Page 92 of Grand Love

“Tea won’t be long.”

“Did you ring that jackass and tell—”

She turns on me, her face holding a warning. “Language.”

My eyes pinch in as I watch her. “Let him know not to come back tonight.”

“I already did.”

“Good.”

“Good,” she copies.

“You going to finish cooking my tea?” My lip tips up on one side. I know I’m winding her up, and I shouldn’t. But she needs to let her hair down a little. The Nina I once knew was never so uptight.

She must think better of it and doesn’t come back at me, instead she leaves us in the living room muttering her reply under her breath as she disappears to the kitchen.

“Is Mummy always this grumpy?”

* * *

Dinner is delicious,and I ask Nina after if she would mind me putting Ellis to bed. I’m being greedy with him, but I don’t care. When he was a newborn, I had to miss out because he couldn’t be away from Nina as often as he is now. It was hard, but she wasn’t ready to see me. I resented her for it at the time, but I understand how important that was for them to have that bond now.

Ellis goes down quickly and then I go and help clean up the last of the dishes with Nina. We don’t speak, but it isn’t awkward. Surprisingly, it’s been a good evening. It feels like we’ve turned a corner.

“I’ll check your clothes.”

I smile after her, watching her as she walks to the laundry room. I can hardly see her body with the oversized hoodie and leggings, but I know what’s underneath, and as she pads down the hall on her bare feet, I know how taut and smooth her legs are, how pert her sweet round ass is.

“Are you fucking kidding me!”

And then there’s that mouth.

“What’s the matter?” I ask, walking to the laundry room after her.

“It’s not on! I turned it on!”

I take my T-shirt and boxers and find that they are still damp, warm, but damp. I look down at the machine. “The water container is full. It must have stopped. Just stick them in for a bit longer.”

Squeezing in beside her, I pull out the water tray and then go and empty it into the kitchen sink. She’s sitting on the washing machine when I come back, looking annoyed.

“Why the sour face? I’m not that bad, am I?”

“You were only supposed to pop in, then you ended up bathing Ellis, then you ended up in my bath, and now you are strolling around topless. It’s a lot of YOU!”

I try to contain my smile, but I can’t help the boyish grin that slips past. “Don’t give me that smile,” she warns.

“Why? I know what it gets me.”

“You don’t play fair,” she huffs, jumping down from the worktop, bringing us toe to toe. She looks up at me, her head only just reaching my chin.

“I never have played fair, Pix.”

Her dainty palms spread out over my chest. “Mase—”

I lean in, my hand sliding along her jaw and lifting her lips to align with mine. “But you never played fair either.”

I lower my lips to hers, not being able to help myself and not thinking past the need to feel her. Taste her. It’s been too long. Our lips lightly brush before she tips her chin to meet me. I quickly deepen the kiss. She moans. Our tongues touch. She pulls away. And then we stand in a haze, my cock throbbing between us and my head a scrambled mess.

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