Breaking Old Habits Page 2

  I was madly in love.

  My mother called him the son of Brad Pitt and Jesus. He was completely beautiful.

  “When did you last shave?” I asked, reaching out to cup his jaw. I parted my thighs, and he lowered himself on top of me more.

  “Last night.” His words came out strangled as he pushed inside me.

  My muscles tightened around him automatically as I savoured the moment. That first thrust. It was my favourite.

  “You did it before in the shower.”

  I could not help but giggle. “Not your balls. I meant this.” I tugged at his beard. “I haven’t seen you with a smooth face before.”

  He just smirked, laying his full weight on top of my naked body and rubbing his chin against my forehead. “You don’t complain when I’m going down on you.”

  No, I never complained about that.

  Moaning as his thrusts went from nothing to hard, I clung to his shoulders. One of my legs went up over his hip as he pushed it back, and the other tightly curled around his thigh, keeping him close. My breasts bounced with each powerful jerk of his hips. When our eyes locked in on each other, his mouth came and crashed down against mine. Our tongues wound together, fighting for dominance as we each battled for control. I did it to wind him up… teasing him. It was not that I liked being in charge. I preferred him to take that control. It did it knowing he enjoyed the thrill of the chase.

  Pulling my hips back, I gasped as he went deeper. “Griff…” My words were drowned out when my voice rasped with another throaty moan as his groin angled and hit me right where I needed it. My orgasm was coming on fast, and his was coming close.

  “With me, pretty. I’m right there with you,” he said, grunting and spilling himself inside me as I tightened once more, erupting in shaking pleasure with him.

  We had been together for seventeen months. You would assume we met normally, and I never told my parents about how we truly met that night—that we met in the club, I cooked breakfast, and then had sex on table three in the café, proceeding to spend the next two days hauled up together in a motel room. Instead, I said he came into the café and that things went from there… which was kind of true. He did stalk me for a couple of weeks until I finally agreed to go on an actual date with him. He had taken me to Quay Restaurant, with a view of Sydney Harbour. He may have that hipster charm about him, but nothing about him was low-key hipster.

  Tracing my fingers over his chest, I stared at his artwork of black ink as I lay in the crook of his arm. I brushed my finger over my name that was written across his chest where his heart was beating steady. I had his name on the inside of my ring finger. Forever, we would be connected. His lips pressed to the top of my dark hair, and he exhaled. “What time is it?”

  Reaching over his naked-as-the-day-he-was-born body, I found my phone on the bedside table and swiped the unlock screen. I groaned sleepily. “We’ve got ten minutes. It’s well past lunch time.”

  It was ten minutes until the boys finished school and twenty minutes until they would be here. Toby was a charming boy, and when I say charming, I really mean going through that teenage rebelling stage. He was older by three minutes and always in a bad mood. On the other hand, Mack was much shyer and blushed whenever spoken to. He was the quietest out of them all.

  They both had their dad’s charming good looks.

  It did not worry me too much that he had teenage children or that I was only seven years older than them, but it did bother his ex, Karen. She called me the ‘young floozy he was fucking through his midlife crisis.’ Meanwhile, my personal favourite to call her was his teenage dream.

  She never saw their split coming. He told me they were not sleeping together. Had not done it since she fell pregnant. They had separate rooms for six years before he just up and finally walked out when they were ten. There was no love there, and he thinks there never had been. It was a mere teenage infatuation filled with lust. She, however, was in love with him still. I think he filled her with false hopes when he designed and built the apartments for them to live in.

  When she first walked in, I was surprised. She was not what I had been expecting. I was expecting a warm, friendly woman. She was very small, not at all intimidating with her size, until she spoke. And there it was—that resting bitch face look. Griffin had mentioned the skinniness was due to drugs. I knew the moment we met, she would make this tough between us. I could not think otherwise when her marble-like eyes always looked mad, and she kept a cigarette tucked behind her ear, near her mousy brown short hair.

  The first time I caught her waltzing in and making herself at home, I thought that they were getting back together and had been screwing behind my back. I instantly turned around and walked back out of the apartment.

  For three days, I had ignored his calls and texts and pretended I had not listened to his desperate voice mail messages. I held my ground until he drove for two hours over to my parent’s in Mosman and begged me to talk to him. I did, and somehow, that talk convinced me to move in with him. He explained she did that sometimes, but there was nothing even remotely sexual between them.

  They were friends for the sake of their children. It was normal, right? It would stop once we began living together, I thought.

  Wrong.

  So, I had gone back to the house and hoped for the best. As I was carrying a box of belongings up the stairs, his ex-fiancée came over and made her thoughts known—clearly letting her bitch side come out without any remorse or regret. She had told me that I was never going to be their boys’ mother and if I ever tried to be, she’d put me six feet under. Griffin, hearing all of that, came over and told her to calm down and back off.

  This woman was marking her claim and letting me know. She was the only woman in their life. Sometimes, I think she thought Griffin was still hers, too.

  “Do you have work this weekend?” he asked, sitting up and finding his boxer shorts that were at the foot of our mattress.

  Staying in bed, I watched him with devouring eyes. “I have it off. Why’s that? Do you want to do something?”

  “Does it count if I say you?” He grinned slipping a leg into the bottoms. Looking more serious, he kept his voice low and words short. “There’s a game on.” It was not a request. He was simply telling me that he was going.

  “Hot men, lots of cash… who wouldn’t miss that for the world.” I teased, and a laugh escaped as he raised a brow at me. Correcting myself, I said, “I’m sorry. I meant one extremely hot man.”

  “Better.” Having finished dressing up, he rubbed his chin and bent down to pick up something. Turned out it was my black thong, and he handed it to me. “If she switches weekends, do you mind watching them while I’m out?”

  I knew that was coming. Still, he always asked if I was okay to watch them. Raising my hips back up, I pulled the tiny fabric up my tanned thighs and covered the bare part he was staring at. “Of course. I love those boys. You know that I don’t mind looking after them. They’re safe with me.”

  Leaning over the bed, he placed a chaste kiss against the bare skin of my stomach. “I know they are.” Once he had helped me up, he gave my behind a playful slap. “Behave at work.”

  “Always do. Don’t forget to heat up your dinner in the oven, not microwave like last time.” I winked and stood on my tippy toes. Wrapping my arms around his neck as he slid his around my lower waist and squeezed my bare ass. “Tell me you love me before I leave,” I asked with a whisper.

  “I love you,” he said, staring into my eyes and rocking me to my core. “You love me?”

  Almost pressing my lips against his, I whispered. “I love you. You know I do.”

  “I do. I’ll wait up for you. Call me when you’re finished.” He always said that, but I wouldn’t call knowing it would only wake him up.

  Trying to decide what to wear to work tonight while Griffin took the boys to his studio, was routine to me. I ended up slipping into a pair of skinny black jeans that clung to my ass and a long, wh
ite tee that fitted loosely but hugged my curves enough. I left my arms exposed to show off the black ink my boyfriend liked to draw all over me. He was making me way more addicted to tats than I needed to be. When you date an architect, who was also a qualified tattooist, you just let him draw. I loved it, though. He would draw something up and show it to me. I never hesitated to let him put it on my skin.

  I tied my long black hair up into a messy knotted bun. Working in a café was fun although the hours sucked during the week. I was glad to have most weekends off on a rotating roster. My mum rarely showed up anymore. I would be lucky to see her maybe three times a month. Other than that, I was the girl in charge of opening and closing.

  Bending down, I dug through the bottom of the wardrobe until I found what I was looking for: flats.

  This room was far too small for my things, but I did not tell him that. This house was designed to fit a man and two children. It was gorgeous and very modern but also boyish. I tried to make it slightly prettier, but I was met with mock horror and a candle that was only allowed to come out of the draw when Griffin was feeling romantic and wanted to drip hot wax over my naked body as he fucked me until I was flushed pink with handprints and marks all over.

  Our sex life was extremely fun… spontaneous with a hint of kink to it. Who was I kidding? There was a lot of kink between us.

  After doing a thick eyeliner, I glossed up my lips and made my way outside. At almost three pm, I headed to the car. Trying not to notice the woman sitting on the wooden porch chair out the front of her house. She did not even try to hide that she was staring at me.

  I should give her the finger, but I chose my best friend’s advice and ignored her.

  Harvey was wiping down the wooden counter when I walked through the sliding door. He looked up and smiled. “Afternoon,” He called out loudly. I was used to it as his earphones were blasting music, something he always had on while cleaning. “How’s the day been treating you?”

  I gave him a half a shrug, rolling my eyes. “It was great until Karen appeared.”

  “You’re kidding. She came over again?” He knew without having to ask.

  “Too early for a drink?” I asked with a wink.

  “Won’t say no.” He smirked, making his way over to the coffee machine. Harvey made the best coffee ever. My favourite was his dirty hippie. “You look good tonight.”

  I just smiled. His compliments were a usual thing, but I took no notice. He was just being friendly.

  Harvey was what women would call fucking gorgeous. It seemed all the men in my life were. His short dark brown hair was tousled up and shaved on one side, and he had a brow ring and sleeve of tats on both arms. Add to that the nose piercing and his bright blue eyes that looked like pools of crystal clear water. Harvey was a one-night stand kind of guy and never banged the same girl twice. There was no sexual relationship between him and me. We became friends when we first met at work, and it stayed that way. That was probably why Griffin loathed him so much. Harvey did not like Griffin either. If I had a dollar for every time he told me that he was too old or that I could do better, I would be the millionaire.

  I’m not kidding. Those two would grin and bear it, but only for my sake.

  Passing over a coffee cup, I found my black apron and tied it around my waist. “To work tonight!” I grinned.

  Holding it up as if to toast with me, he grinned back. “To one hell of a night.”

  ***

  It was more than one hell of a night. It was a nightmare! There wasn’t enough coffee to keep me awake at the end of the night once I had finished mopping the floors and locking up.

  There were two fights, and one of them ended with a table being smashed and the police arriving to haul their drunken asses out of the café—just one of the downsides of working in a café that stayed opened to the late-night diners. At first, it seemed like a good idea, and most of the time, it was. But then random drunks appear, and soon I was being hit on by the usual wasted men and some women. Apparently, having tats and black hair made me look like a hard-core lesbian. No, I was straight. Even though Griffin would probably love to watch me with another woman, it was not going to happen.

  I liked cock, more specifically, his cock.

  Also, I did not share what was mine.

  Exhausted and eager to welcome our bed, I walked up the stairs to our front door at almost midnight. I was freaking tired. All the lights were out, except for the soft glow of the hallway lamp.

  The house was silent. It was small, but it suited the four of us well. Everything was almost always tidy. I loved summer here. The sun shone perfectly into our bedroom as we would often lie in bed, talking and just enjoying each other’s company.

  I checked on the boys, both passed out in their own rooms. They are twins but very different.

  Toby’s TV was still on and the movie back at the main menu. I walked over and turned it off. Mack had a book still in his hand. He must have fallen asleep reading as he did so often. They both got a kiss from me. I loved them. They may not be my own children, but I adored these two boys so much.

  Kicking off my shoes as I pushed open our bedroom door, I found Griffin passed out with the TV on and the sheets around his naked waist, covering his hidden possession.

  He always slept naked… not that I ever complained.

  He woke up with a yawn as I stripped off my clothing and quickly slid in beneath the covers. His arms wrapped around me, and he placed a kiss on my bare shoulder. “You didn’t call.” His sleepy voice was so sexy as his groin flexed into the curve of my behind, making me curl my legs up.

  “And you didn’t wait up,” I whispered, my eyes already closing as my hands slipped over his, interlocking our fingers. I snuggled down, my back against his front as his lips glided against the nape of my neck.

  The woman across the road may cause me some grief, but at least I got to come home to this every morning after work. That was not going to change for anything or anyone.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Loosening my thighs from around his waist as he slowly draws his flaccid cock out, I could not help but grin lazily up at him as he helped me to stand on my feet. I wobbled for a split second but never fell as his hands were still firmly placed on my hips, holding me as I regained my balance on the shower tiles. The warm leak of semen running down my inner thigh was being washed away as Griffin slipped his hand between my thighs with the washcloth and also started washing himself clean from our usual shower antics.

  “What time is the game tonight?” I asked, rinsing the conditioner from my hair as I watched him.

  The water spilling down his face made him look like a Greek god—so sexy and completely mine. Stepping out from underneath the water, he brushed his long locks from his face. “Around eleven.”

  I nodded, spitting out the water from my mouth. I rested my bare back against the white tiles and found relief in their coolness. “Can you write down the nights the boys are staying here this week so I can try to get them off work?” I asked. I wanted to spend my nights at home with the three of them.

  “You know you don’t have to work. I make enough with both jobs to take care of you.” He pointed out.

  He had offered me this on more than once occasion, and it used to bother me. Now, it just went in one ear and out the other. Sure, it would be great not having to work all night, but on the other hand, I liked it. I could spend my mornings at home, and Griffin and I could spend time together if he was not at work or in the tattoo joint. It was a perfect schedule.

  I would not admit to him that I was not planning to be like her. Karen refused to work, and Griffin was paying her half of his income each week. It really bothered me that he was paying her much more than necessary. They had joint custody, so why couldn’t she go out and get a job or refuse to take most of the money? No way in hell was she going to get anything from me.

  The shower was large enough for the both of us, and then some. There were two sides, but we usually showered togethe
r. As he walked from the open shower, reaching for a towel to dry off, I took advantage of the hot water. It was all to myself now. “I like working. I’m young, and since you refuse to let me pay rent, I refuse to stop working.” My eyes flickered to his, gauging his reaction.

  “They’re back at hers tonight for three and then two with us.”

  “It’s very confusing. Why can’t you do a more permanent arrangement?” They loved staying here with us… sometimes maybe more than with her.

  He stopped drying himself and looked down to me. “It’s easy.”

  I bit my tongue, wanting to mention just how strange it was. “If you say so.”

  Taking a step forwards, he snaked an arm around my waist, getting wet once more as I pressed my body to his. “Don’t worry. You’ll still have me.”

  A smile spread across my lips. “Good. Maybe we can go have dinner with my parents one night then. I know they’re missing me and dying to see you again.”

  “Dying?” He raised a brow. “I think they merely tolerate me to keep their only child happy.”

  “Nope. Sorry, they love you.”

  “Good. We’ll go there on the weekend. I have it off, and so do you,” he said with a wiggle of his brow. I knew what he meant. We would spend those days fucking like crazy.

  Pretending to kiss him, I reached for the white fluffy towel instead. “Look forward to it.”

  He placed his splayed out hand over my shoulder, slowly running it down to my elbow. “You know, getting a full sleeve means having your elbow area done too. Not just upper and lower arm.”

  Here we go again. He was itching to get me back in that chair, in both ways. “Yeah, but I like how it looks this way. It’s different. Kind of cool, don’t you think?”

  “I know. Have you thought about getting something on your hip done?” he asked, his finger now tracing dangerously low. “It would look incredibly sexy.”

  I have thought about it, and I had decided against it only for one fact. “No. I don’t want it to stretch and look distorted when I’m pregnant.”