Breaking Old Habits Read online

  “About time you woke.” He groaned, making my clit pulsing from his words.

  Then he did it—the one thing I absolutely loved. His fingers began to pound faster into me, hitting my G-spot while his face shook. His beard was prickling against my body and setting every nerve on fire. I was going to lose it any second now.

  Nothing. No sound came from my throat except the low, throaty moan of a delicious and delirious orgasm that shook my body wide awake.

  His tongue, licking up every drip of the wetness that left my body, began to kiss up my lower belly and towards my breasts, nipping at me with his teeth until finally, his lips came crashing down on mine. My hands were pulling his boxers, and I kicked them further down with my foot as I spread my legs wide open for him.

  A single thrust came. That first thrust always had me clenching around him tightly. “Yes.” I breathed out.

  As our hips were slapping together, my fingers dug into the curve of his ass, pushing him deeper inside until his own orgasm blew out his dick in four long, deep thrusts. The rope of his semen was deep inside me.

  “That was too quick.” He groaned, pulling out but not moving off my body.

  Sleep was coming back, and I was utterly spent. “It was perfect.”

  ***

  I was awake and annoyed as I sat up with my arms folded over my bare chest and my eyes glued to his sleeping body. Hurry up and wake up, I screamed in my head. I wished men could sense when their girlfriends needed to talk. With a slight nudge of my foot, I kicked him, and he moaned in his sleep. He was starting to move, and bingo! He was awake.

  “Morning.” He yawned, covering his eyes from the sunlight peeking through the blinds.

  “You took advantage of me last night.”

  “What?” He was still half-asleep. “When?”

  Shrugging, I lay back down in bed and faced him. “When I was asleep. You ate me out and then screwed me.”

  “I prefer the term making love with my mouth… then dick. So you’re still mad?”

  Was I mad? Yeah, a little. “Just a bit. How would you have felt if I didn’t tell my parents about you or said not to mention you have two children?” I asked, trying to get him to see my side.

  “You’re right.” I knew that already. “I’ll give them a call and tell them about you.”

  That brought a smile to my face. Curiosity filled me. “Really?”

  “Really. Now come here and turn around so I can spoon fuck you.”

  Yeah, such a romantic.

  Saying goodbye to my parents was not too hard. Ok, I lied. I may have shed a tear or fifty on the drive home. I missed them and wished we could have stayed longer, but we had to get back home, and I had to make sure nothing was taken from our house. I did not like that I worried about someone snooping through my things, but how could I not be suspicious? I was not crazy paranoid, right?

  Griffin opened the car window and lit up a smoke. Yuck. “How about we go and catch a movie tonight? I’ll take you on a date.”

  “Sure. What one?” I asked as his phone rang again for the tenth time. Ok, this was the second time in an hour, but it was annoying me. “Are you going to answer that?”

  Reaching in and grabbing the phone out of his pocket, he sighed. “It’s Karen.” Of course, it was. “I don’t have to take it.”

  I gave in, and dread filled the pit of my stomach. “It might be one of the boys. Answer it.”

  What was worse than driving home in the morning and missing the Macca's breakfast menu? Believe me, when you’re in a drive-thru, and the boards switch around mid-order and they say, ‘Sorry, breakfast is over,’ that can really get under your skin. So at ten thirty-six am, I was eating a Big Mac as I drove us home.

  That was nothing, though.

  My problem was beside me. Listening to your loved one talking to their ex was way worse. I am not talking about a quick one-minute chitchat. I am talking about a forty-five-minute-long conversation where they are both laughing and talking like long lost friends all because she needed his help and could not call anyone else.

  What could I do, though? I just gritted my teeth and sucked it up.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  We pulled into the driveway, and who else would be waiting for us at our steps? Well, for him actually. Yes, it was the one and only Karen. I was starting to lose my patience after having to endure him talking on the phone for almost an hour.

  We lost forty minutes—valuable time that he and I could have shared!

  What did they have to chat about? Random, stupid stuff that did not need to be spoken about. She asked him how to set up her DVD player like she did not already know that, and then she had the nerve to ask him about his night away. He even started to tell her until he noticed my death glare aimed directly through his skull. That was when he told her he had to go and tried sucking up by rubbing my thigh.

  When she began to walk over, I really lost it. “If you talk to her, I’m going to stay with Harvey.”

  “Excuse me?” He looked taken aback.

  With a low, harsh whisper, I seethed back. “I’m angry, so fucking angry that I’m about to burst into tears.”

  I was not one to boss him around or ever lose my temper like this, but I was beyond fuming.

  “What?”

  “You speak to her, and I will leave,” I said clearly. My fingers dug into the palms of my skin as I squeezed my hands hard. Taking a deep, steady breath, I continued. “I mean it.”

  “Ayla…” He was clearly shocked, reaching out to cup my cheek.

  I pulled back, my eyes burning from the sting of tears. “No.” I did not want to hear it. “Just don’t talk to me. Don’t even touch me.” I opened the car door, pushing it shut behind me.

  Griffin stepped out and began walking towards me. His expression was solemn as I refused to make eye contact. “I’ll get those,” he murmured, taking the bags before I could reach them.

  Rolling my eyes, I let the bag go and heard her coming closer.

  “Griffy, can you come check out the player? I want to see if it’s set up right.”

  Griffy? I just scoffed.

  He noticed and ran a hand through his hair as he hauled the case from the boot. “Uh… I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Yes, because he knew exactly what would happen if he did go over there.

  “Wow, she’s really got you by the balls—”

  “Just go away,” I muttered, loud enough for him and her to hear me. I was not in the mood for this right now.

  Karen was raising her brows and twitched her lips up in a disgusting snarl. “Got something to say?” I kept quiet, not wanting to lower to her standards and petty behavior, although I think I just might have snapped and did it. She smiled back towards Griffin. “Your parents look well. We all went out for dinner last night. The boys enjoyed it.”

  I stopped in my tracks. “What?” I could not stop the question from coming.

  Seeming to relish in my cluelessness, she smirked. “I thought it was odd that you went away. She said she called you last week about coming down.”

  My heart hammered against my chest, pounding harder as I snapped my head back towards Griffin, scoffing under my breath. “Unbelievable.”

  He would not look at me, focusing instead on Karen. Rolling my eyes, I kept walking to our front door. This was beyond a joke. He was not far behind me as I walked inside and glanced around. Everything seemed normal. Nothing seemed missing. I would have a thorough check later just to be sure.

  “Ayla, what the hell was that?” His voice raised once he closed the front door, following me as I walked towards the bathroom and picked up my iPod.

  There was nothing more I wanted to say to him. I was hurt, embarrassed, and felt like a fool. He knew his parents were here. He had been so eager to pack up and go visit my parents. Was that just to avoid me meeting them? I felt less than good enough… like I was some hidden girlfriend.

  Instead of talking, I turned the music on my iPod right up, and I slammed the d
oor in his face. Flicking the lock, I turned on the heat and fan. I was going to shower and cry my fucking eyes out, and he could not hear a thing.

  I heard him knocking on the door. I ignored it. There was nothing he could say right now that would make me think differently. I was hurt because Karen had taken what could have been a nice night away for us. He had hounded him with calls and texts. When he had taken a shower this morning, I saw her name flash up with a text. Curiosity had gotten the better of me, and I found several more that he had replied with. It hurt to know that while I had been in bed sleeping, they were texting. Then he just came in and tongue fucked me as if nothing was wrong? That hurt.

  She may be in his life, but there must be boundaries. Right now, there was none. She was having free rein over our life, and he was letting her.

  I understood why he wanted to keep the peace and remain friends, but she was abusing his kindness.

  I hated it. I really hated it.

  Griffin had given up on knocking and let me be. When I emerged from the shower, I dried off and walked naked into our bedroom, finding it empty. It was a large room with a view of the street and just our bed, walk-in robe, and side tables. Griffin was a very clean man, but it would be nice to have a few shelves with photos of us up.

  I could hear the TV on in the living room, and I was relieved he was now out there giving me space. That or he was possibly working. He usually sketched when he was not in the best of moods.

  I had no intention of doing anything except being lazy. I wanted to go and see Harvey, but I knew I would probably end up a blubbering mess, so I opted to stay in and got dressed in a pair of sweats and tied my hair up into a knotted bun. I stayed in the bedroom, lying on my back and just staring up at the ceiling.

  We rarely fought. This was probably our second fight since finding out his ex lived next door. Usually, we got along like best friends, joking around and very loved up.

  When the bedroom door opened, I rolled to my side, facing away.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Fine.” Girl code for I was not fine.

  “Ayla…”

  “Just leave me alone, please,” I whispered back, my eyes swelling with tears as they ran down the side of my cheek.

  He sighed heavily, which only infuriated me.

  “Why?”

  I sniffed back the tears and sat up, resting my back against the headboard. “I read your text messages.”

  “You searched through my phone?” When I glanced up, he looked amused rather than pissed off.

  “No. I opened up her message and found a heap more.”

  He was silent for a moment and then leant against the door frame, resting his back on the wood as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Fair enough. Yes, she texted, and I replied. I have nothing to hide from you.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t speak to her again.”

  “She’s…”

  Oh, for the love of god. I know what she is.

  “The mother of your children. I know, but I’m your girlfriend, and you hurt me. You are hurting me, and I don’t deserve to feel second place all the time.” I feel like I was at the very bottom compared to her.

  “Ayla, what the fuck do you want me to do?” he shouted, causing me to jump. “What the fuck do you want me to do!”

  My heart was racing in my chest as I shot back. “How about you defend me when she comes and attacks me?”

  “You told her to go away.” Like I needed reminding. “What if the boys were there? They could have heard.” He was lecturing me like I was a child. I was not.

  This was not going how I imagined it. My anger was getting the better of me. “How about I tell you to go away?”

  “I’m going to leave you alone. You’re pissed, and I won’t argue with you.”

  He thought that would solve things, but it was only going to annoy me more.

  I did not want him to walk away. I wanted him to tell me he was sorry and would not let her treat me like this again. I wanted him to grab me, hold me, and then tell me everything was going to be ok.

  “Walk away, Griffin, ignore my feelings, which you’re so great at doing!” I shouted back, angrily punching down my fist on the bed when he had disappeared. It did not help.

  I was a ball of hormonal mess, and I hated it.

  He came back to the room and flung open the door with a hard push, banging it against the wall. His voice was raised, hard and husky. “I’m walking away before this blows up more than it should. You’re making a big—”

  “A what? A big deal? Fuck you, Griffin!” I yelled, kneeling up on the bed with hot tears coming alive once again. “You never see my point of things, and I’m sick of it!”

  “That’s bullshit!”

  “Your parents were here! You knew they were, and you didn’t even tell me.” I pointed out, a sob escaping. “I could have met them last night. You basically lied to my face!” He did not say anything because I was right.

  “I was talking about Karen,” he finally said. “You are jealous over nothing.”

  My rage boiled over, and I was off the bed in an instant. “She comes into our home!” I screamed. I was literally screaming that at him until my throat hurt. “She uses our things… my things.”

  I pushed past him, only to be pulled and spun around as his hand wrapped around my wrist. “Where are you going?” he asked. He seemed calmer, but I could see the silent rage in his eyes.

  “Harvey’s.”

  His jaw clenched, and his hand let me go as if my skin burned him. “And if I say no? That I didn’t want you to go there?”

  “Then I wouldn’t go, but we both know you’re not going to say that.” Then he would be forced to change things with Karen, and that was not going to happen. I knew that. He knew that, and she even knew that.

  She was the one who would always have her scrawny fingers wrapped around his balls and holding them like a set of marbles in her hand.

  “Ayla...” He sighed. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

  “I’m not fighting, Griffin. I’m upset, and you don’t care about my feelings. You’ve made it clear.”

  “Let me at least explain. I owe you that much.”

  Owe me? I deserve a medal for everything I have had to put up with from his ex. “I only want to know one thing. Tell me why you never mentioned your parents coming to town?”

  I waited, giving him ample opportunity to confess and reveal the truth, but deep down, I already knew the answer. When he was unable to form words, I just shook my head. “Exactly. How do you expect me to feel when you’re keeping me hidden?” I walked out the door after that.

  So much for our time off this weekend together.

  ***

  Driving around the block a good three times before I parked, I checked my reflection in the rear-view mirror and made sure no one could tell I had been crying. I did not want to talk about it. I just wanted to veg out and do nothing. Yes, I could have done that back home, but I could not be in the same room with him right now. He would only use sex to win my forgiveness. I was a sucker for sex, and it was a huge weakness of mine. I mean, if you see him naked and hard, you would give in too.

  There was no doubt Karen heard us fighting. She was probably grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat.

  Harvey was spread out, lying on his couch when I walked into his two-bedroom flat. “Hey, you.” I smiled slumping down on the other side of the couch, putting my feet up on his wooden coffee table scattered with junk. It was filled with empty beer bottles and food that looked as if it were about to grow teeth and eyes.

  Smirking back at me, he said, “Make yourself at home.”

  With a laugh, I replied, “Don’t worry. I always do. How’s your weekend been?”

  He gestured his hand to the table cluttered with crap. “As you can tell, pretty fucking great.”

  “That’s the way.” I let out a sigh, and he raised a brow. “Don’t ask.”

  He sat up and frowned. “Have you been cr
ying?”

  Shit. “No.”

  “Liar. What the fuck did he do to you?” His fists were balled up tightly, and fresh tears sprung to my eyes. “Fuck me, Ayla. You need to end this if this is how he treats you.”

  “Please, don’t.” I did not want to talk about this.

  With a shrug, he sat back down on the sofa, reaching over and rubbing my shoulder like a brother would. “I just hate to see you hurt.”

  And that was why I loved him like a brother. “I’m okay.” No, I really wasn’t. “Can we just talk about something else?” I just did not want to think and talk about anything that involved Griffin or his ex from hell.

  Instead of talking, he put on Interstellar, and we began to watch that. Within ten minutes, I was already closing my eyes as sleep welcomed me. The tears and the long drive back home had exhausted me. My heart ached painfully.

  ***

  When I woke, it was due to my mobile vibrating underneath my cheek and the light flashing in the darkness. Clearly, I had slept well into the evening.

  I glanced at the bright screen to see Griffin’s name with three missed calls and one text. I silenced the call and looked around for Harvey, who was walking back into the room with a woollen blanket in his hands.

  His message read, Please come home.

  I yawned, sitting up as stretched out. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep.”

  “You’re not the only one. I just woke a few minutes ago myself. Are you going back home?”

  “Yeah, I should. Griffin called, and I better get back.”

  “I bet anything he’s pissed at you for being with another guy at his place.”

  “But—” I went to interject because Griffin knew there was nothing between Harvey and me. It was just friendship. However, he kept talking before I could get another word in.

  “Don’t worry. If you were my girl, I’d be too—although I’d never give you a reason to be with another guy.”

  This conversation was not going in the right direction. “I really should go.”

  “You can stay, you know.” He stared at me, and I felt the meaning of his words hit me slowly. He liked me more than just a friend.