by Dawn Doyle
Alex felt numb. Numb with fear that Holly would blame him, she wouldn’t love him anymore and she would leave him.
It was his fault.
If he hadn’t pursued her, this wouldn’t have happened. Holly’s garden would still be beautiful; her fathers’ rockery, and years of hard work would still be intact.
“I hate her.” She whispered.
“Me too.” He replied. “Holly, I’m sorry. If I’d never have…If I had not asked you…” Alex didn’t want to say it.
He didn’t want to say that she should’ve said no or that he shouldn’t have asked her out. He thought it would only give her the reason to leave him Stacey had been obsessed with him. He was the reason Holly was sitting there crying.
“What? No.Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare blame yourself!” Holly said between sobs. “She would’ve found a way to do this without us being together. She’s the one to blame because she’s the one that did this, Not you, not me, not anyone.” Holly looked into his remorseful eyes, her own mirroring his.
“Alex, I love you and no-one will change that. No-one. She did this to try to make me walk away. Well, I’m still here, and you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Alex exhaled in relief.
“Holly, I love you so much. I don’t want to ever lose you.” He whispered, cupping her face and resting his forehead against hers, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
Holly stroked her hand down his cheek and kissed him.
Before she knew it, her hands were in his hair and he was holding her tight with one hand whilst cupping her head with the other.
Their tongues dancing with each other and not wanting to give the other up.
“Um…guys…” Said Dev. “Guys!” She said a little louder.
They both pulled away and turned to Dev.
“You have an audience?” She said motioning her head towards the police officers.
They turned to each other and smiled, flushing.
More officers came to take photo evidence of the damage before anything could be cleared up. Once they were done, Holly picked up the tulips and daffodils. In the mess of the greenhouse, she found some pots and a bag of compost.
“Can I help?” asked Alex.
“Me too.” Said Dev.
“And me” added Ben.
“Don’t forget about us.” Said her Mum and Dad.
Holly was overcome with emotion and only managed a squeaky “thanks”.
“Everyone grab a pot and fill it with compost.” Said Kim and they got to work.
Holly gathered the flowers that she could salvage. Some had been snapped, but the bulbs could be kept for the next year. They re potted the flowers and stored them on the deck are until she could repair the rockery.
Holly picked up the name plaque. She wouldn’t be able to bend it back.
“I can get that repaired.” Said Ben. “My Dad has a metal shop. He could straighten it for you.”
“Thank you.” Said Holly.
“I’ll help you fix the rockery.” Said Alex and they gathered up the rocks, putting them back where they belonged.
“It’s going to take a lot for work for the rest.” Said Holly as she looked around.
“Then, we’ll be here to help you.” Said Alex as he planted a kiss on her lips.
They all moved the damaged items to a trash pile, and even the police helped.
Holly and Alex explained to her Mum and Dad what had happened over at his house. Evie and Rami had been called and instead of driving home, they were meeting them at Holly’s.
Their parents would have preferred to meet without the cause of the events, but they were happy to have met and got along really well.
“What are we going to do about your room?” asked Evie.
“I don’t want that room anymore, or that bed, those sheets. Just my laptop and my art pads. Burn everything else. I’ll buy new stuff; I don’t care.”
Alex knew that his laptop and art pads wouldn’t have been touched by her. He kept them together on a high shelf in his closet.
She’d gone through his clothes and if, by any chance, she had found his pictures; they would’ve been torn apart.
“We’ll move your things as soon as we get home.“ Rami said.
“I don’t want to go without Holly.” He said as they held each other’s hand.
“You don’t have to son.” He said sympathetically. “But I think Holly should decide that.”
“I’m staying with Alex.” She said, immediately.
“I think that’s decided then.” Smiled Rami.
“Would you like to join us for lunch?” Kim asked. “I see the kids don’t want to be separated and we were planning to invite you to dinner anyway so…”
“That would be lovely, thank you.” Said Evie.
“What do you think will happen now?” asked Holly. She was worried that Stacey would be released again. The police hadn’t informed them of the protection before she was released and didn’t know whether that made a difference to her arrest.
“They said they had filed and emergency order until the permanent one was signed at a hearing.” Said Dev, as if reading Holly’s mind.
“They didn’t tell us before she was released though. I was just wondering if that meant whether they can detain her or not.”
“They would have told her.” Oli said. “She knew she wasn’t to go near any of you. But she did, regardless of how soon you were informed. Therefore, she broke the requirements of the order and she’ll be read her rights. The photo’s and evidence proves it. She won’t be released unless a judge decides she’s eligible for bail. Going by the actions less than an hour after being released, I don’t think that will be likely. Unless…”
“Unless what?” Alex asked, anxiously.
“How old is she?”
“She’s eighteen.”
“Well then, she’s a legal adult and will be detained as such.”
They all blew out a breath, and Alex held Holly closer to him.
“Do these cases get dealt with quickly?” Dev asked Oli.
“It depends on the severity. Some cases are long drawn out, due to lack of evidence, but with what they have, I can’t see it taking too long.”
Stacey had entered two properties without permission. Caused willful damage to Holly’s garden and her car and also harassment of Alex. Following Alex and Holly to Quincy’s would have been harder to prove but, as the officer had informed them, she’d gone into the restaurant demanding to know what had taken place between them. Stacey was already on the run because of what she did to Holly’s car, causing a scene where they were was coincidental.
Holly and Alex had barely touched their food during lunch.
“You have to eat something, baby girl.” Kim said
“I’m not hungry. Holly replied, which was true. The thought of Stacey in Alex’s bed, naked, was turning her stomach. If she ate anything she would only bring it back up.
“You too son.” Said Rami.
“You lost the contents of your stomach, earlier, man. Now, you need to put something back.” Said Ben.
“You were sick?” Evie asked with concern that her son was ill.
“I saw her and, well, I couldn’t hold it down.”
Holly turned into Alex’s shoulder, and he laid his head down on top of hers. He turned to kiss her forehead and rested his arm around her shoulder. He immediately used his other hand to hold hers. Like he couldn’t bear not to touch her.
Alex saw that his Mom was watching them, and she quickly wiped away a tear as she smiled.
After lunch, Evie and Rami had persuaded Alex to keep his bedroom and that they would redecorate it completely. They’d explained that if he changed rooms, he wouldn’t have his own bathroom and that the spare room, Ben’s room, was smaller.
“I’m not going in there until then.” He said.
His parents agreed and understood his reasons. Stacey had gone through his bedroom drawers, his underwear, sle
epwear…he wanted to throw them away. He didn’t want to keep anything she’d had her hands on.
“I don’t want to go in that room again.” He said, quietly, to Holly. He’d never had a girl on his bed and now that Stacey had broken in and gotten in-between his sheets, he felt as though he’d done something wrong.
Alex had often thought that, maybe, Holly would stay in his bed when they were ready but now…
“Babe…” She whispered as she stroked his face. “What’s wrong?” Alex didn’t want to keep anything from her.
He loved her, and she loved him back.
Holly loves me.
“I just…” He struggled with his words. He felt sick to his stomach with what Stacey had done to them both.
He glanced around to make sure nobody was listening in. Holly, sensing that he didn’t want anybody else knowing what he wanted to say, led him into the hallway. She didn’t stop there. She steered him to the stairs. Alex wondered where she was taking him until he realized that they were going to her room. His groin area came to life.
Not now!
He groaned inwardly.
They went into her room, and Holly closed the door and kicked off her footwear, as did Alex. She led him to her bed. As they sat, Holly had one leg bent, foot on the bed, and the other foot on the floor, Alex mirroring her position
He looked around and as he breathed in. He could smell ‘Holly’. Sweet, flowery, coconut and an air of sexiness that was hiding behind a curtain of innocence.
He inhaled her aroma again, and his nerve endings sparked. The fire in his veins heading down, down…
“Nobody can hear us now.” She said, gently.
“I…um…” He said shakily. As his hormones were drag racing through his body. He didn’t know how to explain his feelings so he just blurted them out instead.
“I’ve never had a girl in my bed.”
His face heated under Holly’s gaze. He wanted to tell her everything, but he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable or pressured. Holly was silent, aware that he had more to say and she wasn’t trying to rush him.
“Um…when I saw her there…I felt as if I had betrayed you somehow. She was there in my bed. Holly…I…I can’t…” He blew out a breath to steady his nerves and rubbed his hand over his face. “Now, I feel disgusted because a girl was in my bed…and it wasn’t you.” Alex waited for Holly’s reaction. He didn’t know whether she’d be shocked or appalled.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around him.
Holly’s heart was breaking at the sorrowful look on Alex’s face.
“Alex. The second she entered your house, that bed…wasn’t yours anymore. You still haven’t had a girl in your bed.” She held his face to look into his eyes as she spoke.
Her blindingly beautiful Alex felt bad for her not being the first girl in his bed. It was plaguing his mind, and she had to tell him how she felt about it and that he had nothing to worry about.
“You weren’t in there with her, babe. That kind of cancels it out anyway.”
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“You weren’t in it and the times that you were, you were alone. Also, you’re not getting in it after she was there. Therefore, no-one would have been in your space. Besides…” she continued with a surge of courage and confidence. Her body was screaming with the need to tell him. To tell him that she was his in every way and there was no possible way he could second guess her feelings for him.
“…I already called dibs.” She smiled.
Alex’s mouth popped open, and his eyes widened slightly with the realization of what Holly had meant. His stomach was filled with butterflies, his heart jumping in his chest with so much love for her. The entire surface of his skin prickled, and his breath caught in his throat as his ‘friend’ let him know he understood too. And she was right. Getting rid of his things meant nobody had been, or tried to get, in her place before her.
Holly leant forward and took his mouth with hers. Her fingers threaded through his hair, and she tilted her head for better access to his succulent lips. Alex quickly wrapped his arms around her, reaching up her back to her braid. Their tongues swirled around each other like their existence depended on it. Holly wanted to be closer. She needed to mould herself to him.
She understood why she’d reacted to Alex the way she had the day they met in the hallway.
He was what she needed and being near him, she felt ‘normal’.
Like everything was suddenly in its place.
There was always the ‘pull’ towards him. Her body knowing he was near, the instant race of her heart, turning in his direction just before he appeared. The anticipation of touching him even though she had fought a constant battle with herself to keep her hands from reaching out.
Now the fight she had was to remember where they were.
They became so absorbed in each other’s presence that their surroundings disappeared, and nothing else existed.
More…Closer.
Holly lifted the foot off the floor, raised her leg, and rested it over Alex’s thigh, bending her knee to wrap her calf behind him.
Alex let out a moan and squeezed her tight.
His hand cupped her head whilst the other travelled down her back, to her rear, and gently gripped.
Holly gasped, and Alex captured her lower lip and sucked, as he ran his tongue along the edge. Holly felt his hand release her behind and moved to stroke her thigh, gently squeezing. She let out an arousing moan, and Alex crashed his mouth to hers.
As he did, Holly leant back, pulling Alex with her. She lay back, letting her other leg fall to the side as Alex moved with her. Their mouths still devouring each other. They paused when Holly’s back touched the bed. Pulling back , panting, trying to catch their breath. Alex was lying over Holly again, just like on the blanket at Five Oaks, before they realised the precarious ‘position’ they were in.
This time, neither made a move to get out of it.
Alex was leaning on his forearms, and he lifted one hand to stroke down Holly’s cheek as he watched her gorgeous face.
“I love you.” He whispered.
Holly’s hands travelled around Alex’s waist and back, holding him there.
“I love you too.”
Alex watched her for any signs of uncertainty, but all he saw was her love for him.
“Alex” She whispered, again, in that sexy tone she had when she was turned on. He looked into her eyes, and she told him to do something he would never tire of hearing.
“Kiss me.” Alex lowered his mouth to hers, and their tongues began their passionate dance again.
Holly moved her feet so that her legs were wrapped around the back of Alex’s thighs, which caused him to take a sudden, sharp, breath before he kissed her again.
Holly, knowing he would be feeling the same as she, remembering Riss’ pool with her legs wrapped around him, lowered her hands to cup Alex’s muscular buttocks and squeezed him. Letting him know she was affected by that too. As she squeezed, she pulled his hips towards hers and she could feel the evidence of how it was affecting him, against her.
She knew they should stop, but she physically couldn’t.
Alex’s hand moved to her butt again, and he was pulling her towards him too. He let his hand travel further down her leg, right down to her knee and back up before caressing her thigh and rear. Up and down, over again. Holly needed to feel his skin.
She was desperate for more contact.
She slid her hands under the back of his T-shirt to his lower back. She slowly caressed up to his shoulder blades and back down. His hard muscles covered in smooth, tight skin that trembled beneath her fingers.
As she reached his lower back, she slowly brought her hands around his waist to his stomach.
Oh my fucking goodness!
His abs were prominent and tight. She knew how they looked, but they felt…oh how they felt! She caressed up his body to his defined pecs and over his round shoulders before taking her time
moving down again. Savouring every contour of his hard, sculpted, physique.
His whole body tensed, and he let out a sexy-as-hell growl against her mouth. Holly whimpered and tightened her legs around him.
Alex pulled away from their kiss, his breath ragged, and beads of sweat across his brow. He looked into Holly’s eyes and her green irises were almost black from her pupils dilating, her skin flushed and chest heaving. As he looked her over, he couldn’t help but scan down her beautiful neck, her exposed shoulder showing her pink vest top. He licked his lips and closed his eyes for a second to try to calm himself. It was no use.
His body was alight.
Holly underneath him gripping him to her with her legs wrapped around his. She’d had her hands on his bare skin, and he had loved every second of it.
He craved more.
He needed it like he needed air.
He had to get closer.
He couldn’t think straight.
He was lost, with Holly, in their cocoon.
Alex opened his eyes as Holly’s hands were exploring his bare chest. He lowered his head and kissed her cheek. He let his lips trail down to her jawline, scraping along to her chin and back up towards her ear. Holly let out a high pitched “Ahh!” as he kissed under her lobe and down her neck to her collarbone.
They were right were they had been the night before.
In less than a week, they’d gone from sharing a message to sharing each other more than they could’ve imagined.
Alex continued kissing along her collarbone to the hollow of her throat.