Across the Pond Ch. 02

"You're beautiful." Her mouth curved up into a disbelieving smirk before she walked herself into me, my arms immediately cradling her warm body against mine. I walked us through her doorway as she retreated backwards, leaving me room to shut the door behind me. My hands found the sides of her neck, carefully tipping her face upwards with my thumbs so I could look into her drooping, glassy eyes. "Anthony informed me you're not well, what's the matter?"

Her hands found my body as well, gripping my shirt right underneath my ribcage as she wobbled a bit. "Yeah, it's that time of the month and, unghhh," she groaned, and I secured my hold on her. "Sorry."

"For menstruating? I don't think that's something to apologize for, little one. What can I do to help you feel better?"

She relaxed her body against mine and sighed quietly as I rubbed her lower back. "Motrin should kick in soon, I'm okay. I was about to order dinner."

"Tell me what you'd like and I'll retrieve it for you," I offered, my lips brushing against her left temple.

"Nooo. I've only known you a few weeks, you can't know my gluttonous eating habits so soon."

"The other day I watched you devour six large slices of pizza in one sitting via FaceTime, I believe that ship has sailed. What shall I order for you?"

She pulled back, drawing her lips into her mouth momentarily before she spoke. "Okay, so there's this rinky-dink little diner a couple streets down on Vidal Road. Go in and ask Mitchell -- the bald guy behind the counter -- for two orders of the Rose special, he'll know what to get. Oh, and four M&M cookies, a pack of spearmint gum and two chocolate milkshakes with extra whipped cream. Just tell him to put it on my tab."

I mentally locked in her order before leaning down and kissing her soft, pouty lips. "Go rest love, I'll return soon."

"Thank you," she responded sweetly, lifting on her toes to kiss me one last time before I left.

***

VIII: Playground Love.

Nearly thirty minutes later I returned to Sydney's weighed down with three large bags of food, sweets and drinks. I found her lying upside down on her sofa, feet drumming against the wall in time to the song playing in the background when she turned her head to me and beamed. "You're the best, Holland."

"Such a high compliment from you, James." I deposited the bags on the floor next to her coffee table as she flipped over and sat up, and I pulled from my pocket a small envelope the cashier had given over to me before I left. "He also sent this for you."

"Well of course he did, that's the main part of the Rose special. This actually helps more than the pain pills, but the cramps were kicking my ass today and I couldn't wait." She reached into her own pocket and pulled out a bright yellow lighter as I sat next to her. I brought my arm around the back of the couch and watched her light up a thinly rolled cigarette she plucked out of the envelope. One whiff of the smoke alerted me there was most definitely not tobacco inside. "Want a hit?" she strained to ask while attempting to hold the smoke back in her throat.

I thought about it for a moment before reaching my fingers out to take it from her. "You've already made me an accessory to property destruction and assault, might as well add drug mule to the list."

She giggled so pleasantly while watching me take a drag, letting some of the thick smoke linger in front of my lips before rolling it back into my mouth. "Oh man! I've always wanted to do that. Can you teach me?"

"I can try, though I'm not sure it's something one can teach. It's a tongue sort of thing."

"Kinky." I chuckled through another puff before handing it back to her. I was already beginning to feel a bit lightheaded but that very well could have been from being near her. "So, random question. Are you a good boyfriend?"

It took me a moment to navigate through the rapid change in conversation. "I'm not sure. I've only had one serious relationship that isn't exactly ending well."

She busied herself snuffing the shortened joint in an ashtray I'd barely noticed. "Well, so far you've brought me food and pot, so I'd say you're on the right track. Putting up with my crazy is a full-time gig anyway."

"You're not so crazy, little one. You keep me on my toes and I enjoy it." I tugged on her leg until she laid back, resting her feet on my lap so I could massage them. "What might you require in a partner?"

"Oh. Um..." She surprised slightly, trying to gather her thoughts. "I don't know how to...okay. If this were five years ago I'd have a different answer, but now I think I need to be taken care of. Not with money because I get that you're dumb rich and shit, but I don't care because I love working and money doesn't make a good person, you know? I need my heart taken care of, because the last guy who had it stomped it into the ground, set it on fire and pissed on the ashes."

She looked away but I could hear the sting in her voice, practically feel the sorrow she was attempting to keep away. "You're the first guy I've even thought about since...and I know you're going through a shitty time right now. I'm not trying to be demanding of your time or anything, and if you don't want to rebound so quickly I understand. I can give you space until you're ready, if you could ever see me...I just couldn't come back from it if I put myself out there and you treated me like nothing."

I leaned over and caressed her cheek, coaxing her to look at me. "You are everything. You are my everything, Sydney. The timing is horrid, I agree -- but you are the only person in my view. I will do everything in my power to prove to you that not only are you not my rebound person, you are the woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life making up for every iota of pain you've been through." Sydney's eyes fluttered closed with a sigh and I stroked right underneath her lashes. "Your heart is safe with me, little one. I swear on my life I won't damage it further."

Her eyes popped open and held mine easily. "I promise I won't break yours either."

I nodded in silent acknowledgement and attempted to lighten the mood. "And what is my sweet girl like as a mate?"

She laughed out of nowhere and shot up in her seat, an amused pitch to her voice. "Oh man, I'm the best girlfriend! I can cook your favorite meals whenever you want, and I leave notes and tiny presents all over your house -- and let me tell you, tiny presents are the best -- and even though I like to say fuck a lot I grew up all uppity so I'm good at business functions and charity things. I'm a great kisser and I'm almost always horny. I'm also really good at observing my boyfriend's needs. Like right now, you keep running your tongue over your teeth so you probably have cotton mouth. Take a sip of your milkshake."

I didn't hesitate to grab both Styrofoam cups, handing hers over and putting my own straw in my mouth. The moment the chocolate and cream hit my taste buds my head fell back against the sofa with a dull thump, I doubted I'd ever consumed anything so delicious. "Good God."

"I know!" she cackled and I began laughing along. Everything came so easy with her. "Now I know you're used to the pretentious tiny food but there are two giant cheeseburgers with waffle-cut fries in those bags, Caesar salads plus specially-made chocolate caramel turtles. And for tomorrow there's some of the best cheesecake this side of New York that is perfect for breakfast."

I took a lingering sip before responding, tugging her biggest toe between my fingers. "You spoil me. I'll have to respond in kind with something large and shiny."

Sydney raised a defiant eyebrow. "What, you gonna wrap your dick in tin foil or something?" I almost shot chocolate out of my mouth at her crude joke, and when she began giggling again I joined her heartily.

***

IX: Holographic Lover.

The sharp shrill of my mobile phone on the glass coffee table almost sent me into cardiac arrest, the final wisps of an intimate dream drifting away. I silenced the alarm as quickly as I could and sat up on Sydney's couch, scrubbing my hands down my face. I was exhausted. The flights, the time changes, late night FaceTime dates and early morning meetings. I was burning the candle at both ends and I was going to have to figure out how to realistically balance my schedule because, hopefully, Sydney would be a permanent fixture within it.

Later. For the moment I rose and made my way to her bedroom and she was as I'd left her when she'd fallen asleep in the middle of watching our second film. Curled up on her side facing the balcony windows with her ragged stuffed rabbit tucked into her side -- never have I felt such jealousy and hatred toward an inanimate object. I considered waking her before realizing if anyone needed rest more than I, it was her. I closed her bedroom door before leaving her flat for my own bed. I was out before I fully settled beneath the bedclothes.

"Maxwell. Please...you feel so good..."

"I know, little one, I know." I had Sydney flat on her back on my dining room table, her long legs hooked over my arms, tight arse hanging over the side as I eased inside her. I had been setting out our dinner when she emerged from her bath wearing nothing but one of my shirts and a pair of knee socks. One look at her and the shirt immediately ended up on the floor, my clothes and the entirety of our food and plates along with it. "Wait until I'm completely inside you."

"I can't- "

"You can and will, or I won't let you climax for the remainder of the evening, and that would be a punishment for us both." I spread her legs wide as I pushed further into her. I was only halfway inside and she was panting wildly, the breathy sound flaming the heat of desire I always had for her. "Tell me you've ached for me as I have for you."

She arched slightly as her hand came down to circle her bud and I was another inch closer to my goal. "You make me want to give my entire self to you, give you everything. I didn't think I was capable to feel...this rapid loss of control and my breath and my heart and I love you, I've never loved anyone but you and it hurts."

"Sydney." My hips finally came flush with her bottom and I had to stop to let her words settle in my chest. She loved me. She loved me as I love her. I raised her left leg to my shoulder and placed a kiss on her covered calve. "Come for me, sweet girl, let me be the one to take the pain away.

I felt her tighten and release around my cock with a warm sigh, the hot rush of her climax washing over the tip and slowly trickling down my shaft. I let my head drop back to focus on the sensation: like a warm blanket covering every inch of me, soothing the near-constant tension of being away from her. I let her legs wrap around my waist and grabbed into her hips, speeding up my strokes to recreate the feeling. "Give me more, little one."

She wrapped her fingers around the edge of the table as I slid in and out of her with a ferocious groan, her cunt like a fist as she came again and I fucked her through it, needing "More. Give me more."

She whimpered small pleas as I trapped her arms beneath her thighs, spreading her knees apart and pinning them to the table as I fucked her mercilessly. I began chanting incoherently as she rippled around me, my lower back tightening as my release grew near. "More, my sweet...my...mine...mine..."

"Maxwell...ohhhh..." I dug my nails sharply into her skin as she came over me a final time, hot spurts of semen jetting out of me and into her. I released her legs as I fell over her, resting my forehead between her breasts. "Mine, all mine," I crooned into her skin as her hands tugged at my hair, and I could have laid there for eternity --

Orange and ginger, and indescribable warmth assaulted my senses in the most aggressive manner. I moaned, clutching the pillow underneath my head and smashing my face into it as if what I were seeking was right in my grasp. I turned toward the window, willing the sunlight streaming through to help me wake.

What helped, however, was the sweetest giggle I'd ever heard.

Opening the eye that wasn't currently in my pillow I received the most heavenly view. Sydney was cross-legged at the edge of my bed, a mug of steaming liquid between her hands as she watched me with a mischievous look on her face. I tried to say hello, ask her what she was doing on my bed, but all I could manage was a low grunt.

She laughed again, and I was glad I was on my stomach because I surely had an erection at the throaty sound. "You're not a morning person, are you, Boss?"

Another grunt from me. It was a definitive no. She smiled easily, the sun behind her casting a bit of a halo around her hair. Stunning girl. "Coffee?"

I pushed up with a massive amount of effort and rotated my body, sitting up against the headboard. I probably looked a sight but all I had the energy for was pushing my long hair away from my face as I tried to wake up. She handed over her mug and I graciously accepted, taking a long sip of the black liquid. It was biting and hot, the perfect thing to bring me into the conscious world. "What time is it?"

She turned her wrist over, showcasing a beautiful gold and diamond watch. "Eight-thirty. I figured you would have been awake by now."

"Mm." I usually was in full working mode hours before due to the time change, and I didn't even want to think of the dozens of voicemails I no doubt had. Instead I focused on Sydney. "You look rested this morning, little one. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." I set the cup on the bedside table and looked back at her, though she seemed nervous. "So hey, about what we talked about last night. I wasn't trying to coerce you into a relationship, so if you want to take it back I won't be mad about it."

I frowned deeply. I didn't like where this conversation was going. "I thought I made my intentions clear, why on earth would I want to take any of it back?"

She lifted her left shoulder and still wouldn't meet my eyes. "You didn't sleep with me. In my bed, I mean. I'm not saying anything dirty would have happened, but I thought you would at least be there when I woke up."

That was a conversation I'd have to have with her eventually, but I decided that wasn't the moment to discuss it. I gave her as much truth as I could. "I'm not sure how gentlemanly I'll be when the day comes when we do share the same bed. Until the divorce is finalized I don't want to cross that line. In the meantime, I will try my best to at least be present when my sleeping beauty awakens. Alright?"

"Oh. That's fair." She surprised me with a cheeky smirk. "But kissing isn't crossing the line?"

"I never claimed to be a saint. Come here." Sydney enthusiastically crawled across the bed and upon my lap, threading her fingers through my hair as I took her mouth, licking the warm flesh of her tongue with mine as she moaned into me. It was lovely. I wanted more. She hummed serenely when I began trailing kisses up her jaw. "You're driving me mad," I whispered to her before taking her earlobe in my teeth with a sharp pinch, "How am I to go back to my life now that I know how heavenly it is to kiss you?"

She nuzzled my cheek with hers before turning her head to the side, giving me access to her long neck. "Don't. Just keep kissing me."

And so I did.

***

X: Tell Her This

"Ooh, Holland. I like this."

"Don't get attached to it, it's only a lease."

I watched Sydney run her fingers over the red metallic paint of the Jaguar XF with an excited squeal before her eyes snapped up to mine. "I never asked, if you traded in your rental car last week how have you been getting around if you just got this today?"

I opened the boot with the remote and tossed my bag in. She'd called while I was at the dealership and I had met her at the gym, since I wouldn't honor her more seductive suggestion of how to wear her out so she could sleep before her shift tonight. "Limousine service."

"Waaait a minute." She set her hands on her hips and cut her gorgeous eyes at me. "You've had a limo and I've been schlepping you around town like some kind of chump?"

"I enjoy you driving me. How else would I be treated to the musical stylings of Miss Sydney James on a daily basis?" I teased. Since returning from London I tried to spend nearly every free minute I had with her, visiting various places in town -- museums, bookstores, the theatre. Dinner. Lunch. Breakfast. On more than one occasion I had to stop myself from suggesting she spend the nights with me as well. I could no longer deny to myself I had fallen hard and was completely enraptured with her, a thrilling and altogether frightening feeling in and of itself. "If it'll make you feel better I'll let you take it out tomorrow."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes sarcastically, leaning against the door with her arms crossed. I closed the lid and went to her, standing and leaning down just enough to touch my forehead to hers. I enjoyed how intimate it felt, as if I could reach some part of her no one else could -- especially when she looked up at me. She smiled, and I smiled, and we both began laughing. "You're quite silly," I murmured.

"You're weird," she replied in jest. "Damnit. I like you, Max."

"I should hope so since I like you as well, sweet girl." I dipped my face to her neck and tasted her sweat-laced skin. I was breaking my own rules but watching her run on the treadmill for an hour in those spandex shorts of hers didn't leave much oxygen in my brain. "I cannot wait to show you just how much I like you, many times over."

She made the most heavenly tinkle of a sound when I nipped her with my teeth and I'd almost said to hell with it until my mobile rang. "Don't answer it," she whispered suggestively against my chin, grazing me with her own mouth.

I wouldn't have had it been any other ring sound than the one I set for my personal assistant Tobias. I pulled my phone from my pocket and answered between kisses. "Toby my boy, we need to have you take some time off," I mumbled against her lips before she pulled me into her again.

"Ah, it will have to wait, Sir. I'm at your home with the authorities, someone attempted to break in."

That snapped me back into attention. I gripped Sydney by her waist and held her still. "Which home?"

"The townhouse. They've apprehended the perpetrator, luckily the silent alarm went off before he could make off with anything."

"The safe?"

"Fully intact Sir, he never had a chance of finding it and Mr. Sinclair came over himself to reset the code. Awaiting further instructions."

I closed my eyes and sighed. On a hunch I could assume who hired the thug and for what reason. "Arrange a private flight, I'm on my way. Have the officers hold him until I get there and find out where Simone is. Get McKenzie on it, don't bother Charlie if you don't have to."

"Yes Sir." I hung up and had an apology prepared for Sydney for the abrupt departure, but she cut me off with a kiss that made my head spin. When she set back on her heels she held out her hand. "Let's go, Dimples. You've got a plane to catch."

I placed the remote in her hand and bumped her forehead with mine. "Enjoy the car. I'll return as soon as I can."

"I'll be here." With those affirming words she rounded the car and slid into the driver seat while I sat on the passenger side, getting at least one more smile in when she squealed happily to have a go at the wheel as we pulled off into traffic.