Page 61 of His Own Heaven

“Maisie!” Lucy gasped, her eyes wide in horror. “You can’t say things like that. Apologise, please. Now!”

The old woman rolled her eyes. “I’m old, honey. I can say whatever the hell I want and people think I’m adorable.”

“You are not adorable, you cantankerous old bat.”

“Fine,” Maisie huffed. “I’m sorry I insinuated the walking mountain here,”—she gestured to Toby, whose eyes had grown to the size of hubcaps as he held in his laughter—“rocked your world all weekend. My bad.”

Lucy closed her eyes and pressed the tips of her fingers to the middle of her forehead, like she was fighting off a headache, then she frowned at her neighbour.

“What am I going to do with you?”

Toby was captivated by the old woman and couldn’t wait to hear what she said next. It was obvious to him, even from their brief exchange, she and Lucy knew each other very well. They were possibly even closer than friends, more like pseudo-family.

He knew of few people who could call an elderly woman a “cantankerous old bat” and get away with it.

“You’re not going to do anything with me,” Maisie said. “You’re going to enjoy the rest of your evening climbing your mountain man.” Then she turned to Toby, all semblance of her earlier severity replaced by a kind smile and a knowing gaze. “I’m sorry if I seemed rude, Toby, but I’m always suspicious of new cars in the neighbourhood.”

“Rightly so,” he said, inclining his head. “Next time I change cars I’ll be sure to tell Lucy so she can give you a heads up.”

Her expression brightened, bordering on respect. “I would appreciate that, thank you.”

Lucy turned her head to direct her frown at him. “Just how many cars do you own?”

“Me personally? Five.”

“You ownfivecars?”

“Eleven if you count Charlie’s.” Her jaw dropped and Toby shrugged. “What? We like going fast.”

Lucy snorted. “I noticed.”

“Well,” Maisie said, interrupting them. “I’ll be getting back to my movie. Be good, children,” she added, turning back for the door. “And if you can’t be good, be good at it.”

Toby stared after the old woman as she made her way back inside, his body shaking with silent laughter.

“I am so sorry,” Lucy said, her gaze likewise focussed in the direction of the retreating Mrs Miller. “I should have warned you about her.”

Toby pressed a quick kiss to her temple and grinned. “I can’t wait for you to meet my family.”

Chapter Nineteen

“So, what’s the story with you and Maisie Miller?”

Lucy lay on her back beside Toby, their bodies slick with sweat, their breathing ragged and their come still wet on her thighs.

Using Toby’s outstretched arm as a pillow, Lucy felt hot and boneless, and she swallowed thickly against her need for a glass of water. The very last thing she wanted to talk about was the old woman who lived next door.

“Please tell me you weren’t thinking about my seventy-two-year-old neighbour while we were fucking.”

Toby’s bark of laughter was so loud and sudden it made her jump. “Christ, no.” He rolled onto his side and draped one heavy leg over hers, pinning her against him, then nuzzled against her neck. His hot breath fanned against her skin and tickled her scars. “I can promise you I will never think about another woman while fucking you. No matter how sassy they may be.”

“Maisie is definitely sassy,” Lucy said, laughing as she swatted away her lover’s wandering hand and shoved at his leg, attempting to rise from the bed. Toby growled at her, the deep, throaty sound vibrating through his chest and into hers. “I’m thirsty,” she explained, but he apparently didn’t care.

The arm she was lying on curled around her, pulling her closer, and his other hand gripped her thigh, his fingers digging in, cocooning her in his long limbs and preventing her from going anywhere.

“And…?” Dark and thick with warning, Toby’s voice whispered across her cheek, that one word conveying more meaning than most men could cram into an entire sentence. A whole freaking paragraph, even.

And that’s when she remembered. She’d forgotten the rules. The very simple rules they’d gone over when he’d stripped her naked, bent her over the bed and fucked her senseless.

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