Текст книги "This Man"

Автор книги: Jodi Ellen Malpas

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 32 страниц)

She turns, winks at me and leads Tom back to the dance floor as Jesse hands me my wine, opening a bottle of water for himself. He slips his free arm around my waist to pull me close. I look up at him questioningly. What was that? Are they working in cahoots?

‘Hey, my man,’ Sam comes barrelling over with Drew, both taking the beers that Jesse hands them. ‘Ava, where’s the love?’ He leans down so I can peck his cheek, flashing me his cute dimple as he does. He’s cheeky, sweet and terribly good looking, but given Victoria’s revelation, I need to be wary on Kate’s behalf.  Drew holds his bottle up as his hello, ever the shrewd, standoffish one.

I smile and lean up to Jesse’s ear. ‘I’m going to join the others.’ He’s with his mates and this is supposed to be a girly night out – Tom doesn’t count. He turns his face into my neck and steals a cheeky nuzzle, taking full advantage of my position.

‘I’ll be watching.’ he warns in my ear, nipping my lobe and slapping my backside. The soreness has abated, but there’s still evidence of my tumble around in the back of Margo. I pull away and pout playfully, earning me a huge smile and a wink. Is he watching for possible Cockneys, or is he watching me?

Leaving him at the bar, I find the others on the dance floor, all happily lapping up the music and drinks. I laugh at Tom, who’s in a world of his own, and as Justin Timberlake’s Lovestoned comes through the speakers, I’m welcomed to the dance floor with gasps and whoops. In my semi-drunken state, I stupidly down my wine and discard my glass on the designated drinks ledge. If there was ever a track to pull me out of my despair, even if it’s just for a few moments, it would be this one. The timing is impeccable. All bags are thrown, unceremoniously, into the middle, Justin shouts “Hey” and the crowd is thrown into a delirious frenzy.

I’m happily enjoying some moves and laughs with Kate, when I’m grabbed by the waist and spun around. I find Sam grinning at me and nodding over my shoulder.

‘Here he comes. I hope you’re ready for this.’ he says.

‘What?’ I shout over the music.

Sam’s grin widens, displaying his dimple at its deepest. ‘He thinks he owns JT.’

I have no idea what he’s talking about. He clasps my shoulders, rotating me on the floor, and I spot Jesse striding towards me. I’m suddenly worried that he’s going to cause a scene and drag me from the floor. For what, I don’t know, but he’s famous for flinging me over his shoulder as he pleases.

I watch him nearing, slowing my movements down as I concentrate on his approach. I’m not sure what to make of this. His expression is dark and hungry, and I’m completely engrossed by his tall, lean body getting closer. That bloody gait does serious things to me. By the time he’s stood before me, as close as he can get but without touching me, I’ve stopped moving completely. My breathing is heavy. He snakes his arm around my waist and hauls me up to his body, prompting my hands to fly up and grasp his flexing biceps as he rests his forehead against mine.

‘You’re going to get a lot of men dropped if you keep dancing like that. You like a bit of JT?’

‘Yes.’ I breathe.

He smiles that delicious, melt worthy smile, reserved only for women. ‘Me too,’ He drops a kiss on my lips, then, to my utter shock, he grasps my hand and flings me out on a spin before yanking me back into his arms. He’s not going to dance, surely? ‘And it’s the extended version.’

Is it? What does that mean? I look at Sam, who rolls his eyes on a shrug, then back to Jesse, who has the biggest self-assured smirk on his face. He is going to dance. Well, this should be interesting.

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’ve drank my own body weight in wine, or if it’s Jesse’s cock sure demeanour – it’s probably the former – but whichever, it’s got me performing an indecent shimmy down Jesse’s body, while my palms drag, damn right obscenely, from his chest, all the way down to his thighs. There I am, squatting in front of him with my palms partly spanning the front of his magnificent thighs, looking up at the most handsome man I’ve ever laid my eyes on. My dress is probably riding up my bum cheeks in the crudest fashion, but I’m oblivious. All of my attention is on the God like creature staring down at me, with a filthy, promising look on his face. I smile boldly, making a point of smoothing my palms closer to his groin area, before slowly pushing myself up his body, ensuring maximum contact between us. As my face passes his groin, I run my nose up the fly of his jeans, feeling him shudder and jerk before he reaches down, grabs my arms and hauls me up the rest of the way. My heart is hammering as he breathes in my ear – long, hot, heavy breaths.

‘I should bend you over here and fuck you until you scream. That dress is absurd.’

I don’t have time to say, yes, please! I’m spun out, and I watch as Jesse makes a mockery of Mister JT himself. I’m completely astonished at what’s unfolding before me. Jesse Ward can dance – and dance well.

How old is he?

He moves around me, his rhythm flawless, drawing the attention of many delighted women. I snatch quick glances at the others, all sharing in Jesse’s delight, and I laugh. I laugh at the sexy, confident, fluid movements that have come as such a pleasant surprise. This man doesn’t only have moves in the bedroom. Does he do anything badly? Leaning into me, he gives me a teasing circle of his hips before he sends me on a full three sixty spin under his arm, pulling me back into his chest and thrusting his hips into my lower stomach. His erection is still evident. I cheekily reach down to stroke his jean clad crotch, raising my eyebrows when he shakes his head in warning. Clearly, his boldness is rubbing off on me.

He proceeds to lower himself down my body, grinning as he clasps my hips and I jerk. I look at him watching me as he drifts down, landing on his knees in front of me, and moving his glorious hips in time to the beat.

I’m being flung around the dance floor, worshipped and adored. All of his attention is on me and me alone, and nothing or no one else exists, just me and him. I like it. I love that he has no misgivings; he doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He’s confident, masculine and unashamed. It’s refreshing, and I’m not ignorant to the fact that I’m falling. I’m falling really hard for this man. And I don’t think there’s much I can do about it, especially when he won’t let me walk away. Do I even want to?

I glance at the others, to see Sam flinging Kate around the floor – I’ll deal with that conniving cow later – and Drew is homing in on Victoria. Drew, in all his smart finery, seems a bit too up his own backside for sassy – sometimes a bit dense – Victoria, but drink has clearly loosened him up because he’s laughing and the suit jacket’s been removed. Tom is just being Tom, throwing himself around like a deranged maniac.

I turn my attention back to Jesse when he grasps my hips. He plants a long languid kiss on my stomach, gazing straight into my eyes before springing to his feet in front of me and dropping his lips to mine. I wrap my arms around his neck, sighing into his mouth.

‘It seems I have competition,’ he mumbles against my lips.

‘No, you win.’

He pulls back, hitting me with his roguish grin. ‘I’ve won all right, lady.’ He releases me and I toss my hair over my shoulder, letting him take me on the floor. We move in complete harmony together. It’s perfect. He’s perfect. I can’t even remember why I’m mad – am I mad?

But then the energetic beat slows down, drifting into the smooth, powerful drones of violins and a slow intense beat. I’m short of breath and swathed in Jesse’s body. He thrusts his thigh between my legs and sways us both to the echoes of the extended piece.

I look up at his beautiful face as he sings to me, and I have a frightening moment of pure lucidity. I’ve already fallen.

Holy shit, I think I love this man.

He has a flashing, neon sign the size of London on his forehead, saying, RUN. But I can’t. He won’t let me, for a start. Besides, I don’t think I want to. He disappeared for four days but he’s back, and I’m really glad. Good Lord, with a stomach full of wine, this is not the time to be contemplating such complex and risky issues. I feel like I’m navigating very dangerous waters here. I know nothing about this man. Well, apart from his extreme wealth, extreme intensiveness and the fact that he owns a massively plush hotel, but other than that…nothing. I don’t even know how old he is. But despite my lack of knowledge, he’s completely taken me.

I lean up and place my lips on his, and within a few seconds, when he’s moaned into my mouth and tightened his grip on me, we’re entwined in a deep, passionate embrace.

Oh dear, he’s trampled into my life and stole my heart, and there is nothing I can do about it.

The music starts to fade out, drifting into another track, and I start leaning back in his arms. He bends with me, supporting my back and refusing to break the contact of our lips. Moaning disapprovingly, he reluctantly releases me but keeps me suspended in his arms. It’s not uncomfortable; he’s holding all of my weight, like I’m no more than a feather.

His sludgy green eyes twinkle as they penetrate my heart and soul, and he lowers his face to mine so our lips brush lightly.

‘You’ve got me, baby.’

Well…that statement is just playing havoc with my drunken mind.

Chapter 19

 

I make my way from the dance floor with Jesse’s palm placed in the small of my back, guiding me as he moves people out of the way with his spare arm. He leads me over to a tall table, but all the stools have been claimed elsewhere.

‘Wait here,’ He positions me by the table and wraps his palm around my neck, pulling me in and planting a kiss my forehead. ‘Don’t move,’

I dump my clutch on the table, watching him as he disappears into the crowd. I don’t have much time with my thoughts – it’s probably a good thing because I have no idea what to make of them – Kate and the others come crashing through the crowd, laughing and sweating, with Sam and Drew in tow.

Sam eyes me on my own. ‘Where’s Jesse?’

I frown. ‘I don’t know.’ I point in the direction that Jesse left in, just as he reappears back through the mass of people carrying a bar stool over his head.

He places it down on the ground. ‘Sit.’ he commands, lifting me onto the stool. It’s a relief, my feet are killing me. ‘Drinks?’ he asks. Everyone nods, throwing their orders his way, leaving him looking slightly harassed as he leans in to listen to what everyone wants.

Sam steps up to the plate. ‘I’ll give you a hand.’

‘Yeah, I’m coming.’ Drew follows Jesse and Sam to the bar, leaving the three remaining pairs of eyes on me.

‘What?’ I ask. I know what. My head is suddenly swimming in wine.

Kate arches a well plucked eyebrow at me, folding her arms over her chest. She can get lost. It’s her fault he’s here. ‘Looking a bit cosy.’ she fires.

Tom strokes the oversized lapels of his coral shirt. ‘Cosy? No, no, no. That wasn't cosy. That was guaranteed hot sex tonight, darling!’ He raises both hands, and Kate and Victoria comply, slapping a hand each in unison.

I scowl at Kate. ‘Me and you, later.’ I threaten.

She inhales sharply. ‘Oh, feisty! I love everything this man brings out in you.’

Yes, she’s made it perfectly obvious that she loves this man, and I want to know what was going on in that little exchange.

‘Did you see him move?’ Victoria pipes up.

‘He weren’t bad.’ Tom pouts. Oh dear, someone’s stolen Tom’s dance floor thunder. Jesse may well have made a lifelong enemy.

‘So –’ I’m firing this right back at Kate. ‘Talking of cosy?’ I nod at Sam as he walks back through the crowd, balancing three drinks between his hands.

‘A bit of fun.’ she shrugs.

God, I hope so. Do I tell her what Victoria saw?  ‘And you?’ I look at Victoria.

She looks shocked. ‘Me?’

‘Yes, I saw you shaking your thing at Drew.’

Tom throws his hands up in the air in exasperation. ‘I’m a huffing raspberry! I want to go to Route Sixty,’ He turns to Victoria. ‘Darling, please!’

‘No!’ she exclaims, and I don’t blame her. It makes a change for Victoria to be having the male attention, possibly the action too.

Sam plants the drinks on the table and Drew follows suit, brushing suspiciously close to Victoria. She giggles, fluffing her hair. She needs to lay off the fake tan.

Sam grins. ‘Wine for Kate,’ He bows as he hands her the glass. ‘Vodka for Victoria and I’ve no idea what this is, but it looks camp, so it must be yours.’ Sam hands Tom a pina colada on a wink.

Tom blushes a bright shade of red and flops a limp wrist at Sam. I don’t believe it. For the first time in his life, Tom is rendered shy. Oh, this is too good an opportunity to miss. ‘Tom, your face is clashing with your shirt!’ I splutter, through a helpless fit of laughter.

Everyone turns to stare at Tom, only serving to intensify his blush and, subsequently, his mortification. An eruption of howling laughter breaks out, prompting Tom to huff a few times and storm off.

‘What’s so funny?’ Jesse asks when he reaches us, placing my wine and a bottle of water on the table. I can’t talk. I’m still recovering from my fits of giggles. I wipe my eyes.

‘We’ve just found Tom’s Achilles heel.’ Kate volunteers when she sees I’m no closer to composure. Jesse looks perplexed as he looks around at the recovering hyenas that he’s returned to. I see Sam shrug, swigging his beer.

‘Sam.’ I offer, through my abating giggles.

‘Sam?’ Jesse frowns.

Victoria jumps in. ‘Tom fancies Sam!’ she cries cheerfully.

Jesse shakes his head and reaches for his water, undoing the screw cap and taking a swig. ‘Here, have some.’ He trusts the bottle under my nose.

‘No,’ I screw my face up, pushing it away.

‘Have some water, Ava. You’ll thank me in the morning.’

‘I don’t want any water.’

He scowls at me, thrusting the water in my face again. ‘Have it!’ he growls.

I glance around, seeing everyone looking at our little exchange. I’m definitely not having it now. I shove his outstretched arm away from my face and pick up my wine, raising my glass to him before taking a swig. Actually, I down the lot. I make a point of placing my glass down precisely before I look up at Jesse. He’s proper brooding, his lips pressed into a straight line as he shakes his head at me.

‘No.’ I state firmly, enhancing my point. He’s already trampled on my recovery night. He’s not dictating what I drink too.

‘There goes your action tonight.’ Sam smirks and Kate bursts into fits of laughter.

‘Fuck off, Sam.’ Jesse warns, in a rather deadly tone. He’s not happy, but I’m drunk and rebellious, so I don’t care.

Sam raises his hands, backing off immediately. At the same time, Kate clenches her lips shut to suppress her laughter, giving me the eyes. I shrug. I wonder if she likes demanding, commanding Jesse as much as she likes white knight Jesse.

Drew and Victoria move off to the side, out of every ones ear shot, after a little nod from Drew. Usually confident and a little standoffish, Drew looks a little shy as Victoria chats buoyantly to him. He takes his phone from his pocket, punching in digits as Victoria reels them off, holding it up for her to check when he’s done. That is not the actions of a man not prepared to call. This is interesting.

I’m vaguely aware of conversation going on around me, but my head is suddenly very foggy. That was the last drink you should never have had. And all just to prove a childish point. Jesse’s right, damn him. I will regret it in the morning. The voices begin to muffle and double vision sets in.

Yep, mission accomplished…I’m plastered!

I feel Jesse’s hand at the base of my neck, massaging me over my hair as he chats to Sam. I close my eyes, absorbing his firm touch as he works my muscles. It feels so nice. I might fall asleep if he keeps it up.

When I open my eyes, Jesse is  leaning down, looking into my drunken eyes and shaking his head. ‘Come on, lady. I’m taking you home.’

I throw a disorientated arm at him. ‘I’m fine.’ He’s not ruining my recovery night. I hear Kate and Jesse exchange a few words, and then I’m hoist up from the stool to my feet.

‘Can you stand?’ he asks.

‘Of course, I’m not that drunk.’ I am. And it would seem I’m argumentative too.

I’m presented to everyone in turn, all of them planting a kiss on my cheek, while Jesse props me up. How pathetic. Once he’s ensured I’ve said all of my goodbyes, he guides me out of the bar. I’m ashamed to admit it, but if Jesse’s arm wasn’t wrapped around my waist holding me up, I would be flat on my face.

The fresh air hits me, causing me to stagger slightly, but I’m swiftly scooped up from the pavement, feeling the familiar comfort of Jesse’s chest against my cheek as he carries me to his car.

‘You’re not going to throw up on me, are you?’ he asks.

‘No.’ I scoff.

‘Are you sure?’ He laughs, and I feel the vibrations from his chest pass through me.

‘I’m fine.’ I garble against his shirt. He sounds like my Dad. Is he old enough to be my Dad?  No, there’s not a father on the planet that dances like Jesse or fucks like Jesse. Oh, my drunken thoughts are filthy!

‘Okay, a few seconds warning would be nice, though. I’m putting you in my car now.’

‘I’m not going to throw up.’ I insist.

I feel myself being lowered into his car and the sensation of cold leather on the back on my legs as I come to rest in the seat. He leans in over me and fastens my seat belt, his fresh water smell and minty breath invading my nostrils. I recognise it, even in my inebriated state. As he pulls back, hovering in my line of sight, there are two of him. I try to focus, eventually homing in on a huge smile.

‘You’re adorable, even when you’re legless,’ He leans in, giving me a chaste kiss on my lips. ‘You’re coming home with me.’

It would seem that all functions have ceased, except for the drunken, argumentative part of me. ‘I’m not coming to yours.’ I slur.

‘Yes, you are.’ he asserts. I still recognise his stern tone, even in my drunken stupor. Not that I’ll take much notice of it, though. The passenger door shuts firmly and he’s soon behind the wheel.

‘I’m not, you can take me home.’

‘Forget it, Ava. I’m not leaving you in this state on your own. End of.’

‘You’re bossy,’ I complain. ‘I want to go home.’ I actually don’t know what I want to do. Does it matter where I sleep tonight? No, it doesn’t, but my drunken need to remain defiant is hijacking any reasonableness that’s left in my wine drenched brain. I want to go home and that’s it!

He laughs. ‘Get use to it.’

‘No!’ I flop my head back on the head rest and close my eyes. I understood that statement enough to challenge it.  I’m surprised I’m still coherent.

‘You’re adorable, but you’re also a pain in the arse when you’re drunk.’ he grumbles.

‘Good.’ I say haughtily.

He starts the car and the vibrations from the engine instantly play havoc with my wine filled stomach. I hear him laugh to himself.

‘Jesse?’

‘Yes, Ava?’

‘How old are you?’ What a ridiculous question. Even if he did relent on this obsession with keeping his age a classified, I wouldn’t remember in the morning.

He sighs. ‘Twenty five,’

I really am very drunk and car spin is beginning to set in, even though my eyes are closed. ‘It doesn’t matter how old you are.’ I mumble.

‘It doesn’t?’

‘No, it doesn’t. Nothing matters – I still love you.’

I hear a sharp intake of breath before I pass out.

Chapter 20

 

Ouch!

I squint at the bombardment of light that’s hammering at my sensitive eyes and snap them shut again. Oh, that hurts. Shuffling onto my side, I immediately realise that I’m not in my own bed. My eyes fly open, and I sit up. Oh, ouch!

My hands grip my head to try and ease the pain. It doesn’t work. Short of shooting my brain out, nothing is going to alleviate the thumping. This is a non-curable hangover. I know it.

I gaze around the room, recognising my surroundings immediately. I’m in the master suite of Lusso. Okay, I’m at a total loss at how I come to be here. I’ve never been so drunk that my memory has failed me. I try retracing my night, instantly remembering Jesse roughing up poor Cockney. Then I remember dancing. I also remember arguing with Jesse in the toilets. And then I remember dancing again. Oh, and I remember Tom having a hissy fit, but then…nothing.

I would ask myself how I come to be here, but I really don’t need to ask that question if Jesse was in the bar. I grasp the bedding, lifting the sheets to look under the covers. Well, I have my bra and pants on, so I can’t imagine any Jesse style fucking went down. I smile to myself.

Oh Lord, I need a toothbrush and some water, pronto. I gingerly push myself up, untangling myself from the bedding as I go, reveling in the waft of Jesse’s scent as it hits my nostrils. Every slight movement crashes into my poor head. When I’m on my feet, stood in just my underwear, I stagger. I’m still drunk.

‘And how is my lady lush this morning?’ His voice is smug. Why didn’t he stop me drinking? He saunters over to me, looking too fucking delicious in his tight, white boxer shorts and with his morning messy hair. I know I probably look awful, with my loose hair and crusty make-up.

‘Terrible.’ I confess moodily. Was that me speaking? I’m throaty. I hear him chuckle to himself. If I could coordinate my movements, I would swing at him. I feel his arms wrap around me, and I’m thankful for the support. I bury my head in his chest and could, quite easily, drift back off to sleep.

‘Do you want some breakfast?’ he asks, stroking my hair. Even his soft rubs against my skull are unbearably loud, and I nearly vomit at the thought of food. He must feel my dry heaves and body jerks because he laughs again. ‘Just some water then?’

‘Please.’ I mumble into his chest.

‘Come here.’ He scoops me up and carries me downstairs to the kitchen, placing me on the worktop gently.

‘Oh!’ Shit, that’s cold!

He laughs, easing his grip away slowly, like he’s afraid I might fall off. I might do, I feel God awful. I grab the edge of the worktop to steady myself and watch, through half open eyes, as Jesse opens almost every cupboard in the kitchen before he finds the one with the glasses in.

‘You don’t know where you keep your own glasses?’

He rummages through a drawer, pulling out a white sachet. ‘I’m learning. My housekeeper tried to tell me, but I was a little distracted.’ He rips the sachet open and tips it into a glass. The muscles of his back roll as he gets a bottle of water from the fridge, filling the glass quickly, before walking back over to me. ‘Alka-Seltzer. It’ll sort you out within half an hour. Drink,’

I reach to take it from him, but my arms won’t liaise with my brain. Without a word, he moves between my thighs and lifts the glass to my lips for me. I guzzle the lot.

‘More?’

I shake my head. ‘I’m never drinking again.’ I mumble, falling forward onto his chest.

‘That would please me so much. You’re very argumentative when you’re drunk.’ He strokes my back.

‘I am?’ I don’t remember.

‘Yes, promise me you won’t get in that state when I’m not around to look after you.’

‘Did we argue?’ I ask. I remember the toilet dispute, but we were friends after that.

He sighs. ‘No, I submitted power temporarily.’

‘That must have been a challenge.’ I reply dryly.

He reaches up, snapping my bra strap. ‘It was, but you’re worth the effort.’ He turns his face into me, kissing my hair before pulling back and focusing his stare on my semi-naked state. ‘I love you in lace.’ he says softly, tracing the top of my knickers. ‘Shower?’ I nod against his shoulder, wrapping my arms and legs around him as he slides me from the counter.

I’m carried back through the penthouse, upstairs into the bathroom and put on my feet outside the shower. I’m left briefly as he turns the shower on. I feel wobbly. As soon as he’s in front of me again, I flop forward onto his chest.

‘You are feeling sorry for yourself, aren’t you?’ He picks me up and places me on the vanity unit. ‘I have fond memories of you sat exactly here.’

I frown to myself, but then realise…our first sexual encounter happened in here on the launch night of Lusso. I look up into hazy, green eyes staring down at me. ‘You finally got me where you wanted me, didn’t you?’

He cups his hand on my cheek. ‘It was always going to happen, Ava.’ He grabs his toothbrush, squirts some toothpaste on and runs it under the tap. ‘Open.’ he orders.

He sets about brushing my teeth gently, holding my jaw in his free hand. I watch him concentrate on his small, circling movements around my mouth as my dance floor revelation comes back to me – the moment that I finally admitted to myself that I have, most definitely, fallen in love with this man. I wasn’t so drunk when that little realisation crashed into my wine drenched brain. My aim to avoid exactly this has been well and truly trampled. I’ve fallen in love with this arrogant, forceful, God like creature.

Bollocks! I reach up to cup his stubbled cheek in my hand, and his eyes jump to mine, his lips parted ever so slightly. He stops brushing and turns his face into my palm, kissing it tenderly. Yep, I love him. Oh God, what am I going to do?

‘Spit.’ he says quietly against my hand.

I drop my hand from his face and lean over the sink to rid my mouth of toothpaste before returning to face him. Running his thumb across my lip, he collects some stray paste and slides his thumb in his mouth to clean off what he’s swept up.

‘Thank you.’ I utter through my cracked voice.

The corner of his mouth cocks into a half smile. ‘It’s just as much for my benefit as it is for yours.’ He smiles, leaning in and kissing me soft and slow on the lips, his tongue sweeping through my mouth tenderly. I sag on a sigh. ‘You’re rubbish at hangovers. Is there anything I can do to make it better?’ He pulls me off of the unit, so I’m stood before him, and reaches around to clinch my bum, effectively holding me up.

‘Have you got a gun?’ I ask him seriously. That would cure my pounding head.

He laughs a proper belly laugh. ‘That bad, huh?’

‘Yes, why is it so funny?’

‘It’s not, I’m sorry.’ He straightens his face and runs his middle finger down the side of my cheek. ‘I’m going to make it all better now.’

Oh? Alcohol, quite clearly, has not killed off my libido because every dehydrated nerve ending has just sprung to life. I must look hideous, and he’s getting all fresh with me? We’re not on even ground here. He’s fierce and God damn delectable in his morning roguishness, smelling all musky, mixed with fresh water. I, on the other hand, have a hangover from Hell and must resemble something like a scarecrow, but he doesn’t seem to be bothered.

He reaches around my back, unclasps my bra and removes it before leaning down and giving each one of my nipples a quick peck. They harden instantly under the brief contact from his lips, my breasts becoming heavy burdens on my chest. My body has been completely distracted from the after affects of alcohol and is now buzzing all over in anticipation of his touch.

As his head raises and his lips find mine, my hands slide up his arms and delve into his soft, blonde mass of hair. Oh God I’ve missed this. It’s only been four days, but I’ve missed it so much, it frightens me.

‘You’re addictive,’ he breathes against my mouth. ‘We’re going to make friends properly now.’

‘Are we not friends?’ I ask. My voice is breathy and desperate.

‘Not properly, but we will be soon, baby.’

A wave of tremors fly through me as he kisses my nose gently and drops to his knees in front of me, spanning my hips with his big palms, hooking his thumbs into the top of my knickers.

I tense and wait, but he makes no attempt to remove them. I look down at him and watch him kneeling there, his forehead resting on my stomach, as I weave my fingers through his dark blonde hair. We remain like that for an eternity, trapped in our own little dream state, just me watching him as he rolls his forehead across my tummy, back and forth.

He eventually takes a deep breath and leans in, placing his lips below my bellybutton and letting them linger there for a few seconds before slowly dragging my knickers down my legs. He taps my ankle – a wordless instruction to lift – and repeats the same on my other foot.

I look down at him knelt before me, his head lowered, and I know something’s playing on his mind. I tug on his hair to snap him out of his daydream, and he turns his face up to me, his eyes meeting mine. His frown line is heavy on his forehead as he reaches up, spreads his palms on my backside and dips his head, kissing my stomach again. He’s behaving peculiarly.

‘What’s wrong?’ I can’t keep my concern to myself any longer.

He looks up at me and smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. ‘Nothing.’ he says unconvincingly. ‘Nothing’s wrong.’

No sooner am I preparing to challenge him, his face is buried in the apex of my thighs and my legs have buckled.

‘Ohhhhh!’ My head flies back and my grip on his hair tightens. In one foul lick, he has me lock stock, and the niggling urge to press him is forgotten.

 He moves his grip to my hips, causing me to jerk wildly. He’s the only thing holding me up. I feel his hot, skillful tongue circle my hypersensitive nub of nerves, rounding with slow, precise movements before delving deep into my core. There is not a single bit of me he’s not exploring.

‘I need a shower,’ I complain.

‘I need you,’ he mumbles against me.

I’m sent into a melting mess as he increases the pressure, digging his fingers into my hips. I grind against his mouth, it’s only a matter of seconds before I’m falling to pieces, the surging pressure crashing down into my groin having me holding my breath, with my heart jumping into my throat.

‘You taste incredible. Tell me when you’re close.’

‘I’m close!’ I gasp on a long rush of breath. Holy shit, I’m close!

‘Someone’s keen this morning.’ A hand is removed for my hip and two fingers plunge into me, sending me into orbit.

‘Oh, shit!’ I shout. ‘Please!’ I must be ripping his hair out.

‘Watch…your…fucking…mouth.’ he scorns me, between powerful, even strokes. He can’t tell me off for swearing during these moments. It’s his fault for putting me through this.