‘Of course. It’s a classic. Do you want it?’
‘No, I have it at home.’
He pouts then snatches the book from me and takes it to the counter, handing over a two-pound coin.
‘Now you have a copy for your new home.’ He hands me the yellow paper bag, rests an arm around my shoulder, and points us back towards the car.
He wants to share his home with me. He looks and acts like he loves me. But he doesn’t say it.
I’m risking everything for you,Gregory. Please let me in.
Amy has made boeuf bourguignon and left a note to say it’s in the oven. It smells delicious but I’m still stuffed from the bread feast at lunch.
Gregory pours us both a glass of water from the fridge and slides mine across the breakfast bar to me. It seeps into my veins, cool and refreshing. He fiddles with the remote to the sound system and Des’ree ‘I’m Kissing You’ plays through the entire apartment. He takes a glass of wine to draw us a bath and calls me to join him once I’ve undressed and hung up my clothes. I sit in the bath, leaving space for Gregory to lower himself into the bubbles behind me. His movement makes the candles in the bathroom flicker as he pulls me back into his hard chest and begins soaking and squeezing a flannel over my skin.
‘Tell me about the women: the women at the hunt, other women.’
I feel him tense against my back. He stills for a moment, then slides the flannel across my chest.
‘I don’t want to piss you off; it’s just, I know you must have been with a few. I guess I’m curious. Have you ever… been in love?’
He exhales and squeezes the flannel again. I leave the silence hanging between us, waiting to be filled.
‘The night of your father’s funeral, you asked me to help you forget. Do you remember?’
I nod, not wanting to speak because this is new and I don’t want to say the wrong thing and close the door.
‘You wanted to have sex with me so that you didn’t think about anything else. To help you block out the pain.’
I’m beginning to understand. I nod again.
‘I’ve spent my life trying to forget, Scarlett, and it never worked. Not until you. Those women, all other women, they’ve meant nothing to me. I sleep with women, I work, drink, run, all to try to forget. It never works.’
I shuffle in the water so I’m resting between his legs, my chin on his chest, looking up at him. ‘What do you want to forget?’
His expression changes; he’s putting up his walls. I’ve found out everything I’m going to. For now. I crawl up his body and press my lips against his, thankful that he’s shared at least something.
He’s never been in love.
He pulls his hands through my wet hair and kisses me, his tongue working around mine in slow, smooth circles. My hips roll against him in response. I move my hand to his length and find him already hard. He groans into my mouth before I break our contact and slide down his wet skin. His hips rise, lifting hisshaft out of the water. I look up at him and find hazed eyes. He wants it.
I turn my tongue around his tip and listen to him moan. Then I nibble the skin at his navel and down each of his thighs until he’s pushing his pelvis up, inviting my mouth. I make him wait, trailing a finger up his sack until I cup him, applying pressure to his base and lightly stroking his back entrance. When his hips buck higher, I take him in my mouth, sucking the head then seizing as much of him as I can. I close my eyes and concentrate on taking him deep until he’s touching the back of my throat. He thrusts his hands into my hair and pushes further into me. I take a deep breath and accept him, opening my throat. Then I swallow.
‘Fuck, Scarlett!’
I draw back up his length and flick my tongue across his sensitive spot, then slide back down, taking him deep again.
‘Fucking hell!’
He’s pulling my hair, holding me still and pushing himself deeper into my mouth until my eyes are watery. His need for me turns me on beyond reason. Drawing back and wrapping my hand across his base, I swirl my tongue around the end of him and pump up and down with my fists, feeling him build beneath me. He throbs and swells further, his scrotum tightening. I remove my hand and withdraw my mouth. Then I step out of the bath and, feigning nonchalance, dry myself off with a towel.
‘You are fucking kidding me, lady!’
I wrap the towel around me then throw him a minxy grin over my shoulder. ‘I was promised a spanking.’
‘Oh, now you’redefinitelygetting a fucking spanking!’
‘Is there a need to swear, Mr Ryans?’
