Author's note

As always, thank you so much to everyone who has read/followed/reviewed/favourited the story so far! I really love to hear from you - please do keep telling me what you think!

Apologies it has been a little while since my last update. I've got most of the rest of this story plotted out now, so chapters should flow more frequently from now on.

Letting you know I have officially changed the rating of this entire story overall to M - that seems to be the way this story is going now (including this chapter). Hope that is OK with everyone! Here, our lovely couple are out flathunting for a place of their own...

Chapter 11 - The next level

Tom felt Sybil's hand sliding into his, and looked at her – he could see her eyes sparkling and a smile spreading across her beautiful face. "This is it!" she mouthed to him, before turning her attention back to what the real estate agent was saying.

They'd been looking at places for only a couple of weeks but they both felt they'd found "their" place with this one – a two bedroom flat on the top floor, just near Highbury Corner, with high ceilings and a feeling of light and space that made them both feel instantly at home.

She was pulling a pen out of her handbag – the rental market in London being what it was, she knew they'd need to act fast to get a place like this. "Can we fill in our application right now – we are definitely interested. Would it help if we gave you a cheque for the deposit?" The estate agent didn't take long to succumb to her charm, promising with a wink to call her no later than the following evening with the result of their application.

Sybil wrapped her arms around Tom as soon as they got down to the street and kissed him soundly – "Oh darling, I have such a good feeling about this place!"

He tried to remain the calm and rational one, but looking at her face he knew he was as thrilled as she was to have found this flat – and he was so glad his mother's attitude hadn't frightened her away! He had had it out with Kate the day after the fateful lunch at Browns, and since then (to give her due credit) his mother had been trying to be more accepting of Sybil, on the basis that she was the woman her beloved son wanted to share his life with, although she still hadn't spoken to Sybil about it.

He tightened his arms around her and the playful kiss quickly became passionate. His tongue teased at her lips and as it pushed its way in, she sighed his name into his mouth – "Oh, Tom!"

A couple of cars travelling down Upper Street honked at them as they embraced, and her face was flushed as they eventually broke apart. She looked at him under her eyelashes – "Mmmm... what shall we do now? I'm feeling a bit tired, actually, after all our flathunting – shall we go back to mine for a rest?"

She mimed an elaborate pantomime of yawning and stretching, being sure to send a cheeky wink his way as she arched her back, and he quickly flagged down a cab – "Oh yes, I think I need to spend some time in bed, too..."

The journey to Sybil's little flat didn't take long. The taxi driver looked in the rear view mirror and coughed once, then again – "Oi, you getting out or what?"

They pulled apart and Tom fumbled for his wallet as Sybil got out. She opened the front door and looked back over her shoulder at him, tossing her hair – "Don't be long!" – as she headed upstairs. He gave the driver a big tip, mainly because he couldn't wait for his change, and charged up the stairs behind her.

He grabbed her from behind as they fell into the flat, and turned her around to push her up against the door – "Sybil, Christ, I want you so much..."

She pulled him in to continue their kiss from the cab while he fumbled with the buttons of her shirt, pushing it off her shoulders. The rest of their clothes quickly followed as Tom lifted Sybil up, grabbing her firm arse as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His cock was aching for her as he slid inside her – she was already wet for him as they started to move together, moves well practised by now but always exciting and new.

Sybil urged him on, biting his earlobe – "Tom, please, fuck me, I want you to fuck me so hard..." – and he increased his pace, thrusting into her harder each time as her arms tightened around him, her nails digging into his back. Her eyes were screwed shut and she was biting her lip as she approached her peak, and Tom could anticipate the exact second she would come from the expression on her face and the way her whole body started to convulse around him – "Oh God...Tom!" Her head collapsed on his shoulder, and as his own orgasm made his knees weak, he just managed to hold them up...

The following evening, Sybil used her key to let herself in at Tom's place after her shift at the hospital - they were making dinner for Tom's flatmate William and his fiancée Daisy. On the face of it, the two men were totally different – Tom an extroverted, expansive journalist, William a sober, sensible accountant, working for one of the big audit firms. However, the two had met in their first few weeks of college and their friendship was unshakeable. Sybil really liked him too – while Tom's football mates were a lot of fun for a night out on the beers, William could be counted on for a real conversation. Daisy was good value too – an up and coming young chef at a London restaurant, she had as hectic a schedule as Sybil herself did, but was always game for fun outside work, and it was sweet to see how much she and William loved each other.

Sybil headed for the kitchen, and stopped short when she saw Tom. He was standing at the stove, stirring something – so far, so normal, as he was a really good cook and he enjoyed making meals for them both, more than she did (she was more of a scrambled eggs or beans on toast for dinner girl, particularly when she got home from a gruelling day at work). However, what she did not expect was to see him totally naked, apart from an apron! She took her time coming up quietly behind him, looking at his arse (something she never tired of doing), before picking up a tea towel and swatting him.

"Hey!" he protested. He turned around to her with a grin on his face that instantly melted her heart, reminding her (as if she needed it) that she didn't just desire this man enough to drive her crazy, she loved him so much her heart was swollen with it. He stepped towards her, quickly bridging the gap between them. He slipped his arms around her waist, taking a minute to savour the wonderful feeling of holding her and knowing how much he adored her, before pulling her face to his for a kiss.

Given Tom's state of undress, their kiss quickly became heated. Before too many minutes had gone by, Sybil was face down on the island in the middle of the kitchen, on tiptoes with her dress hitched up around her waist as Tom pulled the apron off and pushed her knickers aside.

I have to admit, going on the pill has made our sex life more spontaneous! she thought, moaning as he started to tease her clit expertly, knowing just how to touch her. Her eyes rolled back in her head as he moved over her, leaning into her ear and whispering – "You like that, do you? Do you want some more?"

She was beyond speech at this point, so she nodded her head as intense sensations built in her core and spread outwards through her whole body. Just when her orgasm crashed through her like an express train, her whole body screaming in ecstasy, she felt him thrust into her, loving the feeling of him being so deeply inside her. He drove into her, again and again, and it didn't take long until he felt himself coming so intensely he thought he might black out. As he collapsed onto her, he heard something...

"Hey mate – what's the main course?" William was standing in the door of the kitchen, one hand holding Daisy's while the other grasped a plastic bag holding a bottle of red wine. He had a smile on his face as he looked at Tom and Sybil – this wasn't the first time he'd caught them having sex.

"Oh bollocks – William, what the feck are you doing here? You weren't meant to be back till half eight!"

"Daisy's shift finished early today, so we came back to help with the cooking." Tom exchanged grins with his friend before leaving the kitchen to go and find some clothes.

Sybil's face was bright red as she jumped off the island and scrambled to make herself decent – Daisy is here too! – as she tried to calm herself. "Anyone for a drink?"

"Probably just as well you two are getting your own place, Sybil – you can shag anywhere and anytime you want, with no-one to interrupt." William winked as he reached for a corkscrew.

In the meantime, Daisy (who had been silent all this time) said – "Um, do you need any help with the cooking?"

The meal Tom had made didn't take long to complete. They had a great evening, sitting round the table and talking, enjoying beef fillets with tomato and aubergine salsa, green salad and crusty bread. Sybil was a bit on edge, waiting for the call from the estate agent to come through, and when at last her phone rang, she mouthed – "Sorry!" – and left the table to take the call. She was deadpan as she listened and replied, and then walked slowly back to the table as she hung up her phone.

She came around to Tom's side – "Tom, I heard about the flat... we got it! We can drop round a cheque tomorrow for the deposit and to sign the lease!"

The radiant excitement in her face was clear and Tom felt his love for her overwhelm him again – he still couldn't believe that this amazing, beautiful woman loved him enough to want to live with him, and he pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping one arm around her to bring her in close.

"A stór, that is brilliant! I can't wait for us to live together..." He put one finger under her chin, tipping her face up to his.

He had such naked love and longing written all over his face that Sybil felt a tear fall down her cheek. "I know, sweetheart, I can't wait either, I am so happy thinking about it..."

As Tom and Sybil stared into each others' eyes for a long moment, William found himself feeling uncomfortable, as if he were witnessing something that was too personal to be seen by other eyes. And this despite the fact that he had seen them having sex in the kitchen only an hour or so before! He couldn't say why, but somehow this very visible demonstration of how deeply the two were in love felt even more intimate to him than walking in on them having sex, as wild and passionate as that had been.

He turned to Daisy – "Love, shall we leave them to it? Let's pop to the pub for last orders, and then I'll take you home."

Daisy nodded – she was quiet and thoughtful as well and, as so often, he could see she was feeling just the same way he did, and he took her hand and squeezed it as they walked out.

Sybil and Tom were kissing by then, Sybil astride Tom's lap, his hand tangling in her hair, so lost in each other they didn't even notice the door close...

A/N -

"a stór" - "my darling" in Irish Gaelic, per Google Translate. As always, I would love to hear what you think!