Felicity
Iwoke to feel a delicious ache between my thighs. Luke was certainly attentive and enthusiastic when it came to sex. No other guy had made me feel this good. I stretched and yawned, watching as the sun shimmered across the bed, covering me in a warm glow. Or maybe the warm glow came from the sex marathon.
Luke’s bathrobe was hanging up on the door. Hopping out of bed, I reached for it and headed into his en-suite. I saw some toothpaste and used my finger to clean my teeth.
The smell of bacon cooking caused a loud rumble in my stomach. Food. Yes, I needed to eat. Maybe if I built up my strength again, we could have round two. Or was it three or four, because I remembered him waking me at least once in the night.
I reached the bottom step when I heard Luke talking. He must’ve been on the phone because, after he spoke, there was silence before he spoke again. My hand was resting on the door handle when I heard something which made my blood run cold. It was rude to eavesdrop, but for some reason, I couldn’t help myself.
“That’s a great result.”
Silence while the other person spoke.
“Yeah, being sensible from now on is a great idea.”
More silence.
“Sure, we can go out for a few beers tonight.”
Laughter from Luke. “Okay, okay. No more baby talk.”
Baby talk? Now I was intrigued and couldn’t pull myself away from the door.
“Jesus, I know. If that paternity test had come back positive, definitely screwed.”
I almost fell backwards. My head was spinning and I felt sick. Luke had had a paternity test? Was he in a relationship and someone had thought he was the father of their kid? Maybe I should stick around and ask him. But my trusting nature had taken a huge step backwards and my flight mode had kicked in. Creeping back up the stairs, I quickly dressed and made for the front door, praying Luke didn’t come out of the kitchen.
My hands were shaking as I switched on the engine. All I wanted to do was to get the hell out of there and never see him again. The drive home was hard as my eyes were full of tears, making it difficult to see. I came to a screeching halt outside Aunt Doll’s and ran straight in.
“Did you have a good… Oh, Fliss, what’s the matter?”
I sat next to her on the sofa and sobbed while she rubbed my back in comforting circles. My cries subsided. She handed me a tissue and I blew my nose. She brushed my hair away with her hands.
“Tell me what happened.”
“Luke. He’s… he’s…” I started crying again.
“He’s what, love?”
“He’s not the man I thought he was and… and, he’s just had a paternity test come back.”
“Are you sure? Did he tell you that himself?”
I shook my head as my breathing came out in a rasp. “I heard him on the telephone.”
“There must be some kind of mistake. He’s single, I’m sure of it. Perhaps you only heard half the conversation? Did you even think to ask him about it?”
“No. I’d heard enough. I’ve made a fool of myself. I’m sorry, Aunt Doll, but I won’t be able to go back to the lottie. Not after this.”
She kept trying to reassure me and told me I should give Luke the benefit of the doubt, but my heart had been betrayed before. And I was too afraid to ask because my fragile heart would break even more.
* * *
Luke
When I got off the phone to Marcus, I plated up some bacon sandwiches and headed upstairs. I’d even made freshly squeezed orange juice and made coffee in the machine which had been unused since I bought it a year ago. After what we shared last night, I wanted to make a great impression on Fliss. She was someone I could possibly see a future with. After Leanne, I thought that would never happen, but with Red, well… she was something special.
“Hey, sleeping beauty, I’ve brought you breakfast in bed.”