Chapter 43 #2
He watches me with a reverence that I didn’t think would ever be bestowed upon me, and then his eyes travel down to my lips.
Dizzying heat bursts against my ribs and moves up to my throat, prompting me to let go of his hand and jump to my feet.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous to kiss him again.
Because, even though I can barely believe it, I already have.
More than once. But there’s something about this moment that feels different.
Being in a peaceful, isolated environment with only the two of us, our hands joined, has been so easy.
No chaos, no noise. Just us.
The cool water of the lake tickling the gravel is beckoning me for some reason. I approach the edge and kick off my trainers and socks before stepping in.
‘Be careful of the eels,’ Elliot warns behind me.
My head spins back to him with an incredulous laugh. ‘Shut up.’
The water feels like a balm as it cocoons my aching feet, and I bite my lip to keep my sigh of relief at bay. I don’t venture far, just so the water envelopes my ankles, when the sound of Elliot’s shoes hits the gravel behind me.
He wades through the water towards me in silence, before appearing next to me. Very close next to me.
I look at him with a start, and wonder if this is the moment where he might –
‘What the–’ I yelp as without warning, my feet are swept off the ground and I’m in Elliot’s arms as he starts to make his way further into the lake in even, slow strides. I desperately wrap my arms around his neck and scowl at him in protest.
‘What are you doing?’ I demand.
‘I’m taking you to see the eels.’
‘I don’t want to see the fucking eels!’
‘Too bad. I’m proving a point. They were over here,’ he says confidently.
‘Unhand me,’ I object. ‘This jacket is hand-wash only, you freak.’
‘I’ve got you, princess,’ he murmur. ‘You might want to stop wriggling or I will drop you.’
I follow orders, tightening my iron grip around his neck with a pout.
He’s almost knee-deep when we edge through the willow tree’s falling branches, exposing the dark expanse of the lake. The water looks pitch-black.
‘Yes, perfect,’ I jibe. ‘Good conditions for eel-spotting.’
He gives me a look, which is somehow even more alluring than usual when his face is so close to mine.
‘Well, we failed.’ I wrap my arms more tightly around his neck. ‘Take me back to shore now. I demand it.’
‘Oh, man,’ he groans. ‘My arms are just so tired, Nora. It’s been a long weekend.’
He huffs an exaggerated sigh and begins to slowly lower me towards the lake’s surface.
I yelp and launch myself upward so that my hands are desperately clinging onto his perfect hair, my knees almost up by his shoulders. He grins with a roll of his eyes.
‘You scoundrel,’ I hiss.
His eyes are alight, as if this is very entertaining. ‘Never been called a scoundrel before.’
‘I’ve got more words in my arsenal if my ass touches this water,’ I joke, as he pulls me closer.
‘I’m not going to drop you,’ he murmurs into my ear, his voice reaching the low and velvety pitch that I love. The fairy lights illuminate the blue of his eyes with hundreds of golden flecks, like they both contain their own collection of stars.
It doesn’t even occur to me to say anything but the truth. ‘I know.’
His expression turns dark as he takes a deep breath, his gaze never leaving mine. Heat instantly pools in my belly.
‘We’re a little exposed here,’ he says, his voice gravelly.
He swiftly turns on his heel and carries me back through the curtain of leaves, wasting no time when we reach dry land by gently placing me on my feet next to the willow tree trunk.
His hands never leave my body; I can feel them lingering around my waist as the rough bark rubs against my back through my jacket.
The sheer size of the tree is, thankfully, hiding us from view; carving out a private space just for us.
And for what feels like the millionth time this weekend, we’re eye to eye.
Except there’s no reason to stop this time.
No reason to walk away. I lean my head back against the tree to take him in, my breath stalling before shakily releasing.
Our breaths mingle together, his nose almost brushing against mine, and I think I nearly burn into cinders on the spot.
‘Is this okay?’ he asks, his chest heaving, eyes wild.
‘Yes,’ I reply, just barely getting the word out before he bridges the gap between us and the sensation of his mouth on mine is enough to make it feel like the floor is falling out from beneath me.
His lips feel careful at first, moving slowly and curiously across mine so I have a small opportunity to recover from the rush of heat blooming, cascading through my body.
He’s being gentle with me, treating me like I’m something delicate; maybe because he’s realised what a profound effect he has on my nervous system, but I want more.
I open my mouth to gently take his bottom lip between my teeth and something in him breaks.
He inhales deeply and wraps his strong arms around my waist, his warm fingertips grazing across the skin of my back as I bury my hands in his hair.
His grip on me tightens and I bask in the feeling of it.
The feel of his chest under my hands, his tongue on mine, his body pushing against me.
My head presses back against the tree as his lips explore my own with hot impatience and I stifle a moan when I feel the evidence of his arousal against my hip.
I try to not push back against it to gain some kind of friction from him, given that we are still in public and I suppose I have some boundaries.
With that said, when his hands move up to my neck and his thumb traces my jaw, I forget myself and whimper into his mouth.
Finally giving into the need to touch him, I run my hands down his stomach and underneath his shirt, revelling in the feel of the cool, hard skin beneath.
My fingers ache to roam all the way up to his chest – to touch him, feel all of him, when I realise he isn’t doing the same; his hands remain fixed in the base of my hair, cradling my head against the tree.
‘Touch me,’ I plead against his lips, and that’s all it takes. He is no longer careful or polite in the way he explores my body, the way he grips my ribs, then pauses to grasp my behind and pull his hips against mine so hard that for a moment, I swear I see stars.
His head suddenly snaps back from mine and loosens his grip. His eyes are dark, wild and so fucking hypnotising that I can’t look away as I try to catch my breath.
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ he murmurs, his voice ragged.
‘Like what?’
‘Like that,’ he says, nodding at my own heavy-lidded gaze.
All I know is, I don’t want to stop. I ignore him to attach my lips to his again, grazing my fingertips down the length of his body.
He grips my waist tightly, before his touch travels up to my breasts, and his thumbs trace the outline of my nipples so lightly that at first I almost don’t feel it.
His lips travel down my jaw and into the crook of my neck when he rubs his thumbs over them again and the knot of heat in my core lights up.
With a shaky breath, I grab a fistful of his hair to pull his lips away from me and find his eyes.
‘Let’s go,’ I beg, my chest heaving.
He pulls back to study me carefully. ‘Where?’
My vision is almost fuzzy, and it’s from this observation that I realise with absolute certainty that I have never been so turned on in my entire life.
‘My tent’s closer,’ I breathe.
His hair sticks out wildly around his head and for the first time, he doesn’t make any attempt to fix it.
‘Are you sure?’ he asks, his eyes flickering around my face for signs of doubt.
I don’t hesitate for a second and briskly nod. ‘Let’s go.’
Elliot and I stand amidst a sea of tents. Never-ending tents. I sigh as I stomp around a gazebo with Elliot in tow for what feels like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.
‘I swear it’s somewhere around here,’ I growl.
‘Nora, it’s fine–’ Elliot started behind me.
‘Trust me, we’ll find it any second.’
‘Nora,’ he says as he comes to a stop, tugging my hand to pull me back to face him. He runs his hands across my shoulders and a tiny part of me melts. ‘Nora, it’s alright. There’s no rush, we’ll find it. We have all night.’
The double meaning behind his words brings heat to my face, and I force out a breath.
‘Sorry. Okay.’
He presses his lips to mine for another chaste kiss, which we have been gladly exchanging every so often during our journey, and it feels like a sensation I’ll never get used to.
I turn back to face the direction we were going, when I realise I’m not sure where I was heading at all.
‘Uh…’ I murmur, my head spinning in all directions.
‘All good?’ Elliot asks.
‘Not really,’ I joke. ‘You just disorientated me.’
‘Yeah, you’re right. I’m to blame here.’ I can hear the smile in his voice.
I whirl round to cast him a glare before starting onward again.