He chuckles, this one deep and hearty, filled with the joy and comfort I’ve come to crave since we stopped talking. He rises from his seat, walking towards me until we’re toe to toe, his breath tickling the skin on my face.
‘Any plans for your time off?’ he asks, his lips brushing lightly against mine as he speaks.
‘No idea, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I’m pretty well-known for going with the flow nowadays,’ I say teasingly.
His mouth parts widely, throwing his head back to laugh before bringing it down until we’re nose to nose.
‘You know, I hate to say it, but I think that you actually may have won this bet,’ he says.
I raise an eyebrow. ‘I don’t know. . . Your organisation impressed me. Didn’t you say you went as far as yourown five-year-plan?’
‘That I did,’ he says. ‘But it wasn’t nearly as detailed as yours. In fact, there was only one thing I wanted to achieve.’
He breaks us apart yet again, reaching for his pocket and pulling a torn-out sheet from a space in his wallet. He unfolds it carefully before taking my hand and sliding it gently into my palm.
In five years’ time, whatever I’m doing, I’d better be doing it with Maddison Clarke by my side.
I sigh. ‘Aiden.’
‘Don’t,’ he says, snaking his arm round my waist and pulling me in until we’re chest to chest. ‘We’ve done enough talking. Just promise to help me achieve it.’
His lips brush against mine again as he speaks, each movement so deliciously teasing. But I’m done with theteasing– I cannot take it any more. I grab the back of his head, our lips crashing together with more urgency than ever before.
Our first kiss, and every kiss that followed, was incredible, life-changing in so many ways, but this one is something else. This one is propelled above by its extraordinary level of honesty. I am kissing Aiden Edwards, the man whom I love. The man whom a part of me has always known that I love. And now I know that he loves me too. Loves me with every stroke of his tongue and every teasing bite of my lip. I pull away from him slightly.
‘What?’ he asks as he pauses to study my face.
Beneath the swollen lips and flushed complexion, I assume I must look quite bemused. I can’t help it.
‘This dress is very structured, so we have to be careful with sudden movements,’ I say with a small smile. ‘But, seriously. I just can’t believe this isus. This is where you and I have ended up.’
He smiles sweetly, the two of us exchanging giddy looks of disbelief before he looks me up and down again, hunger returning. I sink to my knees in front of him, eliciting a pre-emptive sigh, before I reach behind him and snatch a handful of napkins from the cabinet. I rise and flash a triumphant smirk at his stony expression.
‘Come on, we have an event to run,’ I say, holding out my hand.
He huffs a laugh and reaches out, his fingers slotting perfectly between mine. I give his hand a small squeeze, a silent promise that whatever happens next, I won’t be letting go.
Epilogue
Three years later
‘Are you wearing a tie?’ I ask, leaning against the doorframe of our room and ogling shamelessly as Aiden fixes his collar in the mirror.
‘What, is it too much?’
He glances down, awkwardly adjusting it with a mild panic. His breath quickens, eyes focused as his fingers twirl the fabric between them. I stride towards him and our hands brush as I take it from him, flipping the fabric over itself and smoothing the material down before using it to pull him closer.
‘Not at all. In fact, you should wear ties more often.’
He relaxes instantly, the lines in his forehead softening as he brings his face down to mine for a sweet, tender kiss.
‘I asked Anika what colour your dress was and had her source me something that would coordinate without looking too matchy,’ he says.
I can’t even try to control the soft noise of pleasure that leaves my mouth. It’s barely there– a scratch above a whisper, and probably would have gone unnoticed in regular circumstances. But here, pressed up against Aiden Edwards, a man who worships every step and breath I take? It stood no chance. His lip curls at the sound and he shakes his head in mock judgement.
‘This little nerd fetish of yours is getting out of control,’ he says teasingly.
‘It’s not nerdy to appreciate preparedness!’ I shuffle closer between his legs. ‘And you love it.’
