“Just hear me out,” he demands. “I know I have baggage. I work too many hours. I have a love life that is splattered all over the internet. I have a beautiful son who needs most of my time and an exwife who has my neck in a noose. You’ll always worry that your career is tarnished with gossip. You could go out with that Chris bloke that works for Danny and not have all this shit. I get it.” “Who’s Chris?” Mum chimes in.
I glare at her.
“But I promise no one will work harder to make you happy and love you more than me,” he continues, his eyes fixed on mine. “Just give me another chance.”
I swallow the hard lump on my throat. “When the incident with Daniel happened you just dropped me. You cut me out for days. I’m not sure I can handle the heartbreak again.”
His face falls. “I made a mistake, Elly. Holding it against me forever doesn’t help either of us.”
“What do you want from me, Tristan?”
He takes both my hands in his and pulls me against his chest. “I want everything from you. And I want to give you everything if you’ll have me.”
“Why?” I ask sadly. “I see the women that throw themselves at you. The ones in the pictures. Most of them are a cross between Mother Teresa, a Victoria’s Secret model and Einstein. Models. Fashion designers. Women at the top of their game.” And I bet none of them fall asleep on a loo some nights.
He sighs heavily and squeezes my hands. “None of them are you. Think about our future, not my past.”
“I’m a trainee who lives in a house-share who doesn’t have her shit together. And gets randomly sick every now and then. How do I know you won’t get sick of me?”
“Are you kidding?” His voice rumbles deep in his throat. “I didn’t stand a chance from the moment you stepped in front of me in that godawful bar in Mykonos. I love everything about you. Your sense of adventure. How determined, intelligent and ambitious you are, your resilience. How you always find the best in situations. I love how you protect Megan and your mum and everyone else around you. I love your relentless wisecracks that take the piss out of me, worse than Jack even. I want to build a life with you if you’ll let me. I want to be your guy when you need to get to Wales in under an hour. Or when you need to call in the heavies to get rid of brick-throwers.”
He smiles, leaning closer. “And you talk dirty to me in multiple languages. Is that enough?” I swallow hard. That’s a good starter.
“Hold on a minute,” I turn to Mum who is pretending not to hang on to every word. “You knew he was coming here, didn’t you? It’s the only reason you went up the hill.”
“Guilty.” She smiles. “And that’s the last time I’m climbing that hill, so I expect you to take him back.”
“So?” Tristan asks impatiently. “Do I need to get on my knees in the grass? Or shall I take you inside our new holiday home?” I frown, confused. “What?”
He tilts his head in the direction of the cottage. “I bought it. I wanted this to be somewhere we could enjoy together.”
My brain misfires. “You bought…the cottage?”
“Yes,” he says simply. “I know how much you loved it.” I blink, speechless.
“You know I don’t do things by half, Elly.” He cups my face with his hands. “I’ve committed to having a holiday home near your mother. That has to count for something.”
I’m gobsmacked. “How did you get the sale so quickly through the conveyancing?”
He chuckles. “That’s what you are interested in? Typical lawyer, needing to know all the facts. If you must know, I had to expedite it through a lot of effort. Well? Will you give me another chance?”
My eyes mist over. “Yes, Tristan,” I whisper as he pulls me flush to his body. Our tongues meet, and it’s desperate and feverish and tender all at the same time.
Not because of the cottage. It’s just bricks and mortar. I stare at the guy who sends me articles every day about suggestions on how to manage IBD.
A soft smile spreads across his face as he pulls back to meet my eyes. Then he pauses as if getting ready to speak. He’s nervous. “Elly, I’d like to ask you…”
My eyes widen. Oh fuck. He’s going to propose. I’m not ready for this. I love him but it’s too soon.
“…if I can cook you dinner?”
My eyes shoot to my hairline. “You are cooking?”
He smirks playfully. “Thought I’d try a stuffed leg of Welsh lamb.”
Oh shit, I’m going to have to check the local takeaways, he’ll never nail this.
I take his hand as he leads me down the lane to the cottage.
It seems I got tired of resisting Mr. Kane.
One week later
Tristan
For the first time in over a decade I work from home for an entire week, in Wales. I suspect my management team thinks I’m having some sort of breakdown since this is my first board meeting over the phone.
But nothing could tear me away from Elly right now. She had four counselling sessions but she’s still fragile. I pinch the bridge of my nose as I try to focus on the board agenda but all I can see is a topless Elly floating in the jacuzzi. Her head is tilted back, her eyes are closed, and her arms are spread wide so that those beautiful breasts can be seen bobbing up and down. I have ten minutes before the meeting finishes and I can sink into the water and sink into her. My cock grows hard in anticipation.
“What’s left on the agenda?” I ask impatiently. As if Elly senses me watching her, her eyes flicker open and she gives me a shy sexy smile. My teeth latch on to my bottom lip in frustration.
“So we have the global all-staff conference in two months. We need to think about keynote speakers.” Rebecca is talking way too slowly. “Tristan, do you have anyone in mind?”
Elly emerges from the jacuzzi dripping water all over the deck, showing off her shaven pink flesh. She looks so beautiful.
Mine.
Willing my dick to settle down, I answer Rebecca’s question. “Happy for the events team to own sourcing candidates. I’ll review the final set.” My words catch in my throat. It’s a shit response. No direction whatsoever.
Elly opens the patio door and walks purposefully towards me, leaving behind wet footprints.
I swallow hard as she comes right into my space and presses her wet chest against mine, smiling innocently up at me.
“Anything else?” I snap into my mic.
“So for the event we’ll do breakout sessions…” one of my senior partners drones on about the allstaff event. I stare at Elly. What the hell is she playing at? Now? When I’m in the board meeting?
With one smooth pull, she removes my tracksuit bottoms and boxers. My jaw tightens. Good thing it’s not a video call.
My cock juts out, oblivious to the work discussion I’m having with fifteen of my employees. Fuck, this woman will be the death of me. Here’s hoping I don’t have to make any decisions on this call.
Taking my hand, she slides two of my fingers deep into her. Damn, that feels good. So wet. So ready.
Although I’m trying to follow what the team is saying, my brain is losing the battle with my dick.