The Complete Memories Series (19 page)

‘‘Because I’m likely to find it sexy as fuck and you won’t be leaving my bedroom for a long, long time.’’ He winks at me and tugs me along the road. I smirk to myself.

There’s my afternoon accounted for.

~

Alec’s room is a midnight blue, from the carpet to the walls to his bedspread. It suits him. It’s dark, dangerous, and a place you could easily lose yourself in. I look around and notice the pictures of us pinned to the wall.

I run my finger down one of them, of us when we had the ice cream on our faces.

‘‘I love this picture,’’ I say. ‘‘It’s my favourite.’’

‘‘And mine.’’ He smiles at me over his shoulder and pushes his door closed.

‘‘Won’t your mum be home soon?’’

He shakes his head. ‘‘She’s spending the day with her friends in Barnstaple, so I’ll see her around lunchtime tomorrow.’’

‘‘Oh.’’ I ignore his flirtatious look and turn back to the pictures. He sweeps hair from the left side of my neck away and wraps his arms around my waist from behind. His lips touch my skin, red hot, branding him to me. I squirm and wriggle in his hold.

‘‘Is that all you ever think about?’’ I tease.

‘‘No....’’ He nips my ear. ‘‘Right now, I’m thinking about what you bought today.’’

‘‘Is that so? Well, you won’t find it by nibbling on my neck.’’ I laugh.

He sighs dramatically and presses one last kiss to my shoulder before letting me go. ‘‘There goes today’s fantasy.’’

I poke his side. ‘‘You’re such a sex pest.’’

‘‘A sex pest?’’ His stormy eyes twinkle from beneath his hair and his lips curl up at each side. ‘‘A sex pest?’’

‘‘Yes.’’ I hold in my giggle. ‘‘One time, and you just want more.’’ I remember Jen’s words. ‘‘You do have a right hand, you know.’’

He laughs. ‘‘But when I have a stupidly sexy girlfriend like you, why would I want to use my right hand? I mean, Princess, come on. You’ve seen yourself in the mirror.’’ He grabs my waist and pulls my hips towards his. ‘‘You’ve seen this body, the curves that fit in my hands perfectly, right?’’

My nails graze his front as I run my hands up his chest. ‘‘Funnily enough I see it every day.’’ I turn my head and whisper into his ear. My hand holds his neck so his ear stays by my lips. ‘‘But what about me, Alec, hm? What do I do when I have you?’’

‘‘You just want my dimples,’’ he breathes in my ear.

‘‘You caught me out.’’ I press my lips against his ear. ‘‘But what about if it’s not the dimples on your face I’m after?’’

‘‘Who are you, and what have you done with my girlfriend?’’ he whispers, running a hand through my hair. My head tilts back and he kisses down the middle of it to my collarbones. He sucks lightly.

‘‘Alec,’’ I say softly. ‘‘You’re insatiable.’’

He chuckles and I right my head as he steps away, kicking off his shoes. ‘‘And you still have to show me what you bought. You’re probably still sore from yesterday so I want to give you a chance to settle before I show you what sex really is. Before I make love to you the way I want to.’’

My breathing hitches and I nod once. ‘‘It might be a good idea if I don’t show you what I bought then...’’

‘‘Why?’’ He looks back up. ‘‘What did you buy, Princess?’’

She turns her back to me and slides the shoulder of her top down. She peels away some of a dressing, revealing a heart shaped tattoo with lines through it, dots on the side. She glances over her shoulder and one side of her mouth curls up slightly. I can feel my lids get heavy as they take in the tattoo.

I steps towards her slowly and she breathes in.

“Princess,” I growl, pinching her top with my finger and thumb. “It’s a good idea if you pull that up, because that’s seriously testing my resolve.”

I pat down the dressing and slide the material over her shoulder and my fingertip grazes her skin. She swallows and I can see her pulse racing in her neck.

My eyes are fixed on his as they become a swirling mass of molten blue and grey, a moment frozen in time.

Alec spins me round and my back pushes against the wall. His lips meet mine, his kiss hot and desperate. His hands slide down my arms, my waist, cupping my hips. I grip his arms, pulling his body against mine as I return the kiss.

Hands slip down to my bare thighs and grip them. He lifts me, my legs wrap around his waist, his hands cup me behind pushing my body against his.

My hands slide down his back and tug his top up and I break the kiss to lift it over his head. My lips claim his again, my fingers wrap themselves in his hair.

My top rises up my stomach and my bare skin touches his for a second igniting red hot need between us.

“Get it off. I want to kiss every last inch of your beautiful skin,” Alec orders in a husky voice. “All of it, Princess. Off. Now.”

I slide it over my head and my skin sticks to his. I can feel every muscle in his body as one of his hands spread across my back sending tingles to hidden places. He pulls me from the wall and drops me on the bed next to us.

His lips leave mine and trace a gentle line down my jaw, leaving the fiery kisses for my neck and collarbone.

I gasp as he slides his hand down my front, his fingertips barely grazing my skin yet still sending electricity to every part of my body, his lips never leaving me.

I move my legs and hook my toes into the waistband of his jeans, pushing them down his legs. Alec steps out of them and looks down at me through heavy eyes. He’s panting slightly and I wanna grab him, grab him, rip off any material separating us and pull him right into me.

“You,” he kisses my neck, “are,” collarbone, “so,” chest, “beautiful,” stomach. I close my eyes.

He slides my skirt and undies off in one smooth motion. I feel his weight on top of me a minute later and I grip his back, pushing my heels into his ass as he moves inside me.

“Alec,” I gasp, need filling me in a sweaty, hot burst.

He kisses me, his tongue tracing gentle circles in my mouth. One arm wraps around my back pushing my hips closer to him, him further into me. I hold his back tighter as we move together and I arch my body.

“Mine,” he whispers heavily in my ear.

“Yours,” I breathe back and mumble out a moan.

“Always.” He nips my earlobe, a direct line to my lower stomach. My muscles clench.

I press my mouth to his neck, my breathing a crazy rhythm that matches the movement of our bodies.

And I know.

I know a part of me will always be his.

“Yours. Always.”

I never imagined the first time I woke in a guy’s bed would feel how it does. I pull the covers tighter under my chin and snuggle back into Alec’s chest. His hand spreads out on my stomach and he kisses my shoulder blade.

‘‘Good morning, beautiful,’’ he says in a deeper, huskier voice.

‘‘Good morning.’’ I smile and roll over, my head tucking into his neck. Our legs tangle.

‘‘Did you sleep well?’’

‘‘Hmm... I’d say so,’’ I joke.

‘‘Good.’’ He kisses my forehead. ‘‘I told you if you got a tattoo you wouldn’t be leaving my room for a while.’’

I smile into his neck and kiss him gently. ‘‘You were right.’’

He sighs and runs a hand down my back. ‘‘It’s raining.’’

‘‘Is it?’’ I tilt my head up and look at him.

‘‘You sound surprised about that.’’ He smirks.

‘‘I wanted some rain.’’ I shrug. ‘‘There’s only so much sun a person can take.’’

‘‘You take it pretty well though.’’ He lifts the covers and runs his eyes over my body. ‘‘Fuck, I forgot you were still naked.’’

He drops the cover and rolls onto his back. ‘‘Wrap yourself in that quilt tightly, Princess, or there isn’t a chance in hell of us seeing anything than the other side of these sheets today.’’

My mouth opens and closes before I do as I’m told. ‘‘Where are you going?’’

‘‘For a cold shower.’’ He gets up, still naked himself. And, um... I understand the term ‘morning glory’ now, cause damn, it definitely
is
glorious.

‘‘Lexy,’’ he growls. I snap my eyes back up to his face.

‘‘Sorry.’’

He looks at the door then back at me. He jumps back onto the bed and grabs the quilt, unravelling me. He straddles me and I raise a questioning eyebrow.

‘‘I’m pretty sure the shower will still be there in half an hour.’’

~

‘‘It was nice of Alec to stop by and pick you up some clothes,’’ Grammy says across the table. ‘‘You must have got caught in that rain last night pretty bad if they still weren’t dry this morning.’’

‘‘Something like that.’’ I smile at her and I know she’s caught me out.

‘‘I sure hope he looked after you.’’ Grammy goes on. ‘‘I’d hate for you to get a cold.’’

I hand her the packet of seeds and fight my smile. ‘‘He’s pretty good at looking after me.’’

‘‘Oh.’’ She waggles her eyebrows once. ‘‘I bet he’s really good at looking after you.’’

I stick my tongue out the side of my mouth and smile. ‘‘He heats a mean can of tomato soup.’’

‘‘Did he get it hot enough?’’ she enquires innocently.

‘‘Yep.’’ I look at her seriously. ‘‘And he got just the right amount of butter on my bread.’’

Grammy’s eyes widen and she half-gasps, half-laughs at me. ‘‘Alexis Mae Edwards!’’ she manages, her hand to her chest.

‘‘What?’’ I twirl my hair around my finger and pass her another pack of seeds. ‘‘You asked, Grammy. I was just letting you know he looked after me fine. You know I like butter on my bread.’’

She studies me for a second before her pale pink lips break into a grin.

‘‘I bet he really rocks it in the bedroom, huh? Fred Flintstone, move on over. Hubba hubba!’’ Grammy wiggles her body in the seat and I do a double-take.

‘‘Well, just come right on out with it, Grammy,’’ I sputter. ‘‘It’s a good job Mum’s not around. She’d go into cardiac arrest. She thinks I was at Jen’s.’’

‘‘No, Lexy girl. She thinks you think she thinks you were at Jen’s. Really, she doesn’t want you to know that she knows that you were practising for the creation of the next generation at Alec’s. But now you know she knows we can all live peacefully.’’

‘‘There were way too many thinks and knows in that, Gram.’’ I shake my head. ‘‘But I’m not creating anything.’’

‘‘Oh, I bet you are, darling.’’ Grammy carries on potting absently. ‘‘I might be sixty-eight, but I can tell you when a guy is a looker and on a scale of one to ten, Alec has broken the chart. Phew.’’ She fans her face. ‘‘And that’s just when he walks into a room. He’s like a walking radiator he’s so damn hot.’’

‘‘I don’t know if I should be agreeing with you, or smiling and nodding while pretending I’m not incredibly disturbed by this conversation,’’ I state.

‘‘Probably both,’’ Grammy admits.

‘‘Yeah, that’s kinda what I was thinking.’’

Grammy holds her hand out for more seeds. ‘‘Anyway, as I was saying...’’

‘‘I’m just a poor boy, nobody loves meeeee!’’ Bing sings at the top of his voice, walking into the kitchen.

‘‘Shut up, boy!’’ Gram throws a winter flower bulb at the back of his head and it bounces off.

‘‘What was that for?’’ My brother turns with an indignant look. ‘‘You, Grammy, dearest, are looking at next year’s Xfactor winner.’’

‘‘The only thing you’re likely to win is a trip to the dump wi’ my broken windows!’’ She cackles. ‘‘You might be a looker, my boy, but you sure as hell ain’t a singer.’’

‘‘You know, some people might take offence to your words, Gram.’’ He pours a glass of orange juice.

I get up and cross the kitchen. ‘‘Yeah, but since you know it’s true, you won’t.’’ I smirk and grab the glass before he can. ‘‘Thanks for the juice, by the way.’’

Bing glares at me and I smile sweetly.

‘‘I hear a certain little lady didn’t come home last night.’’ He pours another glass.

‘‘What’s it to you? I’m an adult now.’’ I retort.

‘‘I just wanna know if I need to kick ass.’’

‘‘Why?’’ I sit back at the table. ‘‘Are you not getting any?’’ I look at Gram. ‘‘It was the boxers. Good shout, Grammy.’’

She holds her hand up and I high-five her.

‘‘I’m still getting some,’’ Bing grumbles.

‘‘Yeah, but how far are you travelling for it?’’ I raise my eyebrows.

‘‘You know, Bing, you could do with finding yourself a nice young girl to settle down with. Would it kill you, really? You can’t live the ‘wham, bam thank you ma’am’ lifestyle forever. I know you might fancy yourself it, but you ain’t no Hugh Hefner,’’ Gram mentions. I snort and look at my brother’s shocked face.

‘‘Any idea when the men in white coats are coming?’’ he asks me.

‘‘Not a clue,’’ I respond without missing a beat. ‘‘But they’re coming to take you to nympho rehab, not for Grammy.’’

Grammy holds her hand up one more and I high-five her again.

‘‘She got my wit, boyo, so you’re better off quitting while you’re still ten miles behind,’’ she chuckles. ‘‘If you ever manage to catch up, bring Vino.’’

I duck my head as I smile and I hear Bing make a ‘pfft’ sound. He puts the glass on the side and leaves the room.

‘‘I love winding him up,’’ Grammy sniggers. ‘‘It’s so easy to do.’’

I grin over at her and she claps her hands off, standing up. ‘‘Let’s go and put these pots in the garden.’’

~

Rain beats down for two days solid. Grammy’s happy because her garden is getting a good watering, and I’m happy because last night’s storm got rid of the horrible muggy air that was hanging around. I’m not happy because I’ve been cooped up inside for those two days and I’m going stir crazy.

It’s testament to how much six weeks in Devon has changed me. I’m craving the outdoors, the fresh, salty air. Hell, I’m even craving the hideous smell of cow poo.

Yeah, it’s like that now.

I scroll down my Facebook news feed, boredom emanating from me. I never realised how full of bullshit my life was in London. All it was was partying, shopping and probably way too much bitching. A part of me... Doesn’t want to go back.

I sigh and shut down the laptop, wondering if there’s any way I can transfer universities. I know there’s one in Exeter and one in Plymouth. I’d love to spend more time with Grammy... And it would mean I wouldn’t have to really leave Alec.

I sigh again as Dad walks in.

‘‘What’s up, sweetheart?’’ he asks, stopping by the table.

‘‘Just thinking.’’ I smile up at him and look outside. The rain has stopped now. ‘‘Dad?’’

‘‘Hello?’’ He puts the kettle on.

‘‘What if I changed unis? Could I go to Exeter or Plymouth?’’

He narrows his eyes thoughtfully. ‘‘Of course you could. But, Lexy, why? Is it because of Alec?’’

I twist some hair between my fingers and examine it for split ends. ‘‘Mostly for Grammy, but yeah, a bit, I guess.’’

‘‘I didn’t realise it was that serious,’’ he folds his arms.

‘‘How did you and Mum do it?’’ I look at him. ‘‘You went to uni, right? How did you make it work?’’

He smiles fondly and I can see the love shining from his eyes. ‘‘She followed me. Even if she didn’t, I would have followed her to where she wanted to go. We were so in love, still are, that we would have followed each other to the ends of the earth and back a million times.’’

‘‘Then you get it.’’

‘‘Get what?’’ His lips twitch.

I look down at the table. ‘‘Why I don’t want to leave.’’

‘‘What if he’d go to London after you?’’

‘‘I wouldn’t ask him to do that. This is his home, Daddy. He’s too surfer boy for London.’’ I smirk at the thought of Alec living in the city. ‘‘No, I’d never ask him to leave his home for me. I know he wouldn’t be happy in London. I’d rather leave without him than force him into something he doesn’t want to do.’’

‘‘Let me see what I can do,’’ Dad says. I glance up. ‘‘I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out about switching.’’

I beam at him. ‘‘You’re the best, Daddy.’’

He winks at me and takes his coffee from the room.

A knock from the glass doors startles me and I jump in my seat. With my hand to my chest, I turn to see Alec stood there grinning. I glare at him, ignoring how incredibly, ridiculously, swoon-worthy he looks when he is soaking wet from the rain. Especially when he has a white t-shirt on.

I get up and slide the door open, leaning against it. ‘‘Can I help you?’’

His stormy eyes look me over and I smirk.

‘‘You most certainly can,’’ he flirts, stepping closer. ‘‘First though, I’d appreciate it if you could stop being so beautiful because I don’t know how much more my heart can take.’’

‘‘Oh, how he flatters me,’’ I tease.

‘‘You make me go weak at the knees with one flutter of those amazingly long lashes.’’ He steps forward again.

‘‘You.’’ I look up at him and smile. ‘‘Are the cheesiest guy in the history of the world. But it’s okay, cause I kinda like it.’’ I grab his shirt and lean up for a kiss.

‘‘Well if that’s all it takes for a kiss, how many more lines for a trip to bed?’’ He winks and I roll my eyes.

‘‘Let’s see. A bunch of flowers, a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, and a night to drool over Taylor Lautner without any jealous, snarky comments.’’ I tick each one off my fingers.

‘‘Oh, she fancies herself a comedian.’’ Alec sighs dramatically and I laugh. He holds out his hand. ‘‘How about a walk on the beach then?’’

‘‘That I can do, I suppose.’’ I slide my hand into his and he locks our fingers together. I push the door shut and we head towards the coastal path leading to the Bay. The rain holds off as we walk in silence, the only sounds the crashing of the waves.

I love the comfortable silences between us. So many words are said with so little and it’s when I feel myself falling even deeper, if it’s possible. The silence is natural, like it’s supposed to be there.

He puts his hands on my waist and lifts me over the small gate onto the sand. He puts me down right in front of him and I touch his cheek softly. So many unsaid things pass between us, so many things understood by both of us.

He half-smiles and kisses my forehead before pulling me along to the rocks. The sand is horrible, wet and sloppy from all the rain. I climb up onto the rock ahead of him and he stands in front of me, his hands creeping slowly up my thighs.

‘‘What?’’ I ask him with a small smile.

‘‘I just...’’ He chuckles. ‘‘Nothing. Nothing.’’

I smile at him, confused, and he shrugs.

‘‘Oh, Princess,’’ he sighs. ‘‘I’m pretty damn glad you came here for the summer, you know?’’

‘‘I’m still deciding if I’m glad or not,’’ I joke.

‘‘Hey.’’ He pokes his tongue out and I poke it, laughing. ‘‘Oi!’’ He laughs.

I wrinkle my face and kiss the tip of his nose.

Rain begins to drop and I squeal, holding my hand over my head in a lame attempt to keep my hair dry. I push him away and  jump off the rocks, heading for the bit of the cliff that juts out.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Alec laughs, grabbing me from behind.

“No, no, let me go!” I shriek. “I’m getting wet.”

I wriggle from his hold and run across the sand, which is quickly becoming even wetter. He grabs my hands again and pulls me up against him.