Page 17

Colin

I f I’d known I wasn’t going to get a wink of sleep last night, I never would’ve agreed to an early morning training session with Luke, but when I saw his eyes light up and how excited he got when Ellie told him what we were doing today during breakfast, I couldn’t take back the offer even if I wanted too. Which is precisely how I ended up in one of Heathton’s picturesque parks, teaching him how to sidestep properly.

“Remember bud, side-stepping isn’t just about escaping a tackle, it’s about creating space, ” I explain, “You’re trying to manipulate my movements as much as possible. Next time I want you to draw me as wide as you can and then I want you to change directions and quickly slip passed me on the other side, but always try to keep your hands free so if you do get tackled you can still offload the ball.” Luke nods, his brow furrowed with concentration as he listens. “Okay, let’s do it again.”

I toss him the rugby ball and watch as he positions himself a good distance away again. He bends his knees slightly, waiting for me to advance. As soon as I do, he starts running as well, stepping convincingly to the right, like he’s going to go that way and I immediately follow the movement, tracking him, but as soon as I try to reach out and grab him, he suddenly pushes off his right foot, spins and swerves to the left, sprinting right passed me. I still make an effort to catch him, but the drastic change in direct ion causes me to lose my momentum and I tumble into the ground, wearing the biggest fucking smile on my face as I watch him cross the makeshift try line.

Okay, now I’m officially impressed.

Out of everything I’ve taught him so far today, he’s taken to this particular exercise like a duck to water. He’s dedicated, passionate, a fast learner and a little speedster as well even though he’s only ten years old. If he can keep up this level of commitment going forward, he could have a very promising future as a wing or an outside centre one day. Maybe even a fullback. The faint click of a camera goes off and my eyes are immediately drawn towards the benches where Ellie has been sitting for the last hour, watching us. I wink at her, grinning when she tries to hide her face behind her camera.

It’s hard to believe that I was in her bed less than two hours ago.

When I gave up on trying to fall asleep and decided to go and see her last night, I had every intention of just talking to her about that kiss, but when I walked in on her in the middle of touching herself and then heard my name falling from her lips like the sweetest fucking song I’d ever heard, my intentions changed very fucking fast.

Then they changed again when she told me the truth.

A virgin.

She’s a fucking virgin, and that dickhead Andersen had the audacity to tell her that she was bad at sex because she was a bit nervous and he couldn’t get his fucking dick up. When she told me that and I saw how much it still bothered her I made it my mission to erase that memory and that accusation permanently .

I also made a silent vow to punch that fucker’s face in next time I see him.

I woke to Ellie’s warm breath on my skin and the pleasing weight of her body curled over mine. She stirred shortly after and the second I saw those hazel eyes gazing up at me I was gone. Completely and utterly gone. Memories from last night came rushing back, of her writhing underneath me, crying out when she came and the sweet taste of her cunt still lingering on my lips. In the light of a new day, she was shy and uncertain about how to act around me and I wanted nothing more than to reassure her (especially since she was so vulnerable afterwards and showed me that picture and told me about her father) but her mum knocking on the door and me having to hide in the cupboard, cut the moment short before I could. Suffice it to say, I spent the better half of my shower gritting my teeth and coming to those memories again and then I spent even more time standing beneath the hot spray, thinking about how much I hated seeing the anguish in her eyes.

Fuck her father.

My dad isn’t perfect, but at least I know he loves us more than anything else in this world even if he has a hard time showing it.

She’s better off without him.

I just wish it was different.

I know Ellie and I need to talk about where we stand now, but the right opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet. I tried to get a moment alone with her before breakfast this morning, but with her mum and Luke hovering around it was difficult and I didn’t want to overstep or make her feel uncomfortable by trying to talk about us in front of them. One way or another though she’ll know the truth by the end of the day .

Last night wasn’t a fluke.

Not to me.

“How was that, Colin?” Luke shouts as I get back onto my feet, dusting myself off.

“Brilliant. Perfect.” I walk over and hold my hand out for a high-five. He grins broadly, smacking his palm into mine. “You do that in your next game and I guarantee your opponents won’t touch you, but if they do, you offload that ball as quickly as you can the way I showed you, yeah?” Luke nods, visibly pleased with himself, and I can’t help but grin too, slinging an arm loosely around his shoulders. “Come on bud, let’s take a quick water break.”

That ‘water break’ lasts about five minutes, because after a quick drink, Luke has the ball back in his hands and he’s out in the glade again, practising a technique I showed him earlier for a torpedo kick. I smile as I watch him, pride and something unfamiliar swelling inside me. I’m the youngest of my brothers so I’ve never experienced what it’s like to have a little brother. The closest I’d come was taking Harry under my wing, but even that doesn’t hold a candle to whatever it is I’m feeling now.

Is this how Graeme and Bryce felt when they taught me how to do something and I caught onto it?

Is this how it feels every time they see me succeed?

We spent countless afternoons together back when we were kids, training, hiking and playing. To this day, those are still some of the best memories I have. Aside from my parents, they’ve been my greatest teachers, protectors and the two people I can rely on the most. Maybe it’s a bit presumptuous to think I’ll be in Luke’s life for any significant period of time, but is it crazy that I want that for him as well ?

I want him to love this memory. I want him to look back on it one day and smile. I want him to think about me the same way I think about my brothers. I want to be someone he can turn to if he ever needs it. I know he already has his sister and his mum, but what can I say? He reminds me of how I was when I was his age and I can’t deny that I like the little rascal, rugby, Christmas obsession and all.

I’m in the middle of making a mental note to remind him to bring his kicking foot down to the ground a bit harder after he kicks the ball when I spy Ellie approaching.

“So, what’s the verdict, Mr Hunt? do we have a future Jonny Wilkinson on our hands?”

I laugh, trying my absolute best not to react to how much I like hearing her call me Mr Hunt .

“I’d think more along the lines of a future Shane Williams or a Jonah Lomu. He’s ridiculously fast.”

Folding her arms across her chest, she stops beside me, smiling crookedly and watching her little brother as well. I should be watching him, but it’s becoming a habit that I can’t seem to take my eyes off her whenever she’s around. She looks beautiful this morning, dressed in a pair of simple jeans and my thick burgundy Armitage jumper that’s far too big for her. Her dark hair falls naturally around her face and her eyes look almost emerald, glinting in the soft sunlight. I’m itching to have her in my arms again. To kiss her forehead, her jaw and then her lips, but thankfully Ellie raises her camera and starts snapping shots of Luke, effectively stopping me.

“I can’t tell you how much this means to him,” she says, lowering her camera again once she’s done, “And to me as well. I don’t even know how I could possibly begin to thank you, Colin. ”

Unable to help myself, I smirk and reach forward, brushing her hair back over her shoulder and stroking the soft curve of her cheek with my thumb.

“I’m sure we’ll think of something, Simpkins.”

Her gaze locks with mine and I wink at her, a gorgeous, bashful smile spreading her lips when she catches my meaning.

“Anything for you, love,” I whisper.

I keep my hand where it is and she stares up at me silently. Then slowly her eyes lower, hooking on my mouth. I swallow, carefully leaning down.

“Ellie! Did you see me side-step Colin earlier?” Luke shouts, barrelling towards us.

My hand drops and Ellie clears her throat, taking a small back.

“Yes, I did.” She says, turning and beaming at him widely. “It was very impressive!”

“It was so cool, right? Colin’s a really great teacher, but I bet I could teach you how to do it and I could do it even better than him!”

I lift an eyebrow, intrigued by the challenge. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Luke states matter-of-factly, crossing his arms, “I’m practically an expert at this now and Mum told me that Ellie did athletics back in high school and that she was really fast.”

Surprised, I look over at Ellie and she shrugs, grinning.

“I placed well in a few meets back in the day. Won a couple of trophies here and there as well. No big deal.”

I chuckle, shaking my head with sheer disbelief. Every time I learn something new about this girl, I’m either stunned beyond words or amazed to my very core .

This time it’s both.

“Well, if that’s the case, then why don’t we make it interesting?” I say to Luke, mimicking his stance. “If your sister manages to get passed me just once and scores a try then I have to buy everyone here anything they want when we go to the Christmas market later.”

“Seriously?” Luke squeals, his eyes widening with infectious delight. “It’s a deal!”

“And what happens if I don’t get passed you?” Ellie asks me.

I take the ball from her brother, making sure I lean in extra close when I hand it over to her. “Like I said, we’ll think of something, love.”

It takes Luke around ten minutes or so to teach Ellie the basics of how to sidestep and I must admit, it was pretty fucking adorable watching him mimic me and the way I taught him right down to the letter. Before I know it, Ellie and I are lining up on opposite ends of the glade, getting ready to face off against each other. Luke stands on one of the benches, bouncing on the balls of his feet and watching us with bated breath.

“Remember, you’ve only got five chances, Simpkins.” I remind her.

The corner of her mouth lifts as she spins the ball around in her hands. “Worried you should’ve only given me three, Hunt?”

My lips tip up with a roguish grin.

Oh, it’s on now, love.

She doesn’t give me any warning. She just moves and somewhere in the back of my mind, I wonder if I did miscalculate somehow because holy shit she’s fast. Faster than I anticipated she’d be . So much so that she actually side-steps me and almost slips passed on her first fucking try like some closeted pro. Luckily, I manage to pivot at the last possible second and snake my arm around her torso, lifting her off her feet and tugging her firmly into my side. Feeling smug, she glances back at me over her shoulder as if to say;

I bet you didn’t see that coming, did you?

No.

No, I can’t say I did.

I’m more prepared for her second and third attempts, intercepting her path like the future professional fullback I will be soon and even though she switches it up on her fourth run by stepping to her left instead of her right, I anticipate the move and snag her around the waist again, hoisting her up over my shoulder this time. A loud squeal bursts out of her when I do and I chalk it up as one of the greatest sounds I’ve heard her make to date. I set her down on her feet again and we smile at each other, laughing happily. The only person who isn’t having a good time is Luke, who’s starting to look and sound a lot like the mini version of my dad with every failed attempt that passes.

“Stop laughing with the enemy, Ellie! You need to focus! Draw him out more!” He yells, rubbing his face with both hands frustratedly.

She gives him a thumbs up, discreetly rolling her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” She apologises to me, “He can get pretty competitive sometimes.”

“It’s fine, honestly. He has a lot riding on this. I’d act the same way if I was his age and knew someone was going to buy me whatever I wanted at a Christmas market if I won a bet.”

“Yeah, I guess would I too. ”

Winking, I give her the ball for the final time. “Last chance, love. Make it count, yeah?”

If this were any other person or just another training session with the lads, I wouldn’t hesitate to do my job and defend my line the way any fullback worth his salt should. As harsh as it may sound, one of the best lessons you can learn in life is that nothing worth achieving ever comes easily or for free.

You need to work for it.

Push for it.

Earn it.

But as I watch Luke and Ellie huddle together, whispering about what strategy she should try next, that competitiveness that’s been drilled into me for years, telling me to always try my hardest. To never give up. To win no matter what, doesn’t take over like it usually does and it suddenly dawns on me;

I don’t have a team relying on me to perform at my optimum best.

Or a father watching me with stern, expectant eyes.

Or an entire stadium of people waiting to see me succeed or fail.

What I choose to do next will matter but for an entirely different reason.

We line up again, sweat cooling on my skin, and as soon as Ellie starts sprinting, I advance on her, carefully watching her body language to see what she’ll do. When she pushes off her left foot to pass me on the right like before, I throw myself in that direction as well, but she anticipates that and widens her step without warning. I stretch out as far as I can, but I’m just a little too late this time, my fingers barely clasping the material of the jumper b efore she slips out of my grasp and jogs over the try line behind me with ease.

I hear Luke before I see him. He rockets onto the field at full speed and pummels straight into his big sister, yelling at the top of his lungs that she did it. That she won the bet. Ellie screams as well, laughing and picking him up and hugging him just as fiercely.

My face softens as I watch them.

It’s never felt so good to lose.

A s it turns out, Heathton’s Christmas market is a much bigger deal than I realised. It’s not even noon yet and the town’s massive, central square is already packed with people browsing all the various stalls selling everything from cute, locally made trinkets, books and food to spices from foreign countries and organic produce from the small privately-owned farms in the surrounding area. Festive music from a live brass band fritters on the air and boughs of fresh holly, colourful tinsel and bright, flashing lights are strung up everywhere. Right in the centre of the market is an enormous, beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

According to Ellie, people from all over England, Europe and other parts of the world come to this market every year, either to enjoy the festivities or to browse and buy whatever they fancy. From the moment we arrived Luke has been taking us from one shop to the next, asking me to buy whatever he sees and likes next. So far, we’ve had homemade hot chocolate, warm chestnuts, treacle tart and fresh bagels loaded with fresh roast beef, red onions, rocket and creamy Lancashire cheese. Not t o mention the snow globe and reindeer onesie I bought for him as well. Every time he asked for something new, I could tell Ellie wanted to step in and stop him, but I eased her concerns. This was the deal we made after all. Besides, I like seeing him so happy.

We shop around for a bit longer until Luke runs into a group of his friends and asks if he can go and play with them on the bouncing castles set up for the market. Ellie lets him and as soon as we’re alone, only one thing comes to mind; maybe we can finally have that talk.

Now that the moment’s here though, I suddenly feel nervous.

How do I broach this with her?

What should I say?

What if she says something I don’t want to hear?

Ellie gasps all of a sudden and stops dead in her tracks, her eyes lighting up with excitement. Within seconds she has my hand clasped in both of hers, pulling me towards a stall with the name ‘Martha’s Bakery’ written on it.

“Martha is one of the best bakers in the UK, ” Ellie explains, “She worked for Michelin Star restaurants all over Europe and America when she was younger, but gave it all up to open her bakery here in Heathton. I hope you don’t mind waiting,” She adds bouncing eagerly and eyeing the long queue ahead of us, “It’ll be worth it, I promise.”

I smile, removing my hand from hers so I can drape my arm over her shoulders instead. “Does it look like I mind, love?”

She grins, pressing her body into my side and I brush a soft kiss against the side of her head when her arms go around my waist .

Oh yeah.

I could get used to this.

It’s the first real intimate contact we’ve shared since last night and I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t make me feel a bit more confident about what that means for us going forward. If Ellie’s willing to reciprocate like this in public that must mean that she’s comfortable with the idea of us being together, right? Luke isn’t far away. I can still see him playing with his friends. He could come running over to us at any moment and see us standing together like this. Hell, there’s a good chance he already has. The fact that we aren’t hiding. That she isn’t worried about being seen or trying to pull away, makes my heart soar with a combination of happiness and relief.

Maybe talking about us will be easier than I thought. I just need to do it.

We reach the front of the queue and a middle-aged lady with a kind face and red hair that’s greying near the temples immediately beams when she sees Ellie.

“I had a feeling you’d turn up today, Ellie Simpkins. It’s so lovely to see you again, my dear.”

“It’s good to see you as well, Martha.” Ellie chirps before gesturing towards me, “This is Colin Hunt, my um, uh–”

“–Boyfriend.” I finish for her when she struggles to introduce me.

Ellie’s eyes bulge as I shake Martha’s outstretched hand and a spike of heat races up the back of my neck.

Shit, did I overstep by calling myself that without discussing it with her first?

Probably.

I didn’t mean to. The words just sort of came out .

If it bothers Ellie though she doesn’t make it known, and thankfully, she chooses to stay glued to my side while she places our order; a dozen salted caramel and macadamia nut muffins and a box of collated cream Welsh fudge. When she goes to take out her wallet to pay, I stop her, pulling out mine instead.

“What?” I grin at the confused look she gives me, “The deal was that I’d buy everyone anything they wanted. That includes you, Simpkins.”

“Oh right.” She smiles shyly at the ground. “Thank you.”

We snag one of the wooden picnic tables laid out for people to use and Ellie sets the boxes of treats down, opening each one. She sits back with a smile afterwards, giving me the choice of what I want to try first. I grab one of the muffins, peeling back the wax paper casing and taking a hearty bite.

My eyes widen.

Holy fucking shit.

I groan audibly and I swear my eyes literally roll into the back of my head. The cake is sweet and still warm like it just came out of the oven, bursting with intense flavour from the smooth, richness of the salted caramel and the slight crunch and creaminess of the macadamia nuts.

“Good?” Ellie asks coyly.

“So bloody good,” I murmur, taking another huge bite of literal heaven in the form of a muffin.

“So, was it worth the wait then?”

I look her dead in the eyes after I swallow just so she can see how serious I am. “I’d wait a millennium just to experience that first bite again.”

Shit, I’ll eat all twelve if no one stops me .

She giggles, pleased by my reaction, before she reaches over and breaks off a piece of the fudge, taking a bite. At first, I’m so mesmerised by the gentle movement of her mouth as she chews and how she hums softly in the back of her throat that I almost don’t see him. When I do, my whole body goes rigid. I give my head a small shake thinking I must be imagining things, but when I study the man standing in the background behind Ellie more closely, there’s no mistaking who it is.

Marco Andersen.

And he’s not alone either.

Nicole Dempsey is draped all over him, whispering something in his ear while he grins lazily, his hands smoothing over her lower back and dipping down to grope her ass. My jaw hardens to steel and my hand under the table curls into a tight fist.

What a fucking piece of shit.

I catch myself then and quickly fix my murderous expression. I glance at Ellie, hoping she didn’t see it, but luckily, she’s too busy talking about the fudge to notice the shift in my demeanour or the cause behind it.

Thank fuck.

This is exactly the kind of humiliation she was worried about and that I wanted her to avoid having to live through again. This is exactly why I came on this trip. She hasn’t mentioned him once since we arrived. She hasn’t been looking over her shoulder, terrified or worried that she’ll see him either. She’s been happy, genuinely happy, and I’d like to fucking keep it that way. This prick isn’t going to come along and fuck that up now. My instincts tell me to get her out of here, but the longer I stare at Marco, the deeper my anger grows and the stronger t he urge becomes to march over there and knock his goddamn lights out becomes.

I know it won’t help. I get it.

But maybe something else will.

“God, this fudge is incredible,” Ellie says when I tune back into the conversation, “Seriously, you have to try some.”

“Okay.”

Before she has time to react, I grasp her chin with my thumb and forefinger, swooping in and bringing my mouth down to hers. The second our lips touch, her breath hitches and fuck me if the sound goes straight to my groin. I waste no time deepening the kiss, sealing my mouth over hers and slipping my tongue passed the delicate seam of her lips. I groan quietly. She tastes so fucking sweet. She always does, but the creamy, caramelised sugar from the fudge only heightens it. She whimpers almost desperately into my mouth, inching closer and I feel a jolt of heat ignite inside me when her needy fingers clutch at the material of my shirt. The kiss feels agonisingly slow compared to the others we’ve shared. Long and passionate, stirring awake every nerve ending that’s been dormant inside me for months now.

Best fucking feeling ever.

I relax, releasing her chin and smoothing my hand around the nape of her neck. I’m not sure how long we sit there kissing, but I almost wish we weren’t in public, because I have half a mind to haul her into my lap and keep going, but alas. Boundaries.

They exist for a reason.

“You’re right,” I murmur against her lips when we break apart, “That does taste good, Simpkins. ”

Her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink and she leans forward, sliding her arms around me and burying her face into the crook of my neck. I smile into her hair, holding her close and stewing in her warmth.

I’m not sure why, but something compels me to look up then.

Marco’s head is turned in our direction, rage flaring in his gaze as he watches his ex-girlfriend hug me, even as his new one continues to nuzzle and kiss his neck.

Is he fucking serious?

He shows up here with Nicole acting like there’s nothing disgusting or despicable about his behaviour, but gets pissed off when he sees Ellie and I together?

Wanker.

I hold his beady little eyes, pressing a kiss against the side of Ellie’s head, a self-satisfied smirk forming on my lips when he nearly shoves Nicole away and launches himself at us, but stops himself.

Yeah, that’s right, fucker.

She’s mine now.

I’ve never been a petty person. Sure, I can be protective. Maybe even a little possessive at times, but I don’t normally behave like this nor do I do things out of spite or get involved in situations that are probably best left alone. In this case, however, I’ll make an exception, because fuck Marco Andersen and his hypocritical bullshit. Make no mistake, I kissed Ellie now because I wanted to and because I need her to know how important she is to me.

The fact that I got a rise out of her cheating, piece of shit ex is just the icing on the cake .

I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she forgets he ever existed and he’ll rue the day he was stupid enough to let her go.