Eternally North

  I nodded fast, trying to give him permission to release just as my back unexpectedly arched high and fireworks exploded behind my eyes. I could hear Tudor groaning loudly, his pace increasing further at my volcano-esque eruption.

  His hands squeezed mine as he bellowed out my name – the most wonderful sound ever. He stilled, muscles straining, eyes closed and mouth gaping, before slumping exhaustedly over me, fighting to regain his strength.

  As they say in Hollywood, that’s a wrap! And the Oscar goes to Tudor North and Tash Munro for an outstanding debut performance in a sex scene!

  CHAPTER 19

  Getting to know you…

  I stared at the ceiling, tracing circles around Tudor’s back with both of my hands, hypnotised by his soothing breath warming my neck, feeling safe as his arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me impossibly close.

  My God! That was amazing! He actually wants me, he calls me beautiful, he makes me feel beautiful and he likes me for me, flaws and all and he doesn’t need a map to my G-spot – hallelujah!

  It was definitely a dream. I subtly pinched myself again. “Ow!”

  Tudor exhaled loudly and lifted up his body to move directly above me, looking disapprovingly at the second red mark that was forming. “Tash! Stop hurting yourself or you will force me to restrain your hands.” He smirked with bright eyes. “On second thoughts, we might be on to something there. Bruise away…”

  I stuck out my tongue at him in response and he pecked my nose and stared into my eyes.

  “Hey,” he whispered lovingly as his finger ghosted along my cheek.

  “Hey.”

  He closed his eyes and bit his lip, using his strong arms to lift his upper body. “Mmm, I don’t wanna move.” he complained.

  “Then don’t. I’m good with staying like this for a while yet.”

  He brushed my lips with his. They were so soft. “Did I hurt you? It felt too good and I lost it. I kind of ground you into the mattress towards the end.”

  Mmm... didn’t you just. I still have the springs wedged in my spine to prove it.

  I laughed and replied in a breathy, light voice, “Why no, but you have stolen my virtue, you thieving rotten scoundrel!”

  Tudor risked a sly side-glance. “What are you on about, my crazy girl?”

  “Oh just a little dirty role play I was imagining in my head during our impromptu tryst.” I teased.

  He narrowed his eyes sceptically. “Was I at least a dark and brooding highwayman and you the rich and prim maiden?”

  “Nope, you were an unscrupulous pirate and I was the virginal wench with untapped whorish tendencies.”

  “Mmm… I think it’d be a best seller. Very… saucy,” he teased, leaning over to kiss me, differently this time, not rushed or hard, but slow and soft; one hand curled over my head, the other running gently up and down my side.

  I let out a whimper, moving my hips, and he lifted from my greedy mouth and let out a single laugh.

  “Again?”

  I pursed my lips and nodded yes. “This wench has quite the carnal appetite, and she needs your swashbuckling… long sword to feed it!”

  He laughed louder this time. “Well, you need to give me a few minutes to recover before you kill me!”

  He pecked me on the mouth one last time and pulled away, causing me to wince. His face suddenly fell ashen. “Shit!” His eyes were incredibly wide and he shook his head profusely.

  “What? What's wrong?” I questioned, slightly panicked.

  His green eyes shifted to me, looking guilty. “Tash I'm sorry. We didn’t use anything. I didn’t use anything. I forgot protection, shit. I’m sorry, Sunshine. I’ve never forgotten before... I just got caught up in the moment and...”

  I sucked in a panicked breath. “Me neither. Bugger, bugger, bugger!”

  I buried my head into the pillow, muffling a curse-laden shout; he rubbed a hand over his face in worry.

  After several tense seconds I lifted up, letting the duvet fall and I tugged on his arm, taking a calming breath. “Look, that shouldn’t have happened, we dropped the ball. I’m on birth control, so don’t panic about that... no eggs have been fertilised in the old womb-cubator –”

  I paused mid-sentence, biting my lip. It wasn’t pregnancy I was concerned about. He is an actor, a very famous actor, one who could have – and no doubt had had – bimbos spreading their spindly legs for him on tap.

  I glanced up to see him grinning at me. “What’s so funny?” I asked, confused.

  “I’m clean, Tash. No worries there. You have such an expressive face. I’d love to play you at poker!”

  Strip poker. Hello!

  “Oh. Well, good. Me too, I mean on the STD thing anyway. I'm as clean as a whistle… that’s been polished… with bleach.”

  “Message received, Tash. I get it, you’re clean.”

  I sighed in disapproval, pursing my lips. “Honestly, you pirates! You just dock your vessels where you fancy and let loose your seamen willy-nilly!”

  He dived at me and rolled me on top of him, nuzzling my neck, hiding his laughter. He pulled his head back, slowly losing the humour, and met my eyes, demanding my full attention. “I haven’t been with anyone in a long, long time, and haven’t wanted to be until you. I want you to know that.”

  I gave him my best ‘whatever’ expression.

  He put his finger on my highly arched brow, forcing it back down. “I’m serious.” he pushed, forcefully.

  “Why? Look at you. Hot, built and famous, you must have vadge on demand!”

  He let out a loud snort. “Tash! Do you ever think before you say these things?”

  I shrugged unapologetically. “It’s true! You must have been knee-deep in fanny in LA. You’re as hot as a menopausal woman at a Dream Boys concert and you’re famous: Pure. Pussy. Magnet.” I exaggerated each word with a slap on his taut arse.

  He gawked at me, mouth open, before bursting out laughing. I joined in. He took my hand, kissing the tip of every individual finger before laying it over his heart. “LA is nuts, you’re right. But I haven’t lived there in a few years. I got sick of sleeping around with leeches, people hungry for fame. It's sickening and gets old quick. Since then there’s been no-one special. I told you, I find it difficult to be with a girl emotionally.”

  “But sex is emotional.” I argued.

  He grew very serious. “It doesn’t have to be. Sex can just be that, sex. No emotional attachment at all.”

  I frowned, trying to work out if we had just had non-emotional sex. He tipped my chin with his finger, forcing me to look at him. “With you it’s everything, Sunshine. A rainbow of emotions.” he teased playfully with his hand over his heart.

  Wow! I’m like his personal Care Bear.

  I pulled back and wrapped the duvet around me, viewing him critically. “You left what, three years ago?”

  He nodded.

  I crossed my arms. “So you're telling me you haven’t been with anyone since then?” I sat back, waiting for the answer.

  He grimaced shyly. “Is it not too early in our relationship for the sexual history talk?”

  Relationship?

  “Well, considering you just took me unwrapped, bareback, skin to skin, un-rubbered, un-sheathed–,"

  He put his hand over my mouth and winced. "I get it, Sunshine."

  "You sure? No more adjectives needed?"

  He firmly shook his head.

  "Then I’m gonna say it's exactly the right time to have this discussion.”

  He took hold of my wrists, pulling me forward, slamming me to his chest.

  “You, young lady, have a mouth like a sailor, do you know that?”

  I winked and clicked my tongue. “Aye Aye, Captain! What can I say? It’s the foul-mouthed Scottish in me. Now stop changing the subject and spill, well, spill words this time. Have you really been living like a medieval monk for three years?”

  He groaned rubbing his head across my lower throat. “No. I had… acquaintances t
hat would occasionally… oblige."

  “Non-emotional fuck buddies?”

  “For want of a better term, yes.” he said, almost regretfully.

  I began tracing the tattoos on his chest. “So, when was the last time you were with one of them?”

  Please don’t say recently. Please don’t say recently. Please don’t sat recently.

  He grasped my face, forcing me to meet his gaze breaking my inner chant. “I haven’t been with anyone in about ten months, I promise. I no longer have any contact with them, they are in the past, a past I’m trying very hard to move on from.”

  I grinned happily and smacked a kiss to his juicy full lips. "Good answer!"

  He shook his head disapprovingly, waving his index finger a touch shy of my nose. “No, no, Ms. Munro, it’s your turn now.”

  “Pah, that’s easy. I haven’t been with anyone since February, my ex, and he put me off men for quite some time, the fucking letch."

  His eyes went wide. “Ah, so you’ve only been with women since?” he teased.

  I huffed. “Yep, I’ve been having plenty of naked pillow fights and girly slumber parties that just for no apparent reason spiral into hours of vaginal experimentation and clitoral orgasms a-plenty! Is that what you want to hear?”

  Tudor moaned loudly and lifted me against his ridiculously full crotch. “Fuck, I just got hard again!”

  “Men!!!” I slapped his chest, his rock hard chest. "In all honesty Tudor, my 'acquaintances who oblige' – as you so eloquently put it – consist of my limber-fingered right hand and my bunny-themed battery-operated friend.”

  He encased me in a hug and sighed. “Don’t worry, I’m not into sharing, so no lesbian porno fantasies here, thank you. I only want you feasting on me. But your other methods of pleasure get an open invitation.”

  My heart stopped. “Hang fire and go back a bit. What do you mean share?” I blurted out in a higher pitch than was normal.

  He pulled back from our embrace, confusion on his face. “What do you mean, what do I mean?”

  I looked down, playing with my hands. “Well, you said you don’t like to share.”

  He nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, and…?”

  “Well, you can only share something that’s yours,” I prompted.

  Bloody hell, he wasn’t making this easy on me!

  He smirked, and nodded slowly. “You’re right.”

  “About what? Which part?” I squeaked.

  “That you can only share what’s yours.”

  I am so confused!

  He reached down and grabbed my knees, hoisting me up to straddle him, sitting upright against my naked body, chest to chest. His hands in my hair, his gaze an inch from mine. “It may sound crazy, Natasha Munro, but I want to be all yours. I want you to be with me. Only me.”

  I tipped my head so we were nose to nose. “You want us to be together, like, together together?”

  He whispered with a nervous smile. “Mmm-hmm… I want all of you, completely, exclusively.”

  My heart did a victory somersault - fucking hell... finally!

  I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “Mmm??? Well… Okay!” I announced, feeling stupidly ecstatic.

  He beamed a Hollywood smile and kissed my collar bone. “I am yours too, you know. Completely and absolutely exclusively,” he said, causing me to plant a huge wet smacker of a kiss on his inviting mouth.

  With that, we picked up where we left off, cementing our new-found relationship, exploring each other’s bodies until we were so exhausted we fell back to the pillows and dozed off into a comfortable sleep, happily intertwined.

  I'm in a freaking relationship with Tudor North!!!

  CHAPTER 20

  The little things

  I woke up to the heavenly feel of kisses down my spine.

  It was a new and unexpected feeling of being treasured, and not being covered with a quilt during sex because my partner found looking at me offensive. For three years, I classed it as a special treat if Nathan actually fully removed his trousers before flip-flopping on top of me like a seal for his personal best of two minutes – Ar-Ar!

  With Tudor, it was all different… it was nice, loving, attentive, everything I could want.

  "Mmm... I could get used to this." I closed my eyes and enjoyed the loving caresses ghosting along my skin.

  "How are you feeling, gorgeous?"

  I smiled at the endearment. I rolled over, pulling him to lie down beside me. I took his hand.

  "How am I feeling? Wow. Where do I start? Well, I can't actually believe that you're here with me, like this... finally! I can't believe that you, Tudor North, want me, Natasha Munro from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. And what I absolutely cannot believe... is how big you are in the downstairs department!" I nudged him with my arm, chuckling.

  He moved in for a kiss, and my heart fluttered faster than a hummingbird's wings.

  "How are you feeling?" I asked in return.

  He lifted a strand of my hair to tease between his fingers. "How am I feeling? Well, where do I start? I can't believe you're here with me… finally! I can't believe that you want me, Tudor North from Victoria, British Columbia, especially after how I’ve acted towards you over the last couple of months. I really don’t deserve a second, no, third chance. But mostly I can't believe that I'm gonna have to deal with one of Tink's freakin’ lectures when we tell him we’re together!" He tickled my ribs making me giggle.

  Together. One word that evokes so much joy and happiness.

  He raised himself above me, laying his hand over my heart, (which was dangerously close to my left breast) all playfulness on pause. "I'm gonna make you happy, Tash, I promise. No more fuck-ups."

  I nodded, placing my hand above his heart too (dangerously close to his pec). "I'm going to make you happy too, Tude. I promise."

  He grinned and meshed our mouths together, sealing the vow with a kiss.

  I patted his arms. "So, now that we've stopped playing with each other’s tits, I need a shower. I'm a little bit of a mess."

  He pulled his lop-sided smirk. "Can I join you?"

  Now that sounds tempting!

  "I have a better idea," I announced as he peppered me with kisses all over my face.

  "I'm all ears." He’s all muscles!

  "Tink invested in a hot tub when we moved in, it’s on the deck. We could take advantage of that if you’d like?"

  He nodded enthusiastically. "Only if the taking advantage would be me of you."

  I guffawed. "You only have to look at me to get me to do your bidding, Mr. North, and you know it. That, or flash a piece of that panty-wetting tattoo."

  He shook his head at my vulgarity, but then acknowledged my confession with a smirk. "Duly noted."

  "Okay, let me up. I'll shower quickly and meet you out there. I think there's some prosecco in the fridge."

  I moved swiftly out of the bed, purposely sashaying my apple-round arse to the bathroom. I knew I'd been successful in my seductive parade when I heard Tudor let out a low moan.

  Take that Jessica Fucking Rabbit!

  I loved that I had that effect on him, he made me love myself in a way I could never have done before.

  Just as I was heading through the en-suite door, Tudor called out, "Tash!"

  I popped my head around the door. "Yeah, hun?"

  He lifted up his upper body, braced upon his elbows, his abs protruding from his stomach. "Don't bother putting on a swim suit. I want you ready and naked, no barriers between us. Yes?"

  I nodded in submission and shut the door, bracing myself on the sink and looking at my wanton reflection pulling a smug smile.

  Well Tash, better get chugging on gallons of cranberry juice and accept that you’ll be walking like John Wayne for next few days!

  Once I had showered, I headed out to the deck. Slow music was serenading through the speakers, and Tudor was in the Jacuzzi, head back and lapping up the heat.

  I slid in next to him, causing him to stir and hiss th
rough teeth. "I approve of the attire." Or lack thereof!

  He handed me a glass of bubbly, and we clinked our glasses with an obligatory 'cheers'.

  He didn’t meet my eyes. “Tudor!”

  He jerked at my shriek and spilt his drink in the water. He looked completely on edge. “What?”

  I shook my head in anger. “You didn’t meet my eyes! Bloody hell, it must be the only time since I’ve met you that you haven’t bored holes into these peepers!”

  He started laughing. “I love looking into your big chocolate eyes, but why are you getting all worked up about it now?”

  I let out a frustrated ‘Argh!’ “Because, if you don’t make eye contact when you toast then you get seven years bad sex,” I nodded with wide eyes and pursed lips, conveying the seriousness of the situation.

  Tudor lunged for the bottle of prosecco, filling our glasses to the rim. “Quick, quick, Sunshine, look deep into my eyes… not around them but right at them. You ready...? Cheers.”

  I giggled, clinking my glass against his. “Cheers.”

  I moved to sit opposite him and placed down my glass, still euphoric at our newly-expressed relationship status and how relaxed he seemed to be in my presence.

  Tudor set down his drink, standing slightly so I could catch a glimpse of the left, tattoo-laden cheek of his arse. He sat back down, and his arms dropped under the bubbling water, where I felt fingers grip my feet and move upwards as he grasped my ankles, making me yelp, pulling me forward through the water until I was situated on his lap. "There, that's better." He seemed very pleased with himself.

  My eyes pulled tightly into a squint, trying to expel the water. "You could have just asked me to come over to you. You didn't have to dunk me." I scolded.

  He intertwined his fingers around my back and answered, "Now where's the fun in that? Now come here, I've missed your lips. And I want to cash in on our seven years of good sex."

  I leaned in close, nipping his mouth before allowing him to engulf me. After several heated minutes, I pulled back and stroked his shaved head. "Tudor?”

  He smiled in suspicion. “Yes?”