All I Want Series Boxset, Books 1-3: All I Want for Christmas, All I Want for Valentine's, All I Want for Spring (32 page)

“I do. Still, it gave me some good stories for my dotage.”

“Just skip the Nicola Sheen ones, okay?” Holly said, referring to Tori’s first love. “I’ve had enough of those to last me a lifetime.”

Tori gave Holly a weak smile, knowing how much she’d hurt Holly just before they got together by flirting with Nicola.

“You have my word — I’ll only bring up the really funny ones when we’re old and grey, okay?”

Holly shot her a bullish smile before going over to the kitchen.

“Where you going?” Tori asked, following right behind Holly.

“To get more wine.”

Tori spun her around, clutching her girlfriend around the waist as she stilled in her arms. “How about a little dessert before the actual dessert?” Tori raised a suggestive eyebrow.

Holly gazed into Tori’s sapphire eyes. “You really want to get down on the kitchen floor again?”

“I was thinking,” Tori said, kissing Holly as she did, “more of this.”

She guided Holly over to the sofa, then reached down and undid Holly’s grey trousers, unzipping them and watching them drop to the ground. Then she stood directly in front of Holly and eased her pants off, a thumb snagging the material on either side. Tori waited for them to go south too, silently hitting the floor.

Tori ran a hand over Holly’s pert, smooth bum cheek, before easing her down onto the sofa. Then Tori was kneeling over her on the sofa, kissing her neck, her mouth, her lips, before dipping her tongue slowly, deliberately in and out of Holly’s open mouth, letting her know what was to come.

Beneath her, Holly whimpered, red wine and Tori staining her lips.

Outside, a train passed by on the track, but Tori was only focused on the journey right in front of her. After a long, lingering kiss which Tori got completely lost in, she finally broke away, spreading Holly’s legs and kneeling before her.

When she placed her tongue against Holly’s centre, Holly groaned loudly.

Tori probed inside, revelling in Holly’s warmth and texture. Holly was already slick with her own juice, just as Tori had predicted. Tori concentrated on exploring every crevice of Holly’s being, overwhelmed with love, giving Holly all she had. Tori hadn’t wanted to please anyone this much before, and now here she was, kneeling before Holly, offering herself fully. She hoped she was enough.

When Tori glanced up, Holly seemed to think so, her head pressing into the sofa cushion, her mouth open, scrabbling for air.

Tori readjusted and didn’t let up, savouring Holly’s body. When she added one finger, then another, Holly gasped and opened one eye, looking down.

“Fuck,” Holly said, her face contorted.

Tori grinned. “Whatever you want,” she replied, letting her tongue do the talking.

Within minutes, Holly bucked in front of her, coming all over her fingers, gripping them inside.

Tori felt a rush between her legs too — if there was a moment she loved more, she couldn’t think of it right now. Holly was hers and hers alone, and Tori continued till she could take no more, Holly’s body limp, spent.

Tori put her head on Holly’s stomach and stared up at her.

It took a few more moments before Holly glanced downwards, her chest still heaving, her breathing ragged. She gave Tori a weak grin. “You ready for dessert now?” she asked.

Tori gave her a slow wink. “Nah, I just ate.”

CHAPTER 14

Sunday morning dawned, and Holly and Tori were racing around, cleaning up the flat while Valentine skidded around their laminate floor like a crazed figure skater. At ten weeks old, the kitten was skilled at jumping, hopping and looking cute.

Holly was fluffing up the sofa cushions, her mind wandering back to the evening before: she couldn’t help a sultry smile wandering across her face. That had been the kind of Valentine’s gift she could totally get down with — much better than any teddy bear.

Valentine fluttered around her feet and she was careful not to accidentally step on him, which would be a very bad way to start their relationship. She was tired this morning, their sleep interrupted by getting up to check on Valentine in his crate. Cats were nocturnal creatures, Holly had forgotten that.

The buzzer went just after midday, and Holly greeted her dad and Elsie. She gave her dad a tight hug and her newly tactile father stiffened only slightly, before returning it right back. Then Holly gave Elsie a big kiss on the cheek, which she immediately wiped off.

“You ready to meet our new kitten, Elsie?” Holly had spoken to her sister on the phone this week and told her the news, and Elsie had been almost as excited as Tori.

“Kitten?” Elsie replied, holding up her arms while her dad removed her coat.

Just at that moment, Tori appeared in the lounge doorway and held out a hand to Elsie. “You want to come and meet Valentine, Elsie?” she asked.

Elsie didn’t need asking twice, running towards Tori and putting her tiny hand in hers. “Val-en-tine,” she whispered, as if the cat was hidden treasure.

Tori put her finger to her lips, dropping down to Elsie’s level.

Holly’s heart lurched. She loved Tori and Elsie more than words could say.

“But you’ve got to be really quiet, okay?” Tori told Elsie. “The kitten’s only little, much smaller than you, so he’s still scared. So you’ve got to be very gentle.”

“Berry gentle?” Elsie asked, widening her eyes.

Tori gave Elsie a wide smile. “That’s right, berry gentle. Ready?”

Elsie nodded in exaggerated fashion, and together she and Tori walked through to the lounge, where Valentine was sitting hunched at the foot of the sofa.

When she saw him, Elsie forgot everything they’d just talked about, shrieked and took off towards him.

Valentine lunged under the sofa and stayed there.

Elsie was down on her hands and knees in seconds, ready to go after him, but Holly scooped her and held her in her arms, their dad chuckling beside them. Elsie was going to need some kitten training. Either that, or the kitten was going to have to get used to toddlers. Perhaps they could meet halfway.

“Hey — you’ve got to play nice with the kitten, not scare him half to death!”

Elsie squirmed in Holly’s arms, so she put her down and let Tori take over, showing Elsie some cat toys to entice Valentine out. Tori’s patience with Elsie had been a revelation. They might not want kids right now, but Holly wasn’t ruling it out in a few years. The thought of a mini-Tori running around made her grin with delight.

Holly put the kettle on and her dad leaned against the counter beside her. He still looked exhausted, but Holly guessed that was going to take time to mend. Once Sarah turned the corner, she was sure that would happen.

“How is she today?” Holly asked, getting some mugs down from the cupboard, along with the teapot. She never used it for her and Tori — the teapot was more of a guest thing.

Her dad nodded. “Feeling a bit better, so that’s good. Her mum and brother are with her now, and her vision is improving. She’s still tired, but it can take months. She’s on some online forums with other people who’re recovering though, and that’s really helping, talking to people who truly understand. That was the turning point — her mum found those, so well done her.”

“That’s awesome,” Holly replied.

Her dad cracked a voluntary smile, something she hadn’t seen for a while. “It really is. I’m starting to feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel. A long way off, but it’s there.”

Half an hour later, and Elsie was sat on Holly’s lap, happily ploughing her way through a plate of custard creams. She’d offered a couple to Valentine, but he’d turned his nose up, running back under the sofa, his preferred hiding place. Holly had an arm around her, gripping her tight, thinking of her nearly getting lost. The thought still made her shudder, and she kissed the top of Elsie’s head.

In response, Elsie turned her head up to Holly and kissed her on the cheek.

Holly swallowed hard to hold back the tears that pricked behind her eyes. Jeez, she was being soppy lately. When she looked back up, Tori shot her a smile.

“We’ve also got something we wanted to ask Holly and Tori, haven’t we, Elsie?” David looked at Elsie.

Elsie stared at him blankly, more interested in her biscuit.

“You were going to ask if Holly and Tori wanted to come to your birthday party?” David prompted.

Now Elsie nodded, turning her head back to Holly. “I’m having a party,” she said. “I’ll be three. There’s going to be biscuits
and
cake.” As if prompting herself, she finished off the biscuit she was holding, then picked up another.

“Biscuits and cake,” Holly repeated. “We’ll be there, won’t we Tori?”

Tori nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“And Valentine can come,” Elsie said, peering down under the sofa.

“I’ll check his social calendar,” Holly replied.

***

“How about Paris? City of love?” Tori was sitting on the sofa with her feet on Holly, iPad on her lap.

“Been there before,” Holly said, glancing up. “I want to go somewhere neither of us have been before, somewhere gorgeous.”

“Somewhere like me?” Tori asked, waggling her head from side to side. 

“Exactly like you,” Holly replied, kissing the top of Tori’s bare foot, before recoiling. “Oh my god, I just kissed your foot. There’s no way back. What’s happened to me?”

“You’ve fallen under my spell,” Tori said, one corner of her mouth upturned. “When are we doing this anyway?”

“I was thinking March, maybe April — it depends on Dad. He was a bit embarrassed we were arranging our holiday around him, but I don’t want to go if they still need us.”

Tori stroked Holly’s thigh with her foot. “I’m fine with that, happy to go whenever. Besides, I’ve grown quite fond of Elsie.”

“And she looks pretty fond of you,” Holly said, glancing up. Valentine was asleep on the sofa beside Holly, the small ginger bundle of fur rising and falling as he breathed in and out. In just a week, he’d become the star of the household, with both Tori and Holly racing home at night to be with him.

“Dad’s offered to take the cat while we’re away too, so that’s cool. He’ll be bigger then, so hopefully Elsie won’t break him,” Holly said, laughing.

“Poor Valentine,” Tori replied, smiling softly at their kitten. “I’m really proud of you though, babe. The way you’ve dealt with your dad, moving on, supporting him. I know he appreciates it too. Elsie’s easy to love, but David’s a bit more prickly.”

Holly smiled at that. “He’s had a lifetime of practice. But this whole thing has changed him, and only for the better. It’s made him more touchy-feely, which is something I never thought I’d say. He’s told me he loves me twice in the past few weeks. That’s more than in the past ten years, so we’re definitely making progress.” Holly pursed her lips before continuing. “Rome — we were talking about going to Rome, weren’t we?”

Tori nodded. “We were.”

“Dad told me he took Sarah there when they got together. He’s a big fan.” She looked up at Tori. “So shall we go with that? Check out some places on Airbnb?”

Tori stuck out her bottom lip before nodding. “Italy’s romantic, so I’d say it’s a go. I can serenade you on a gondola, sing the ice cream song and all of that.”

Holly frowned. “Isn’t that Venice?”

Tori waved her comment away. “I’m sure there are canals in Rome too. And if there are none, I’ll sing to you in the street.”

“I’m not sure that’s romantic, that might be more tragic,” Holly replied, laughing. “But you know what is romantic?”

Tori was tapping some keys on her iPad, but glanced up to reply. “Do tell.”

“This,” Holly said, drawing a circle with her hand. “Sitting here with you, a cup of tea and Valentine.” Her smile got wider. “I’m loving life right now.”

Tori cocked her head. “Are you getting soppy again? You know we talked about that.”

Holly laughed, a real belly laugh. “I must be due on, I’ve been feeling all mushy lately.”

Tori raised an eyebrow. “Or could it be that you’re desperately in love with a devastatingly attractive woman?”

Holly thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head. “Nah, probably just hormones.”

Tori grinned, before shifting the iPad on her lap and sitting up. “Anyway, Rome. I’ll look at flights and apartments, shall I?”

Holly nodded. “Sounds good.”

Just then, Valentine raised his head. “Look, Valentine wants to come too,” Tori said.

“Too bad little buddy,” Holly said, stroking his tiny body. “You get to go to Watford instead. Nearly as glamorous, but definitely no canals.”

THE END

ALL I WANT FOR SPRING: BOOK THREE

CHAPTER 1

Thursday

“I still cannot believe you booked a flight this early.” Holly Davis puffed out her cheeks and exhaled, as she’d been doing ever since they got on the train. She slumped forward onto the chipped plastic table, resting her head on her crossed arms before peering up at Tori. “Do you have a sadistic streak I should know about before we go any further?”