Chapter 21 #3
I stroke my thumb across her cheek. ‘Do you want to break a couple of rules with me, Luce?’ I don’t look away from her mouth. The corners of her lips twitch upwards and all my blood races south. ‘We could start with kissing. I want to. I have for days now, but—’
The rest gets quietened by the softest of kisses. My head swims because I’m finally, finally getting what I want.
Nothing could have prepared me for this moment.
In my head, all the times I’ve pictured it, usually with my cock in hand, it’s full of passion.
This is nothing like that. My brain’s not capable of imagining something this perfect, this special.
Excitement coils in my belly. It’s short, tentative, exploring.
Our noses bump while we work out how to fit together, but when we get it. Fuck. We fit perfectly.
We pull away, and her massive grin matches mine.
Nah. That’s not enough.
The towel of half-melted ice falls to the floor with a wet thwack. I glide my now-cold fingers over her lower arm, stroking under the edge of her pyjama sleeve. She shivers, and I swear there’s a ghost of a stiff nipple hiding under the cotton.
‘That’s mean – making me cold like that.’ But she kisses me again, sliding her uninjured hand into my hair to force me closer. Our mouths clash harder, hungrier. Every single hair on my arms stands to attention, and I’m as hard as the ice spread across the carpet.
One arm wraps around her waist, pulling us into a recline amongst the folds of thick duvets.
She presses into my side, moaning softly.
Her leg hooks over my thigh, her heat warming my skin through her bottoms and my jeans.
I want more of her, but I also need this moment to last for the rest of our lives.
Learning how to kiss her, where she wants to be touched, how to make her come replaces all my other desires in the world.
Hearing more of those moans is my only goal.
For now, I take my time, enjoying how she tastes of toothpaste and the faintest hint of her wine from earlier. I run my tongue along her bottom lip, and whimper when she opens for me. Our tongues slide together for the first time, and elation roars through me.
We kiss until my lungs constrict, but she’s the first to pull away. If I had my way, I’d super-glue our mouths together so it never has to stop.
‘You okay?’ I ask, pushing escaped tendrils of her hair out of her face to see her better. Swollen lips smile back at me. I did that to her. This is better than the eleven fucking times Swansea’s beaten Cardiff.
‘More than okay. You’re a good kisser.’
Hell yeah, I am.
Her head falls to the crook of my neck, and she finds the opening of my shirt with her nose.
It trails along my freckles, followed by a pepper of barely-there kisses and nips on my skin.
If she keeps going, I’ll lose all self control.
It’s enough that we’ve kissed, that I have her in my arms. It’s already a hundred steps further than I’d ever hoped.
‘Fuck. Feels good.’
She increases her attention, stopping to drag her teeth over my pulse point in a way that pulls a strained noise from my throat. I sink further into the mattress, dragging my hands to her hips so I can—
Okay. No. This has to stop. I’m no stranger to one-night stands, but I don’t want that with her. Dates, proof that breaking her rules are worth it. That’s how I win her over. Until then, this is a no sex zone.
I’m usually a think-with-my-dick kinda guy, but maybe it’s time for a change.
I cup her cheek, pulling her gently from my skin until our faces are level. She rests her forehead against mine. Her skin’s hot and she looks as dazed as I feel.
‘Okay, I’ll give us a try,’ she says. Her cast stretches over me to rest on my chest. I cover it with my hand, protecting it.
‘You’ll break your rules for me?’
‘Yes. But we have to be honest with each other. If things get awkward, if it makes work weird, we talk about it. Deal?’
‘Deal.’ I press a kiss to her temple and draw her closer.
Cuddling’s never been a thing I’m into. I love to grab a hug from Beth or Cai, and I’m no stranger to touch, but I’ve never laid in a bed with a girl in my arms, enjoying how they feel here.
If someone decides to stay over after sex, we’re straight into bed after cleaning up, keeping to our own sides of the mattress.
Though, if we happen to meet in the middle at some point, we sometimes go another round or two. I’m only human.
‘Will you stay with me for a bit?’ she asks, her words already sleep-laced.
‘Until you fall asleep.’
We’re spread diagonally across the bed, lying where we fell, and I don’t make any attempt to move. I don’t want to disturb this little cocoon we’re in.
‘D’you need more ice? Some painkillers?’
She buries her head closer to my neck, shaking it.
‘Get some rest, Luce. I need your hand better as soon as possible. All this kissing’s gonna get a guy worked up.’
‘Going to?’
‘Already ha—’ A yawn takes over, and I rest my head on top of hers, closing my eyes. ‘Nos dda, Luce.’
‘Night.’