and drove away. I watched him go before heading back into the flat and before I had even made it to the top of my stairs my phone beeped with a new message,
Sleep well beautiful lady. Thank u again for the chance to do right by u. I missed u so bloody much I couldn’t bear it. Never want to feel that way again. U can trust me u know. Will see u in my dreams. 10am TTFN xxxx M xxxx
I smiled to myself and wrote out a quick reply,
Ur brother can be very persuasive, thank him. I know u meant no harm and u didn’t have all the info. Let’s take it slow from here, see what happens. Looking forward to tomorrow. Nite nite xx J xx
~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~
Micah
The following morning, I arrived at Jewls’ flat at five to ten, to find her already outside waiting for me. It didn’t surprise me to see her wearing leggings – she hated her legs, and covered them at every opportunity, and a pretty long white sleeveless top that accentuated her gorgeous broad hips perfectly. She had incredible curves, curves she despised and I loved in equal measure. Her sunglasses were perched on top of her head, her red hair piled up on her head, out of her face. She smiled broadly when she saw me and it was like she eclipsed the very sun from the sky. I found myself grinning back without even giving it a conscious thought.
“Good morning, Mr Machvaya…” she purred, one hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. In that moment she looked extraordinarily beautiful. My heart skipped a beat and I swallowed, momentarily completely unable to speak.
“Good morning Miss Dempsey.” I held up the cool bag I was carrying. “I bring…sandwiches, quiche, various pastries, and a rather delicious looking chocolate dessert as well as drinks…made it myself.”
She narrowed her eyes, grinning. “All by yourself?”
“Yeah…” I said and then smiled, “Mari helped…okay she put it together for us.”
Jewls laughed at that and walked to me, planting a kiss on my cheek. “Sounds delicious…”
We walked hand in hand to the beach, making small talk and laughing and joking. It dawned on me we had never had a carefree day together outside of work and I was suddenly glad I had suggested this on the spur of the moment. I needed to see Jewls totally relaxed for a change and more, I needed to make her feel like that. I didn’t want to ever be the cause of stress for her, I didn’t want to upset her like I seemed to have a knack for, I wanted her to think of me and always smile, never ever cry again.
As we approached the sea front, I slipped my arm around her waist and she did the same with me. She rested her head on my chest and let out a deep sigh of obvious contentment. I just…beamed. This was the life, and this was exactly what we needed.
Chapter Fifteen
~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~
Jewls
It’s very hard to act cool, calm and nonchalant when you’re sitting on the beach next to Micah, who is only wearing swim shorts, a black vest and aviator sunglasses. But I was doing my very best.
It didn’t help that he was tucking in to some mini Cornish pasties Mari had made for us, and letting out an occasional ooo and mmm of appreciate with each bite. Or that there were crumbs around his mouth that I wanted to lick off.
God, the warm weather sure did suit Micah down to the ground. He was sitting on the sand next to me, his knees brought up under his chin, both feet sunken in the sand, wiggling his toes and grinning at me occasionally as though he knew fine well what he was doing to me. Not just me, every female in the vicinity.
I had never paid much attention to men’s feet before, but there was something very sexy about Micah’s. I know how weird that sounds. I mean…they’re feet. But like the rest of him, they were pretty damn perfect. His hair was immaculate as usual, his beard neatly trimmed and shaped to perfection. He oozed confidence and contentment. I imagined getting up and ready for him had been an easy affair this morning, the total opposite to what it had been for me, agonising over what I was going to wear, knowing fine well I would be far too hot in trousers but not brave enough for shorts. It had taken everything in me not to cover my arms with a cardigan. Now, sitting on the beach I had conceded a little and rolled the legs of my leggings up to my knees, exposing probably the whitest pair of legs on the beach. What I wouldn’t give for the naturally tanned skin that my gorgeous boyfriend possessed. What I wouldn’t give to touch every square inch of his perfect toned skin with my fingers…and my tongue.
I snapped out of my daydream to find him looking at me curiously, an amused frown on his face. I blushed when I realised that in my stupor I had been looking him up and down, my eyes travelling up and down his body taking him in. It was obvious, and he knew it.
“You okay, baby?” he asked, knowing exactly what he was doing.
I nodded, my mouth like the bottom of a budgie cage, and took a sip of water before answering, “fine,” in a quiet voice.
He nodded approvingly, and then before I could stay anything else, grabbed the bottom of his tee shirt and lifted it up, pulling it off over his head.
“It’s hot today huh?” he said, feigning innocence. I nodded slowly, utterly mesm
erised.
“Yeah it is…”
Jesus. Here he was, all cool and calm and I could barely breath. Worse, I was doing a shit job of hiding it. With his glasses on, we weren’t making proper eye contact but I could feel his eyes on me regardless, watching me, regarding me. To break the spell I laid back, quickly realising that gravity now had my boobs in my face practically suffocating me, and readjusting myself to half sit up, propping myself up on my hands. He lay down too, on his side, propped up on his elbow and he lifted his left hand, placing it on my stomach and trailing lazy circles with his finger.
“Are we definitely okay, Jewls? You promise.”
“I promise…” I said, and I meant it.
“Can we uh…talk about it…?”
I let out an involuntary sigh before I could stop it escaping. This was a great day and I didn’t want it ruined with thoughts and talk of my husband. “Which bit do you want to talk about?”
He thought about that, hesitating as though aware he was on shaky ground. “How long were you married?”
“Seven years. I still am married unfortunately.”
“You were young, huh?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I was. Young…insecure…foolish.”
“He uh…he hurt you? Hit you?”
I thought about that and decided to be completely honest. “Um…I don’t really remember him ever actually hitting me, like…with his fist. He pushed and he shoved, and he bent fingers back…stuff like that. He was tall and…imposing I guess. He used his size to intimidate. And he was strong, crazy strong when he was mad.”
I was met with a long silence and I forced myself to look at Micah, taken aback at the sight before me. He had taken his sunglasses off, and was looking at me with a mix of distaste, anger and distress etched on his face. “He…hurt you…” he closed his eyes briefly, struggling with the words, “…sexually?”
I shrugged almost apologetically and felt a blush sweep across my face. “Sometimes.”
He sat up properly and scooped me up into his arms, holding me close, and tight. “Jewls…it’s very important to me that you know and believe that I would never…I would never hurt you, or make you do anything you didn’t want to do, or…or…”
“I know that,” I said, “I really do.”
I felt him actually relax at that, and knew it meant a lot to him to hear it. I couldn’t imagine now, in a calm setting like this, that Micah could ever be capable of harming another person, least of all me. The other night things had been heated, fuelled with lust and gotten out of hand. And he hadn’t had all the information, now he did I was sure he would never do that again. Funny thing was, I couldn’t work out if I was relieved or disappointed.
“And Jewls…what you did? Packing up and just running, starting over like you have with a new job, living alone…surviving all on your own like this…” he pulled me away to meet my eyes with his, and his expression was one of awe, “…it’s the bravest thing I ever heard. You certainly don’t need me to look after you, Jewls. But I still want to. And more than that…you are safe with me, okay? I swear it. And I will keep you safe, no matter what. You never need to be afraid again, because I will always be there.” He smirked a little. “Even when I piss you off, even when you can’t stand the sight of me. I will be there. You understand?”
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah…I get it. Now…can we please enjoy the rest of the day? I don’t want to talk about him, not today. Not ever.”
He thought about that and a lazy smile spread across his face. “Stand up a minute, Jewls…” before I could even begin to complete his request, he jumped to his feet, still holding my hands and pulling me up with him. “Come for a paddle. Yeah?”
I scrunched my nose up in distaste. “Me…soaking wet…clothes sticking to every horrible lump and bump like a second ski….” I trailed off. Micah was looking me up and down as though trying to picture it, lust in his eyes, biting his lip.
“Fuck, Jewls. Look…don’t think, just…do. Live, yeah? I wanna see you soaking wet, I’m not gonna lie…” I laughed at that, couldn’t help it. “…and I know you wanna see me soaking wet so…” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and nodded towards the sea, “…so….?”
I groaned, already feeling myself relenting. Damn him, how did he do that? First the waltzer, now this…he had a knack for talking me into things I would never have done in my previous life as I was now beginning to think of it. I had never been more on edge, never lived closer to the edge than since I met Micah. My previous life should have felt more like that I guess, walking on eggshells around Andrew and his moods but in a weird way this was more precarious. Back then I knew, I knew how I felt, I knew how every single day was going to pan out, my life was monotonous and predictable. Now…I never knew from one day to the next what the hell was going to happen, what new surprise Micah would have in store, whether I would end the day kissing him, crying, or wanting to throttle him. He had my head in a spin. I was coming into my own, becoming the person I had always meant to be, and where I wanted to say, I did it myself, I found myself all on my own, but the truth was it was him, Micah. He was bringing me out of my shell slowly but surely, challenging me, testing me and pushing me and without even realising he was doing it, he was helping me grow.
I had never felt more alive.
~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~
Micah
I knew I had her when she let out a groan of frustration. I knew I did her head in with my persuasive abilities but I couldn’t help pushing sometimes. Because I knew there was a different Jewls in there, just below the surface, one that was just dying to come out and throw away those irrational, unfounded fears about her body, and what other people thought of her. I knew she was dying to live a little more than she was, and I knew that I was now the most important person in her life, as she was to me in mine, and with that in mind, it was down to me to show Jewls her potential and then stand back and watch her flourish before my eyes. I had just come to the conclusion that I just had to tread more carefully.
I probably should have remembered that before I grabbed her around her knees, lifted her over my shoulder and marched down to the water’s edge with her. She could quite easily have flipped out on me for that one – God knows, she had launched at me for far less – and set us back to square one, but when I carried on walking into the water up to my waist, half the beach watching and smiling at the young couple in love, and then dropped her unceremoniously into the crashing waves, when she resurfaced she was laughing uncontrollably. It was music to my ears.
She waded over to me and jumped on my shoulders, pushing my head briefly under the water and running her hands all over my head, messing my hair up. I grabbed her and pulled her to me, sealing my lips over hers immediately to stop her protests and scolding of my less than gentlemanly behaviour and it worked. When we both came up for air she was rendered speechless, and all she could do was gasp for breath and just…look at me.
I reckon that was the first time I saw it plain as day in her expression, in her bright blue eyes.
I hadn’t been sure before, now there was no doubt.
She was in love with me, too.
~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~
Jewls
Things were great after that. We settled into a routine of working together, flirty text messages, walks along the beach, me occasionally going to watch him work at Carousel, bringing him chips to eat as we walked back to my flat together, nights curled up on my sofa watching movies and eating crap until the early hours of the morning, and then kissing on the front step for half an hour before I reluctantly sent him home to get some sleep before waking up to a new day to start it all again.
We carried on like that for a while, until one night on my front step, after we finally emerged from a passionate kiss for air; I found the courage to say;
“Stay…stay here, with me.”
He leaned back a bit, searching my expression, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Yeah…?”
I nodde
d, managing to smile. “Yeah. You remember that night, you were drunk and you passed out in my bed…” he rolled his eyes and scrunched his nose up, probably at the memory of the morning after.
“Uh huh…” he muttered, clearly wondering where I was going with this.
“I said to you after that I loved watching you sleep, and lying with you. And I slept so well, because you were there and I felt safe. I want that feeling again, only with a better wake up this time. I want you to hold me all night and I want to wake up to you kissing me. So stay…”
I swallowed, trying my damnedest to stop trembling with nerves. It had taken a hell of a lot of courage to ask him to stay, and I was feeling pretty vulnerable in that moment “If you want to, I mean you don’t have to, if-”
H stepped back into the flat and kissed me again, kicking the door shut behind him. I felt his smile against my lips and as he pulled away he took my hand in his as we headed back up the stairs to a night of…of what? I wasn’t sure what I had set myself up for, or what he might be expecting from me. I had asked him because I wanted to wake up in his arms, but it dawned on me then that he might be agreeing because he was hoping he would finally get the sex that frankly, I had been holding back from him for too long now, longer than a normal girl in a normal relationship would. It dawned on me that the word ‘stay’, probably meant ‘stay and have sex’ to him. I didn’t know, if I were honest. I wanted it, but didn’t know if I could do it, and suddenly I felt a weight of tremendous pressure settle on my shoulders. Because if that was what he wanted, and in the end I couldn’t…had I just led him on?
Gypsy Kiss: Book 1: Micah (The Gypsy Kiss Series) Page 22