Chapter 13
THE SUN IS already setting by the time we get out of the hotel on Saturday evening.
The last few rays of warm light cast an orange shimmer on the blanket of fresh snow that appeared overnight.
It crunches beneath our feet as we make our way toward the Thames.
Val is walking so close to me that the wool fabric of his sleeve keeps brushing against mine, causing the hairs on my arm to stand on end.
When I suddenly feel his long fingers touch my hand, I look up in surprise.
He’s still looking straight ahead as he takes my hand in his, but the corners of his mouth curl up in a satisfied grin when I intertwine our fingers.
As he strokes his thumb along the palm of my hand, I feel little shockwaves roll through my body.
How about we find somewhere to eat? he suggests, looking down at me with a twinkle in his eyes.
He gestures up and down the street where we dined at that Italian place a few nights ago. My brow furrowed, I gaze up at a sign with swirly letters that spell out AMORE PER IL CIBO.
Do you think maybe you’ve ruined enough shirts on this trip already?
A dopey smile appears on his face as he rolls his eyes. I wasn’t suggesting we go back to that restaurant, he replies, running a hand through his hair. There are plenty of other spots we could try.
And what are the odds of us walking into a similar situation at a different place?
He shoots me another cheesy smile and replies with a wink. I’m not that much of a rascal.
As far as you recall, I correct him with a chuckle.
He playfully shoves his shoulder into mine. Touché, he concedes, shaking his head. I promise if it happens again, you’re getting an extra day off.
As if that scenario is just as unlikely as the possibility of Angelina Jolie’s hair getting messed up during one of the action sequences in Tomb Raider.
One order of the duck, says the server, setting a plate down in front of me. And one rump steak. She serves the second plate to Val, before standing back to gaze wide-eyed at the handsome man sitting across from me.
Val? she says with surprise in her voice. Is that you?
With a piece of steak already on his fork, he pauses to give me a startled look. The fork hangs suspended in air, half-way between his plate and his mouth, as he slowly shifts his eyes toward the waitress with an incredulous expression on his face.
Uh . . . he begins, quickly sliding his glass of wine to the far side of the table, trying to avoid at least that part of this replay. He swallows. I’m sorry, I uh . . .
You don’t remember who I am? She looks outraged. How could you possibly forget me after that night we spent together?
He’s really starting to panic now. The sound that escapes from his throat could just as well have come from a parrot in the painful throes of laying a particularly oversized egg.
I give him a crooked grin as I watch him struggle to find his words, visibly running through the archives of his brain for a hint of what’s happening here. He looks so confused.
I’m so disappointed in you, Val, the server says, shaking her head. But when she looks over at me, her eyes are sparkling with delight.
Just as he’s about to go on the defensive again, she and I burst into simultaneous laughter, and I slide five pounds across the table toward her.
She accepts the money, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
The panic in Val’s eyes makes way for a classic you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me expression.
With a laugh, he shakes his head and finally pops the piece of steak in his mouth, chewing it with great delight.
The waitress pats my shoulder. You were right, she says with a gleeful look. That was hilarious. She tucks the money into her pouch and heads back to the bar, still shaking with laughter.
Taking a sip of wine, Val gives me a combative look. A grin appears on his lips and there’s a twinkle in his eyes when he says, You know you’re not getting that extra day off for this one, right?
Oh, that’s definitely not what I was going for. The look on your face was worth a thousand times more.
Just you wait, he replies, holding my gaze. Payback is coming.
I raise my wine glass, a defiant expression on my face. I can’t wait.
After Val settles the bill, we make our way back outside.
It’s a clear night and the few people outside right now are moving cautiously along the snow-covered sidewalks.
I’m wearing sneakers tonight, so I no longer look like Bambi scrambling his way across the ice.
Over the past week, this walk along the Thames has become a bit of a regular route for us.
Val has his coat collar popped up to fend off the wind—there’s something kind of sexy about the look.
The wool fabric scrapes along the stubble on his jaw and once he senses me looking at him, he turns his face toward me.
His lips curl up into that sexy grin that makes my belly tingle.
And then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot a flash in the sky. I look up.
Wow, did you see that? I ask, gazing up at the lights sprinkled across the dark canvas above us. I think it was a shooting star. I walk up to the fencing that’s meant to stop drunk tourists from tumbling into the Thames by the dozens, then point up at the sky.
Val steps in behind me, wrapping his big hands around my waist as he rests his chin on the crown of my head.
I’ve never not been in heels around him.
Now that I feel his chin settled on my head like this, the sensation is unfamiliar.
My hair gently catches on his stubble and I can see his breath puffing out in little clouds above me.
I read something about a meteor shower over England tonight, he says. I didn’t expect it to be visible from the city, though.
I feel his chin moving while he speaks. Wrapping my arms over his, I pull him in even closer. His torso keeps my back warm as we stare up at the sky, hoping to catch a few more glimpses of the universe.
There’s another one! he shouts triumphantly, pointing out a second flash.
I follow the line of his pointed finger just in time to see the faraway light fade away.
Val tilts his head down again and, holding our embrace, carefully turns me toward him.
After brushing the hair from my face, he softly cups my cheeks with his hands.
His lips part the tiniest bit as his grey eyes gaze into mine.
A few passers-by are struggling to stay upright on the slick sidewalk, but the sound of their swears quickly fades into the background.
I swallow, letting my hand trail down his arm to the back of his hand, gently stroking the bare skin there.
I slowly glide my tongue along my lips. His pupils go wide as he follows the movement.
Now it’s your turn to make a wish, I whisper, so softly that I can barely hear my own voice.
Val brushes his lips against mine with such tenderness that a quaky breath escapes me as I close my eyes.
He gentles my cheek with his thumb before sweetly pressing his lips to my mouth.
Inhaling his intoxicating scent, I part my lips.
My hands glide along his coat until I grip the black fabric tightly in my fists, tugging him closer to me.
With a quiet moan, his tender kiss transforms into hunger.
Opening my mouth wider, I taste the expensive Malbec he drank with dinner, along with the sweet flavour of the strawberry candy that came with our bill.
His fingers tease through my hair as he guides this dance of tongues.
He seems to have lost all sense of our surroundings.
His left hand trails down my neck, travelling down, pausing to gently massage my breast before continuing its journey, past my waist and then all the way down to my ass.
Pressing his fingers into my skin, he pulls my hips closer and I smother another one of his moans with my mouth.
Val, I whisper into his lips. Maybe we should go back to the hotel.
He lets out a trembling sigh and nods.
Our walk back to the hotel takes us at least an hour—we duck into every alcove, doorway, and alley that offers even the slightest bit of privacy to squeeze in another intense make-out session.
By the time we’re standing in front of the hotel elevator, my lips are swollen and there’s still a look of hunger in Val’s eyes.
As soon as we step into the elevator, he pushes me up against one of the walls, already kissing me before the doors have a chance to close.
His strong hands grab me by the ass and I wrap my right leg around his waist, his fingers caressing my thigh as he wedges himself against me.
He slips his hand back to my ass and suddenly I’m off the ground.
I wrap my arms around his neck as he lifts me up, never taking his lips from mine.
He makes a half-turn, walking me into the opposite wall.
I startle and look up when I feel the elevator buttons press into my back.
Each of the buttons is lit up now, but Val doesn’t seem to notice, simply pulling my mouth back onto his in response.
One by one, he undoes the buttons on my coat.
Ding! An older couple—they might be survivors of the Battle of Waterloo—looks into the elevator in shock. The woman clasps a wrinkly hand to her mouth and the man’s already crumpled brow inexplicably furrows even more.
Val, completely undisturbed, continues to unbutton my coat as the doors close again. He trails kisses along my neck and jaw. His hands are everywhere.
Ding! There’s a housekeeper cleaning in the hallway outside the elevator. She casts a bored glance inside, then returns to her task as if this is the least eventful thing she’s seen all month.
The elevator continues its journey toward the top floor as I grip Val even tighter with my legs. I’ve unbuttoned his coat and shirt so I can snake my hands all over his hard, warm muscles.
Ding! These two must have the honeymoon suite, I hear a woman chuckle before the doors shut again.
Val is still holding me up, as if I’m made of nothing but air, his hands gliding along my thighs and back to my ass.
Ding! With my legs still wrapped around his waist, he carries me out of the elevator. Moving through the hallway, we knock over a suitcase and I’m almost certain I hear something break. Val doesn’t seem to notice and absolutely nothing is less important to me in this moment.
Pressing me up against my room door, his hands are all over me now.
He kisses my jaw, then my neck, only to end up back at my mouth again.
When I hear a door slam in the distance, the reality of our current location begins to sink in.
I untangle myself from his arms, find the key card in my coat pocket, and let us into the room.
I might have thought we were hot and heavy before, but as soon as the door closes behind us, I realize how wrong I was.
Val draws my face to his, kissing me with increasing heat.
The pairing of his lips and tongue sets every part of my body alight.
He pulls my sweater and top up over my head, kissing my breasts through the lace cups of my bra.
His teeth scrape along the edge, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps as he kisses his way up again.
Hannah. His voice is gravelly as his warm hand caresses my naked stomach, inching closer and closer to the button on my jeans.
I shove his already-undone jacket and shirt off him, then shamelessly rub my hands all over the hard slopes and dips of his shoulders, his torso, his hips.
He shivers under my touch, pressing his forehead to mine.
What are you doing to me? he whispers, completely awestruck.
His admiring gaze wanders over my breasts and stomach, before he slowly lowers my pants to the floor.
Once my fingers find his belt buckle, it’s not long before his pants are off, too.
He turns me toward the bed, gently pushing me back onto the plush mattress—it bounces a little under the weight of my body.
I feel the satin sheets caress my skin as I glide further onto the bed.
My eyes trail along Val’s chiseled stomach toward the lowest point of that V-shape, still hiding behind a layer of cotton.
It hits me in just the right spot as he lowers himself onto me.
He returns to kissing me—deep and intense.
A gust of wind shakes the window, big snowflakes stick to the glass, and I hear the squeal of car brakes somewhere off in the distance.
Val lets his hands travel to my sides before cautiously slipping one behind my back to undo my bra clasp in one smooth motion.
He’s watching my every move, studying every little response to his touch.
His lips kiss along my stomach until his teeth grab onto the patch of lace that’s covering my hip.
I feel my body tremble with desire as he hooks a finger under the elastic only to release it back into place with a soft snap against my skin.
He leans in closer, bowing his head and gently brushing his lips along the insides of my thighs.
The snow outside falls heavy now, with snowflakes steadily covering up the window, dimming the light in the room. Outside, I hear people singing and cars honking nearby.
Val is oblivious to anything going on outside, though.
His lips trace the lines of my body—torturously slow kisses along my hips, my waist, until he reaches my breasts again.
When he slips away the lace, cool air brushes my nipples and the response is instantaneous.
But the chill is no match for the warmth of Val’s mouth.
The weight of his body presses me even deeper into the plush duvet as his tongue swirls across my sensitive skin.
As we move, the bed frame creaks along softly, a moan escaping from my mouth.
I can’t hold back any longer. I. Want. Him.
I shove his boxers down over his ass as he brings his mouth to mine.
Slipping his tongue between my lips, he rids me of my thong before pushing into me with one fluid thrust. We both gasp, gazing into each other’s eyes.
He cups my face with his hands as he kisses me and I feel him everywhere.
All around me. On top of me. Inside me. The desire in his eye swells with every movement of his hips.
My name spills off his tongue and he buries his fingers in my hair as he drives up the pace.
Icy snowflakes tap against the window, faster and faster, until Val thrusts his hips into mine one final time. In perfect sync, the breath catches in our throats and together, we shatter into a thousand pieces.
I’ve lost all sense of time when Val rolls off of me, pulling me close. He kisses my hair, my eyelids, my mouth. When I look up to meet his eyes, a big, cheeky grin appears on his lips.
I’m really glad you got the honeymoon suite, he says with a laugh.