Harry awoke with Maddy curled into him, his skin a little clammy from their body heat. His hardening groin had awoken him. Nothing to do with the light mornings, the sound of the ocean and the birdsong outside – if that’s what you could call seagulls squabbling.
Last night, they’d drifted off to sleep, cuddling. Their post-shower sex had left them exhausted and satisfied, mutually agreeing they needed to sleep. But sometimes that intimacy alone was better than sex. However, this morning was a different matter altogether. He wanted Maddy. Now.
He started kissing her, nudging her belly with his hardness. ‘Good morning, gorgeous.’
‘What time is it?’ She rubbed her eyes.
He’d already checked the time on his phone charging by the bed. ‘It’s just gone five thirty.’ He nuzzled her again, stroking her hair off her face to find her lips.
‘Oh, Harry, it’s far too early. Go back to sleep,’ Maddy grumbled, her eyes still closed. She rolled over, her back towards him, her warmth leaving his side but her naked form now revealed to him. In the short time they had lived under the same roof, Harry had learnt Maddy was not a morning person. But he was sure he could persuade her.
‘I can’t help it. You make me like this.’ He traced a finger down her spine, kissing her shoulder blade.
‘I haven’t done anything … I’ve been asleep.’
‘But I’m in your bed, and you’re wonderful.’ Harry ran his hands gently over her body, stroking and caressing, from thigh, to buttocks, along the side of her back, and down, brushing the side of her breast, loving the feeling of her body at his fingertips.’ Naturally, I’m going to wake up horny.’ He snuggled in, kissing her neck and along her shoulder, and she gave a whimper of appreciation. She was responding, waking slowly, her mood lifting. He slid his free hand between her parting thighs and inserted a finger up into her moist warmth. Finding the soft, smooth internal spot, he massaged it with gentle strokes. Her body reacted, relaxing into his touch.
Then, surprising Harry, her hand reached behind her back and grasped his erection firmly.
‘Well, it would be a shame to waste it,’ she said, still sleepy.
Wide-awake, Harry quickly found a condom and tore at the foil wrapper. Once protected, he gently eased himself in from behind, becoming one with Maddy. Spooning her, slowly, rhythmically, in and out, the intensity grew. He reached around with his free hand to gently rub where it would please her most.
The more-awake-Maddy soon wanted the position changed, and Harry was happy to oblige. They moved into the good old missionary position, where he got to kiss Maddy, and hold onto her. He loved how her nails would scratch along his back. Not too deep, breaking the skin, but enough to tantalise and excite him.
They played, toyed and experimented, until Maddy, now straddled on top of Harry, began to breathe more heavily, her skin pink with heat and excitement, and gave a humming moan, letting Harry know she’d climaxed.
She relaxed onto him in a heap, with him still inside her. He stroked her back. ‘Feel better?’
Her breathing slowed. ‘Hmmmm.’
‘Not so grumpy now, huh?’
She lifted herself up onto her hands, moving, rocking her hips slowly. Her core tightened around him. Fuck, that felt good. Harry gripped her hips more firmly, and exhaled a breath as his body tensed. It wouldn’t take him long if she continued this rhythm.
‘Me? Grumpy?’ she said, then nipped his lip.
‘You know you are … Moody.’
‘Well, before I change my mind, and jump off—’
‘Not a chance!’ Harry grabbed her hips, holding her on him.
‘You better take me then.’
‘Take you?’
‘Yes, however you like.’ Maddy lowered her head to his ear, kissing near his earlobe, then whispered, ‘Fuck me hard, soft, however the hell you like.’
***
Maddy wasn’t sure where the naughty side had come from, but maybe with Harry she needed to keep things sexy, spicy. Men liked being talked dirty to. Connor always insisted on it, but it never felt right with him. Maybe that had been one of the early signs she should have read, that she wasn’t totally comfortable being intimate with Connor. But being playful with Harry seemed natural. He responded too. Even when he played it a little rough, he never hurt her, always wanting to make sure she enjoyed the experience as much as he did. A thoughtful lover. Had Connor been a thoughtful lover? Maddy was finding it hard to remember. Maybe in the beginning, but then he started to become more controlling, even down to the sex: he’d tell her how she liked it … whether he was right or wrong.
Although her body ached from the morning’s sexual antics, Maddy was alert and in a fantastic mood, her morning blues dispersed. She was positively glowing – at least that’s what Valerie’s comment would be if she could see her. Which she couldn’t, because Maddy had to wait at her house for the Loss Adjuster to arrive, so Valerie would be at the gallery opening up for her today.
Harry’s early wake-up call had been necessary after all. He’d needed to leave early to go home and load his truck ready for today’s work, and Maddy was meeting the Loss Adjuster. Thankfully they’d both left the cottage before Simon and his builders arrived.
While Maddy waited she checked her Facebook updates on her phone. Did she put on her status what a terrific mood she was in? Update all her friends back in Bristol? No, early days. Maddy didn’t want to jinx anything. Plus the Loss Adjuster might ruin this good mood. Although it would be brilliant to finally get things moving on her house. Maddy sent a tweet instead. She’d been neglecting her social media accounts lately – Instagram and Pinterest she used for advertising her paintings. It was a free marketing tool. Twitter was a good way to share news too.
‘Loss Adjuster coming today. Can’t wait to get my house back. Can’t believe how long it’s been since the #fire #FedUpOfSmellOfSmoke’
In the silence of her home, she pondered on Harry again. Was this normal? Did this happen? What was this with Harry? They had gone from living together – as a favour – to sleeping together, and it seemed to be propelling into a full on relationship. Not really dating first, apart from dinner on Sunday evening. Although Harry made her feel amazing, Maddy couldn’t help listening to the alarm bells going off inside her head. She needed to take this slower, she never wanted to go through another Connor scenario again. Moving to the cottage hadn’t even helped slow it down. It was too tempting to move back into Harry’s – she hated being apart from him. It would be better to live separately and just date – like normal people – wouldn’t it?
No, she would use Wisteria Cottage as a haven, a place to distance herself from Harry, so things didn’t get too intense, too quickly.
On the dot of nine a.m. her doorbell rang.
‘Hello,’ Maddy said, answering the door.
On the doorstep stood a tall brunette in her mid-thirties, wearing a black trouser suit. ‘Hi, I’m Carol Campbell,’ she said, showing her ID badge, which confirmed her job title and the company she worked for. ‘Are you Maddison Hart?’ She checked her notes.
‘Yes, that’s me.’ Maddy smiled. ‘Come in.’
‘Oh, yes, I never get used to that charred, burnt smell,’ Carol said, entering. The stench was mild by the front door and in the lounge, but when they walked into the dining room, it really hit them.
‘I’ll be glad when that smell’s gone.’
‘We’ll try to be as quick as we can. Are you living here?’
‘No, no … I’m staying in a cottage in Tinners Bay now, but I was staying across the road for a bit. My neighbour took me in on the night it happened – well, actually he slung me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and locked me in his house.’ Carol’s eyes widened. ‘I was being rather hysterical.’ Maddy could feel her cheeks burning, probably turning pink as she spoke.
‘Sounds very Neanderthal.’ Carol chuckled.
Maddy shrugged her shoulders. ‘Yes, but at the time, he did me a huge favour. I needed to calm down. And he’s been so good to me since.’ He was being good in so many ways. Maybe Carol didn’t quite need to know they were now having fabulous sex with one another, though. The thought of how Harry turned her on set off butterflies low in her belly and she feared her cheeks were reddening again.
Stop thinking of Harry and concentrate.
As Maddy showed her around the house, Carol, as efficient as her appearance suggested, made notes about everything.
Carol was methodical and meticulous with her notes, nodding to herself at times. As she went through the house, she explained to Maddy what she could claim for and what she couldn’t.
The insurance company would allow up to a certain amount of money for the kitchen. Basically, they would pay to replace everything to its original standard. She wouldn’t be able to replace it with an all singing and all dancing one from an expensive range with those fancy soft-closing drawers – not that Maddy would want that. What’s the point if you can’t slam a drawer in anger?
‘This is my direct line, but if I’m busy you’ll get redirected, so ask for me, Carol Campbell.’ As Carol handed over her business card, Maddy noticed her wedding and engagement rings. All sparkly and shiny. ‘I know – the soup jokes I’ve had from friends.’ Carol chuckled. ‘But when you fall in love, you can’t be choosy about their surname, and Campbell is more interesting than my maiden name, which was Smith.’
Maddison Tudor.
Dear Lord, why was she even thinking that?
Stop it! If past relationships were anything to go by, this could end as fast as it started with Harry.
Maddy hoped not. She and Harry were neighbours after all.
How awkward is that going to be?
If it wouldn’t look unusually stupid in front of Carol, Maddy would have slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand right then. What had she been thinking, sleeping with Harry? That’s just it, you hadn’t been thinking. You get horny, and thinking goes out the window.
He’d swept her, quite literally, off her feet.
Once Maddy had shown Carol out, she called Valerie to tell her she’d be late arriving at the gallery, so she could look at kitchens and organize a quote.
‘Take your time, love,’ said the ever-accommodating Valerie. ‘It’s very quiet today as the sun isn’t out.’ Maddy looked out of her front window. Cloud had come in off the sea and had made the day much cooler and gloomier. It even looked like it might rain. You could tell the school summer holidays were about to start. Rain was coming.
No wonder people chose to holiday in Spain.
Maddy drove to Bodmin, where she knew there were a couple of retail outlets that supplied and fitted kitchens. She started to get excited about the prospect of shopping for a new kitchen. Maddy’s heart sank with disappointment when she saw the kitchen fitted in Wisteria Cottage that she loved so much. It was out of her price range.
‘Fancy seeing you here.’ Maddy recognised the voice and turned, in the middle of opening a cupboard with an ‘open me’ sticker.
‘Oh, hello, Simon,’ she said. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Getting some supplies.’ He waved a couple of small bags which contained nails or screws, she couldn’t make out which. ‘Didn’t see you this morning.’
‘We … I mean, I had to leave early,’ Maddy said. She couldn’t meet his gaze.
‘We, huh?’ He raised an eyebrow.
What was this? The third degree? Why was Simon so interested in her whereabouts? He was worse than her mother.
‘Harry stayed over.’ Maybe honesty was the best way to rid herself of Simon’s interest. She certainly only had eyes for Harry. Maddy continued looking at the kitchen displays. Simon still followed her.
‘So you two are an item now?’
Harry and Maddy hadn’t exactly sat down and discussed whether they were in a relationship, as such, but the regular sex – these past few days – said something, didn’t it?
‘I suppose we are. Yes.’
Simon’s expression betrayed a brief hint of disappointment. ‘Shame, we never had that drink.’ A young man came to Maddy’s rescue, noticing she was opening cupboard doors where it said ‘open me’ or ‘look inside’.
‘Can I help you both?’ he said, addressing them as if they were a couple. Maddy felt the need to make it clear she wasn’t with Simon.
‘Yes, actually, you can help me,’ she said. ‘I’m looking for a new kitchen – obviously.’ Clearly, she wasn’t looking for a bathroom in the kitchen department. She focussed her attention fully on the young assistant. ‘I had a fire in mine, and need to get quotes off to my insurance company.’
Fortunately for Maddy, Simon took the hint and waved at her, ‘I’ll catch you later.’
She nodded then returned her attention to the shop assistant.
‘Shall we book you in for a quotation? It’s the easiest way. We send someone to come along and measure up and create a design?’
‘Yes, that would be perfect.’
Twenty minutes later, with Simon long gone, Maddy had a date with a kitchen designer.
When she arrived in Tinners Bay, she parked in her usual spot behind her gallery. Wanting to share her news, albeit not that exciting, she quickly sent a text to Harry as she walked – slowly. She had a habit of bumping into lampposts or people. Texting on the move was dangerous. How people sent texts while driving she would never know.
‘Hey, how’d it go?’ Valerie said as Maddy walked through the door.
‘Oh, great, I got an appointment in a couple of days.’ Maddy nodded and gave a thumbs up to Valerie who was standing out the back in their tiny kitchen area waving the kettle at her and pointing. ‘Come and have a look at these brochures then.’
‘Hang on, hang on, kettle’s boiling.’
Valerie perched herself next to Maddy, who was setting up at her easel in her corner, carrying two mugs of tea. They thumbed through the brochures, Maddy showing Valerie her favourite designs. Valerie’s taste was a little different to Maddy’s, favouring the more old-fashioned pine styles or plain white surfaces. Maddy saw those as a pain in the arse to keep clean.
‘I’ll reserve judgement until I see the designs. Apparently, the software will be able to show me my kitchen in my choice. I like the shiny modern styles, but I do love the oak effect look too.’ Shutting the brochures, Maddy said, ‘Right, best get to work. Time is running out.’
An hour into her painting, Maddy looked up as the gallery door opened. It was Harry.
Her heart lifted like an excited teenager. She really did need to get a handle on this reaction to him.
‘Fancy a late lunch and a stroll across the beach?’ he said. ‘I was at the cottage and thought I’d call in.’
Maddy looked at Valerie guiltily: she’d not been in the gallery long. ‘I don’t know; I’ve only really just got here. Valerie’s been slaving away for me.’
‘Don’t be daft. You two go out for a bit. I’m fine here,’ Valerie said, with a mischievous expression. Maddy thought Val was jumping the gun slightly: she wanted to buy a new hat and dress, clearly. ‘Declan said he’d pop in soon, too. So he can help me out if we get busy.’
‘Okay, if you don’t mind.’ Maddy left her brushes in water, it wouldn’t harm them for a bit, washed her hands and grabbed her bag.
Harry took her free hand into his, and even though he’d held her hand last night, at first it felt alien, not used to the show of public affection a relationship involved, but she enjoyed the sensation of touching him in its simplest form. She soon became at ease with his touch, actually hating it when he wasn’t touching her in some way. They reached the cafe at the top of the beach where they made freshly prepared sandwiches right in front of you.
‘What sandwich do you want?’ Harry asked, eagerly looking up at the board. ‘I think I’ll have a chicken salad with plenty of mayonnaise,’ he said to the member of staff behind the counter, keen to take his order.
‘I’ve already eaten in Bodmin. I’ll have a smoothie.’
Another member of staff threw the fruit into the blender while the other made Harry’s doorstop sandwich. Harry paid, and then they walked along the beach, Maddy slipping off her flip-flops to stop flicking sand up. They wandered along the warm sand, Maddy enjoying the dry sand between her toes. A seagull cry made her wonder if it would be mad enough to attack Harry for his sandwich, but they managed to walk along without being harassed.
‘I work in a couple of those houses, too,’ Harry said, pointing up above the beach to a line of houses with seafront views on the cliff. ‘That’s how I found out about the cottage.’ He balled up the paper bag that had contained his sandwich and put it in his pocket.
‘I would adore one of those houses,’ Maddy said, thinking how much she loved Wisteria Cottage. Its location was perfect. She would love to work from there, but the noise from the builders would not be a good working environment for her to paint in. She needed peace and calm, not banging and hammering, and men singing along badly to songs on the radio. ‘I would be able to work from home and not have to paint from memory.’
‘Yeah, it would be lovely to live in Tinners Bay. Look at the size of their gardens. The couple of places I maintain have fantastic grounds, but they’re holiday homes. Sadly half the places get bought up to be just that – only lived in during the summer. Wisteria Cottage will probably end up as a holiday home too.’
‘We can dream,’ she said, looping her arm through his.
They walked to the water’s edge – the tide was only half way up the beach, so they hadn’t as far to walk as if it had been low tide. Maddy paddled as she had bare feet, but Harry stayed back. The shock from hot sand to cold water caught her breath. Gradually, she got used to the freezing temperature, but she didn’t let the water go past her ankles. Quickly, when he wasn’t looking, she flicked up some of the salty water with her foot at Harry.
‘Hey!’ He laughed, arching his body to avoid any more splashes. ‘Careful, or I’ll have to put you over my knee.’
‘Well, you’ve already put me over your shoulder.’ She laughed. ‘Right, I’d better be getting back. It’s not fair on Valerie. I’ve been out most of the day.’
‘I’ll walk you back – before you get me any wetter.’
Outside the gallery, Maddy gave Harry a kiss on the lips, but not too lingering. ‘See you later,’ she said. ‘Thanks for the smoothie.’
‘It was good to have company for lunch.’ He gave her a wink and walked back down the small high street. She watched, wanting to pinch herself. Harry was a catch, and she’d caught him.
For the rest of the day she remained engrossed in her painting – although Harry appeared in her head quite a lot. Valerie left early, leaving Maddy to lock up, as she’d opened. Valerie had done her so many favours, she deserved a break from the gallery.
Maddy was in the mood to continue, every brush stroke she made feeling therapeutic. The painting was going effortlessly today. Sometimes, she couldn’t get what she wanted right, and it would frustrate her, but today it flowed and thinking about Harry helped. She locked herself in the gallery at seven o’clock, turning the ‘open’ sign round to ‘closed’, deciding she could do another hour undisturbed. If she didn’t think what she was painting would be any good, or her mood wasn’t in it, she’d have packed up and gone home. But she was in the mood to stay and paint. She sent Harry a text to tell him she was staying on, made another cup of tea and found a couple of chocolate digestive biscuits to tide her hunger pangs over, then settled to work on her seascape. Her earlier anger meant she had painted the waves crashing fiercely on to the rocks. Her intention had been to paint a much calmer piece, but this actually worked. She enjoyed creating the foam of the surf, the way the water moved around the rocks. She had so much freedom in painting the ocean.
Half an hour in, her phone beeped. She put her paint brush down and reached for her phone. It would be Harry, probably. Anxiety nestled into her chest when she saw the sender ID. Connor.
Your mum needs you. You need to come home, Maddy.