Eternally North (26 page)

He lowered his lids
shyly, before peeking over his lashes hesitantly to meet my eyes.
"‘Beneath Your Beautiful’."

I opened my mouth but
nothing came out.

"Yours?" he
asked, grinning.

I whispered, "The
same. You know that."

He placed a hand on the
back of my head to pull me in for a kiss.

I grinned against his
mouth. "That
is
why you had it as your ringtone, isn’t
it?"

He nodded.

"Then why did you
get so angry at the pond when we went skating? You were so cold and
horrible to me. If you liked me, why didn't you just say so? We could
have avoided all the shit that followed."

Tudor stared at me for
what felt like an eternity, and I couldn't read his expression. Was
he mad, upset, pissed off that I'd brought it up?

He rubbed his lips
together. "Tash, the truth is that I didn't want you to know I
liked you,
how
much I liked you. Relationships are not good
for me at the moment, but I could not get you out of my head, and
after this I know I never will. I've never had someone affect me like
you do."

He grimaced as if in
pain, dragging in shallow breaths. "I can't believe I was such
an ass to you though, I wish I could just go back in time and take it
all back."

Me too!

I sighed and nodded in
agreement. “So you did have the ringtone because you liked me?"

"Yes. Every time I
played it, it made me think of you, and that night, holding you,
laughing with you… caring for you. It was like nothing I had ever
experience before. I couldn’t get you out of my head."

He kissed just below my
ear and continued. "It was that night you know, after your
accident, when I realised how
much
I liked you. No-one has
ever made me feel like this. I can't explain it. I just want you so
much that it physically hurts."

I embraced him tightly,
wrapping my arms and legs around him like a spider monkey. “You
don't need to explain it. I feel the same way too."

He regarded me over shy
eyes. "Really?"

I kissed his nose.
"Really."

"Well come here
then, I want to see how you taste.”

“Tudor, you’ve
kissed me a million times by now, you know how I taste.”

His eyebrows danced
villainously. “Not everywhere I don’t.”

He picked me up as if I
weighed nothing and pushed me back against the hot tub wall,
balancing my backside and holding my hips up on the ledge. He started
kissing me on my mouth and continued travelling south. I sucked in a
breath as he reached the bottom of my stomach.

I think I can probably
leave the rest to your own imagination,
but
let’s just say,
I found out that night that Tudor would have made a fantastic
synchronised swimmer!

“Wake up, sleeping
beauty.”

I roused from my deep
sleep to see Tudor towering over me in only his black Calvin Klein
boxer briefs, holding a tray filled with scrambled eggs on toast, a
huge cup of steaming-hot coffee and a clipped-to-size sunflower in a
small, pink vase.

I cast a shy smile.
“Morning, babes. What's all this?”

Tudor leaned down and
pecked a kiss on the top of my head. “This, Sunshine, is breakfast
in bed. A thoroughly deserved one too. And I like that you call me
babes," he grinned and winked.

I sat up, letting the
duvet fall to my waist, proudly showing off the goods, and took the
flower from its vase to smell. “Where did you get this?”

He dropped down on the
bed and ran a finger across my neck. “I had to pop out to get some
eggs and I got you these. The rest are out there for you in a vase.”
He pointed over his shoulder to the living room.

I gave him a brief
thank-you kiss and stretched my arms high, easing the cricks from my
overused body, and glanced to the window, noticing that it was still
early and the sun was still rising.

My eyes squinted at the
blindingly-bright glare. “What time is it?”

He shrugged his
shoulders. “About eight a.m.”

My mouth dropped in
disbelief. “Then why the heck are we up? We didn’t even get to
bed until after three this morning!”

He just pursed his lips
and waggled his eyebrows at me. We had spent most of the previous
night in the hot tub, lazing and talking, finding out more little
details about one another and just ignoring the real world for a
little while. At around one in the morning, we had grown hungry and
made some pancakes and brought them back to bed. I giggled quietly as
I looked over to the bedside cabinet at the half-eaten midnight
snack, blushing at the memory of why it had never been finished. I
ran my hand down to my stomach, still sticky from the maple syrup,
and smiled at the
9 ½ weeks
-esque direction the night had
taken.

Tudor, noticing my
train of thought, shuffled down the bed and lapped at the residue on
my belly. “Mmm… still delicious, and definitely something we will
do again.”

That snapped me out of
my trance. “Up, now, my body cannot take any more.” I tried to
move his humongous shoulders off my over-sexed body and failed,
badly.

He crawled back up,
lying flush over me, nuzzling my neck. “Fine. I’m giving you
today to recover, but tonight you’re mine again.”

“Tudor, you haven’t
been home in days, and as much as I am enjoying you being here, I’m
better now and you don’t have to stay twenty-four-seven. Plus, I
can't have any more sex, I'm exhausted! I would like to be able to
walk at school on Monday morning!"

He braced his arms and
moved to look at me, a little put out. “I called in at home this
morning when I was out getting food, everything is good, so if you
would like, I could stay one more night. You know, just until Tink
gets back?”

He looked so hopeful.

I grinned at his cute,
puppy-dog face. “Oh, okay then, if you
must!
”

He moved in for a
not-so-innocent kiss, and after several seconds his hands started
roaming south into naughty places.

I pushed him back. “Oi!
Sex fiend!
NO!
”

He sighed loudly for
effect and rolled over, adjusting himself with one hand and covering
his eyes with the other. “Today, Tash, that’s all you’re
getting. Then it’s on,” he muttered, obviously in sexual pain. I
had to smile to myself. I loved the impact I had on him.

I reached for the tray
of food and tucked in. Tudor lay still for a while, huffing away his
frustration, and after he had got over his not-so-little ‘trouser
tent’ – or should it be marquee? – problem, got up and wandered
into the front room. Seconds later he came back in, holding out my
diamante-covered pink phone.

I took it from him and
checked the screen, nothing. I checked the list of missed calls,
emails and messages, nada. Tudor was standing to the side of the bed,
all serious-looking, arms crossed tightly over his chest. I looked
back at him in confusion.

He rubbed his hand over
his stubbly chin. “You need to make a call or a text, preferably.”

“I do?” I asked.

He nodded his head with
attitude. “You need to cancel your
date
.”

“Oh shit. Gage!” I
launched upright, putting my hand on my head. He ground his teeth
together at the mention of Gage's name.

Wait a bloody
second!

I pushed my tray away
and sat up on my knees, facing Mr. Moody-arse, not even bothered that
I was stark naked. “Is that why we’re up so early on a Sunday
morning?” I asked, slightly annoyed but also kind of proud of
myself for foiling his plan.

He read my pissed-off
tone right and pouted –
yes
, pouted, like an overgrown
three-year-old. He spoke without looking up. “I couldn’t sleep
knowing that you had agreed to be with me as my girlfriend and yet
your date was still planned for today. It made me… uncomfortable.
I'm not used to feeling like this and I don't like it,” he mumbled
and began kicking the carpet.

I tried to be angry,
but the six-foot-three hulk of brawn looked too cute, and I kind of
liked that he felt so jealous. I held out my hand. “Come here.”

He moved as quickly as
a snake, tackled me onto the bed and into my awaiting arms.

I kissed his head
patronisingly. “Poor Tudor, do you have a case of the green-eyed
monster?”

He narrowed his eyes.
“Would you like it if I was meeting another woman today for coffee
after we had just made love?”

Made love. Not had
sex, but made love.

I locked still, he
pulled a smug grin – he knew he'd got me.

“Pass me the phone.”
I held out my hand and he dropped it into my awaiting palm.

He huffed in victory. I
flicked through the numbers and pressed the call button on Gage’s
name. Tudor wrapped his arms around my waist, laying his head on my
sticky stomach.

Gage answered on the
third ring. “Natasha! I was just thinking about you. I was
wondering when you would be awake for me to call.”

He sounded happy. I
knew Tudor could hear both sides of the conversation by the tensing
of his arms around my middle.

I cleared my throat.
“Hi Gage, I hope you’re okay?”

“I’m great knowing
I’m seeing you today.”

I winced, and Tudor
growled, like actually growled. I looked down in surprise and shook
my head in disbelief at his strange reaction.

“Erm, yeah about
that…”

“
Oh
… I see,
this is a letdown call, isn’t it? You’re not coming for coffee?”
he sounded absolutely deflated.

I felt so bad, if
things hadn’t… escalated last night with Tudor, I’d have most
definitely gone today. “Well, it’s just, last night I saw an…
old…
friend
, and well, we have decided to try to see if we
can be more than just platonic. I don’t think coffee today with you
would be appropriate now, given this new development.” I winced
once more. Tudor relaxed and feathered kisses along my skin.

Gage sighed. “Okay,
damn…” He let out a single disappointed laugh. “I should have
made the coffee date for earlier in the week, shouldn’t I? Or spoke
to you back in September.”

“I’m sorry, Gage.
If it’s any consolation, I was looking forward to it.”

I let out a sudden
whoosh of breath as Tudor gripped me tightly, knocking the wind right
out of me.

“Me too, Natasha,
I’ve been excited all week, but I guess life doesn’t always give
you what you want, eh?”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Me too. I guess I’ll
just see you around.”

“‘Bye, Gage.”

“‘Bye, Natasha.”

I was about to hang up
when Gage spoke again, “Natasha?” he shouted so I would hear him.

“Yeah?”

“If it doesn’t work
out with your old friend, give me a call. My offer’s an open
invitation for you.”

I was touched by the
sentiment but the warm feeling was interrupted when Tudor growled
again.

Seriously, who
growls?

“I’ll keep that in
mind. ‘Bye for now.” I rushed out.

I pressed ‘end’ on
the call and sat in silence, upset that Gage was feeling so low.

Tudor jumped up
suddenly and grasped my face in his hands, swooping in for a frantic
kiss. “Do you think we will last?” he blurted out anxiously, his
lips still connected to mine.

What the hell?

I reared back and
peered into his worried eyes. “I-I don’t know Tudor, we’ve only
just got together. Why?” I rubbed my hand over my face. “What do
you think?” I asked, my nerves now starting to unravel at his
random line of questioning.

He slumped opposite me
and grabbed my hands in both of his. “I don’t know, Tash. But
what I do know is that I’ll fight for you, no matter what happens.
Do you understand? We may have only just got together, but I have
never felt this way about anyone. I just can’t wait to be with you,
can’t wait to be more to you that what I am now, to have figured us
out. To have you forever.”

I pulled my hands from
his hold and placed them both on his face, pulling him in close,
tying to find answers in his skittish eyes. “Hey, where is all of
this coming from? I’ve never seen you like this before. You’re
worrying me.”

His sudden panic over
our very new relationship status was slightly unnerving to say the
least. I would not have expected such a strong reaction from him over
a call from a potential date, not at this early stage. If I’m
honest, it was all a bit overwhelming.

Tudor’s face was
strained in tension, his eyes squeezing closed and his skin was
growing moist under my palms, his hands low on my hips, grasping me
close.

“Tudor, babes, calm
down, everything’s okay. We will work it out as we go along…
don’t worry yourself over nothing, it’ll be easy.” I shrugged
my shoulders, trying to reassure him that it all would work out.

He huffed out a dry
laugh. “Easy! Being with me is not going to be easy, Tash. I’m
always travelling; my fans, or
‘Tudor-Chicks’
as they call
themselves can be crazy; the media always makes shit up. I’m
possessive and at times get angry and I have so much going on in my
life, it will be anything but easy. What if I lose you? What if you
decide you can’t deal with all my baggage? You won’t put up with
it, will you? You’ll eventually see I’m not worth the trouble.
You’ll cut me loose.”

I considered what he
said. Could I do this? I at least wanted to try. To me, he
was
worth it, but it was clear there were some big things going on in his
life that I couldn’t understand and were making him act this way.
Why was he so insecure? He had it all: looks, fame and money. Why had
he done a complete U-turn from a cool, sullen and strong guy to a
trembling mess after a little phone call?

I stood up putting an
end to the charade. “I’m going in the shower, and then we’re
going out.”