To believers of a higher love, this chapter is yours. Enjoy the Kygo & Whitney Houston cover of Higher Love by tapping the media box above. I was glad to hear this song was released.
***
Late Saturday afternoon.
An hour and a half later, after taking all of Sven's belongings and placing it in my walk-in wardrobe, we were on the way to my mother's house for the spare bed.
"Are you sure you can fit it in the car?" Sven asked.
"It's a fold-up bed, so it should be fine." I replied.
"Have you checked? Have you fitted it in the car before?"
"Nope. I had a removal van take all my stuff when I moved away from Ben."
"Who's Ben?"
"Ex-boyfriend."
"Oh."
I glanced at Sven, who wore Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses, which made him look hotter than an Armani model. I also noticed his tight expression, and the way the corner of his lips twitched, when I mentioned an ex-boyfriend.
Interesting.
"We're here now," I announced, as we pulled into Mum's driveway.
She lived in a quiet neighborhood, and her well-manicured front garden could have been in a feature on Australia's Homes and Gardens magazine. I, on the other hand, did not have a green thumb. Hence, one reason why I preferred inner-city apartments.
"Are you nervous about meeting my mum?" I asked.
"A little," Sven answered, removing his sunglasses and placing them in the glove box.
"She'll be right, mate"
"Huh?"
"It's an expression that means everything will be fine."
***
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Not only did my overly chummy mum bear-hug the life out of Sven—a complete stranger to her—after letting us in, but the whole gang was there: Jack, Mary, Verity, and Pinhead. They were sitting on Mum's sofa and chairs, while drinking tea or coffee and eating her home-baked chocolate cake.
"So this is the Sven that Eva's been raving about," Jack beamed, standing up and walking over to shake Sven's hand.
Yep, they were the same height, I thought.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Eva's brother, Jack. This is my girlfriend, Mary, sitting on the right, and over there to the left is our sister, Verity, and her boyfriend, Rodney." Jack pointed at each member of this little motley crew.
"Call me Razzer," Pinhead added, with his high nasal pitch.
"That's Pinhead," I whispered to Sven, who nodded, hiding a smile. I already confessed to Sven my inner desire to remove the Pinhead from my sister's life and throw him into one of Dante's nine circles of hell.
"This is my mother, Nerissa," I said, pointing at the tiny brunette woman holding a piece of cake for Sven. My sister, brother, and I owed a lot to this single mother, who raised us alone after our father left us for a younger woman years ago.
"You'll need some sugar to give you energy," Mum said, while Jack snickered as he returned to his seat next to Mary.
"I'm sure Sven's getting plenty of sugar," Jack remarked, with a wicked twinkle in his eye.
"Would you like some tea or coffee, love?" Mum asked Sven, eyeing his hard biceps.
"Coffee, just plain, without sugar and milk," he answered.
I walked over to the open plan kitchen and fixed both myself and Sven two cups of coffee, after gesturing Mum to sit down so she could continue her conversation with the gang.
"Here you go," I handed Sven a cup of coffee, while I took a sip of mine.
Mary moved from her seat and scooted next to me.
"Wow, he's handsome!" She nudged my elbow and gave me a wink, which caught Sven's eyes.
"I hope you're back together with him," she whispered.
"We're working things out," I replied.
"Good! Because I miss the happy Eva. You don't bite so hard."
I played with the end of my ponytail and sighed, while stealing glances at Sven devouring his cake.
After about an hour of exchanging pleasantries and small talk with my family, Jack, Sven, and I went into Mum's garage to find the spare bed. Jack offered to help us fit it into the car.
The men brought the bed out to the driveway and started placing it into the car, when I realized one thing.
Sven was right.
I should have checked first if the bed could fit in the car.
"Dammit, Janet!" I muttered, feeling as awkward as Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
After ten excruciatingly painful minutes of trying to fit the bed into the Mercedes hatchback, we all gave up.
"You should have done your homework, Eva! Sven, did I tell you that my sister is a clown?" Jack joked.
"Ha ha ha. If I'm a clown, then you're the whole circus!" I scowled, as Sven chuckled.
"Hey, Sven, if you ever want any embarrassing stories about Eva, you can just call me, mate!" Jack poked me in the rib, and I smacked his hand to stop it.
"I'd love to hear all your stories about Eva." Sven grinned, before exchanging some kind of secret handshake with my brother.
"I guess there's no bed then," I sighed.
"I guess you're getting lucky tonight, Sven!" Jack jeered, as I frowned.
After exchanging phone numbers with Jack, Sven hopped into the passenger's seat of the car, grinning like an idiot.
I wondered who the real clown was.
***
Arriving back at our apartment, I collapsed into my bed. I was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.
"I won't sleep on a sofa, Eva. It's not good for my back." Sven lay on his side next to me, while stroking my back.
"You can't back out of our deal for me to live here. You're a woman who keeps your word," he added.
"I'm tired," I groaned.
"Do you need a massage?"
I sat up and stared at Sven.
"Tell me, baby."
"Tell you what?"
"Tell me what you're feeling behind that wall."
"How do I feel? I feel like I want to cut you up to pieces for the shit you put me through in the past few weeks. At the same time, I want to rip your clothes off and make love to you."
"I like the second option. Let's throw caution to the wind and just do it," Sven answered.
I glanced at him and slowly took off my top. I tugged his shirt, inviting him to do the same. He followed suit, then I traced my fingers on his bare chest. His breathing hitched, as I toyed with his body, moving my fingers downward.
I undid his jeans belt, and opened his fly, revealing a bulge beneath his boxer shorts. He pulled his jeans down, and threw it on the floor.
He unclasped my bra, removed it, and started massaging my back, rubbing his fingers and thumbs deep into the grooves and knots along my shoulder muscles.
"Got any massage oil?" He asked, as I shimmied out of my skirt.
"Yes," I replied, as I went into my walk-in wardrobe to open a drawer that had remained shut for a very long time.
Sven stared at me, as if he was in a trance, not wanting to be disturbed from the view that captivated him. His eyes were glazed with fiery fervor, revealing his desire to make love.
He got up from the bed and walked behind me. I felt his hands roam around my body and he breathed into my neck.
"I want you so bad, baby. Right now, I want to fuck you," he growled, pressing his bulge into my backside, to remind me of his primal urge.
I opened the drawer, which was a Pandora's box of my hidden desires: a dildo; a whip; a pair of handcuffs and keys; a tiny schoolgirl's outfit; a shiny, black, latex catsuit; fishnet stockings; and an assortment of massage oils.
Oh, and at the back of the drawer rested my stash of porn DVDs. What? Didn't you think I watched porn?
On the floor, near the drawer, were a pair of killer heels that could stab and kill a man.
I turned to face Sven, whose eyes were as dark as midnight and as round as saucers.
He was aroused.
"Take your pick." I was a provocative siren in the mood to seduce and torture Sven, the Norse god of sex, and lure him into my trap.
Sunday morning.
It didn't take long for us to fall asleep after some roller coaster sex to end a crazy two weeks that had more drama and thrills than an amusement park.
When I woke up at nine a.m., Sven was still snoring, in deep slumber.
His strong wrists revealed red marks from the handcuffs and his hard butt sported welts from my whip. My core was still wet, throbbing with satisfaction, after receiving the best oral sex a woman could ask for, and some rough pleasure from my tall, handsome Viking.
Was this guy out of the doghouse?
Yes, after last night. The ever-repentant Sven received his penance. He was forgiven.
In addition, I decided that he could share my bed and keep it warm until his last day in Brisbane.
Did I like taking risks? Hell, yeah!
Was I reckless? Possibly.
I knew about the risks of falling in love when I signed up to take on this homeless puppy who ate dog biscuits. I let him in my life, and he was here now.
Was I a fool?
Yes. I was a love fool—the kind who was unapologetic and unafraid.
A/N: Have you ever done something out of character, or unlike your usual self, while being in love? Have you taken a leap, or chance, to do something you normally wouldn't do?