CHAPTER 24

Lillie

Large hands. He had large hands. Both were gripping my ass. Holding them tight. Squeezing and massaging. His calloused hands crept up my naked hips. He tugged me closer against him. My hips gently buckling as I groaned in pleasure. A gorgeous face rises from between my legs, lips set in a knowing smile.

Your eyes trail up his body with longing, from his firm jaw to his chiseled biceps, travelling lower. My hands feeling his hard abs, scraping them hard with my fingers.

He kissed his way up my chest, setting a fiery trail in their wake. Finally, settling his firm body against mine. I grasped the satin sheets beneath me as he grinds his hips against my wet center, making contact with his evident excitement.

"Don't... stop..." I gasped.

His tongue teased my nipples, his lips grazed the bare skin of my breast, as he cups the other breast in his hand. Suddenly, he flips me over so that I'm straddling him. He moans as I rock my hips against his growing hard desire.

The sensations overwhelm me.

"I need you now!" I screamed.

He flips me over once again, his body leaning over me, hovering at my burning core. With one move, he thrusts into me -

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I woke up with a startle straight out of bed, gasping for breath. Did I just have a sex dream?

I couldn't believe it. It felt so real. Was it with Dimitri, or was it with Arthur? I don't even know. I couldn't make out the guy and I have no idea how Dimitri looks like, anyway. Details of the dream started to fade, but the physical effects still lingered. My damp panties were evident of that.

Damn, that alarm clock. I should've put it off the previous night. It stopped right at the good part, for crying out loud. It's been such a long time and a girl couldn't even get it on in her dreams. Only to be awoken by a damn alarm on a Saturday morning.

I moaned. "Why were the odds against me?"

Huffing, I got out of bed, quite annoyed. I wasn't in the mood for this afternoon either. Mum was coming over for lunch. I had to invite her out before she gave me another guilt trip.

It was late morning, and I was baking a storm. I just finished my honey cake and placed it in the oven. The beef stew was simmering on the stove. The pleasant smell wafted around the kitchen. I loved smelling food while it was cooking or baking. The honey, cinnamon and sauce stewing were utterly divine.

This was one reason I enjoyed cooking so much. It brought me great pleasure I could turn ingredients into a delicious work of art. I stirred the stew with a wooden long spoon, careful not to splatter on myself. I always wore my red vintage apron when working in the kitchen. Had to protect my jeans and checkered shirt.

I gave it a taste. "Simply delicious, if I may say so myself," I muttered with a cocky smile. There wasn't much I boasted about, but when it came to cooking, I was tops. My mum would approve. I chilled the wine before there was a knock on my door.

2pm, like clockwork. What can I say? I get my impeccable organization skills from Mrs. Clarke.

I walked to the door and opened it. My mouth instantly dropped.

"Mom, you cut your hair?! And it's platinum blonde!" I gasped.

"Well, hello to you too, sweetie," my mum said as she strode past me into the house. She walked to the living room and dropped her keys and bag on the sofa.

"Hmmm, something smells good hun," she continued to the kitchen. I followed her there, taking in her new appearance.

I couldn't believe she would make such a drastic change. All my life I've known this woman to have long dark hair with bangs. Now she looked like P!nk meets Penelope Cruz, sophisticated but with an edgy look. My mum noticed me gawking.

"How do you like it?" she asked, touching her hair and wiggling her eyebrows.

"It's different. That's for sure," I said. To be honest, she looked good. She looked young. It took years off her. She wore a skinny jeans, a funky-looking blazer with a shirt underneath. I got slightly jealous.

I just realized how uninteresting and dull my appearance is compared.

I was not used to my mother like this, the reason I was so 'stiff' and 'rigid' my whole life was hugely because my mother was too. She was conservative, which made me conservative. Punctuality and Tidiness was her middle name. I grew up like that. Completely sheltered. And here she was, looking like a rock star.

My mother looked up at the ceiling. "I thought that roof got fixed?"

I continued to study her, completely ignoring the drip drip drip above me.

"I'll get around to fixing it soon," I said.

She gave a lazy nod and waved me off.

"Are you going through a mid-life crisis?" I blurted out, not meaning to.

My mother chuckled. "Can't I live it up a little? You should do the same honey; you look tired and worn out."

What!? 'Tired', 'Worn out', and that I should live it up?! Are you serious?!

I thought I got lectures like this from Sassi, and now from my own mother who was the epitome of self-restraint. I inwardly groaned. This was going to be a long, rainy afternoon.

***

After we had our beef stew, I took out two side plates and placed it on the table. I sliced two perfectly sized honey cake. I made tea to go with it. We talked about my mother's job. She was a maternity nurse and a damn good one at that.

I made sure we avoided the topics of Mason and my loveless life at all costs.

"Is there anyone special?" My mum asked over the brim of her tea. I chocked slightly on mine when I swallowed. I cleared my throat.

"Nope, no one," I said casually, taking a bite of my honey cake. It's not like I was lying to her. Arthur was a potential, but we were still getting to know each other. As for Dimitri, he was far from a relationship. And no way was I going to tell my mum about him. It's a need to know basis.

My mum sighed. "Sweetie... do you want me to set you up on a blind date or something? There's plenty of men at the hospital- " I stopped her in her tracks.

"No, no, no thank you. I'm doing fine on my own-"

"Have you tried a dating website?" Mum interjected. I stared at my mother with a look of 'OH HELL NO'.

She waved me off. "You have to move on from Mason, he's-"

"STOP. Please. I do not want to discuss him. The point of moving on is not talking about the guy and his life," I said miserably.

My mother looked at me and nodded. She finally agreed and sipped her tea.

"Well, I have news... I met someone." She said.

"What? Who?" I asked, stunned. The second time almost chocking on my tea for the day.

"He's name is Patrick, and I bumped into him at the supermarket, while shopping. We talked, and he asked me out for coffee, and well you know... the rest is history. Who knew you can bond over cherry tomatoes?" She said with a cheeky grin.

Wow. My mother found someone. I was happy for her. I take it her new bold look was thanks to this Patrick. My father's death was devastating for her and she hadn't really dated after. I was glad she wasn't alone, at least.

The rest of the evening didn't consist of relationship talk any longer. Thank goodness. And as for Patrick, apparently, he was a great guy. I didn't ask much further details. After my mother left. The house seemed empty. It was good seeing her.

I washed up the dishes and packed the leftovers in the fridge. I needed a good romcom movie and opted to watch Maid in Manhattan starring Jennifer Lopez. After the movie, I went to bed. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea watching the film after all. It made me feel lonely now.

Life was sometimes not filled with happy endings.