“My beautiful, filthy slut,” he says, flicking his tongue.
I close my eyes to it, pretending it’s a stranger between my legs.
“Excited, baby?” he asks as I buck for more.
“… hell yes,” I reply, praying to all the gods that I can truly be who he wants me to be.
I wake up so warm and cosy, stretching my legs under the covers.
“Hey, princess.”
My man is already awake and he looks incredible in the morning light, his hair all messy and a sleepy smile.
I put on my own dressing gown this morning, looking like a fluffy pink teddy bear as he wraps himself up in his. He’s still so much more confident in his skin than I am in mine, but his love and praise is definitely working their magic. I feel like quite a lovable pink fluffy teddy bear right now.
I’ve enjoyed being in Ant’s place on my own, but it has a whole other atmosphere when he’s here with me. He makes me a coffee with his posh machine as I watch him, and I can’t hold back the grin.
“I adore your smile,” he says as he hands me my mug.
I’m still savouring the taste of the coffee when he leans forward with his elbows on the counter.
“I have plans for you today.”
Shit, how the reality of my slutty night ahead comes back to me. My nerves are off the scale as soon as he says it, and he reads my expression.
“No, no. That’s not what I’m talking about. We’ve got a whole day ahead of us before that, baby. Forget about tonight for now, that’s all in good time.”
There’s little chance I’ll be forgetting the fact I’ll be taking a random guy’s dick tonight, but I’ll give it a go. I dismiss the nerves as best as I can, plastering on another big grin.
“What kind of plans do you have for me today, then?”
He taps the side of his nose. “Wait and see, sweetheart. I’m full of surprises.”
Mr Perfect makes breakfast – delicious poached egg on toast – and of course, he poaches those eggs just perfect. We sit together at the breakfast bar, happily talking about Malvern, and Berlin, and how well his team have been performing there.
“They are going to absolutely adore you,” he says.
When I see his happiness at that thought, I realise again just how void of a family he seems. He never mentions any relatives, and there is nobody close he talks about, even in passing.
“You must have a load of people you know in Berlin, right?” I ask him. “Friends as well as co-workers? I can’t wait to meet them, too.”
His expression darkens a little when he answers. “To be honest, I don’t really do friends, Cass. In my experience people are generally out for what they can get from you, at any cost. You’re the first person I’ve truly shown my hand to in a long, long time.”
It’s a lovely sentiment, but there is no hiding the sadness of his admission, even if he’s glazing it over with a smirk. A man like Ant wouldn’t ever need to be lonely, he’s too amazing for that, so it’s definitely a choice on his part to keep people away from him. There’s no doubt someone, or some people, must have hurt him pretty bad at some point in his life.
“I’m definitely not out for what I can get from you,” I tell him. “Don’t worry about that.”
I want to push and ask him about his past, but his emotional shutters are already down as he loads the dishwasher. I can feel it. The desire to know more feels almost like a challenge. I already love him enough that I want to understand the cards he holds tight to his chest and why he holds them there, but I guess that will take some time.
“You look deep in thought,” he says.
“Just wondering what you have planned for us today,” I lie. “I’m excited to find out.”
“Let’s get to it, then. We should get dressed and ready to go.”
I’m still feeling fresh from our shower last night, so pick out some clothes from my new wardrobe with nothing more than a brush of my teeth and a comb of my hair while Ant heads into the bathroom. He’s scrubbing himself hard when I walk in through the door with two outfits held up against me.
“Which one?” I ask him. “I don’t know what’s most suitable for the day.”
He points to the jeans and sweater.
“We’ll be outdoors for a fair chunk of it, sweetheart. Wrap up warm.”
I like the idea of that, walking in a spring breeze with him. I’m smiling to myself as I head back into the bedroom and put them on. I’ve already done my makeup when he comes back through to join me. He looks so hot with his hair still wet.