‘She was an oyster farmer. The first female one in Pine Harbor.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Of course. After my grandfather died, she had to find a way to support my mother. She didn’t want to become a secretary or bookkeeper. She liked the outdoors and being physically fit. In this town, that either meant the ocean or the forest. She chose the ocean. Researched the oyster farms that were starting up and down the coast, and started her own, here, in the seventies. It wasn’t easy, especially being a single mom, and she struggled to get taken seriously in a male-dominated industry. But she persevered and pioneered the way for more women to follow.’
‘That’s seriously impressive.’
‘I know. I wish she’d lived longer. I would have loved to get to know her better.’
‘So that was your mother’s mom?’
She nodded. ‘Yes. My father’s parents were against his marriage to my mother. They didn’t have anything to do with us.’ She snorted bitterly. ‘Apple didn’t fall far from that tree.’
‘What do you mean? If you don’t mind me asking. We don’t have to talk about this if it upsets you.’
‘It doesn’t.’ She sat on the couch and tucked her legs underneath her. ‘My dad was flighty. Spoilt. His parents indulged him. He and my mother were young, in love, reckless. She got pregnant and he insisted on marrying her, against his family’s wishes.’ She sighed. ‘My mother said he did it because it was the romantic thing to do, and because it gave him a thrill to rebel against his family. My dad had main character syndrome, big time.Everythingrevolved around him, and he thrived on drama. After they married and she had us, he realized exactly what he’d signed up for. Family. Having tosupportthat family. Sleepless nights, crappy diapers, the lot. And no one around to see it apart my mother. No one to applaud him and tell him what a hero he was for doing the bare minimum.’
‘He sounds like a bit of a dick, no offense.’
She snorted. ‘No offense taken. He was ahugedick. Couldn’t take an ordinary life. Left my mother when we were young and never looked back. He did send her some money every month, at least he did that. But after he died, she was on her own. My grandmother took us in here at the house, and aftershedied, my mother inherited it all.’
I turned the oven hob off and fetched two plates out of the cupboard. ‘The oyster farm as well?’
She nodded. ‘Yep, sold it in the nineties though, for a good profit. She’s been able to live off that money ever since, although she chose to work while we were growing up. Wanted to teach us a good work ethic.’
I plated up the eggs and bacon and sprinkled some salt and pepper on them. ‘Was it just you and your brother?’
‘Yes. Is breakfast ready yet?’ she asked abruptly. ‘I’m starving. I think my stomach is starting to eat itself.’
‘Can’t have that, can we.’ I carried the plates over to the wooden table. ‘It’s ready. Come and get it.’
‘About time,’ she grumbled, but smiled as she did so. She climbed off the couch and padded over to the table in her bare feet. I sat down on my seat and reached for her, pulling her down on to my lap.
‘If you’re going to complain, you can cook next time.’
She wriggled in my lap, and I started to get hard for her again. The way her eyes widened told me she felt it. I snaked a hand underneath the hem of the shirt and cupped her breast, running my thumb over her nipple, feeling it stiffen. Her eyes closed as her lips opened and she moaned softly.
‘That feels so good,’ she said.
‘You feel so good,’ I rasped back, unable to take my eyes off of her. She was sexy beyond belief, and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. She stood suddenly, and I blinked at her, bereft, before I realized what she was doing. Staring at me intensely, she tugged her underwear down, kicking them off to one side, then she climbed back on my lap, straddling me. I reached for the buttons on the shirt, fumbling with them. Suddenly they were the tiniest buttons in the whole history of buttons, and my hands were all thumbs. Impatient, I gave up, putting my fingers in the gap and pulling it apart, hearing buttons ping off in all directions as it ripped open, revealing her beautiful breasts, right at my face level. I reached for them, enjoying their heaviness in my hands, molding them, loving them, licking at them with my tongue until she couldn’t bear it any more, grabbing the back of my head roughly and shoving her whole nipple into my mouth, grinding herself down on my lap as she did.
Reaching between us, she freed my erection from my underwear, maneuvering herself upwards so that she could take the tip of me inside of her. I thrusted upwards, desperate to feel the rest of her, but she pushed my chest to hold me down and tutted at me.
‘Nah ah ah,’ she said. ‘I’m setting the pace this time.’
She lowered herself a little bit more, then withdrew, and repeated. Each time she took a little bit more of me in, teasing me, building me into such a frenzy that by the time she finally slid down the full length of me, gasping as she did, her face contorting with ecstasy, I couldn’t take it any more. With a growl, I grabbed her hips and took over, pounding her against me again and again until I exploded inside her like a Fourth of July firework. She came at the same time, her head thrown back, her moans loud. I wanted to spend the rest of my life watching her do that.
‘Breakfast is cold now,’ I said afterwards in a hoarse voice as she nestled her head in against my neck and I held her.
‘Worth it,’ she replied sleepily, and for a second, I thought she might actually drift off, right there, but suddenly her whole body jolted and she flew off me, her eyes wide as her hand flew to her mouth.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked, instantly alert.
She moved her hand and I could see she was biting her bottom lip, her expression guilty.
‘Taylor, what is it?’
‘Ray,’ she said. ‘I forgot all about Ray.’
