“So, what was the look?” I took the bait, the sparring so familiar for us. “I’d love to know.”
“Off-duty hooker,” she teased. “Or, oops I forgot to wear a blouse and my underwear is on show.”
“Two of my favourites.”
“I know,” she replied smirking as she started to pack away her notebook, but I couldn’t let this easiness stop, didn’t have it in me to walk away from here without her world in my pocket.
“You did great tonight,” I said. “Amazing. You just came into your own.”
“Thanks,” she replied. “I think once it’s edited and I can add some stuff about helpline numbers and details about what the clinic can offer.” She blew out a breath. “I think it will be great.”
“What you’re doing is fantastic.”
“It’s for him,” she shrugged, biting her lip to stop her emotions. “His life, Will. It needs to stand for something.”
“It does.”
She nodded before starting to laugh, covering her mouth as it got too much. “I watched as you were filming…underneath them.”
“One of the most surreal moments of my life.”
“I could only imagine what was going on in your head.”
“I tried to think of anything else just to take me out of it. I ended up imagining one of your meatball subs, but now it’s–”
“Put you off meatballs for life,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
“You know me too well,” I said, feeling strangely at ease with that. She did and it was perfect.
“Thanks. I know I put you in a…weird situation.”
“Happy to help,” I said. “Just don’t ask me to do anything like this again. In fact, just ask Stace from now on. Any future ideas, endeavours…ask Stace.”
She laughed. “Can I crash at yours tonight?”
I watched as she started grabbing her things, looking around to check everything had been left as we agreed. I had visions of us walking side by side, stupid small talk, me making up the sofa bed before leaving her to go to my room…alone.
No. Not gonna happen.
‘Skye,” I breathed out, holding onto her wrist. To her credit, she didn’t pull away or make a snarky remark. She stopped and studied where our hands met. “We need to pick up where we left off.”
“Which was?”
Fuck, Skye. I need you.
Can we be friends again after this?
No, we can be lovers.
“A good place,” I replied, the words reaching my groin and catapulting me back to her ass grinding. “A really great place.”
“We didn’t leave on good terms that night,” she said. “We were both fucking pissed.”
“I was fine,” I lied.
“Did you mean what you said?” she asked, her eyes flicking up. “All the good stuff? The really good stuff. Or was it just lust boiling over?”
“I meant every word.”
She laughed a little, shaking her head as she withdrew her hand. “Yet we haven’t seen each other since?”
“I thought you wanted space.”
And I was hurting when you wanted me to keep up the pretence with Margot.
“Space?” she replied, pressing her thumb to her bottom lip. “That doesn’t make any sense, but OK.”
“Why?”
“Because we were practically fucking against a wall and in case you hadn’t noticed, that’s never happened to us before!” Her voice echoed in the space. The huge loft that had been busy before was now quiet and her emotion bounced off the walls. “You let me think you were taking her home to screw her.”
“And you used me as a pawn in your…porn game!”
Her eyes widened at first before breaking into laughter when I couldn’t contain my smile. Her head dropped forward to my chest and it felt so right there, but I hated that her arms were crossed against her body indicating that she wasn’t open to this, to me. Guarded and protecting herself were parts of Skye I’d seen before but only when she was struggling and confused.
My hand threaded through her hair, edging from the nape of her neck. “I did take her home,” I said softly. “I made sure she was safe and as I left, she asked me if I knew I was in love with you.”
“What…what did you say?”
“That I’d never been surer about anything in my life.” She slowly looked up, her eyes bringing me to my knees, tear-filled and full of what? Relief? I slid my hand to her cheek, stroking her face with my thumb. “Christ, you’re beautiful,” I said, honestly. “And tonight, you were incredible.”
“When can I stop?” she whispered, eyes closing.
“What?”
“Believing I don’t deserve this?”
“You deserve it all,” I rasped. “Because you’re fucking mine.”
She steadied herself, pressing both hands to my shoulders as I took her mouth. Claiming her with my tongue, my hands digging into her ass. She whimpered as I trailed my fingers along her ribcage, climbing a ladder against her skin, feeling every bump and dip until I reached her breast. The curve fitting my hand perfectly, the mound of flesh above the top had long taunted me, and I was ready to grasp it, play and knead and…
“Ah,” she gasped as my tongue licked along the arch. It still wasn’t enough. She was grinding her hips, leaning back and muttering chants of disbelief. I hooked my finger into the cup, grazing her nipple with my knuckle, sending her hips wilder. “Yes, Will,” she whispered, and I was there, ripping the flimsy lace covering her breast until it freed her to me, the fabric lying loose and discarded against her stomach.
I took her in my mouth, and it stiffened further. Swirling my tongue and gently biting was her undoing and as she slammed her hand onto the table, the monitors came to life. A camera, still pointing at the scene, now showed the fuck bench, the teal velvet filling the screens, two at the back and two at the sides.
She pulled me back, walking with her to the bench and as I looked at her, really looked at her, the corset top I’d always favoured, her nude lipstick smudged, lips full and swollen and her tit, still wet from my mouth, I knew this was it for us.
Oh, fuck. She made me breathless. Stole the air right from me. I didn’t care. If this was my last moment of earth at least I’d die knowing that she finally, finally became mine.
“Stay there,” I said, reaching for my camera. “Don’t move, you’re perfect.”
I took her picture.
I’d always done it.
Needing to capture her in moments of wonder, moments of joy. I wanted her full range of emotions, taking her picture when I needed the image fresh and alive and mine to keep.
This one was rapture.
Taking a couple of steps forward and grasping the nape of her neck, we collided. Lips and mouths. I tugged on her bubblegum hair just enough to raise her face to mine, and as she cried out, I pulled the cup from her covered breast. Exposing her completely to me. She swallowed harshly, biting her lip as I came in close, my camera aimed at her tit, three pictures in succession.
Click, click, click.
“So fucking pretty,” I said, mainly to myself, tweaking her nipple between my fingers.