“It’s twelve years, not twenty. I don’t think you started your family at that age. Watch my lips. I love you. Why? Goodness knows, I just do.” He rolled his eyes and tugged her hair, hard enough to make her wince.
“Ouch.”
“I wanted to make sure you’re concentrating.”
Debra was. Something told her the next few minutes may well be the most important in her life.
“Actually,” Braam said. “I do know why. You’re funny, serious, quirky, loyal, hot, hot and yeah hot.”
“And you know all that, how?” Her heart beat faster and her skin prickled as she waited to hear what he replied.
“What the ‘oh, how I love you let me count the ways sort of thing’?” Braam kissed her nose.
It tickled and she wrinkled it. “Yep, that.” Not for anything dare she admit she was in pretty much the same state over him.
“Well, let’s see. For a start off even when you thought the worst, you put other people first. You heard Kris say she was pregnant and didn’t do anything to upset her.”
“Of course not,” Debra said indignantly. “Nothing was her fault. I couldn’t confront you and involve her.”
“Exactly. So, kind, compassionate and caring.”
Debra wriggled and made herself more comfortable. She was sitting on a damp part of the sheet and it was sticky. “Yuk, how come I’m on the wet bit? Never mind, go on. I have no idea who you’re describing, but I like it. Mind you, I’ll get a big head at this rate.”
“Never. Now where was I? You’ve broken my thread.”
“Um, you were saying how nice I was and about to offer to sit on the sticky bit of sheet?”
“Nope. I’m going to turn on the shower. And I guess take the sheet to the laundry. Luckily I opted not to have housekeeping, or I can imagine the stories going about.” He straightened up and smiled. “Think about it, love. I’ll wait until you’re ready, but take it as your first proposal from me. I’d like it to be the one you say yes to, but if not, expect another. And another, until you give in. It’ll be a bit like a dripping tap.”
“I’d not say yes because I reckoned it was the best way to shut you up.” How could he think that? “If and I repeat
if
I say yes, it’s because I think it’s right for both of us.”
Braam nodded. “Good. Are you going to say yes?”
Debra scrambled of the bed and stood next to him. There was no way she was going to make one of the biggest decisions of her life sitting on a damp bed sheet, with sticky thighs, needing the loo and probably smelling of sex to boot.
“Give me two minutes.” She walked past him and went into the bathroom to have a quick wash and brush her teeth. Debra looked in the mirror. As she’d suspected, her hair was all over the place and in her mind, she looked like a cat who had gotten the cream. Happy, satisfied and sated. She finger combed her hair and grabbed two of the toweling robes that hung on the back of the door. There was no way she could tell her kids or grandchildren that she had answered a marriage proposal whilst she and the man in question were both naked. With a giggle—she could imagine Lena high fiving her and Kevan rolling his eyes—she put one on and belted it. Then she carried the other one over her arm, left the bathroom and went into the lounge.
Braam stood next to the fridge with two flutes of champagne in his hands.
“I thought we might need this. Either to celebrate or for me to drown my sorrows. Have you made up your mind?”
Debra waved the robe. “You must be cold.”
He put the flutes down and laughed. “Not at all. My cock is knackered, not freezing. Do you want me to turn the air con off?”
Duh, men can be so thick at times.
“No, I want you to put this on and ask me again.”
“Eh?” He sounded confused. “About the air con?”
Debra rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder. “Oh, yeah. No, you nit, the down on one knee and propose thing. But not naked.”
“I think I’m gonna add weird to my list of things I love about you.” Braam shrugged into the robe and left it loose. The look in his eye told Debra he’d done it on purpose.
Every time he moved, his cock showed through the gap and each view told Debra it wasn’t half as knackered as the time before.
“Okay, hold on.” Braam knelt on one knee and took hold of Debra’s hand.
“So, love. Will you marry me?”
She counted to ten, very slowly and tilted her head to one side.
“Hmm, let me see. You’re sure you want a much older woman, with kids, who’s weird, as your wife?”
“Minx.” He tugged her hand. “Put me out of my misery. This floor is hard.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
She nodded. “Oh, yes.”
He pulled her until she unbalanced and they tumbled onto the carpet together in a tangle of limbs and toweling robes. Braam rolled over until Debra was stretched on top of him. His cock rubbed her tummy and she wriggled.
“Hmm, someone’s not knackered anymore.”
“Someone—” Braam kissed her. “Is oh so happy and…”
The room phone and his mobile rang simultaneously, and he groaned. “What’s the betting that’s Kris and Jack? Shall we tell them our good news? Or make them wait and carry on?”
“Oh, definitely carry on.”
He grinned. “Oh, good. Now where were we? Ah yes. My cock is happy and…”
Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:
Diomhair: Secrets Shared
Raven McAllan
Excerpt
Chapter One
“What do you mean this won’t do?” Jess looked down at her light gray silk racer back top and dark gray skinnies. They worked well with her pale skin and ginger hair. A typical Celt, she had to be careful of her color coordination. In her mind, her clothes were perfect for a night’s clubbing. “We’re going clubbing. Last time we went to a club I wore these and you said they were perfect.”
Kath rolled her eyes. “There’s clubs, hon, and there’s
clubs
. A French Connection concoction, gorgeous as it is, won’t exactly hack it where we’re going. Not to mention you always wear those wherever we go. No, tonight you need to wear something like this.” She smoothed her hands over an almost-there mini skirt and a tiny bustier. Jess reckoned it would either cut off Kath’s circulation or pop her boobs out of the material like a jack in the box.
“And here’s yours. A dress instead, though, as you seem to have an aversion to my tops.” With a smirk Kath handed over a tiny scrap of bright pink material.
It was a beautiful clash with Jess’ hair and Jess winced.
“Go on get changed. We haven’t much time.” Kath held the material out to Jess, who ignored it. Kath stuffed the dress into Jess’ hands, smirking as Jess took it and held onto it automatically. Jess looked on as Kath took a deep breath and her boobs almost spilled over the top of the leather bustier then shook her head in mock despair. Surely it was mere willpower that held it up?
“Kath, that top is almost indecent. What does my lovely twin say about you going out showing nearly your all?”
Kath giggled. “Jessie, love, he chose it. And he’ll meet us at Diomhair later.”
“Jeever?” Jess repeated, doing her best to copy Kath’s accent. “What’s that?” It wasn’t a name she’d heard before, and she’d bet her new handbag it wasn’t spelled how it was pronounced.
Kath sighed and Jess got a strange feeling deep in her stomach. Scary, like the time Kath had persuaded her to bungee jump from the Finnieston Crane, or when they’d sky dived. In her opinion, Kath was sneaky. Jess replayed Kath’s words in her mind.
“Hold on, you say Jeff’s meeting us?”
Kath nodded.
“Well I might as well not come then. He’s worse than our mum. If a guy even smiles at me he wants his life history. Heaven help me if one asks me to dance. Especially not dressed in a scrap of almost nothing.”
Kath giggled. “Er, Jessie love, I maybe need to tell you exactly where we’re going. Before the car gets here.”
Oh ho.
Jess’ body clenched. She’d seen that particular look on her friend’s face before.
“Go on.” She did her best to keep the wariness out of her voice and was sure she hadn’t. “And stop shoving that pelmet at me, no way am I going anywhere in that.”
“Diomhair, it’s Gaelic for—”
“I know what it’s for.” Why hadn’t she made the connection earlier? “Secret. Oh shit, don’t tell me it’s some weird pop up place, and we’re blindfolded to get in? Oh no, Kath, no, no, no, you’re not dragging me into anything weird. Not again. That shop in town was bad enough.” Jess blushed as she remembered the bondage shop Kath had dragged her into. She’d chosen to ignore the way her nipples had puckered when she’d seen clamps and chains designed for that part of the body, and her juices had gushed looking at a clit clamp and various jewelry to decorate it. Once she’d worked out what it was meant for, that was. She might have the idea she was fairly street wise, but Jess knew now, that whatever she’d done she was a babe in arms compared to a lot of people—Kath probably being one.
Kath howled with laughter, then sobered. “Where do you think I got this from?” She ran her hands over the bustier. “Look, hon, you said you wanted to get out of your rut. Jeff and I decided this was the best way. Hell, I reckon if you’ll let yourself, you’ll not only enjoy the night, you’ll be more than interested to indulge.”
“In?”
“Whatever you fancy. Oh, Jess, don’t look like you’re going to watch an execution, you don’t
have
to do anything. Hell, you can stop in the bar and drink orange juice if that’s your preference, but you did say it was up to me to shake you up a bit.”
“Hmm there’s shaking, and there’s
shaking
.” Jess knew she sounded less than enthusiastic. “So, what exactly are we going to?” The way Kath looked at her made her heart pound and her stomach churn. She wasn’t going to like the answer she was sure. “Fess up.”
“BDSM play night.”
She was correct, she didn’t.
Jess just knew her mouth had dropped open and the heat that flooded her would show on her face.
Damn it, no. Not that. Are they crazy? They don’t know, they do not know.
“No, no way. Are you stupid or what? Not in a million years…and you’re saying Jeff is okay with this? He knows what you’re up to?”
Kath rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Whose idea do you think it was anyway?”
Jess swayed, and her skin crawled as if someone was stroking her with a spider’s web. She closed her eyes to shut out the images that flashed into her mind, and counted to ten. They had no idea what those letters conveyed to her. How could they? She swallowed as the contents of her stomach threatened to leave her, and the horrible sour taste in her mouth increased. Spots began to dance in front of her eyes, and a rushing noise, like the wind on a wild winter’s day grew louder.
“Hey, don’t look like that, there’s no need to faint.” Kath grabbed her friend’s arm and held her steady. Gradually the roaring in Jess’ ears faded, and she blinked rapidly.
“Er, that’s a matter of opinion.” Jess knew her voice was shaky. She probably sounded like an old woman. Shit, she felt like an old woman.
They don’t know. I can’t blame them. They don’t know. No one does
. Jess kept reciting those few words under her breath, like a mantra. She’d blocked all questions about that time of her life, and in the end, to her relief, Jeff and Kath had ceased asking. Now she wished that maybe they’d nagged her a bit more.
“Look, Kath, I honestly don’t think this is a good idea. I’m not into stuff like that. I’m a teacher for God’s sake, so I need to set a good example.”
There, that sounds reasonable, surely?
“Oh for heaven’s sake, you’re a university lecturer, not a corrupter of innocents.”
Evidently not an acceptable answer then. Shit.
“
I’m an accountant and Jeff is, well, Jeff. We’re normal people who have a right to a healthy sex life. It doesn’t matter what you do, I even know a vicar and a magistrate who have a healthy—watch my lips—healthy interest in the lifestyle.”
It wasn’t so much what Kath said, but how she said it that sent warning bells ringing, and a shiver down Jess’ spine. She didn’t care if the Prime Minister was interested, she wasn’t
Liar, liar, pants on fire
. She ignored the little voice that mocked her and concentrated on what Kath had said.
“Jeff is what?”
“Gorgeous.” Kath giggled. “Oh come on, Jess, lighten up. Look I promise you, if you can’t cope with what you see, you can leave, okay? There’ll be a car waiting for you. Do I lie? Well okay,” she added hastily. “I sort of did tonight, but do I over big and proper stuff? You know I don’t. Seriously? You have to come.”
“Why?” Not to anyone would Jess admit to the gut-churning shivers that filled her. “There’s no have to about it. Weird stuff like that is so not my scene. Here take this back.” She almost threw the Lycra dress Kath had given her back at her. “You go, en…enjoy yourself but count me out.” She sat down on the bed behind her with a thump, trying not to cry. She’d been looking forward to a night out ever since she had told Kath she wanted to lighten up a bit. All work and no play had definitely made Jess a dull girl. But this? This was a step or twenty too far. She’d got the idea they’d go clubbing, dance until their feet hurt, grab a curry or a kebab and snigger about their evening’s antics all the way home in a taxi.
“Actually, there is a must about it.” The tone of Kath’s voice was enough to make Jess cry. “Jeff said to tell you, if you don’t come willingly, then he’ll come and drag you. You need, in his words, to see where your money comes from.”
Now she was in the twilight zone, surely? And there was a nest of serpents wriggling over her and nipping her skin. To say nothing of the spiders in her tummy. “How do you mean? Look, Kath, I’m seriously freaking here. My money comes from investing… Oh fuck. The sod, he said we’d move into new areas, and idiot that I am I didn’t press the bugger too closely when he said he was preparing a report for me. You mean I part own the building or something?”
Kath raised her eyebrows, and the sympathy in her eyes was almost Jess’ undoing.