A groan rumbles in my throat because,fuck, if I haven’t dreamed of being able to do that too. And here she is, dangling said dream in front of me with such ease. My eyes cut beyond her, to the people flooding the dancefloor in the centre of the bar. Bodies flow in a rhythm under the strobe lighting, pressed tightly together as they feel the waves of the music, barely any cracks amongst the throng of people for secrets to be spilled. To be noticed.
Would it be so bad? To let my hands wander freely in the darkness and have a taste of what it’d be like to be together in public? Not to have to hide?
‘And,’ she adds, ‘I never got to tick off staying at a club ’til close from my bucket list. I know it’s not a proper nightclub, but I think it would still count.’
Cherry must sense my defences slowly breaking down because she moves her hands from my jaw and holds one out in front of me instead. I close my eyes before sighing out the rest of my self-control and slide my fingers between hers. The happiness that lights up her eyes is reward enough.
Cherry leads us out of the booth towards the dancefloor, fingers pulsing against mine as we get closer. We weave through the tightly packed, swaying crowd, bodies pressing and waving against us as we move into the centre. The further we submerge ourselves into thedancing throng, surrounded by movement and hidden from the world, the deeper I drop into the depths of liberation, the voices in my head quietening.
Freedom flows in my veins, and I slip my hands around Cherry’s waist, stopping her and tugging her towards me. Her back presses against my chest, the heat of her body melting into mine as her hips start to sway, giving me a rhythm to move to as my hands drop to her hips. Nails raking against my skin, she trails her hands up around my neck, brushing her fingers up the back of my head as she pushes her ass back against me, gliding her body side to side with the beat of the music. I drop my lips to her neck, relishing the way her body arches instantly.
We stay like that until the lights end the night – my hot breath against her neck, our cheeks pressed together, as I grip her hips, letting them guide our movements, while a rainbow of flashing lights rain down on us.
There’s a heady rush of power that comes with holding her here, surrounded by so many people, being able to show off that she’s mine. That I’m the lucky man that gets to embrace her, to be the one to listen to her worries and talk her to sleep, to make her smile, to hear the melody of her laughandher sweet moans.
That I get to worship this masterpiece of a woman, no one else.
Even if this is the only time I get to experience this, to be with Cherry without any cares in the world weighing me down, it’ll be worth it.
Cherry Hensley.
The best bad decision I’ve ever made.
27
Cherry
‘Okay, I wasn’t sure what you needed so I got one of everything and I also ordered pizza,’ Duke explains as he bustles into his bedroom after coming back from the grocery store. Under each arm is a brown paper bag, filled to the brim.
I’m curled up in the foetal position in his bed, but just about manage to lift my head to watch as he drops the bags on the bed, one of them toppling over so that God knows how many different boxes of tampons and sanitary towels tumble out, along with several bars of chocolate.
Even though I feel about as strong as an overcooked piece of spaghetti – the cramps that unexpectedly started this morning having sucked all my energy away – I manage to wriggle up until I’m leaning on my elbows, giving me a better look. It also lets me admire him, standing at the end of the bed, the late morning sunlight accentuating his edges with a golden glow – the portrait of a saviour.
But despite the way the sunshine also emphasises how delicious he looks in his tight white T-shirt and grey sweatpants, I can’t help but wince at the sympathy in his gaze. I’m momentarily transported back to that day on his office floor, humiliated to my core. My period coming a few days earlier has really put a dampener on the whole sexy running around in secret thing we had going on. And made the lacy underwear I packed to wear for our day off together completely obsolete.
The whole plan oflet’s stay in bed together all dayhas taken an unfortunate turn. As well as postponing the opportunity tofinallyget to sleep with Duke, which I’m certain was what a day in bed translated to. Not that I’m desperate or anything … but I have wanted this for years, so cut me some slack.
Still, sex isn’t exactly at the top of my priorities when I feel like a sweaty potato.
I croak out, ‘I thought you were only getting me something for the pain. You didn’t have to get all of this … Though, the pizza I very much appreciate.’ I could’ve sorted the rest out once I was dosed up – it’s not like I haven’t been dealing with this for years, and nor does he need this burden on him either.
It’s mine to carry. Mine to deal with.
‘Ham and pineapple, obviously.’ Duke offers me a gentle smile and shrugs before packing the boxes back into the bag. ‘Besides, I was worried you might have felt embarrassed about asking me to get this stuff – which you don’t need to be. I’m a grown man, I can handle a period. And Jessie at the grocery store didn’t bat an eyelid because Ibuy these for the restrooms at the bar anyway.’ He laughs, then draws his features together, his movements halting for a second. ‘And, um … well, whatever you don’t need I could – maybe I could keep here for the future.’
The unexpected suggestion has me lifting myself up higher on my elbows to stare at Duke with widening eyes, my heart suddenly fluttering – even more than my emerging fever was causing. The last couple of weeks have been – well, honestly, I don’t think there’s enough words to do the dream that is being with Duke Bennett justice. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing even the deepest corners of his softer side, as well as the hard, rough edges that bring more passion into my life than I thought fathomable.
The only thing that hovers silently between us is that word –future. I’ve got just under four weeks left before I’m supposed to go back to college, and I’m not ready to let this go. We might have spent the best part of the summer together so far, but that whole time I was teetering on the edge of my feelings, and I’ve only had a couple of weeks to experience the joy of letting myself fall.
Floating might be a better way to describe how it feels, actually.
All I know is that I don’t want it to stop.
I want to bask in it without anyone trying to stop me for once. I want to relish the rush of ecstasy each time I’m secretly the subject of his smile.
But asking Duke for a future isn’t just asking for him to manage a long distance relationship with me – it’s also asking him to put his friendship on the line with Wyatt.And if the years of him holding back from me proves anything, it’s thatthatisn’t going to be an easy step for him to take.
Yet what he just said—
