This Time Around (2 page)

“Okay, let’s go,” he winks at me.

After we eat the best burger and chips in London and a ‘get to know you’ conversation, I find out that Liam works as a roadie with the band. I take Liam back to my place because I know that Jodi will not be home any time soon. That girl has more energy than an energizer bunny. I am nervous because this is the very first time I have ever brought a guy home. Unlocking my apartment door, I tell Liam to take a seat while I go and fetch us some drinks. Walking back into my living room to join Liam, I find him stretched out on my couch flicking through the TV channels. His boots are off and sitting next to the table. His feet are resting on my coffee table and he looks like he belongs in my home. I walk over to him and step over his stretched out legs, he takes his eyes from the TV and smiles up at me. I hand him his beer and take the seat at the other end of the couch, not sure what we do from here. I know I really want to kiss him again, I want to feel his warm firm lips on mine, I want to taste him again. A blush creeps across my face as the naughty thoughts filter through my head. I turn to look at the TV hiding my face from this sex God that is sitting on my couch.

“Why are you all the way over there, baby? Come closer,” he says, his voice taking on a huskier tone. I unfold my legs from under me and lean forward to place my drink on the coffee table. Once I have done that I sit next to Liam and his arm goes around my shoulders pulling me closer into his side. His musky smell sets my body tingling again and I clench my thighs together. I feel Liam’s chest ripple with a silent laugh beneath me. I turn my head up to face him and he sneaks in a quick kiss to the tip of my nose.

“You turned-on, baby?” I suck on my lip and duck my head into his chest to hide my embarrassment. The heat seeping through his t-shirt warming my cheek. “Baby, don’t hide from me. The colour red looks amazing on you,” he chuckles. Using his index finger and thumb he lifts my chin up so I am looking into his eyes. His eyes flicker between mine like he is searching for something deep inside me. I do not know how long our gazes lock but Liam breaks the spell and lowers his head and takes my mouth in a hot kiss, leaving me melting against him. Liam’s hand leaves my face, and travels down my arm and across my thigh. In a flash I am lifted from my seat and set back down so I am straddling his legs, our mouths never breaking contact. We kiss for minutes, hours, I am not sure, but I know that I am ready to feel his lips all over me. This is a new feeling for me, I am never the one with a high sex drive; that’s Jodi.

Liam stands with my body clinging to his, my legs wrap around his trim waist, my arms wrap around his neck. “Bedroom?” Liam says, against my swollen lips.

“Second door on the left,” I answer him, arousal coating my voice. We kiss all the way to my bedroom, I jump when I hear the door slam. Not noticing that we have already entered my room. We both fall onto my bed, Liam nestled between my thighs, his hard shaft pushing against my wet, throbbing core. Just our clothing separating our bodies. He thrusts hard once and I cry out.

“LIAM.”

“Yeah, baby,” he says. “I want you so fucking bad, Penny. Please, tell me I can have you,” he pants out.

“Yes.” I don’t hesitate to answer him.

Liam strips me of all my clothing and then he stands at the side of my bed. He pulls his t-shirt over his head, his abdominal muscles flexing with the movement, his tattoos stand proud against his skin. He drops it on the floor and he reaches for his Batman belt buckle. I chuckle to myself and Liam smirks because he knows why I am laughing.

“Batman, rocks, babe. He can kick arse,” he winks at me. Loosening the buttons on his jeans, he slowly pushes them down over his hips and he lets them fall to the floor, showing me that he is commando under his jeans. His dick stands proud and hard and ready for me. Bending down Liam takes a condom out of the back pocket of his jeans. I watch as Liam places the condom over his shaft. I look from his steel rod to his face and see pure sexual hunger. “No time for foreplay, baby, I need you now. I need to be deep in your pussy, right now,” he says, while lining up against my opening. Liam doesn’t wait for me to reply, he thrusts deep into me and fills me completely to the hilt. I moan his name and that spurs him on, his thrusts become almost frantic. I run my hands down his back, feeling the heat from his skin beneath my fingertips. Goosebumps spread across his skin and he shivers. Feeling a little bold I reach down further and grip his firm arse in my hands and pull him tighter to me, making him go deeper causing my back to arch in pleasure. Liam pulls back slightly and brings his hands down to my clit and starts rubbing, making my body ignite with desire, I can feel my climax building and so can Liam.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me. Come for me, Penny.” And I do. After three more hard thrusts Liam follows me and we finish our orgasms together in a loud scream from me and a growl from Liam. He growls my name and I am pretty damn sure that my orgasm spikes again. Our breathing fills my darkened bedroom as Liam lays his sweat covered body next to mine. Neither of us saying anything, as we lay there in the darkness. My insecurities come to the surface. I roll out of bed and walk over to my dresser opening the top drawer and pull out an old movie t-shirt that has seen better days. I turn to see Liam watching me with tired eyes, and my heart sinks a little for him. He must be so tired running around all day and night setting up for the band. They travel all over the world and I can only assume that since Liam is one of their roadies that he travels with them. I offer him a timid smile and he returns it, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Come here, babe,” he says, holding out his hand for me to take. I climb back into the bed with him and snuggle up to his side; my head rests on his chest, my ear resting over his heart listening to the steady rhythm. He wraps his arm around me, slowly stroking my bare arm. His chest is rising and falling with his breathing and I know that he has fallen asleep, I follow soon after.

I wake to a cold empty bed and my heart sinks to my stomach. I thought we had a connection, well enough of one that he would wake me up before he freaking left my bed. Tears spring to my eyes and I don’t bother holding them back. Liam left without a word and that hurts, truly hurts. I know nothing about a guy I spent the night with. Hurt and embarrassment laces through my body, my one night with Liam reminded me why I do not do one night stands. I am just not built for them. At least I know that I will never have to face him again.

I really wish this taxi driver would drive faster. I have been counting down the days until I got to fly home and see my family again. I have missed them so much over the last month, but I was needed. When my best friend and co-worker Rachel asked me to join her in South Africa to help the Nurse Aid program, to help with tending to the ill and the injured, I jumped at the chance. I have known Rachel since we were six years old when she moved into our area and started in our school. Rachel fitted in perfectly with my other two best friends. Adrian was the only boy in our little crew. He acted like our older brother, protecting us from all the boys at school who wanted to go out with us, sometimes it worked but more often that not with Rachel and Jodi, he failed epically. Those two were wild back in the day; me, not so much. Jodi. Oh my sweet wild, crazy Jodi. I miss her so much, every day I think of her. She was such a huge part of my life and the reason for my new journey in life.

Jodi was the fourth part of our crew. Where there was one of us, there was always more of us just around the corner or a few steps behind. Jodi was the life and soul of every high school party we went to, hell even in college she brought the life to the parties with Rachel right by her side, while myself and Adrian would always hang back and see how their night played out. More often than not it would be one of us rescuing the girls, but this is what best friends do for each other through thick and thin. My dad always says.
‘If you take on one of us, you take on all four of us.’

Friendship should have no bounds or limits. No secrets. Always love and loyalty.

Some people never understood how the four of us could be friends since we were four totally different characters and wanted different things in life. Rachel wanted to become a clothes designer but ended up becoming a pediatrician. Adrian had always wanted to become a mechanic because he loved working on cars, building them from scratch, restoring them. Now Jodi, Jodi always wanted to work in journalism. Me, I had always wanted to be an A&E nurse.

Jodi was going to go places but after one very drunk night at a party her life changed. Some say for the
worse but for Jodi she loved her new path. She owned it and kicked its arse. Thinking of Jodi makes my chest ache.

I look out the window and watch as the scenery flashes by in a hurry with the speed of the cab. The buildings start to change from high class modern city to wooden, worn but totally loveable buildings. Living on the South Coast of England is lovely. The people are friendly and can’t do enough for each other. Everyone knows everyone else's business in our little fishing town. I haven’t quite figured out if that is a good or bad thing yet, but I still love living here none the less. Noticing the car taking a left turn onto my street, I sit forward in my seat and try to contain my excitement for being home after a long month away.

Licking my dry lips and focusing my eyes on my home as we draw closer, I place my hand on the handle of the door ready to open at the first chance I get. It is true what they say, ‘
absence makes the heart grow fonder’, I am not saying I need time away from my family, but by God it made me miss them and appreciate them more after what I was doing during my time away. No one should take the little things for granted. The things like clean water or a warm place to sleep. We need to take care of each other more, take the time to see what is around us because in the click of the fingers it could all be gone. The cab stops outside my house and I throw the door open and climb out. The driver is already pulling my luggage out of the trunk and placing it on the pavement. Fishing money out of my purse, I give the money to the driver to pay for my fare.

“Thank you,” I say, and he replies with a grunt and climbs into the car and drives off.

Staring at my home, I smile to myself. I have worked my arse off to make a home for myself. My house is a two story house, with a sweet wrap around porch. It is bright blue with white framed windows and doors. My bedroom has a balcony that faces the water and we have an upper level on a flat part of the roof that we spend time on, taking in the stars and the ocean air. I see the purple bike leaning against the white picket fence that wraps around the garden. I look to my right and see that my daisies are still alive and shake my head thinking about my conversation I had with my mum before I left. My mother and father have been taking care of everything for me while I was away and I am ever so grateful for them; for everything they have done for me.

I open the gate and start walking up the path to my house, I watch as the front door suddenly swings open and a high pitched squeal causes me to take a step back. I am pretty sure that those dog whistles you can buy were tuned by her squeals. I smile as I see my one true pride and joy running towards me. The one thing that changed my path in life. The one thing that holds my heart completely.

My daughter.

Connie James Miller.

My heart.

“Yayyyyy. You’re home. I missed you so much, Mum.” She throws her body into my waiting arms and I hold her to me. Swinging her around making her laugh out loud, filling the air around us with her joyous sound. Something that still gets me and makes my breath catch. I bury my face in her hair and inhale her scent, she smells like strawberries. Always has, ever since she was a baby. I place her back on her feet and I take a hold of her shoulders. I hold her at arm’s length and take her in. She is absolutely beautiful, her black naturally straight hair just touches her shoulders and her green eyes pop and draw you in. At nine years old Connie is such an old soul, she always acts older than her actual age. I am proud of her, as she always tries to put other people's needs before her own.