When I open my eyes my body is turned into him, his arm weighty and possessive across my body as he continues to sleep next to me.  I like how it feels there. I also like that he doesn't appear to be a snorer.  His breaths are just deep and calm and even. I can live with someone in my bed that isn't a snorer.

As I turn my head to stare at him, I wonder at what point during the night he turned himself on his side and put his arm around me.   I guess it could have been completely by accident, though for some pathetic girly reason I hope that it wasn't.

I shift slightly so that I'm flat on my back but he doesn't even flinch, clearly out cold and dead to the world.  Well, I suppose that's what giving someone 3 orgasms in succession will do to you. Though not 'someone' - me, I was the one he'd worn himself out pleasuring. The thought makes a little kick of satisfaction run through me.

I gaze down our bodies and take in the sight of his muscular tattooed arm, which is tanned and large across my paler smaller body then look back across to his face, which is a perfect image of peace and relaxation. He has femininely long lashes which are at this moment resting on the smooth tanned skin of his cheeks. I'm glad to see that there's no swelling around his nose or eyes or anywhere on his face at all.  My violent assault hadn't left its mark on him thank heavens.

Oh god I really hope this morning isn't awkward.  Last night I was tipsy on cider and overcome with lust and everything always looks different in the harsh light of day.  Well, everything except him.  He looks the same. Probably better actually, with the sunlight hitting the hard lines of his body and his gorgeous sleeping face.  My eyes move down to his full lips and I only just manage to resist the urge to lean over and kiss them.  The covers are below his waist giving me a full view of his magnificent inked body and as my eyes move down to the dark sprinkling of hairs that disappear below the sheets my mouth actually waters. The wicked thought that crosses my mind causes me to glance back at his face, fearful that the volume of my dirty mind has somehow penetrated his consciousness.  But he's still asleep.  His stubble is a little heavier this morning and adds to his masculinity - although I'm pretty sure even clean-shaven Jake Lawrence would still be the most masculine man I've ever seen.

A disarming thought enters my head then: I want to keep him for a while.  I want more than just one night or a couple of nights with him. I want to call him when I've had a bad day and have his comfort when I'm ill. Maybe even have him sit next to me at an event that calls for a couple.  Oh my god I'm in trouble. He only said he wanted to have sex again. At no point did he say he wanted to be my other half. 

Yep. I'm clingy, really single and in trouble.

So this was a fling then? If it was just sex and nothing else is that what this was?   I suppose I could live with that - first time for everything I suppose.  I confirm this thought as my eyes slither down his body again, drinking him in, halting at the lettering just above his left hip which goes across the front of his hard looking stomach.  It reads "C W" followed by the artistic abstract heart which clearly symbolises love, then a date marked in roman numerals that my foggy morning brain cant even be bothered trying to work out from this angle upside down.   Instead, I imagine the Claire or Catherine or Carla or some other name of a girl who I obviously now hate that he cared about enough to etch a reminder of into his skin. I should be ashamed. I'm indiscriminately jealous of someone he probably met years ago and isn't even with anymore.   I seriously need to get a grip. I also need to pee again and drink some water because I have morning cider mouth.

I slide out from under his arm and shimmy gently over to the edge of the bed. It's then that I notice Fred sleeping soundly at the foot of the bed against Jake's leg. It has to be the heat, Jake's heat - Fred loves warm places.  As I slide out of the bed and glance back at him I wonder if I should wake him up. I decide against it.  I have no desire to go through the less passionate, slightly awkward morning after thing before I absolutely need to.  Plus, he looks so peaceful.  He also looks a lot less dangerous and forbidden with a snoring tortoise-shell cat curled up at his feet. 

"So, what's the chance of some breakfast then?" he says quietly, making me startle.  He doesn't open his eyes just smiles a little lazy half smile from the side of his mouth that heats up my insides.

I don't really know what the one-night stand protocol is. Do you normally make them breakfast?

"Umm, what would you like?" I ask.

He opens his eyes and gives me a warm look before pouting slightly. "Not fair. You have clothes on and I'm still naked here.  Naked and vulnerable," he says. I smile at that.

I look down at the bathrobe I slept in and back at him. "A bathrobe isn't what I'd call clothes. And vulnerable? Please, you may be the least vulnerable person I've ever met," I smile.   "But I'm glad I have the upper hand for once."

His eyes go serious. "No.  You always have the upper hand Alex. Trust me,"

I'm not entirely sure what he means by that, and I try and think about it but the way he's staring at me whilst being totally naked in my bed makes my mind go syrupy and my legs feel unsteady. Instead I brush a hand through my hair and look away from him, feeling exposed and increasingly turned on.  I hear the sound of covers being rustled and look back up to see him raise himself up to sitting, the movement urging Fred into motion. The cat stands up yawning, stretches and then jumps off the bed and sashays out of the room. Then adorably similarly, Jake yawns and stretches his arms above his head before scrubbing a hand through his hair.

"I fell asleep on you last night. I'm sorry," He says with a small smile. God he looks gorgeous and sleepy and my body practically thrums from the need to jump on him.

"Technically not on me, beside me," I smile.

He nods, "Technically. Well I'm sorry anyway," He bites his lip casually but the look in his eyes is heated and it makes my stomach flutter a little more. I want to tell him not to be sorry, and that I enjoyed having him sleep next to me and that the chances were my bed was going to feel cold and empty tonight without him in it.  Of course I can't say this.

"You were tired. I covered you." I say instead. Seriously? I may as well have told him I carried a watermelon.

He nods again. "Thank you..." he says softly, eyes intense. The lingering look suggests that maybe he isn't talking about the throw anymore but I don't know. I glance away from him, down at my pale pink painted toes, out my bedroom window. It's too real seeing him now. Knowing that my one night with him to get over him was futile.  Knowing that I only want him more now.

"So are you hungry?" I blurt, desperate to break the heated silence. His eyes flare and his tongue slips out and wets his bottom lip.

"Fucking starving," He smirks, tilting himself up off the bed slightly to give me a perfect view of his throw covered morning arousal. 

Something clenches tightly below and I feel my face flush.  He wants me for breakfast?  That's what he just suggested wasn't it?  God I want him too. I want morning sex with him.  Sober, intimate morning sex. Stop it Alex.   It's then I know that I probably can't do a fling with him.  He'll hurt me and I've only just put myself back together.  No, I can't risk it. Jake's clearly not a relationship guy.  He's a great in bed guy who breaks hearts. He'll break mine if I make this about anything more than a one-night stand.  One night with him is all I can risk. Probably.

"I don't think I have anything in," I laugh nervously.  This is not a lie.  I really need to go shopping. Why do I never go shopping? I always just buy what I need when I need it. Mainly because there's normally only Fred and I to worry about - not muscled tattooed sex gods. "Coffee?" I offer. His head is cocked to the side and he stretches his arms up and behind his neck and I hear his body crack then he rolls his head to the side and produces another crack. So he has tense muscles. Good to know.

"I'll take whatever you're offering Alex," He says heatedly.  Seriously, has any man ever looked as completely seductive to any woman as he does to me right now? I bloody doubt it.

"So I'll get you coffee then." I nod, moving toward the door.  I hear him make a noise that sounds like a sigh of disappointment which I choose to ignore.

"Can I use your shower?" he says.  I stop at the door and take a deep breath as I turn back to him. Jake in my shower, naked and wet....

I clear my throat. "Of course. There's one in there." I indicate my en-suite, "I'll go downstairs and leave you to it," I tell him, trying to make my feet move. They don't.  Instead I stand immobilized as he slides out of bed and strolls over to me utterly naked and totally aroused. I can't breathe again. I can't think again. I'm an idiot. I could have him. He could have me. For breakfast we could have each other.

He stops in front of me and leans down to kiss me softly on the cheek. Again it seems so at odds with what I expected him to do, what I want him to do.  Soft pecks on the cheek are not Jake-like behaviour.  Although, what do I know about Jake-like behaviour?

When he pulls up he looks me straight in the eye. "You have a really comfortable bed," He says.

From somewhere I find my voice. "Yes. I hope you slept okay," It's less actual voice and more of a soft aroused whisper.

"I did. Slept fucking great actually. Thanks for letting me stay over," He smiles. Then slowly he leans in to kiss me on the mouth.  It's still a soft, gentle kiss but it makes my insides clench with need.  When he leaves my lips I'm a little breathless and I have to try hard not to blink up at him in a dazed fashion. With a crook of his mouth he turns and strolls into my bathroom, his gloriously edible bum in full view. Good god his bum is so bloody perfect that it makes me want to cry.  Then, as I draw my eyes up his strong muscled back I gasp. There on his shoulder blades are six long red welts where I've scratched him like a bitch in heat.  Oh god.

I visit the main bathroom quickly, brushing my teeth and gulping a pint of water before heading downstairs.  As I go I mutter to Fred that I should be ashamed of myself, and that I'm more of an animal than he is.  After I feed Fred, I wait on the coffee to percolate whilst imagining the conversation I'll have with the girls about my one night of passion with the sexy nightclub owner.  Wait.  Will I even have that conversation? Do I need to be reminded about how bad an idea he is?  Leigh would be more understanding than Robyn would of course. Robyn never advocates risks with the heart. Ever.

No, I should probably keep this whole thing to myself. Especially since after my date with Sam I jumped right into bed with Jake. Oh god Sam. I'd barely given him a second thought.  I'm a terrible person.

Five minutes later I hear him coming down the stairs. God please be dressed please be dressed... I don't trust myself if he's not dressed. I'm saved when he comes into the kitchen fully clothed looking fresh, clean, and delicious. He smiles at me as he rubs at his wet hair with my fluffy cream towel. I like how he looks doing that there. Seriously now though, what is wrong with me?  This is getting out of hand.  Avoiding his eyes I hand him the mug of steaming black coffee carefully.

"Careful, it's really hot." I warn. "Sugar and milk are behind you if you want some,"

"Thank you," He says politely. I chance a look up at him as he takes the mug and find him looking at me with that stare intense of his.  He blows gently on the top but doesn't move to put milk or sugar in.

I lift my own, blowing too as I lean back against the worktop across from where he's leaning against the sink.  The silence seems to stretch for ages.  It doesn't feel uncomfortable, just hot and heavy.  I can feel the sexual tension crackle and kinder as he stares at me with a small smile, which I can't help but return. He is so desperately good looking it's hard to do anything but stare at him.  He's exceptionally hot, and that's not even a word I use to describe men that often. He is though. He's hot and dark, sexy and completely addictive and I can't remember being this needy for anything in my entire life. In my mind I see him naked again and my smile deepens and I have to look away incase he sees my cheeks flush.

"You have a gorgeous house Alex," He says. I glance back to see him looking out the French doors to my garden.

"Thank you," I say following his eyes. The garden is bathed in sunlight this morning. It's sort of a hidden garden with high hedges, rosebushes and lots of wildflowers - I also have a small vegetable patch at the side of it. I adore my garden.

I see him smile as he continues to look outside. "You know, I kinda imagined you living somewhere like this. Somewhere nice you know? Peaceful," He looks back at me. He imagined where I lived? I assume this was before he found out where it was. But I like that he described it as peaceful and not quiet. Quiet is always a polite way of saying boring. Peaceful is how I always think of it myself. "You happy here?" He asks.

What a strange question. It takes me aback slightly.

"Um, yes I am. I love it here," I nod. His eyes flicker with some unnamed emotion as he thinks about my answer and then he nods.

"I'd really love to get out of London. Gets you down sometimes, you know? So big yet so fucking small at the same time," He sounds tired. He really does swear a lot. I don't know anyone who swears as much as him.

"I do know. I lived there for a bit during my residency. It's so busy and there's so much happening all the time, which I guess is why people love it, but I just prefer the peaceful life," I shrug my shoulders. I like the lack of traffic and the sound of the birds and the smell of the trees. Not possible in most of London. I'm actually surprised at him saying he would like to get out of London though. He strikes me as a true London boy. I'm sure it gets him down sometimes but he doesn't belong anywhere else. I cant see him in a place like Shere and I certainly can't see him in wellingtons and a waxed cotton parka taking long walks.  Okay, I'd love to see him like that, preferably holding my hand while he does it but it's never going to actually happen. 

"You lived in the city? When?" he sounds almost excited.

God, how long ago was it?  "Ummm I moved here 3 years ago. So before that for about a year and a half," I nod.

He nods.  "Whereabouts?"

"North, Islington area," From the moment I had moved into Ben's rented flat I couldn't wait to move out. Jake nods again looking distant, thoughtful.

"The peaceful life," he muses quietly. "Sounds fucking perfect to be honest," he takes another sip of his coffee, staring hard at me over the rim.  What's he thinking?  About what happened last night?  About me?  What does he want now? Now that he's felt himself inside me? Does he even want anything? After a few moments of silence, I decide to explain myself.

"I feel the need to clear something up," I start and his gaze widens. "Last night. What happened, you know, with you and I" like that part really needed clarifying Alex?  "I don't normally... I mean. You know what I mean. One night... stands. They're not my thing. I don't do them. Normally," I explain. I sound like an idiot who hasn't quite grasped the English language yet. But it's the truth, and for some reason I really need him to believe me.

His eyes flicker and he chews his lip from the inside as he ponders my statement. Finally he nods his head once but his gaze doesn't change, it's still trained on me hard and thoughtful. He takes another sip of his coffee.

"So I guess that makes me special then?" He says.

I look down. "I just don't want you to think that I jump into bed like that with everyone, or anyone," Nope that was just him.

"So I'm definitely special then?"

I look up and he's smiling adorably. "You know what I mean." I say.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," He nods, serious again.

"Oh and I'm also not a cock-tease." I say sticking my chin up.

"A what?" he looks confused.

"A cock-tease,"

"I still didn't catch that," he puts his hand to his ear.

"Seriously?"

"Nah I did. I just really like hearing the word cock coming out of your mouth," He smirks.

I flush. "You're unbelievable." I say shaking my head.

"Unbelievably special? He asks and I can't help but giggle.

We drink the rest of our coffee in a charged silence while I contemplate this thing.  Ok so I still like looking at him. That hasn't changed since last night.  The strong expanse of his shoulders and body, the sparkling eyes and healthy golden skin, and that full and glorious mouth that I'd been surprised to find wasn't the most talented part of his body. 

No, last night has done nothing to abate my attraction to him that much is clear. Now that I know what he's capable of and how he can make me feel, I want him more not less. He continues to stare at me as he drinks his coffee, smiling eyes twinkling as though plotting something, or perhaps he can read my mind and is amused by my x-rated thoughts. Abruptly, he puts his cup down on the worktop behind him and walks toward me.

"Could you do something for me?" he stops in front of me, leaning in close as if he might kiss me. I want him to kiss me. I can smell him. How can his body still smell like that, when he's just used my pomegranate shower wash? "Have a look at my back will you? I had a look at it in your mirror upstairs and it's red fucking raw. Any chance of you checking me over properly? Just to make sure you haven't done any permanent damage with those little claws of yours?" his voice is low and serious but there's a smile behind it.

I swallow feeling like maybe he's luring me into a trap I wont be able to get out of. "You'll need to take off your shirt," I say quietly with what I hope is a measured tone.  He smiles and starts to unbutton his shirt.

"Well this feels kinda familiar doesn't it?" He says as he reaches the last button. I shiver from head to toe and he shrugs out of his shirt. He holds my eyes a moment and then turns around to show me his sex scars.  Oh dear.... I really should be ashamed of myself. I mean I really should. But I'm not. I'm proud.

"I think you like hurting me," he says.

I smile. "On the contrary. I'm a Doctor. It's my job to fix you. Not hurt you," I tell him as I stare at the angry red welts running up his shoulder blades. They aren't serious. Just a little raised, and a lot sexy.

He lets out a sigh. "Yeah, well, I think I'd like to be fixed by you Alex," His tone is strangely heavy.

"Some calamine lotion should cool down the soreness... and there shouldn't be any need for a tetanus, doesn't look like I broke the skin,"  I smile to myself.  I feel him laugh softly and then very slowly, I run my fingers over his upper back tracing them down over the red lines I inflicted during our lovemaking.  His skin is smooth under my fingers and the sculpted muscles of his back flex under my touch making the dark shapes of his tattoos come alive. As I get lower his whole body trembles.

"Oh come on, I barely touched you." I say lightly. "You're a lot tougher than that,"

"Normally I am yeah," He mutters quietly.

As I trace my fingers back up and over the dark shapes of his arms he lifts his head up and drops it back ever so slightly and moans quietly in his throat. That strange stirring starts in my stomach again and then as if he senses my own body's need for him, he turns round and kisses me hard stealing the breath right out of my lungs.  He tastes divine, his mouth is warm and greedy and sensual as he sucks at my tongue and wraps his arms around my waist.  

His warm strong hands slide up and under my bathrobe caressing the backs of my thighs and bum as his tongue explores my mouth. When his hands slide around to the front and reach for the tie on my robe I don't stop him from untying it.

"Do you have any idea how fucking crazy you make me?" He growls, sounding annoyed.  He moves his mouth away from mine and across my neck to my ear, sucking on the lobe gently making my eyes close over.   I say nothing in response but I'm glad at the admission. Glad that the feeling is mutual.

I move my hands up his body to grip the outside of his bare shoulders as he moans softly into my ear.  He brings his mouth back to mine and fills it with his, our tongues slipping softly against each other.  God I love how he feels when he's this close to me.  His experienced mouth and tongue, and his body warm and comforting pressed hard against my own. He stops kissing my mouth and lowers his lips, placing little nibbling kisses and sucks down my face to my chin. "You taste so good Alex....." he moans before pulling back.  He gives me a wicked look of intent and licks his lips. "Don't move," he warns and then very slowly lowers himself so that he's kneeling down in front of me.

Oh god.

My breathing starts to spiral out of control as soon as I realise what he's going to do to me, here in my kitchen. Surely not? I watch in shock as he runs his hands up my legs, cupping my behind, squeezing each cheek tenderly, massaging them between strong sure hands.  He delicately peels open my robe and begins to place soft gentle kisses across my stomach and on my belly button and my body begins to tremble.  He lifts up my right leg and drapes it delicately over his shoulder and I place my elbows behind me on the worktop to steady myself as he presses his mouth to the inside of my thigh.   He looks up and meets my eye, before beginning to kiss his way up the inside of my thigh, the feeling of his mouth more intense as he gets higher.  He mixes little bites with soft licks and sucks on the tender inside of my thighs. Oh Christ.  As he gets closer to the hot needy space between my legs my body trembles harder, and holding myself up becomes more difficult.

His tongue is tentative and designed to draw out the pleasure and not to overcome me as he massages my bum with one hand and the top of my thigh with the other, spreading me open to him. He pulls his head back and looks up at me, the absence of his mouth making me groan a little in displeasure. He smiles at me before biting his bottom lip deliciously. It makes want to bite it too. Why do I always want to hurt him? Maybe I do like hurting him, maybe he was right about that. I must have a think about that. Later though, not now.

"Do you want me to make you come with my mouth again?" he says as he presses his mouth back to the highest point on my thigh. His language is always so coarse yet so totally sexual at the same time and it always makes me fall deeper under his spell. It's like he has a way of reaching into my deepest darkest fantasies and then verbalizing them without me even realizing I wanted him to. I moan softly as he takes a deep breath and rubs his face back and forth against my thigh. 

I don't think that he really expects me to answer his question; he just wants me to think about it, which of course I do. Though when he turns his head up to me I see the expectant look on his face and I know that he does want me to answer his question. I nod meekly, my breath short and sharp, and he nods, licks his lips and lowers his head back down onto me.

"Fucking hell baby I love how you taste here. So fucking sweet..." he groans before capturing me fully in his mouth. Oh my god.

The heat of him is like a searing explosion below and I grip harder on the worktop to hold myself up as my body begins to tremble and shake almost violently. I feel his hand slide between my legs from behind, his fingers meeting his mouth so he is stroking and licking me at the same time. The combination is too much.

"Jake....I'm..." I gasp.  Christ.  He's going to make me come right here in my kitchen. 

"What Baby? Tell me," he asks softly, licking slower now, more tentatively.  When he begins to blow softly against me, sending little jolts of agonising pleasure coursing through me, my body spasms and I grip his hair hard and move myself deeper into his mouth.  He really is a master of exquisite torture.

"Please Jake, I need you..." I gasp and look down, unable to finish the sentence.  A low noise comes from deep in his throat and he pulls his head back just enough so he can speak.

"Say that again," he growls. 

"I need you..." I whisper.  He smiles another of his sexy smiles before lowering his head to place his mouth back where I need it. I grab onto his hair again and pull him closer and he groans louder and deeper against me, grabbing my bum to pull me into his mouth. The vibration and sound of him moaning against my most intimate place only heightens my pleasure and when I feel his finger enter me slightly from behind as he continues to suck me I almost shatter entirely.  The motion of his mouth is like a kiss, like he's kissing me there the way he'd kiss my mouth, deep moves of his tongue in deep sucking motions. It's heavenly.  He's too good.

"Oh god," I scream loud, as suddenly the pleasure explodes deep in my belly and between my thighs.  

"Mmmm... not god. Me." He growls deliciously.  "That's it Alex. Come for me baby..." I hear him moan from far away while he continues to lick and suck, as the pleasure courses out of me in great hot waves and my legs continue to tremble around him.

When it seems like hours later and I finally stop shaking, I release my grip on his hair. Through my haze I worry vaguely that I may have hurt him again and so I rub at his head gently where I'd gripped it, massaging his scalp with my fingers. He removes mouth from me and I feel him run his tongue up the inside of my thigh before placing a tender kiss on me there, almost like some sort of oral full stop. Then he gently lowers my foot back onto the floor and stands up.

I stare up at his flushed face and wet lips as he fastens my bathrobe before pulling on and buttoning his shirt.  His eyes never leaving mine once.   Then, as though he's just enjoyed an extremely messy meal, he wipes the back of his hand across his mouth and smiles at me. It's one of the most erotic things I've ever seen. I think I might orgasm again.  I'm frozen to the spot as he leans forward and kisses me gently on the mouth.

"Mmmm, well I hope that was as good for you as it was for me," he smirks. "You do taste fucking amazing you know," He says with the tone of someone critiquing the best available wine. "You make a great breakfast Alex," he adds with a mischevious lick of his lips.

I cant breathe, or speak, or think straight. I'm fuzzy, malleable and so warm.  "Now I have to shoot off. But Alex, this -" he motions between us, eyes serious but soft. "was not a one night stand. Not even close yeah?" He states.  He steps close and runs a hand up my body, over my breast to my face. "You owe me dinner so I'll call you later to make arrangements. And this time, the arrangements will not be cancelled or moved or changed?" He shakes his head in warning, his tone one of intent.   It brooks no argument.  I don't even want to argue. 

He cups the back of my neck, holding it in place as he strokes his thumb back and forward over my cheek. His touch is soft but his grip possessive. 

"Okay," is all I can manage.

He nods as though he's just conducted a business deal before dropping his hand to adjust the front of his jeans.  As I glance down I can see his erection is straining against them. It sends another wave of heat over my whole body as well as a flash of guilt for helping to cause it and for not helping him deal with it.  He turns to go but then stops, turns back and grabs my head again pulling me into his mouth roughly. His kiss is hard but slow and sensual at the same time and it reminds me of what he did a moment ago lower down my body.  I open my mouth and allow his tongue to roam freely inside me.   Trouble.   He pulls back slowly, finishing by nibbling my bottom lip softly between his teeth.

"Mmmmm. I don't think I'll ever get enough of you doctor, you know that?" he says growling playfully from low in his throat. "See you soon?" he asks quietly, his eyes hopeful and light.

"Okay," I say again, eliciting a deep smile from him. He steps out of my body space and turns, walking away from me.

He turns back once more when he reaches the kitchen door.  He looks like he's going to say something else or maybe even come back over and make love to me on the worktop, but he doesn't do either. Instead he shakes his head slightly, looking a little lost or as though he's confused about something, then turns back round and struts out of my house, his graceful predator-like walk carrying him away from me.  The front door opens and closes and I continue standing there staring after him, feeling blown apart, satisfied and in desperate need of a shower.  A cold one probably.

My next thought is that I really hope Ed from next door isn't doing any bush preening this morning, as is his usual Sunday custom. The sight of an aroused Jake Lawrence strutting down my driveway is most certainly enough to give him a heart attack.

**A Dark Fall is now Available on Ebook and Paperback on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited***