23. Jensen

By the beginning of May, Jensen thought he may have visited every baby group in London. Baby swimming, baby yoga, baby massage, baby gym, baby reading, baby music, even baby signing classes—the latter on Warren's recommendation. Just as one group finished, another sprung up, and Jensen happily trotted along for the ride.

Talia had even trusted him to take Felix out alone for the first time ever.

Well, perhaps not entirely alone. Warren and Lucie had come too. Their destination had, unsurprisingly, been another baby group. But this one was specifically for dads. He'd learnt a lot from it too, and had been going every week since.

This week, however, Warren hadn't been able to attend, which meant that Jensen took Felix all by himself. And, as he flicked his eyes up to the rear view mirror, he thought he'd passed the test. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Felix's little legs kicking as he played with a toy in his new car seat.

The first few times Jensen had taken Felix out with Warren and Lucie, he'd borrowed the car seat from Talia's car, but last week he bought one for his car specifically.

With every week that passed, he felt more and more like an actual parent. He was now capable of doing everything Talia did—minus the lactating. He found he enjoyed creating new meals for Felix to try far more than Talia, and so she'd happily delegated the task to him. Most of the time, Jensen cooked at her flat, but occasionally he made them at his own.

These days, he found he was visiting his flat less and less. More often than not, he was at Talia's, caring for Felix or simply spending time with the people he loved.

As daunting as it had been to realise, Jensen had admitted to himself that the twisting, wrenching, desperate feeling in his chest was love. He loved her.

Which made it all the more irritating that it was now almost impossible to find time alone together.

Jensen suspected Euan was responsible, ordering a horde of family members to visit Talia at increasingly irritating times. Whether it was Darcy coming to stay for a week, Great Aunt Angharad dropping in to say hello, or even Euan himself surprising Jensen and Talia late one Friday night, there was always somebody there.

It had got to the point where the only time Jensen and Talia were alone was during the baby groups, surrounded by a gaggle of babies and parents.

Thank fuck there were so many of them.

He was beginning to live for those baby groups. Considering they usually went in his car, Jensen had got into the habit of holding Talia's thigh as he drove. As Felix was in the car too, it never went further than a few kisses. But, Christ, Jensen was getting desperate, and he knew Talia was too.

But as he neared her flat, his excitement increased. For the first time in weeks, they had a chance. Euan and Alison were in Paris. Darcy was in Ibiza. Great Aunt Angharad was back in Wales.

He and Talia might actually have some time alone tonight.

Felix babbled as Jensen turned off Charing Cross Road, taking the now-familiar route home. He passed the service entrance of the mansion block, remembering his and Roman's illegal jaunt into the building.

Jensen looked in the rear view mirror again, smiling at Felix talking to himself. Was that really only a few months ago? And now he was taking his little boy out on father-and-son adventures. He sighed, letting that feeling of happiness spread through his—

Was that Quinn?

Jensen's head snapped to the side at the sight of the man walking on the pavement back down towards Charing Cross Road. It had only been a split-second glance, but he was sure that had been Quinn.

Making a hurried U-turn, he drove back the way he came, on the look-out for anyone who bore even the slightest resemblance to Quinn. The closer he got to the main road, the thicker the throng of people became. Tourists, schoolchildren, and everyone in between clogged the pavements, until he had no choice but to accept defeat.

In the car park under the mansion block, Jensen decided to make a call.

"Hey Jenny," Roman answered flirtatiously.

He got straight to the point. "Hello mate, I need a favour. Are you in the country right now?"

"Can be if you have a job for me. What's up?"

Jensen brought him up to date on everything that had happened with him and Talia… and Quinn. "But I'm pretty sure I just saw Quinn hanging around Talia's flat." The terse words were cut off by a high-pitched yell from Felix.

"Wait, was that your baby?" Excitement hummed in Roman's voice.

He blinked, making sure his eardrums hadn't been perforated. "Yep, that's Felix."

"Put me on video call, you monster. Lemme see him."

Despite his mood, Jensen got out of the car with a grin. He slid onto the backseat, his thigh nudging against Felix's car seat. "Hey, wee man," he said to Felix, turning on the video.

A shirtless Roman waved at him, reclining in a poolside cabana. His Dalmatian Jasmine was curled into his side, looking like the happiest dog on earth. White fabric swayed in the wind behind him, and Jensen thought he could just about see the ocean in the corner of the screen.

Felix smiled, showing off his front teeth as he eagerly took the phone from Jensen.

"Hiiiii mini-Jen," Roman's greeting was a blaze of enthusiasm. "Aren't you just the spitting image of your daddy?"

For the next few minutes, Jensen waited as Roman fussed over his son with reams of baby-talk, watching Felix with a look of contentment across his face. Until—

"Is Uncle Roman going to kill the guy hanging around your house? Yes, he is. Yes, he is."

Jensen shot up as Felix giggled. "No," he blurted, looking round to check the windows were closed. "I never said kill him."

"You said you had a job for me," Roman protested. He came into view as Jensen turned the screen to face him, hiding behind the wall of tiny fingerprints Felix had left. "What is it that you think I do, exactly?"

Jensen knew he could get any old private investigator to follow Quinn, but he also knew any old private investigator would have to act within the boundaries of the law.

Whereas Roman had no such qualms.

"For now, I need you to follow him," he explained. "If we need to… reassess things later, then we will."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Fine. Send the company jet though. I want to bring Jasmine with me if I'm coming for any longer than a weekend." He scratched the top of her head, and she raised a dainty paw to expose her stomach. "Oh, you want a belly rub as well?"

"Where should the jet pick you up?" Jensen asked, brushing the hair out of Felix's eyes.

"Los Angeles. Message me over the details when you have them."

"Will do. I'll speak to you soon."

"I'll keep an eye out." Roman gave them a lazy wave. "Bye mini-Jen, love you!"

By the time he knocked on the door to Talia's flat, Jensen had decided not to mention the potential Quinn sighting. A split second glance of someone who may or may not have been Quinn wasn't good enough to worry her with—and Roman would have it handled.

Talia answered the door, a bright smile lighting up her face. Her curls were hidden in a cotton t-shirt tied around the top of her head—something Jensen now knew was called plopping.

Someone could have come up with a less disgusting name, but whatever. He'd found lots of hair-related practices had strange names. Last week, she'd mentioned something called a co-wash and his cock had nearly jumped out of his trousers and carried her to the shower before she explained it was part of her hair regimen.

"Hi Felix!" Talia exclaimed, taking Felix from Jensen's arms and cuddling him tight. "How did you get on with Dadda?"

Jensen kissed the top of Felix's head on the way to his bedroom. "He was my perfect little boy, of course." As he replenished the nappies in the changing bag, he could hear Talia and Felix happily playing his current favourite game, albeit a simple one: squish. Normal cuddles randomly interspersed with tight bear hugs.

Usually only played after waiting for Felix's food to go down. Jensen had learnt that the hard way.

Dinner was fast becoming one of his favourite times of day. Sometimes he would put Felix to bed whilst Talia cooked, but most of the time it would be the other way round. Not that he didn't enjoy the former, but he enjoyed the latter all the more.

After his decade-long stay at Her Majesty's pleasure, he'd been far more experimental with food than he was before he went to prison. The food behind bars wasn't terrible, but it wasn't brilliant either. Since his release, he enjoyed trying cuisines he never would have otherwise.

And apparently Talia enjoyed trying them with him. Tonight, they were trying pho. It had been simmering most of the afternoon, but hearing her hum with approval at its taste made all of his effort worth it.

Even as he did, Jensen knew he had to tell her about prison soon. He needed to tell her. She knew about Warren being in prison, how bad could she possibly take it?

But he was innocent, a voice inside him argued.

Jensen was the furthest thing from innocent. Christ, even this afternoon he'd called a fucking contract killer to have her old best friend followed. And he had access to the security cameras around her flat.

What would he even say? And what if she took it badly? He couldn't lose his relationship with his son, not after spending so much time building it to what it was today. Not to mention this was his and Talia's first evening alone together in weeks, thanks to her family.

He couldn't spoil it all. Not yet.

Sunset found them sitting on the couch, deep in the midst of planning Felix's first birthday party. They'd narrowed it down to two choices: having it at a local petting zoo or doing it at the soft play centre they always went to.

"I think the petting zoo would be better," Jensen said, flicking through their advertising booklet.

"Hmm." Talia shuffled over to glance at it with him, her hair now crisp, curly, and un-plopped. "I'm leaning towards the petting zoo too. We've been to that soft play so many times. I know he's not going to remember his first birthday, but I certainly will."

A smile lifted his face. "Me too. And I like your idea of a professional photographer. It'll ensure that we can all focus on enjoying ourselves rather than worrying about getting the perfect photo. Plus a professional photographer will be able to take far better photos than we ever could have done."

Talia sucked in an excited breath. "We could dress him up as a mini zookeeper too! Oh my god, how adorable would that be?"

He snorted out a laugh, nodding his agreement. "Done. And I think we should go with the pony experience." The zoo offered a variety of animals, from mice to skunks to pythons, but Jensen had his doubts about anything small and… squishable. "I don't think he's physically capable of hurting a pony, even if he tried."

"I agree. Shall I call them tomorrow to confirm?"

"I don't mind doing it whilst you drive Mia to her 3D scan. Assuming she doesn't have the baby overnight. Poor woman looks like she's going to burst."

Talia looked away, her focus drifting. "She probably feels like it too. I remember in the last few weeks of my pregnancy it felt like I was going to be pregnant forever. My entire body was aching. I did nothing but whine and cry to Dad and Darcy. Sometimes simultaneously. Looking back on it now it feels a bit like a fever dream. I couldn't breathe properly, I couldn't bend over, I couldn't go five minutes without needing to wee. I think I went a teeny bit insane, to be honest."

Guilt was boring a hole in his skull, but when he went to speak, she silenced him with a finger against his lips.

"Don't say you're sorry. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't mine either." She gave him a stern look. "Can we just… move past it? I want to be able to talk about my pregnancy without worrying about whether it's going to send you into a fit of apologies."

Exhaling, he nodded. "In that case…" Jensen smoothed a hand against her cheek. "I want you to know that I am so fucking proud of you. My perfect girl."

Slowly, her lips parted. She nudged into his hand, closing her eyes.

When she opened them again, they were burning with arousal.

Starved of her touch, Jensen broke first. Their lips collided, hungrily sliding against each other. They both knew it would be tonight. His apprehension had slowly built throughout the day, and he would have bet his life on Talia experiencing the same. His lungs burned as he gasped for air, but he wasn't sure what he needed more, oxygen or Talia.

Sending the various booklets flying, Jensen hauled her over his lap, the light material of her skirt floating around them both. He needed to remember her weight over his cock, her thighs around his hips, her arms over his neck. He groaned as she settled over him, curving his hips up against her. "Are you wet for me?"

Biting her lip, she leant backwards slightly. "Find out for yourself."

He'd never moved faster. Jensen didn't bother fiddling around with her underwear; instead, he ripped the thin, lacy fabric circling each of her thighs until he was able to tear it off completely.

"Those were my favourite pair!" she exclaimed, her jaw dropping in outrage.

He glanced at the label, intending to offer to replace them.

Instead, he could scent a whisper of the dainty, exquisite fragrance clinging to the fabric. Fuck. Groaning, Jensen pressed them against his nose, gritting his teeth with satisfaction. His eyes hooded with pleasure, his erection threatening to burst free at any moment. "You smell so fucking good."

A smile quirked the edge of her lips. "I know where you can find more."

He growled, bracing her body as he turned his hips to the side. When he let her go, she landed on the sofa with a light thump, her thighs still spread wide. Feral noises left him when he sighted the heaven between her thighs, her arousal glistening in the low evening light.

Jensen descended, slinging one of her legs over the back of the sofa and the other over his shoulder. He swirled his tongue over every inch of her essence, quickly becoming lost in the primal carnality of the task, all against the backdrop of Talia's whimpers and moans. He adored this. Every inch of him lit up like a raging inferno. This time, he savoured every moment, not knowing when he'd get the chance again.

Talia's hands buried themselves in his hair, steering him where she wanted—and he went more than willingly.

He could do this for hours, letting his tongue slide along the silky smooth grooves of her cunt, losing himself in her sweet, metallic taste.

During the day, he could kid himself; he was a respectable businessman, he was professional, he was trustworthy. But at night, he could admit the truth. When Talia spread her thighs for him, he was a wild animal, rabid for the taste of her orgasm.

Her hips tilted against him as she neared her climax, and so he locked an arm around her waist to keep her steady. He couldn't let her get away from him now; he needed her to finish more than she needed it herself. Talia moaned above him, echoing his own grunts and groans. He lapped and sucked and kissed, until she made those telltale pants he loved, signall—

The flat's buzzer sounded.

Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me.

"Wait," Talia murmured, lifting his head up slightly. She panted, laying an arm across her forehead. "I think that might be a mini bookcase for Felix, could you let them up? My legs are jelly."

Jensen nodded, kissing her clit and her mouth in quick succession as he got up. He flipped his erection into the waistband of his trousers. "If it's your dad, I'm telling him to fuck off."

She laughed, as though he wasn't a hundred per cent serious.

Thankfully, it was a delivery, and he buzzed them up. He only hoped Euan hadn't organised a trojan delivery wherein another of Talia's relatives would explode out of the package when Jensen least expected it.

Whilst Talia hid on the other side of the sofa, he accepted the parcel, frowning when he realised how heavy it was. A mini bookcase? Was it made from cast iron? He deposited it next to the front door, and Talia sat up as he approached her.

"Are you not bringing it over here?" she said, poking her nose over the back of the sofa.

Smirking, he grabbed her ankles, yanking her down the cushions until she fell flat on her back, giggling all the way. "Not when I was mid-way through servicing the woman I lov—"

He stopped, his eyes widening at his blunder, but not as much as hers. The sudden silence between them was the loudest he'd ever heard.

"Forget I said anything," Jensen said, his hands still curled around her ankles. He sat, attempting to give them a reassuring squeeze.

Instead, Talia shook her head, a slight smile curving her lips. "Did you mean it?"

His answer was immediate; he wasn't going to cower away from it. "Yes."

"Say it." A pink slash crested her cheekbones as her smile turned into a fully-fledged grin, her fingers touching his.

"I love you, Talia. I think I have from the moment I saw you up on that stage. Even when we were separated, and I never thought I'd see you again," he stroked the soft skin on her hand, enjoying the little shiver her shoulders gave, "some part of me knew that you were it for me."

She launched herself at him in a tangle of floaty skirts and vivid red curls. Her lips found his somewhere in the middle of it all, fusing them together in a kiss that he never wanted to end. Talia straddled him, rolling her hips against his. Blood surged to his cock so quickly he almost felt light-headed.

"I need you inside me," she gasped against his ear, her breathy voice lighting up every nerve in his body.

Jensen whipped his trousers open and fisted his cock. "Don't worry, baby girl. I'll give you what you need." He teased her entrance with the thick, blunt head, coating himself in her glistening arousal before pulling her down onto him in a long, slow glide that had them both moaning into their embrace.

Talia's eyes fluttered with pleasure, and she let out a broken, "Jay."

Almost on reflex, he thrust upwards once more. "I love it when you call me that," he admitted against her lips, his fingers digging into her thighs as he lifted her slightly. "When it's just the two of us and we don't have to hide it."

On the next thrust, Talia erupted with a cry, but it only spurred him on. He began to move faster, sheathing himself inside her so forcefully the sound echoed around them. The last few weeks had been torture, needing her and not having her, and he unleashed every moment of need festering inside him.

The harder he moved, the wetter Talia became, their bodies making slick, obscene sounds. Unexpectedly, she moved back against him, until she was meeting his every thrust.

"That's it," he encouraged her, his voice a growl of need. Of course it would take her a little while to get the hang of it; she'd been a virgin when they met. And now she's all mine. "Ride me. Ride this cock like I know you need to."

A vicious little snarl ripped across her face, her eyes lowering with arousal. She yanked on the back of his hair to gain the leverage she needed before she pounded her hips against his.

Seizing his chance, Jensen slipped a hand between them, letting his thumb graze over her clit in time with her movements. Her tight, wet cunt constricted around him, and it took all of his willpower to keep his orgasm down. "You look so fucking sexy riding my cock like this, taking me deep into your tight pussy."

Talia hissed out a moan, either from pleasure or from the crassness of his words. "Jay," she whimpered, her eyes closing as he worked his thumb in delicate circles around her clit.

"Bounce on my cock, Talia. It's all yours, isn't it?"

"Yes!"

"And this?" Jensen gave her a hard thrust, sliding home to prove his point. "This is all mine. Only mine. Do you understand?"

"Mmhmm."

"I'm going to fuck you so good you'll never bother to think about another man," he promised, plunging deep inside her. A groan shuddered out of him as her walls clasped him in rhythmic movements.

She was close—and so was he.

"Let go," he whispered against her lips. Their bodies never stilled, hungrily taking what they needed. Jensen shot her a dominating glare, his chest pounding with exertion. "Give me your orgasm. I know it's there, isn't it, baby?"

Her arms still wrapped around his neck, she whimpered.

"I'll catch you, I won't let you fall." One handed, Jensen held her tighter, taking over her movements. No doubt her hips must be burning by now. It was her first time on top; he knew her muscles wouldn't be used to such a workout. "See?" he breathed into her ear, continuing to pound into her, his thumb still rolling over her clit. "I have you, so just let go."

That was all the permission she needed.

Talia buried a quivering scream in his neck, her orgasm coming in wave after wave, her cunt clasping him tighter than a fist. Her legs shook, but he wasn't sure if it was from exertion or pleasure. The latter, he hoped.

"You're astonishing," he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. His balls tightened, ready to explode. "And you look so pretty when you come on my cock, baby girl."

Her eyelids still fluttering, Talia lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "I love you too," she said hoarsely. "Now come inside me. I need to feel you again. Please."

As if he could deny her when she'd asked so sweetly.

Jensen released his hold over his climax, unleashing it inside her. "Fuck," he snarled against her lips, concealing his hoarse groan in their kiss. His seed ripped from him in a hot rush of ecstasy, erupting inside her in waves that lasted an eternity.

When it eventually faded, Jensen found himself lazily sprawled across the sofa, with Talia still straddling his hips. His head had fallen onto the back of the seat, with hers nestled against it. She panted in his ear, needing as much time to recover as he did.

Even in the midst of exhaustion, his hands roamed over her body, massaging up and down her spine, trailing over her hips, or even locking around her ankles.

He'd spent eighteen months desperately needing this woman. He'd never stop touching her to make sure it was all real, that it wasn't all a fantasy he'd cooked up in a dream.

It was Jensen that broke the silence. Eventually.

"Did you mean it?" he asked softly, echoing her question from earlier. He didn't bother saying more; she knew what he meant.

Talia sat up. Her eyes were half closed once more, but this time it was from sleep rather than pleasure. A hint of a smile twitched her lips. "Yes. Did you?"

"Yes," he repeated, his chest inflating with pride. "More than anything."

She exhaled, long and slow, before cupping his cheek. "I want you to know… I messaged Tarik while you were out with Felix."

"I didn't know you had his number." Jensen frowned, tracing circles around her thighs. "Is there something wrong with the security system?"

"He left a business card, and no. I just wanted to update it a little, although I did have a few… questions about a recent update." Talia stroked his face, giving him a strangely smug smile. "I asked him to add your phone to the keyless entry system. A virtual key to my flat, essentially."

His heart gave a sharp squeeze. "You're giving me a key?"

"I already have. Tarik added your number to the system today."

Guilt weaved through his ribcage. Was that really how keyless entry users were added to smart entry systems or had Tarik just said that to cover for the fact that Jensen already had a virtual key to Talia's flat?

"Thank you," he managed, swallowing down his feelings of unease. She trusted him enough to give him a key, without knowing that he'd had one the entire time.

Not that he'd ever used it—with the exception of letting the two of them into the flat after the nightclub incident.

Talia gave an embarrassed little shrug. "I just thought it made sense to make things official. You're here all the time anyway. And I'd trust you with our lives."

Her smile might as well have been a blade to the chest. Jensen just wondered if she'd change her mind if she discovered he'd betrayed her trust from the start.