‘Lesley?’ Al had thrown the cover back and was looking up at her from between her legs. He looked sexy and dishevelled and very happy. Lesley felt like punching him, but she was afraid to move a muscle and lose all that lovely momentum.
‘Mmm?’ she whimpered, her mouth clamped shut.
‘Is that you being scared of the lightning, or—?’
‘What?’ She’d completely forgotten about the storm.
‘Only you were squealing like that earlier, so—’
Seriously? ‘That was me enjoying myself, Al.’
‘Okay. Good.’ He grinned at her. ‘Just checking.’ Then his head disappeared under the duvet again, and he took up exactly where he’d left off. And thankfully, so did she.
Al certainly lived up to his notices, making her come twice with his fingers and tongue before collapsing beside her on the pillow. Little fluttering aftershocks were still rippling through her as she reached for his cock, stroking the hardness of his erection through his boxers. She couldn’t wait to take him in her mouth. But as she reached for the waistband of his boxers, he slapped her hand away.
‘Did I say you could touch me under my clothes?’ he asked.
Lesley smirked, rolling her eyes. ‘Is it okay to touch you under your clothes?’ she asked.
He nodded and lifted his hips to help her as she slid off his boxers and tossed them aside to join her clothes on the floor. She stroked the length of his shaft, loving how hard it was beneath the silky soft skin. Then she crawled down the bed and bent her head to take him in her mouth.
‘Did I say you could do that?’
‘Sorry.’ She looked up at him from under her lashes. ‘Can I suck you off?’
‘Well, I’m sure you can. I don’t doubt your ability for a moment,’
‘Seriously? You’re going to quibble about my grammar at a time like this?’
‘I’m a stickler for correct usage.’
Lesley sighed. ‘Okay, then. May I please suck you off, Al?’
‘Lesley,’ he said, his breath shaky as he looked down at her, ‘you may.’
Lesley enjoyed giving blow jobs and she knew she was good at them – the two things usually went together, in her experience. She loved the feel of Al’s thick, warm cock in her mouth, and he made gratifyingly appreciative sounds of pleasure as she licked and sucked him. But she really wanted him inside her, and she was glad that he seemed to be on the same wavelength as he gently nudged her aside.
‘Condom!’ he said, and Lesley nodded eagerly. He darted to the bathroom and was back in seconds. Lesley even found the ripping of foil as he tore open the packet a turn-on – there was something incredibly hot about the statement of intent that it represented. She watched impatiently as he rolled on the condom. He got back into bed and instead of rolling on top of Lesley, he arranged her on top, straddling him.
‘This is my favourite position,’ he said, stroking her legs on either side, his features taut with barely suppressed need.
Lesley lifted herself a little, settling herself over his cock so the tip was just nudging at her entrance. ‘Al,’ she said, ‘may I sit on your dick?’
‘I thought you’d never ask.’
Lesley sometimes felt self-conscious when she was on top, too aware of how she looked, and unsure if she was getting the pace right. She worried about getting negative feedback. But with Al, she felt wild and sexy and abandoned. She didn’t get the impression as she used to with Rob, that Al liked this position because he was lazy and wanted her to do all the work, but rather because he couldn’t keep his eyes – or his hands – off her. He wanted to look at her tits as they bounced and jiggled, and he wanted to watch his hands stroking and fondling them. He made her feel beautiful, powerful and sexy in a way she’d never really felt before. He curled his hand around her bottom and squeezed her thighs tighter around him, pumping his hips up to meet her as she sank down on him, thrusting harder and deeper, as their bodies moved greedily against each other. He slid a hand between them to rub her clit, not taking his eyes off hers as he totally lost it and came with a deep groan. Seconds later, Lesley came too, in white-hot bursts of heat and light that matched the electrical storm still raging outside the window.
35
Lesley had fallen asleep with Al’s arms wrapped around her, their legs entwined. But at some point in the night they had shifted, and when she woke, he was turned away from her. She could tell from his slow, steady breathing that he was still asleep. Light was creeping in through a gap in the shutters, but it was a still, steady light, not the sickening strobing of last night. She yawned happily and stretched. She couldn’t remember when she’d felt so content and sated. Even though she hadn’t had much sleep last night, she felt refreshed and energised.
She also felt hot and sticky, and desperately in need of a shower. She eased herself carefully off the bed without waking Al and crept to the bathroom. The smell of sex rose up around her in clouds of steam as she stood under the shower and washed the sticky trails of saliva off her skin. She could still feel the imprint of his hands on her breasts, the rocking of his thrusts inside her. Her nipples were sore, licked and sucked raw, and there was a delicious feeling of fullness between her legs.
Well, that was a very pleasant surprise, she thought, going over the events of last night in her mind. Al had been ... amazing, probably the best shag she’d ever had. Who’d have thought Al – lovely, polite Al with his perfect manners – would be such an animal in the sack? But it wasn’t just that it had been hot – and it had been incredibly, toe-curlingly, breathtakingly hot. There was something else as well. It had been ... friendly, she thought, trying to put her finger on what had been different. It was like they were both in it together – which didn’t make sense, because surely when you had sex with another person, you were in it together. There was give and take on both sides. But she was used to more push and pull, to having to take what she needed or risk not getting it. With Al it was like there was only one side. She didn’t think she’d ever been so in sync with another person sexually. It was all very confusing.
Al still wasn’t awake when she came out of the shower, and she got dressed quietly and went downstairs. The house was very quiet as she made her way through the kitchen and out onto the terrace. Some puddles of water and an overturned lounger were the only signs of last night’s storm, a sheen of water across the terrace already drying in the morning sun. The sky was clear and calm.
She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Scott coming into the kitchen carrying a body board.
‘Some night last night!’ he said, grinning at her.
‘What?’ Lesley blushed. How could he know?
‘The storm.’ He nodded towards the terrace. ‘Didn’t you hear it?’
‘Oh. Yeah, it was something else. Where is everyone?’
‘They’ve gone down to the beach for the day. You two seemed to be having a lie in, so we thought we’d leave you to it.’
‘Right. Al’s still asleep.’
‘I came back for this.’ He indicated the board. ‘I was just going to leave you a note, but now you’re up. Join us when you’re ready, if you feel like it.’
Lesley nodded. ‘We will.’
‘We’ll be at Opéra Plage.’
When Scott left, Lesley was very aware that it was just her and Al in the house. Doubts started to creep in as she busied herself in the kitchen, feeling fidgety and on edge as she checked the contents of the cupboards and found supplies. Someone had been to the bakery, and they’d left croissants and ficelles. She was nervous about facing Al this morning. She hated the morning-after awkwardness and dreaded him acting all shifty and distant. And trapped in this house, with nowhere for him to run, it was even more awkward. Damn holiday shagging! What had they been thinking? No, what had she been thinking? She’d started it, so she had no one but herself to blame. She wished he’d just get up so they could get the whole thing over with. He probably hadn’t really expected her to take him up on his off
er to attend to her needs. She had to make it clear she knew that’s all it was and that she wasn’t reading more into it.
She decided to make scrambled eggs to occupy herself. She was just whipping the eggs in a bowl when she heard Al come into the kitchen behind her.
‘Good morning.’ He sounded very cheerful and breezy.
‘Hi.’ She turned to smile at him briefly. He looked crisp and fresh, his hair still damp at the ends from the shower, and she felt a wave of longing.
‘Did you sleep well?’ she asked, turning back to her eggs.
She heard him cross the kitchen and suddenly he was right behind her, his arms wrapping around her.
‘Mmm, fantastic.’ He pulled her back against him and dropped a kiss onto her bare shoulder that made Lesley shiver.
Okay, this was weird. He was acting all ... normal. Like he was perfectly okay with what had happened between them – not even a little bit freaked out or remorseful.
‘Ooh, are you making scrambled eggs?’ he asked, spying the bowl on the worktop. He rested his chin on her shoulder.
‘Yeah, would you like some?’
‘Love some.’ He turned her around in his arms and dropped a kiss on her mouth. ‘You do that and I’ll get the coffee on.’ He released her and started busying himself with the coffee machine. ‘Where is everyone?’ he asked, as if he’d only just noticed they were alone.
‘They’ve all gone to the beach. They said to join them later if we want to.’
‘So we have the house to ourselves? Great!’
Lesley wasn’t quite sure what to make of this chirpy morning-after Al. He was being so normal and friendly, acting as if they were really a couple. He seemed so cheerful and relaxed as they got breakfast ready together – as if he was really happy about last night. He casually rested a hand on her back as he reached behind her to get down plates, and she started to wonder if this was his way of dealing with it and pretending it hadn’t happened. When the food was ready, they took it out to the terrace.
‘Alone at last!’ Al said when they were seated across from each other at the patio table.
Lesley couldn’t take it any longer. If things were going to be weird between them she wanted them to get weird now, so they could get it over with and move on.
‘You seem very cheerful this morning,’ she said by way of an opener.
‘I am.’ Al grinned at her. ‘Why wouldn’t I be? I had a great sleep, it’s a beautiful morning.’ He waved his knife at the sky. ‘These eggs are great. I’m having breakfast with a beautiful woman. All’s right with the world.’
‘Thanks, but – look, I think we should talk about last night. Just clear the air, you know, about ... what happened.’
‘Okay,’ he said cheerfully, reaching for the butter. ‘What would you like to say about it?’
‘Well, are you okay with it?’
‘Yes, why wouldn’t I be?’
‘Well, I mean, I just don’t want there to be any awkwardness between us. If you want to pretend it never happened—’
‘Why on earth would I want to do that?’
She shrugged. ‘People do sometimes. I mean you might think it wasn’t a good idea ... in the broad light of day.’
‘I think it was a brilliant idea in any light.’
‘Really? You don’t regret it now?’
‘Nope. Je ne regrette rien.’ He frowned. ‘Look, is there something you’re not telling me? Should I have regrets? Did I fail you in some way? Commit some terrible faux pas? You did—’
‘Yes!’ she practically shouted. ‘Yes, you were very ... thorough. You totally lived up to your reviews.’
‘Good.’ He grinned across at her. ‘I’m very glad to hear it.’ Then suddenly his face fell, his smile vanishing. ‘Do you have regrets?’ he asked her, and he looked so alarmed, Lesley wanted to go around the table and hug him.
‘No,’ she said quickly. ‘Not at all. I thought it was absolutely brilliant.’
‘Good.’ His face sagged in relief. ‘I told you you’d have a good time if you gave me a chance.’
‘It’s just that ... people like you don’t usually act like this the morning after – all happy and cheerful and friendly.’
‘Sorry to disappoint. How do you expect me to act?’
‘Well, people like you tend to act all shifty the next day – avoid eye contact, disappear as fast as they can, that sort of thing. They certainly don’t stay for breakfast.’
‘You keep saying that. People like me how? Architects? Ex public school boys?’
‘No, but, you know ... men.’
‘Ah. Men. Well, I’ll have to put my hands up to being one of them. But that is rather a large group that you’re generalising about there. Surely there are regional variations?’
‘I’m just saying, I don’t want you to feel trapped just because we’re stuck here together and you can’t make a quick getaway. So if you want to run off, I’ll turn my back and count to ten, and it can be like last night never happened.’
Al gave a hoot of laughter. ‘You’ll count to ten?’ He drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully and his eyes flicked to the door. ‘That doesn’t give me much of a head start.’
‘Okay, twenty.’ She grinned, relieved that he was teasing and obviously had no intention of scarpering.
‘Well, that’s very generous of you. If I want to take you up on it, I’ll let you know.’
They ate in silence for a while. Lesley regretted having said anything. Al had been behaving normally and now she’d spoilt it by acting weird.
‘Lesley,’ Al’s firm voice broke into her thoughts and she looked up. He put his knife and fork down and eyeballed her across the table. ‘I loved it. Every second of it, okay? I wouldn’t change a thing. Just so we’re clear.’ A smile nudged at the corners of his mouth.
‘Okay,’ she nodded, and she couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. ‘You don’t have to look so smug about it, though.’
‘I’m afraid that can’t be helped. Sorry.’
‘So you wouldn’t change a thing?’ She was aware that she was looking smug herself now.
‘Nope. If you really want to know, it was the best sex of my life.’
‘Oh,’ she said in a small voice. ‘That’s a coincidence. Me too.’
Al grinned. ‘A happy coincidence indeed.’
Damn it, why had she kept Al at arm’s length for so long? If she’d found out sooner that they were dynamite together, they could have been shagging this whole holiday.
‘Want to go back to bed and see if we can beat our personal best?’ Al asked.
Lesley sighed. ‘We should probably join the others at the beach,’ she said reluctantly. ‘It’d seem a bit rude to ditch them on our last day.’ Maybe it would be better not to get hooked on Al when he was still hung up on Cassie.
‘Really? You want to go to the beach?’
Oh, what the hell! Al was an amazing shag. She should just enjoy it while she could. ‘No,’ she said, sliding a leg across the table and running her bare foot up his leg. ‘I really don’t.’
36
‘You look well,’ Katrina said grudgingly to Lesley a couple of days later as she let her in to their parents’ house. ‘Very tanned, and ... there’s something else.’ She tilted her head to the side and looked closely at her. ‘Have you lost weight?’
‘I’ve been having sex!’ Lesley hissed excitedly.
‘Well, yeah. I should hope so.’
Lesley forgot that everyone thought she was already having sex with Al, so there was no reason to be so excited about it. ‘Well, you know ... holiday sex,’ she amended. ‘Lots of it. Day and night.’
‘Thanks for the TMI.’ Katrina narrowed her eyes at her. ‘But there’s something different about you.’
‘Oh, I got my hair cut,’ Lesley said, tossing her head.
‘Yeah, that must be it. It’s not bad.’
‘Thanks,’ Lesley said because she knew that practically constituted gushing
for Katrina.
They walked into the kitchen, and Lesley stopped dead in the doorway because her mother was standing on top of the kitchen table doing a pile of ironing, while her father sat at the table like a normal human being, fiddling with his phone.
‘Lesley!’ Miriam looked up as they came in. ‘You’ve finally decided to grace us with a visit.’
‘I only got back on Saturday night,’ Lesley said sulkily. ‘I needed to unpack and get my stuff sorted out. I have to get straight back into work tomorrow.’ In fact, she had spent all of yesterday shagging Al, and he’d only gone home this morning (quite reluctantly, she liked to think). She hadn’t been too sure where they’d stand once they got back to Ireland, but she knew she didn’t want the shagging to stop. So she’d been very relieved when he’d asked her on the plane if he could go home with her for the night.
‘You look great,’ her father said, hugging her hello. ‘You have a sort of glow about you.’
‘Must be the sun.’
‘Where’s Al?’ her mother asked. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve fallen out with him already.’
‘He’s going to the airport to pick up his aunt and drive her home.’ He was helping Jane move to Dublin for the start of rehearsals, and he’d be spending the night in Doonbeg. He’d invited Lesley to go with him, but she knew she’d never hear the end of it if she let another day go by without visiting her family. ‘Anyway, never mind all that,’ she said as her mother unplugged the iron from the socket board at her feet. ‘What in the name of feck are you doing?’
‘It’s extreme ironing,’ her father said proudly, standing to hold her mother’s hand as she stepped off the table onto a chair and from there to the floor. ‘She saw it on YouTube.’
‘Extreme ironing? Isn’t that supposed to be on the side of a mountain or something?’
‘I’m working my way up to that,’ her mother said. ‘I’m only starting.’
‘Next stop, the Sugarloaf!’ her father beamed.
‘Well,’ Miriam said tremulously, ‘maybe the Hill of Howth first. I don’t want to run before I can walk.’
For Love or Money: A laugh out loud, heartwarming romantic comedy Page 25