The Heart Series: Complete Boxed Set

by King, C. M

  “Bye bye, my sweet princess.” He kissed her several times before he begrudgingly handed her over. I pulled him into a hug, patting his back while Joel smiled in the background, biting his lip from actually laughing.

  I glared my disapproval at Joel when Elijah pulled out a hankie, quickly drying his eyes. I walked him to the door, promising him to keep him regularly updated on all of Ruby’s daily activities. Eventually he left with a half smile, though I was sure the photo of Joel would more than brighten his mood later on.

  “And the award for overreaction goes to . . .”

  I glared at Joel, closing the front door. “Try to be a little sympathetic.”

  “Oh Iz, it’s a week, we aren’t emigrating and what’s with the Skyping?”

  “It was the only way I could placate him, you couldn’t even go a day without seeing me.”

  He smiled walking over, quickly drawing me into a long, sweet kiss. I panted moving away and he grinned at my response. “Very true, but then you are more important than the air that I breathe. I have to have my Izzy fix.” At that point Ruby started scampering up his legs, I swear she knew every word we were saying. He picked her up as she eagerly licked his face. “And yes I got to have my Ruby fix too.”

  Ruby barked in approval, and I smiled, quickly loading up the car so we were finally on our way.

  Half way there, we stopped for a much needed break and for Ruby to stretch her legs. After grabbing a bite to eat Ruby decided she wasn’t in the mood to compromise to go back in the dog basket, so I ended up getting in the back and nursing her on my knee. We snuggled up together, and it wasn’t long before we both fell asleep.

  “Catching flies, are we?” Joel asked, his voice filled with humour.

  Dammit, caught out again!

  I snapped my mouth shut and popped open an eye to find him stood beside me grinning. I looked down to find Ruby slowly rousing from her sleep. She yawned and stretched as we both slowly came around from the amazing nap. She truly was a great sleeping buddy.

  Her tail beat against me, and she eagerly leapt into Joel’s arms while I unclipped the seat belt, feeling grateful to stretch my legs. I smiled seeing the cottage again, its familiar surroundings instantly brought a rush of happiness. It was perfect. Despite the fallout of last time, I knew this holiday would end on a happier note.

  Joel quickly unlocked the door smiling as he lifted me up and carried me over the threshold.

  “Err Joel, we’re not married, you know.”

  “I know, but it just seemed like the right thing to do,” he replied grinning, placing a soft kiss against my lips. My fingers curled around his hair bringing him in tighter, and he moaned softly into my mouth before breaking away much to my displeasure. I pouted my disapproval.

  “I need to bring the bags in and get us settled. He placed me down, whispering in my ear. “But tonight I’ll more than make it up to you.”

  I had to bite my lip from stopping the largest smile form breaking out onto my face. Keeping myself occupied I took Ruby out into the garden, she happily sniffed every plant in sight, quickly getting used to her surroundings.

  After several minutes Joel joined us, enveloping me into a hug from behind, kissing my hair softly. “She’s more than made herself at home,” he remarked and we laughed, watching her playfully roll in the grass.

  We spent the next hour unpacking and eventually headed out for a bite to eat and to reacquaint ourselves with the local attractions. The first one being the beach. It was a gorgeous summer’s day so we were dressed in shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops, topping it off with sunglasses as we linked hands. Ruby scampered ahead on her lead while we made the most of the weather. Joel carried all of our supplies, and we stopped off at a sandwich bar, collecting a couple of chicken salad baguettes before making our way down to the beach.

  We hired an umbrella, arranging a blanket and bowl of water so Ruby was kept comfortable in the weather. Joel stripped off his T-shirt insisting that I do his back, he handed me the sun cream and smiled as I rolled my eyes. He was going to enjoy this I could just tell. I smoothed the cream out over his skin, hearing him groan when I lovingly rubbed it into his back while I straddled him.

  I bent down to lower myself to his ear, pressing my body into him. “How was that?” I purred into his ear. I had a feeling my touch would have stirred something inside.

  “Yeah, I can’t turn ’round just now, you’re going to have to give me a minute to do yours.”

  “Seriously? It was a back rub.”

  Unbelievable.

  “Baby, you know I react to your touch.” He chuckled as he fanned out on the blanket, enjoying the sun’s warm rays. I began emptying out the contents of the basket, putting together a plate of food. Joel’s eyes instantly snapped open. Oh yeah I’d gotten his attention now.

  He sat up slowly, the tent in his shorts had finally subsided. I handed him the plate, with a bowl of fruit salad to follow afterwards. Ruby sat nibbling on her dog treats while Joel devoured every single crumb. Even eating half of mine as my appetite slowly waned with the hot temperature. I was more in need of liquid relief and was grateful for the chilled water stood in the cooler.

  After putting some sun cream on my back, he and Ruby headed off for a wander, as I flopped down on the blanket to get stuck into one of my books.

  Less than a chapter in, I began to hear a buzz of chatter not far from me. Of course a shirtless Joel and Ruby soon pulled in a crowd. A hot, tattooed guy with a cute puppy was always asking for trouble. Ruby was busy scampering around the edge of the tide, barking at Joel who was strolling in the water. Joel laughed and splashed her playfully, but it only succeeded in scaring her more. She wanted to join him, but the cold water was not very appetising to her.

  Joel eventually relented and picked her up, where upon she covered him in kisses in reward for saving her. She was a girl after my own heart, no way was I going near the cold water. I shivered just at the thought of it.

  A group of girls soon congregated around them both. I turned around, focusing on my book. I didn’t want Joel catching me staring.

  “Aww, she is so cute. What’s her name?” I heard one girl chirp.

  “This little lady is Ruby.” There was a mixture of awws and I smiled, no doubt Ruby would be soaking up the attention. Elijah would be so proud.

  “Hey Ruby, you are so cute I want to take you home with me.”

  Not a chance in hell.

  “So I’m Kelly,” I heard one girl purr. “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Joel.” I knew he’d be smiling without looking, he always turned on the instant charm, he just couldn’t help it.

  “Joel—that’s a cute name.”

  Oh purlease.

  “You have some amazing tattoos. I could just look at them all day.”

  And the rest.

  Keep your paws off!

  “Thanks, I’m thinking of getting another one soon that is really personal to me.”

  My ears quirked up at that remark.

  My name?

  Now that would be very sexy.

  “Oh yeah, tell us more.”

  “No sorry, I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

  My lips curled up at the corners, he knew I’d be listening, despite my best attempts to pretend I was reading.

  “Awww, not even a hint?” she whined.

  God, this chick was annoying.

  “Nope sorry, my lips are sealed.”

  “Well, they are very nice lips.”

  Oh dear god, she didn’t miss a beat.

  “Thanks, my girlfriend does enjoy kissing them.”

  Take that bitch.

  I was smiling hard and Joel knew it, despite the fact my back was facing him.

  “I was going to invite you to a party tonight. Maybe your girlfriend can watch Ruby?”

  The fucking cheek!

  My fingers tightened around the book in rage, my heart picked up its beat.

  “Nah, why would I want to be at a du
ll party when I could be having great sex with my girlfriend, speaking of which, I’d better get back to her. Later, ladies.”

  Oh. Fucking. My.

  Joel just scored the jackpot, after that response I would be giving him a night to remember.

  I giggled when Ruby licked my cheek to say hello. I pulled her into a hug, softly tickling her belly as she stretched out on the blanket.

  Joel shot me a look, probably slightly unnerved by all the attention he had just received. I sat up and poured some water into a bowl. Ruby happily lapped it up and gave my nose a playful lick as a thank you. She soon snuggled down on the blanket, ready for a much deserved nap.

  Joel leaned over kissing my shoulder, slightly sucking on my skin before pulling away. I shivered slightly, those lips had a way of distracting me, but I wanted to have a little fun first.

  “Did you enjoy your little fan parade?” I asked with a smile.

  He looked at me a little uncertain like he was waiting for me to snap. I should have put him out of his misery, but I was enjoying myself way too much.

  “They all just wanted to pet Ruby,” he offered as some kind of explanation.

  Yeah, right.

  She was part of the attraction, but the hunger that was present in their eyes was down to the hot, ripped tattooed guy, barely inches away from them.

  “You do know you were the main attraction,” I remarked, watching him squirm at my words.

  “Iz, it was nothing,” he blew out, but I was not ready to drop it just yet.

  “Oh I’m sure they all enjoyed themselves.” There was a sting of jealousy in my words, despite my teasing I knew it would never fully go away.

  “Seriously?”

  I rolled him over, quickly straddling him, pinning his arms above his head. I loved him like this, at my mercy. His breath tickled my face as I nibbled on his jaw, slowly making my way to his lips. “It’s okay, baby, I’m only messing. I am going to reward you tonight.”

  “Tonight, what do you have planned?” His face instantly lit up, looking intrigued.

  “Ahh, now that would be for me to know and you to find out.” I winked as a smile spread across my face.

  Oh, I loved teasing him.

  “Well I’m looking forward to it, whatever it is, sure you can’t give me a hint?”

  I ground my body into him, hearing a soft moan leave him, he was now beginning to stir. “I think we would get arrested if I showed you,” I breathed.

  “Fuck, Iz.” I guess he was no longer enjoying my sweet torture, only seconds away from flipping me over, taking me right there and then in the middle of the beach. At that moment I would have let him, but we had to tone it down.

  “You’ll just have to be more patient,” I teased.

  He frowned at my words. “That’s a little hard to do when you’re grinding your sexy little body on top of me,” he complained, and I smiled at his disgruntled face.

  “Are you going to tell me about the tattoo?”

  “Ahh, so you did hear, I knew you would be listening.” He laughed, and I slapped his chest.

  “Not even a hint?” I pouted, trying to get him to relent and tell me all.

  “Nope,” he replied, looking smug.

  “Oh, you are so cruel.” I hate that he was resisting my charms.

  “Hey, you’re the one torturing me, remember?”

  “Is it . . . well is the tattoo to do with me?” I looked away hesitantly.

  Oh god, what if wasn’t?

  I’d just made myself look like a right fool.

  His fingers turned my chin so my eyes looked into his. “Hey, of course it is. Why else would it be really personal to me? I want you marked on my body.”

  “Really?” I whispered. A shiver ran through me just thinking about my name upon his skin.

  “Of course, you’re mine forever so I want it there next to my heart.”

  My eyes dropped down to the virgin clean skin, which remained tattoo free. I smiled thinking of how my name would be placed beside the most precious thing to me. I pressed my lips against it before lowering my cheek, resting against it, hearing his heart beat my name.

  His fingers curled into my hair, his nails softly grazed along my scalp, it felt so comforting. “I’m sorry about those girls, they were just joking.”

  “It’s fine, Joel.” I manoeuvred myself up onto my elbows to look in his eyes.

  “So you’re not jealous, I know that one girl was kind of pushing it.”

  Yep, she was definitely pushing her luck.

  “Nope, it’s fine,” I lied, not wanting to continue talking about it.

  “Seriously? I had visions of you leaping up and drowning her in the sea.”

  Trust me, the thought had crossed my mind.

  “Would you like me to be jealous?” I asked, feeling confused. He’d asked me to try to rein it in on several occasions, so this was all new to me, trying a more adult approach.

  He frowned at my words. “No . . . but.”

  “The reason I don’t get jealous is I know you’re mine, that heart belongs to me and no matter whoever tries to catch your eye, I know you’ll only ever have eyes for me. It’s my bed you’ll be sleeping in every night.”

  “Damn straight,” he said with a smile.

  I leaned over him so my lips were hovering over his. “Now shut up and kiss me already.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” His lips brushed up against mine, and we soon fell into a perfect kiss.

  Chapter 30 – The One

  The next few days had flown by, and we had exhausted ourselves seeing the sights of Cornwall. Ruby had been paid a lot of attention, which she clearly enjoyed. She reminded me of Elijah in that way. As promised we had Skyped every night. Ruby had sat in front of the laptop hearing Elijah regale how much he loved and missed her, while Joel and I sat with muffled laughter on the sofa. We had sent lots of pictures of Ruby enjoying the beach in various poses. One of them was of her wearing a cute, little sun hat and glasses. It was currently my screensaver on my phone. Ruby hadn’t been impressed quickly pawing them off in disgust, she preferred the more natural look.

  Deciding to spend the last few days at the beach, we set up on the sand, and I made sure both Ruby and Joel were tended to before they made their way off to play catch. Ruby was now getting used to the sea, managing to wander slowly into the shallow end to cool off in between. She would scamper over every now and then for a quick drink and to give me a hello lick as I lazed there reading my Kindle. It was complete bliss. They soon returned when their stomachs told them it was time to eat. I quickly plated up the sandwiches and salad and filled Ruby’s bowl with pieces of fresh meat. Joel quickly made his way through his baguette, so I threw him an apple to keep him occupied.

  After finishing her food Ruby nestled down on the blanket on her back, her legs in the air as an open invite for one of us to scratch her belly. Joel chuckled as he lay down beside her and willingly obliged.

  They were like peas in a pod, and it warmed my heart to see within a matter of weeks just how close they were. I could see their bond grow stronger with each day that passed. The love that was expressed in Joel’s eyes told me that despite his reservations, he was more than capable of being the best dad when our children finally came along.

  “Do you like that, Rubes?” Joel chuckled as she barked in reply.

  Joel leaned in to kiss her head softly as she fell into a contented sleep. I smiled looking over at Joel as he turned his head to look at me. “Good book?” he asked, nodding to my Kindle.

  “Oh, just having a re-read.”

  “So what BB is it today?”

  “Travis.”

  “What the Travis?”

  “Yep.”

  He huffed, closing his eyes, his response made me frown so I clicked off my Kindle and shuffled over to nuzzle into his side.

  “Don’t worry, baby, you are my real life book boyfriend.”

  “Really?” he asked, poking open an eye.

&nbs
p; “Absolutely, I have the best of both worlds, and my real life BB is so damn hot.”

  “So you like what you see, baby?”

  “I more than like.” My fingers trailed down his stomach as my hand slowly made its way lower well, until Joel grabbed my wrist.

  “Iz, as much as I hate to say this, we’ve got to keep this PG right now, we are in the middle of the beach.”

  I pouted my disapproval. “Well you shouldn’t get a girl all hot and bothered flashing those abs, it’s enough to send me into complete meltdown.”

  “What about you in that bikini? I’ve had to sit and recite past football players to stop myself getting hard and diving on you.

  “Really? So what happens when I do this?” I deliberately rolled on top of him, grinding my hips into his groin, grinning when he let out a soft moan.

  “Oh, you little minx.” I could see his eyes darken, and I took great delight in the hold I had over him.

  “Something up, Joel?” I sniggered, feeling him slowly rising underneath the material.

  “Dear lord, are you trying to torture me?”

  “Maybe,” I breathed, bending down to slowly run my tongue along his jaw. He pulled me into a deep kiss before depositing me back onto the blanket. He leapt up and marched off leaving me stunned.

  “Where are you going?” I shouted after him.

  “For a cold swim,” he shouted back.

  I giggled as I lay back down, grabbing my Kindle. He would definitely pay me back later, and I would enjoy every minute of it.

  * * *

  As the hours wore on Ruby began to get more restless after Joel had entertained her for a while, so I decided to take her for a long walk. I left Joel to read the sports section of the day’s paper in peace. He’d told me to bring some ice-cream back which was no shocker, food was never far from his thoughts. So armed with a bottle of water and Ruby happily scampering along, we set off on our own little adventure.

  The hour rolled by and after chasing seagulls, scampering on rocks and chasing me with seaweed, we were more than ready to make our way back. Joel texted me to ask our whereabouts and when I’d be back with the ice cream. Patience wasn’t his strong point.