Taking His Own Read online

  Right now, he reaches across and takes hold of my hand again. “Then let’s make the most of the time we’ve got.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Zara

  I’m standing on Mariam’s bed to get a good view in her mirror as I blow-dry my thick, black hair. She lies on the bed, rolling around to avoid getting trampled under my feet, angling her nail varnish expertly so it doesn’t spill on her textbook. She’s not interested in my hairstyle and she’s not really interested in her nails, either. She’s studying Bahasa Malaysia, the language we’ll have to be speaking every day soon enough – she’s been studying it for the past six months, ever since Dad heard his news.

  But the move’s the last thing on my mind today. It’s my birthday weekend. I’m eighteen, and my fake ID’s gone in the bin a full year ahead of most of my schoolfriends. Yes, that’s right – friends. It’s taken a while, but the citizens of Mayhew have finally warmed up to me.

  Yesterday was a blur of cake with my parents and hitting up the unimpressive cocktail scene Mayhew has to offer with Mariam and her older friends. Showing off my passport every time I got asked for ID.

  Today is going to be even better. Today, Chance has a surprise for me. My boyfriend, Chance. Even though it’s been almost half a year, I still get a little thrill every time I remember that he’s mine.

  I’m singing along to the song on the radio, loudly over the roaring of the hairdryer. Mariam reaches over and pinches my ankle.

  “Give it a rest! I’m trying to study.”

  I aim a gentle kick at her rump. Mariam slams her textbook shut. “I don’t know what you’re so worked up over, anyway. What’s so exciting about losing your v-card to a high school drop out in a Holiday Inn in Surrey?”

  “We’re not going to a Holiday Inn,” I protest, dropping myself down to my knees next to her so that the bed bounces and her nail varnish almost spills. Mariam squeaks loudly and screws the lid back on. Truth be told, I have no idea where we’re going. But I’m more than happy to let Chance take the lead. “And he’s not a high school dropout. He’s a businessman.”

  Mariam snorts and pokes me in the thigh. “You’re as deluded as he is. He works down at Mr Jensen’s corner shop. I buy magazines from him on Saturdays.”

  “That’s not his only business venture.” I waggle my eyebrows at her mysteriously. Mariam rolls her eyes. Inwardly, I’m glad she’s not taking me seriously. If she pressed me for information, I’d have to break Chance’s trust. And he’s not ready for that yet. The business isn’t ready.

  Soon, though. He said his time’s coming so soon he can practically reach out and touch it.

  I get up and rummage through her wardrobe, pulling out her old leather jacket. I’m wearing a yellow dress, with a short skirt that skims several inches above my knees. I know Chance likes my legs.

  “What are you doing?” Mariam asks. “You’re not taking that for the whole weekend!”

  “I’ll give it back when you give me back my green top,” I answer, unconcerned. I’m pretty sure she burnt a cigarette mark into that top last Friday, and it’s never seeing the light of day again.

  I shrug on the jacket and check that it sits nicely over the dress. It’s important that I look right today. I don’t know where we’re going, but I know it’s going to be special.

  It’s Saturday morning and we’re going to spend the whole weekend together. I’ve packed an overnight bag. We’ve had sleepovers before, but it’s always been just crashing in each other’s rooms at our parents’ houses. We’ve never gone anywhere before.

  And…well, Mariam’s comment about my v-card didn’t exactly strike gold. Not that Chance and I have already gone all the way. We haven’t. The fact is, we might not ever.

  Don’t get me wrong, I want him – badly. I’ve wanted to jump on him from practically the first moment I saw him. Our first kiss blew my mind so hard he could have taken me right there and then, if he’d wanted to.

  The problem is that there’s been a shadow hanging over us right from the very beginning. Almost as soon as we got together, I heard I’d be moving to the other side of the world. Chance doesn’t want my first time to happen in the darkness of that shadow. He says my first time should be with someone who’s going to stick around – someone I’ll always remember.

  How can he not understand? He’s already ingrained on my heart. He’s written into me with indelible ink. I’ll never forget Chance Madison as long as I live.

  Mariam’s given up arguing. She opens up the top drawer of her bedside table and pulls out a sparkly paper bag – an extra birthday present! Obviously, it’s something she couldn’t give me in front of Mum and Dad.

  “Look,” she says. “Just bring my jacket back in one piece, ok? And don’t you dare shag him wearing it. That’d be totally gross.”

  “I’m not going to have sex with him,” I protest. I can tell Mariam doesn’t believe me. Let’s be honest here – I’m so crazy about Chance every expression on my face is probably a giant advert for how much I want to give it up to him. There’s no hiding anything from my big sister. “Look, Chance isn’t like that. He doesn’t want us to…you know… if we’re only going to break up when we move to Malaysia.” A hot tight feeling appears in my throat, making my words husky. “He really loves me, Mariam.”

  “Oh, for god’s sake – don’t get sappy about it. I didn’t mean to wind you up.” She grabs me into a big hug. Her perfume smells of strawberries. It smells inappropriately cheerful considering I’ve got tears in my eyes. “Look, open your present. That’ll cheer you up.”

  I blink quickly to stop myself crying. Like hell am I going to ruin the make-up Mariam’s carefully applied – even though I told her not to bother. Chance likes my face with or without a pile of mascara. I open up the bag and peer inside.

  Trust her. It’s a bottle of vodka, the posh sort with little flecks of gold suspended inside, and a giant box of condoms. ‘Mariam!’

  “They’re extra-large,’ she says, with a filthy wink. ‘I talked to the boys on the football team.”

  “Oh my god!”

  I don’t know whether or not she’s joking. Ok, Chance and I have fooled around a fair amount so far… In fact, it’s all been pretty amazing. But I don’t exactly have anything to compare him to.

  God damn it, now I’m blushing, and she’s cackling like a harpy. I thrust the bag of shame back towards her, but she waves it away. “Safety first, sis! You never know when you might need it!”

  At that moment, the doorbell rings. I stuff the bag into my overnight rucksack and run downstairs two at a time. I fling open the front door before I can register that the figure standing behind the stained glass panel is not tall, broad-shouldered, and devastatingly manly… but a short, bent-over, grey-headed figure with a walking stick and, once the door opens, a knowing expression in her blue eyes.

  “My, you’re keen to see me this morning,” says Grandma Christine. She leans in for a kiss, and whispers, “There’s a handsome young man in a very shabby car parking up just down the road. If I were you I would hurry out before your mother makes him sit down with my old bones for a cup of tea.”

  I give her a big squeeze. “Thank you, Grandma!”

  I’m running off down the road before my parents can even register Grandma’s arrival. Chance has barely got out of his car when he sees me hurtling towards him. He looks incredible – he’s pulled on a black t-shirt which clings to his muscles and makes his strong body look even tougher. I almost wish I could drag him straight back into the house and pull it straight off him. If only we had that kind of privacy!

  The minute I reach him he swings me up into his arms and spins me up into the air. His mouth meets mine in a kiss which melts me from the inside out. Everything about this boy is too hot for this world. My hands cling to that damn shirt which is covering up his gorgeous body – the body which every part of me is aching to know better, and which my heart is crying for because it knows I can’t.

  Chance’s hands
rest possessively at the small of my back, pulling me close to him. I can feel the warmth of his body against mine. He brushes a lock of hair away from my face and smiles. “Happy Birthday, you. Finally joining the rest of us in the legal drinking club. You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Are you ready for an adventure?”

  “I’m ready for anything,” I tell him.

  He opens the car door for me. It’s almost funny, being treated so nicely – as if we’re two classy people with money driving a fancy car – when all we’ve got is Chance’s beat up second hand drive. I roll down the window and dangle my arm out in the sunshine. He links his fingers through mine as we roll away, out of Mayhew, out into the countryside.

  “Where are we going?” I ask. “Or will it spoil the surprise to tell me now?”

  He squeezes my hand and drops it to shift gears. “Check your bag.”

  “What?”

  “Trust me.”

  I open up my rucksack and shift aside Mariam’s present. Inside, there’s my washbag, my change of underwear, a shirt and jeans for tomorrow – and my bikini. I’m sure I didn’t pack that. I tug it out and wave it in the air accusingly. There’s a post-it note stuck to the top. Give my regards to Mr XL. I rip it off and crumple it quickly before Chance can see.

  “You got Mariam in on this?” I ask suspiciously. It’s not like her to be so supportive. She likes Chance enough, sure, but she doesn’t exactly approve of our relationship. She gets concerned over anything that might tie me to the UK when the big move happens.

  “I had to bribe her with free magazines for a month,” Chance admits. “Don’t tell Mr Jensen. Have you guessed where we’re going?”

  I study the bikini. The summer sun’s hot on my skin. “The beach?”

  “Pevensey Bay. It’s a little under an hour away. I’ve rented us a room in a cute little cottage – you’re going to love it.” Chance keeps his eyes on the road, but I can hear the excitement building in his voice. “There are a couple of other surprises waiting for you there. I’ll keep you waiting for those.”

  That’s my Chance. Always in control. Every move perfectly planned out. He can persuade anyone to do anything – right now I’d believe he could persuade the stars right out of the sky. I lie back on the car seat, Mariam’s leather jacket growing hot against my back. “Chance, it sounds…perfect. But how can you afford all this? It must have cost a bomb.”

  He slips me a secret grin, and I instantly know there’s something else going on. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Zara. You’re one surprise down already.”

  I close my eyes against the sun, grinning. “Alright, Mr Madison. You’re in control.” The memory of Mariam’s present nags at my mind, but I push it aside. I don’t need to make a decision just yet… even though I know it’s dangerous, leaving everything unsettled. In the heat of the moment, my body is too likely to decide for me. And my body wants nothing more than Chance. All of him. Every part of him that he can give me. The idea of him inside me, touching me in ways I’ve never been touched, unleashes a rising heat between my legs that I have to fight with myself to ignore.

  For now, I’m more than happy to let him lead me wherever he wants to go.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Chance

  Zara’s standing on the edge of the half-ruined castle wall, the blue sea beating a fierce wind into her dark hair. Her arms are thrown back, letting her beautiful form stand out in silhouette against the cloudless sky. The view’s exquisite, but it’s nothing to my girl.

  Nothing I’ve ever seen, or done, or known, is anything compared to the girl standing in front of me, whooping into the wind.

  I catch her at the waist and lift her down from the parapet. My hands slide lower, over her round hips. I’ve got her in my arms now, my princess of the ruined castle, my perfect girl. If living in the moment is all we have, I’m the luckiest guy alive. Each moment with her is a fucking work of art.

  I kiss her, deep and slow. My tongue buries itself against hers. Her mouth is so soft and hot that my dick is instantly throbbing in my jeans. Fuck me, to get this close to her – to be able to touch her, kiss her, hold her – to explore all her soft curves, the smooth flat of her stomach, the silky reaches of her thighs – to know what it’s like when she’s moaning under my hand, or better yet, my mouth – to memorise every detail of her flawless breasts, her tiny round nipples, and lick them into submission with my tongue – and yet not be able to claim her completely as my own – this is torture. An incredible torture. My body feels like it’s on fire every time we kiss.

  I’ve got plans for this girl. Plans that start tonight. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’ll finally be able to give herself to me – everything that she wants to give. I’ve fixed everything so that we can be together. There’s nothing I wouldn’t make happen to keep her in my life.

  The thought of what’s ahead takes me over, possessing me, and I kiss her with a new force that draws a moan out of her mouth and into mine. She grips my arms as though there’s a storm overtaking her and I’m her only safe harbour. My hands have found their way up to the zip at the back of her dress now, and I bite gently on her neck as I softly tease it open. I love the way she gasps.

  I almost forget myself and tell her now, tell her that it’s all going to be alright, that she’s mine and I’m keeping her forever – but I need to take this slowly. I’ve planned it out to perfection. Zara pushes my hand away, looking up and down the deserted ruins of Pevensey Castle. Far away below us, a few scattered beachgoers are only distant specks. “Chance! What if someone sees?”

  “No-one’s looking.” The blush that rises into her face sends blood coursing into my dick. I need just a little from her now – the sight of her, so close and so almost-mine, is just too fucking tempting to resist. I slide her dress off one tanned shoulder, then the next, leaving a trail of kisses behind my fingers. She’s wearing a turquoise bra, lacy and almost see-through. I run a finger over it, stroking against her firm nipple. She shudders with pleasure.

  “Chance,” she groans, but this time she’s not protesting. I know exactly how to make her feel good. I’ve spent a lot of time learning exactly what she likes – I’ve studied all her responses, listened to every moan and sigh – and I’m a very quick learner.

  I lean in against her so that she can wrap her arms around my neck, and kiss her roughly as I push my hand up under her skirt, shoving her panties aside and sliding a finger through the wet heat there which is all for me. Her thighs tense around my hand. I rub her gently, growing firmer, my fingers finding her nub and drawing teasing circles around it. Zara flings back her head, arching her back in sheer pleasure. I kiss her neck, bite her breasts through that lacy bra, pushing her up against the castle wall.

  We’re out in the open here and anyone who comes by on their weekend walk could see everything we’re doing. The glory of my girl, begging and thrusting against my firm hand, her legs spread in front of me. I grind my aching cock against her leg. I’m so desperate to feel her wrapped around me, to bury myself in that trembling tight pussy, that it’s all I can do not to fling her down on the grass right now and thrust myself into her over and over.

  No. Not yet. With a superhuman effort I drag myself away. Zara’s eyes widen, betrayed, and she clutches at my hand. I kiss her, our tongues entwining, and drop to my knees on the grass.

  If I can’t bury my dick in her beautiful pussy, there’s only one way I can satisfy myself. I need the scent of her, the taste of her. I want to be surrounded by it. I part her sweet lips with my tongue and set my mouth to work. Her skirt falls over my head, concealing what we’re doing from any passers-by. I hear a stifled yelp from Zara as my tongue connects with her clit. I’m not about to let up on her. I know exactly how to give her what she needs. My finger slides inside her, caressing that tender spot inside that’s burning for the thrust of something bigger, deeper – the place that I fully intend to fill properly for the first time later tonight. Zara’s legs start to shudder, and I wrap my
other arm around her to stop her from falling. I’m licking her, up and down, in smooth, fast strokes. Her hand clenches into my hair through the fabric of the dress. She’s too nervous to make a sound, but I can only imagine the expression on her face. Her hips start to buck towards me, rocking wildly against my mouth, my tongue.

  “Oh, Chance,” she whispers – then louder. She’s forgotten that anyone within a two mile radius can hear exactly what she’s saying. “Oh, Chance, yes – fuck – yes, yes!”

  She’s coming. She’s coming beautifully, spilling out every secret of her body against my tongue like an intimate whisper. Her pussy throbs against my fingers as I draw out her orgasm as long as I can, pumping her until she’s completely finished.

  I throw the skirt off my head and grab both her legs, hugging her towards me. She’s weak-kneed and falls against me at my command. She’s barely got the strength to tug her dress back over her arms.

  “How was that?” I ask, stroking her cheek. Her eyes are misty, as blue as the sea.

  “I don’t have words,” she sighs. Then suddenly stumbles upright. “Chance, what if someone heard?”

  I give her a playful bite on the smooth tanned skin of her neck. “Then we’d better get out of here.”

  We scramble down the steps that lead from the castle to the beach. There’s a family of four sweating their way up past us, and they don’t give us a second glance. I guess we got away with that one – just.

  The breeze dies down as we reach the sand. Zara kicks off her sandals and burrows her toes into it. The beach stretches away to either side, wide and yellow – maybe not a patch on what they’ve got in Malaysia, but as wild and rugged as they come.

  “It’s perfect,” she says, and slips her pink panties off under the dress without a second’s hesitation. I’m spellbound. Her body wriggles delicately as she slips into that red and black bikini, then the dress comes over her head. She’s never been shy about her body – she’s got nothing to be shy about. Hot damn. It’s the most beautiful sight in the world. The curve of her hips outlined against the ocean is intoxicating. I feel like I’ve downed a shot of vodka just watching her.