“Just you sitting here on the floor with your shirt on, no pants, and a condom in your wallet.” She shook her head at me. “Some things never do change, do they?”
“And some things do.” I pulled her over me, my need for her now desperate. Did she have any clue how I feltabout her? Skye had been my wildfire, my warmth, and a part of me had gone cold the day she’d walked away.
Sliding inside her again ignited me.
I wanted to touch and taste every last bit of her. I gasped as she reared back, bracing herself on her hands, and began to ride me, her hips moving as urgently as my hands did across her body. Reaching out to the V of her legs, I slid my fingers over her, finding how wet she was around me, and rubbed.
Skye’s breath caught, and her pace quickened, and I dropped back, watching this glorious goddess, her amber hair tumbling down her shoulders, take her bliss against me.
Pleasure rose, a wave inside me, as I thrust into her, hard against her soft, loving the feel of her as she rocked against me. Her muscles tightened, drawing me deep, and my desire skyrocketed. She picked up the pace, and I met her, thrusting hard from beneath her, matching her, beat for beat, until we finished the song our bodies were making together.
It was one of the best moments of my life and when we both broke at the same time, shuddering in ecstasy and relief, a part of me died.
And I was pretty sure I didn’t want that part back.
Because how? How would I ever be able to let her go again?
Outside, Esther’s laugh rang like a bell as she cued up a new DJ set and music blared. The twinkle lights bounced across the ceiling, and I, who had made a living out of pretending, sat on a rug and believed in something as stupid and frightening as hope.
Nine
SKYE
The news broke by mid-afternoon the next day.
Noah Byrne cleared of wrongdoing.
A presenter with swishy blond hair called Noah “an unwitting victim of a trusted adviser” in that polished, sympathetic tone they save for rescued seals and handsome men with tragic eyes.
I put my phone face down on the counter and stared at the toaster.
By the time I’d finished making tea, I’d received a dozen texts.
Don’t let his ego get too inflated, or he’ll beunbearable.
Noah padded into the kitchen in socks, hair still sleep-ruffled, and read the text message over my shoulder.
“Och, I’m the unbearable one?” Noah asked. “You saw what happened when you gave Esther a microphone.”
Turning, I slid into his arms and chuckled.
“True. She’s an absolute menace.”
“Apparently I didn’t help embezzle millions,” he said.
“Congratulations on officially not being a criminal.”
He hugged me tighter, and I burrowed my face into his chest.
“God, Skye. You were right. About it all. I hate what trusting him meant for us.”
It was tough to hear the regret in his voice.All those years lost.
Shaking it off, because there was no use trying to change the past, I left his arms and put the kettle on, because that’s what we did when emotions got the best of us.
It was all too new, and at the same time, so very old … for me to really unravel all the complicated feelings that the night before had brought for me. Being with Noah again had been amazing, our chemistry had always been off the charts, but I wondered if that was the easy part. Giving ourselves to each other was as natural as taking my next breath, but now in the bright light of morning, I worried that my heart just might not be able to handle watching him walk away again.
Outside, the siege had turned into a carnival. Word got out that tonight’s Christmas concert would go on—as if Esther would ever let a little fraud and international scandal ruin her event—and the village hall sold tickets faster thanmince pies at the bakery. There was no hiding the fact that Noah would be playing at the concert, nor did I think they tried. Now that he’d been exonerated, it was time for him to sing for his supper, so to speak. Kingsbarns had stood for him, now it was time for him to repay the favor. The paparazzi, having been strong-armed into paying for parking and forced to sing carols off-key as penance, bought tickets too, even though they’d been warned about filming during the event.
