Eternally North (39 page)

Tudor seemed to go
rigid. I grabbed his arm. “Hey, I’m not running, I swear, I’m
just opening up, telling you how I feel. No secrets, remember?”

“That’s not the
problem.”

“What is it, babe?”
I asked cautiously.

He reached into his bag
beside his bed and pulled out a folded piece of A4 paper and gave it
to me to open. “It was released tonight.”

I pulled a curious, confused face
and opened the folded paper. It read:

'
Press Release on behalf of Tudor North:
A photo was leaked
to the press several weeks ago showing Tudor North with a mystery
woman. There was speculation at the time that said woman was
romantically linked to Mr. North. The claim was denied due to private
family circumstances, but he is now able to confirm that the woman in
question is his significant other. Mr. North would like to affirm
that he is in a committed and serious relationship and he requests
privacy and respect on this matter.'

I dropped the paper and
it floated to the floor.

“I called Kate
yesterday. It will have been issued to all the major entertainment
channels and public relations reps by now. I did it because I
remembered a conversation that we had that stuck with me, before we
were even together. You said that it would mean everything to you if
someone loved you so much that they would declare it for the world to
hear. Well, I thought actions would speak louder than words.”

For once in my life, I
had nothing to say. Literally nothing.

Tudor fidgeted with his
hands at my silence, seemingly doubting his statement release. “There
will be a price to pay for this, the press will want to know all
about you and they will want pictures, interviews –
oh
and a
piece of your soul,” he tried to joke, looking incredibly worried.

I shook my head. “I…
I don’t care about them, I-I just can’t believe you did that.”

He lowered his eyes and
shuffled on the mattress. “Was it wrong? Did I fuck up?”

I shifted towards him
and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Wrong? Bloody hell, I’m
speechless. I thought you wanted off the radar, not to be the bloody
bulls-eye target?”

He hunched his
shoulders. “I want everyone to know we’re together, that I belong
to you and you to me. A quiet life is nothing if I don’t have you.”

I put my hand on the
back of his head and pressed his head against mine. I whispered, “So
you were never embarrassed by me?”

He moved his hands to
my head, grabbing a fistful of my hair, tilting it back. “Are you
kidding? How could I be? I know you have this crazy notion that
you’re not good enough or don’t measure up, but the truth is
you’re out of
my
league.”

I snorted at that.
“Tudor I’m not perfect, not by any means.”

He pressed his head
back to mine, his breath fanning my skin. “No, but you’re perfect
for me.”

It was true, we were
perfect together. I just hoped we were strong enough, – no, that
I
would be strong enough – to cope with being the girlfriend of a
movie star and all that it entailed. I was about to venture into
unchartered territory, and I was as apprehensive as hell.

I woke up on the
morning of my twenty-ninth birthday and sighed as I ran my hand over
Tudor’s side of the bed; it felt cold. I hated not sleeping next to
him, snuggling into him and I was feeling a little apprehensive as to
why he had chosen to stay away the night before my birthday. He had
simply said that “he had something to do”.

Pamela and Boleyn were
now in Toronto at the retreat, so I knew it wasn’t for their
benefit. I thoroughly believed that we had sorted through our secrecy
issues, but something was up with him. I could just smell it.

I tried to quell my
worries and jumped in the shower, dressed in the cutest grey knitted
sweater mini-dress and tights, did my hair and slapped on my make-up.

Just as I was applying
the last coat of mascara, my bedroom door opened and in he walked –
the reason for my existence (and recent splurge at Victoria’s
Secret), dressed in jeans, a white muscle T-shirt, jeans and white
beanie hat with Tink, who I assumed had let him into the condo.

Tink walked to where I
sat, leaving Tudor to stand back at the door and sang, “Happy
birthday, my pork-flavoured soul-mate!” as he handed me a large
birthday bag with my name written in pink glitter glue across the
front.

I opened the bag and
pulled out the present – it was heavy and long. I raised a
suspicious eyebrow imagining a black mambo Dildo or something worse
and he rolled his eyes.

“Just open it!”

I tore off the paper and read the
homemade label,

‘
Aged
Virgin Sunflower Oil’

I bit my lip in
wonder... what the hell?

I heard a snicker and
looked up to my obviously tickled best friend who was laughing,
holding his belly.

“I don’t get it?”
I stated looking first at Tink and then at Tudor who was wearing a
similar expression of confusion.

Tink placed his hands
on his hips sporting a seriously ticked-off look upon his heavily
made-up face. “You don’t get it?
You
don't get it?
I
don’t get it! Everyone keeps harping on at you about sunflowers and
sunshine and any other sun-related shit, and quite frankly I wanna
put those comments where the
Sun. Don’t. Shine!
Our condo
looks like a fookin’ farmers field half the time and my allergies’
are at an all-time high! My eyes are red and itchy twenty-four-seven,
I’m wheezing like a chubster on a treadmill, but does anyone care,
no
, because Tash is bright and warm and we need reminding of
it every bloody second of every bloody day! So there you have it, my
contribution to the friggin’ Wilbur Sunflower Movement!”

I held in my giggle at
Tinks outburst. Tudor across the room, hung his head, knowing full
well it was to him whom Tink was referring.

I moved us on quickly.
“
Okay
… thanks, chuck. I’ll use this for our Sunday
morning fry-ups!”

He nodded smugly and
with that made his exit from the room. “I’ll see you later,
sausage when you have birthday fucked your man!” he said slapping
Tudor on the back in encouragement before he firmly closed the door
leaving me with my man.

I rose from the chair
and made my way across to where Tude stood. With each step my heart
began to beat faster from both apprehension and the fact that I was
nearly hyperventilating at how handsome he looked.

When I was mere steps
from him he sprung forward and lifted me up, spinning me around.
“Happy Birthday, Sunshine!” he sang.

I giggled at his
playful mood and wrapped my hands around his neck, kissing his cheek.
“Someone’s feeling happy,” I teased.

The smile on his face
was blinding. “Mmm-hmm. I come bearing gifts.” He released me to
the floor and gestured for me to sit on the bed. I did so, just
enjoying this side of Tudor’s personality.

“Okay, just before we
begin,” he said and captured my face in his hands moving in for a
not-so-innocent-kiss. He pulled back, causing me to huff in
disappointment. “I missed you last night, gorgeous, too God-damned
much. I can no longer sleep without you beside me.”

I blushed. “Me too,
babes.”

He clapped his hands
together. “Okay. Presents.” He walked back to a bag he had placed
down on the floor. “First...” He pulled out a box and I gasped
when I saw the name
Tiffany & co.

He handed me the large
blue box seeming a little embarrassed. “I feel a bit of a dick now,
after what Tink has just said but, here.” I took it from him and
opened the lid, holding my breath.

I drew back in shock.
Inside, on a white silk pillow, was the most breathtaking pendant I
had ever seen. The necklace cord was made of thick white gold and
hanging from it was a diamond-encrusted sunflower – yellow diamond
for the petals and garnet and onyx for the centre. My hands began to
shake as I tried to take it out.

Tudor moved them aside
and pulled it from its silk cushion. “Here, let me.”

I dropped the delicate
chain into his outstretched hands, and he opened the clasp and placed
it around my neck. I took Tudor’s face and kissed him slowly. “I
love it, babes.”

He brushed the tip of
my nose with his lips. “Open it.”

“What?”

He released a chuckle.
“It’s a locket, open it up.”

I fiddled with the
clasp, hidden behind the delicate yellow diamond leaves, and I lifted
the top to reveal a photo of Tudor and me. I turned the locket to
study the picture and turned to him in surprise.

He shrugged. “My
mother took it at our house that night we had dinner. I didn’t know
she even had it until I bought this for you. She thought it would
look nice inside. She wanted me to see how I was with you, how I
looked at you and how everyone else can see how you’ve changed me.
I thought it was a perfect fit.”

It
was
perfect.
In the picture, I was on Tudor’s lap and our heads were touching,
smiling contentedly, caught just after a kiss. I had always thought
Tudor was ridiculously out of my league, but looking at that picture
of us, at the couple in love, I thought we looked perfect – maybe
he was right after all.

Tudor beamed a smile
and wiped the tears from my eyes with his thumb. “Now even when
we’re apart, you’ll always have me close.” I snapped the locket
shut and noticed script on the back:
‘You are my sunshine’

“Okay, and now for
the main gift.”

My mouth gaped in
shock. “Tudor, this is enough. I don’t need anything else.”

He didn’t reply but
instead began to strip. Yep, strip, like a live showing of
Magic
Mike
in my bedroom.

“Tudor, What-?” My
ability to speak drew to a halt as his shirt and trousers hit the
cream-coloured carpet. My gaze zeroed in. No, not where you’re
thinking! Okay, maybe I did peruse his lovely disco-stick somewhat,
but that is not what had me sweating.

I gasped, and my wide
eyes flew back to his.

He scrunched up his
nose and bit his bottom lip with nerves. "Surprise! I flew to
Vancouver yesterday to my artist. I just arrived back a couple of
hours ago."

Low on his hip,
opposite to his already body-long tribal tattoo, was a large black
Maori sun, clear in the centre with thick black solar flares draping
over his lower torso, set off just to his right.

"A sun?" I
asked in awe.

He nodded, a shy smile
ghosting on his lips.

"For me? You flew
all the way to Vancouver and back in a day to do this for
me
?"
I whispered.

"For you,
Sunshine," he whispered back, whilst moving to stand before me
and stroking my cheek with his finger.

Phew!
Forget
oysters, forget Viagra, and forget chocolate – okay, not chocolate,
let's not get carried away – the best aphrodisiac, the best turn on
in the world, is when your man brands himself with ink just for you.
You may not all agree, and each to their own, but for me,
'Oh,
Mamma Mia!'

I suddenly recalled our
conversation in the hot tub when Tudor had declared that he hadn’t
got tattoos on his right side because he had
‘been saving it for
someone special, a blank canvas just for them.’

Was I that someone
special? I studied Tudor’s contented and happy face, and he nodded
to my inner question, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

Without any warning, I
pounced on him. I started at his head, placing kisses all the way
down his fine body. He sucked in a breath when I got down to his
stomach, perched on my knees and made a play for his 'V', that was
now smothered with a sun just for me, his ‘someone special’ with
my hot, hungry mouth.

I jumped up in record
time, rid myself of my dress, faced Tudor and clothes-lined him to
the bed. I began to maul him – pure, unadulterated ravishing. I had
gone full nympho on his fine ass!

I licked around the
ridges of hard muscle and ‘my’ tattoo which made him squirm and
hiss. "Fuck!"

Encouraged, I sucked
down harder and crept up his skin with my fingers; he burst out in
laughter and curled into a protective ball. I had learned before now
that a certain Mr. North couldn't take a good tickle, and I ended up
laughing with him at how he begged me to stop – my tattooed muscle
bad boy was now my ticklish little baby!

I crawled back over him
slowly, hands on either side of his head, and he brushed a piece of
my hair behind my ear. "Natasha Munro, are you trying to seduce
me?"

I pressed my lips to
his, stopping just long enough to say in a low, raspy voice, "Hell
yeah, is it working?"

He roared and flipped
me on my back. "Oh, it's working!" he rushed out.

"Yeah for me!"
I clapped.

Within minutes we were
joined, all politeness and tenderness gone, and passion and lust
all-consuming. Tudor rolled on his back, forcing me to be on top –
his favourite position, his hands full with my breasts. I controlled
every move, and he surrendered willingly to my demands. His breath
became uneven as he kept rhythm with our ever-increasing moans, and
with one final thrust we bellowed mutual screams of release.

Exhausted, I collapsed
on him, and he announced quietly, "Happy birthday, Sunshine."

I worked my hips back
and forth, making him groan and grip the headboard. "And here’s
to many, many more." I murmured, seductively.

He replied with
certainty in his eyes, "
Definitely
many, many more!"
We were no longer talking about my birthday.

He reached up to take
my face in his hands and ran his tongue along my bottom lip. "I
love you Natasha Munro, so, so much."
Kiss.
"Thank
you for saving me."
Kiss.