MAURA

I hadn’t been wrong; Theo was the right man to break my dry spell with. The man knew what he was doing and, oh boy, for a man his age, he had stamina. I woke the next morning to the sun shining and the birds singing and couldn’t stop the smile that spread over my face. My body was sore in all the right places. I’d used muscles that I hadn’t used in years, and I was feeling it but even that little discomfort couldn’t take away that I was feeling on top of this world.

Turning my head to look at the pillow next to mine, I saw the bed was empty and that Theo was already up. Not surprising because when I checked the clock, it was after eight in the morning, and he would have already left for work by now. Picking up my phone, I smiled at the message that waited for me.

Theo – Morning beautiful. I didn’t want to wake you. Hope you are okay this morning. Will see you at lunch. Love T

I’d long since changed his name from Bad & Ugly in my phone to Theo. It amused me that for a man who didn’t usually say much, his messages were always long. The love T was a new thing, though, and it warmed me down to my toes.

Me – Morning, I think you’ve ruined me :) Looking forward to lunch. Love M xxx

Theo – I hope I’ve only ruined you in the best ways, darling.

Me – Only the best ways xxx

Getting out of bed, I chose some clothes, showered, and got dressed before going downstairs. Maggie, Bev, and Kate were in the kitchen having a cup of tea and eating toast.

“Morning,” I called out with a smile as I walked in.

Maggie snorted a laugh before slapping a hand over her mouth.

“Well, well, someone’s in a good mood,” Bev grinned at me from behind her cup, eyes twinkling with amusement. Maggie had given up holding in her laughter and Kate had joined her. Knowing I wasn’t going to get out of it, I sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and filled a mug with tea from the pot on the table.

“I guess Thor hasn’t lost his touch then,” Kate smirked at me.

I’d never had this in my life. Women that I could laugh and be silly with. I hadn’t realised what I was missing until right this moment. Returning Kate’s grin, I replied, “Why no he hasn’t, the man has ruined me. How did I not know what I was missing all my life?” I looked around me to make sure that there were no little ears around before telling them. “My whole life, I thought multiple orgasms were a myth. Let me tell you, I’ve never been so relaxed in my life. The man may be fifty-five, but holy moly, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s got stamina. Wish I’d met him thirty years ago.”

The women broke out into gales of laughter, “Go Thor,” Maggie laughed, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Multiple orgasms huh,” Bev grinned at me. “I’m happy for you, Maura, you deserve a good man, especially as your man seems to know where all the good spots are.”

Blushing and giggling like a silly teenage girl, I took a sip of my tea. That didn’t stop them from gently teasing me for the rest of the morning, especially when I groaned about how stiff I was. We’d probably still be sitting there chatting if I hadn’t mentioned that I was meeting Theo for lunch and did any of them want to join us. It didn’t take long, and the rest had their men sorted. We locked up the house, piled into a car, and were on our way to the village to meet the men at the café.

How my life had changed. And it only got better. One of my proudest moments was when Theo put my Property of Thor cut on me. I’d been thrilled, neither of us wanted to get married, this commitment was more than enough for us. Plus, I knew wearing his name on me meant more to him than if we’d said vows. It had been quite a celebration. Theo had arranged for Cash and his family to watch via video call. Cash had smiled the whole way through before he’d congratulated us. It seemed both my son and I had a taste for the wild side of life.

I’d been there for Theo when Noni left. My heart ached for both her and Bull, but I knew deep down she’d made the right choice for her. She’d have not healed had she stayed here, all the happy couples only adding to her pain.

I knew she wasn’t Theo’s biological daughter, there wasn’t anything he kept from me. He didn’t know if she knew as he’d never said anything. I had a feeling that she did know but it didn’t bother her. As far as she was concerned, Theo was her father and she was his baby girl, no matter what her age was. I loved that about this family, it didn’t matter what blood ran in your veins, if you were family, you were family. It made me a grandma several times over and I loved it. I adored all my grandchildren, blood or not.

Theo and I travelled a lot between the UK and the US at first, then when Noni settled in Zambia, we added that to our travel plans.

After our first holiday together, when Theo insisted on paying for everything, not wanting to offend or upset him I’d slyly tried to find out if he could afford it. But not much got past the man.

“Darling, just ask me what you want to know,” he smirked at me.

“Fine,” I shouted out frustrated, hands-on hips glaring at him, “I don’t want you paying for everything because I don’t know if you can afford it, but I also don’t want to offend you by asking. There, happy now?” I demanded throwing my hands up in the air.

Theo laughed, catching me around the waist and pulling me up for a kiss, leaving me breathless and wondering what we’d been discussing.

“I promise, Maura, I’m doing just fine. Here, have a look,” he said, going to his dresser and pulling out a file. Handing it to me, my eyes widened when I opened it.

“How?” I asked.

Theo grinned at me, “Bella and Beau are great at what they do. Bella’s been investing for me for years now. I was one of the first to trust her with my money and I haven’t looked back since. That’s how. She’s one of our best-kept secrets.”

“So, love, to answer your question, I’m good to keep us flying everywhere. It’s not like we’re spending any money on hotels and such. Your money is yours, now I’m not saying that should you want to spend some of it on lingerie that I won’t be grateful,” he waggled his eyebrows at me, making me laugh, my head hitting his chest.

This man, god I loved him.

Tilting my head back, my chin balanced on his chest, I smiled at him, “I love you, Theo. Thank you for always making me laugh and for putting me first.”

Theo’s entire being softened at my words. He ran his hand gently down my cheek, eyes soft, “Love you too, darling. Sorry it took so long to find you.”

“I think it took just the right amount of time. I wasn’t ready for you before.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, bending to kiss me. Hands to my thighs, he lifted me, mouth still fused to mine, and carried me to our bed.