Page 17 of Love Thief

“You’ve had sex with them all though, they told me.”

He looks away towards the fields, sighs, then brings his glorious green gaze back to me. “I did yeah, before, before I married you. Is that a problem? Because I’ve fucked loads of women, just like you’ve fucked lots of men.”

“Well, not really lots. In fact, only a couple,” I retort, affronted. “I wouldn’t call a couple lots.”

“It makes no difference the number in the past, it only matters from last week. And I’ve not since then.” Staring into my eyes he moves his hands up to my face. “I said no one else and I meant that. Just us, Kitten. Do you trust me on it?” I nod. “Good.” He kisses me gently, pouring himself into the kiss.

“I want to go home. Do you need to stay to record?” I ask him quietly when he lets me go.

“No, I can do it tomorrow evening. Jurgen’s coming over from Germany, so timing will be better then. And the day after I want to go to Vegas. I don’t want to hide us anymore. Although, I believe one of the girls knows my mother, so she’s gone, spying cow.”

“Can the boys fit it in? I think their exams are over the next two weeks, but then it’s done.” I think I’m more concerned about the exams than they are.

“They can if we go Thursday and come back Sunday. To be fair, we just need to put on a show. Out and about at a club Thursday, Friday, get married, fly out Saturday or Sunday, whichever we want.”

“Can Xan fit it in?”

“Are you kidding? He loves our weddings. He’s already asking when the next one is, insists we’ll have at least three.” He’s laughing now.

“Will I see any of Vegas? I’d like to see?—”

“No, just the club and our hotel room.” He grins like a pirate. “Not a fucking chance I’m letting you loose in Vegas. It’s hard enough keeping you out of trouble at home. Policemen at the door, it’s like your fourteen again.”

“I never had the police. That was Jonno,” I say indignantly.

“Only because you could run faster, or were hiding with Bug.”

I start to giggle. “Oh my god, we were so bad. But just low level stuff, nothing major.”

“You blew the windows out of your home with dynamite. I think you’ve a warped sense of low level, Kitten,” he says incredulously

Xander walks up, already laughing. “Oh God, I remember that. Pete was frantic. We were over the other side of the farm and heard the blast and saw the smoke. He was shouting, ‘Those fucking kids, I’ll kill her,’ so we knew it was you.” He points at me, laughing even harder.

“Jonno’s idea,” I mutter. “I just got the supplies.”

“We’re going home. Are you coming, Xan, or staying here?” Kell asks him.

He blows out a breath. “Are you carrying on from where you left off? Because if yes, I’ll stay here. Marshall will make me drink whiskey and I’m soaked in it.”

“Yes, definitely. Then recording tomorrow then Vegas,” Kell affirms as he walks around to get into the passenger side, giving Xan a man hug as he passes.

Turning to give Xan a kiss on the check, I tell him, “See you at home, Xander. Don’t stay here all day and night, unless you want to of course.”

“It’s fine, I’ll sort them all out then come home. He might have let you out of the bedroom by then.” He smirks at me and saunters away.

In the end, Kellen goes back to record in the early evening. Jurgen turned up early. He remembers putting in the studio and was happy to come stay. Nikki is cooking for him, as they’d got on really well last time. I’m busy quizzing Nikki on his menu as he cooks Jurgen’s favourites.

“Leave him be, midarlin’,” Marshall says to distract me. “Come out and look at this new horse, I want to talk about the yard.”

I look at Nikki, and mouth, ‘What’s up?’ but Nikki just shrugs.

It is a beautiful evening and we set off down the track towards the beach. By the looks of the sun, we might get there and back before dark. Marshall is a man of few words, so we walk in comfortable silence just smiling at each other.

“I love it here, it feels like home,” I say eventually, my chest expanding with love.

“It’s that I want to talk about, midarlin’. You know if you want to go live somewhere else, it’s okay. I don’t want you to stay for me.”

Tears spring instantly to my eyes, my bubble just burst. “Don’t you want me here, with them? I never gave it a thought. I just automatically said ‘this is my home, they can come here.’ I’m not living anywhere else. I told Kellen he had to move to Devon.” I’m standing still in the middle of the track trying to blink back the tears, my heart starting to hurt as I look at him.

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