One thing was clear: Tommy hadn’t just helped Julian – he’d gone above and beyond, vouching for a man he barely knew. And sure, the truth would have come out if Julianhadbeen arrested, but this was a far better outcome.
And I owed it all to Tommy.
‘Thank you for helping him,’ I said, suddenly so overcome with gratitude, I didn’t trust myself to say anything more.
‘Of course, Ally. I’d do anything for you.’
I inhaled sharply and looked away, tears pricking my eyes.
‘Besides, he can’t have beenallbad – I mean, you did marry him, after all.’
I looked back at Tommy, my eyes now glossed with tears. ‘Are you just saying that to make me laugh?’
He set his glass on the coffee table and edged closer. Taking my glass, he placed it beside his, then took my hand.
‘I would much rather have you laughing than crying, so yes.’
A kaleidoscope of emotions washed over me – loss and hurt and wonder and joy, all at once. I could hardly breathe.
‘It’s very difficult to stay mad at you,’ I whispered.
‘Why would you want to?’ he whispered back.
‘Because…’ My words drifted away, then abandoned me entirely. Unable to speak, I laid my free hand flat against my chest, right over my heart, and tapped it twice.
‘Your heart?’ he asked softly. ‘To protect it?’
I nodded, tears now running down my cheeks. That first moment I’d seen Tommy on Aetheria, tiny fissures had spidered their way across the landscape of my heart. Now, under Tommy’s potent yet tender gaze, those fissures deepened, forging valleys of fear and peaks of hope – both wanting to exert their power over me.
Thiswas me naked before him. This was all of me.
Eyes fixed on mine, Tommy didn’t speak, just moved closer, drawing his thumb across my cheeks to wipe my tears. He leaned in to kiss me.
I closed my eyes, my lips moving slowly, gently against his. He moved nearer, his other arm snaking behind me and pulling me to him. I slid my hand up his chest and over his shoulder, my fingers getting lost in his hair. I felt his tongue against mine, hesitant at first, and I pulled him further into the kiss, inviting more, igniting a visceral need deep within me.
God, I want him.
I broke free from the kiss, shoving him back against the sofa, then climbed on top of him, one knee either side of his thighs. His hands grabbed my arse as I dipped my head and kissed him again, our mouths hungry this time,wanting.
Tommy’s hands left my arse to tug impatiently at the tie around my waist. He tossed it aside, then shoved the robe off my shoulders, dropping his mouth to my breast and sucking hard on the nipple. I cried out. He reached for my hips and, fingers wide, slid his hands around to cup my bare arse, giving it a squeeze. I started grinding myself against his crotch, the robe and his jeans between us, his erection straining against the denim.
His mouth left my nipple and I looked down at him. He lifted his chin and I dipped my head for another kiss. His tongue was aggressive, tasting me, duelling with mine.
‘I need you, Ally,’ he said against my mouth. ‘I need to be inside you.’
I needed him too, but I also wanted to stay like that, making out on the sofa.
‘Now,’ he insisted, and with very little effort, he stood, holding me under my arse and carrying me to the bed. He tossed me onto it, making me laugh with glee, then hovered above me and kissed me –hard. He propped himself up on his side, parting my robe and running his hand hungrily over my breasts, my stomach, my thighs… everywhere but where I wanted him to touch me most.
I grabbed his hand and shoved it between my legs. ‘Rub my clit,’ I demanded, and he complied, knowing exactly how I liked it – pressing the pad of his thumb against me and moving in slow but firm circles while two fingers slipped inside me. I was so wet for him and vibrations zipped through me, my nerves electrifying as he took me closer and closer to the threshold.
‘Come for me, baby,’ he murmured, his lips against my skin. He flicked my nipple with his tongue, rapid and unrelenting, and the orgasm built. Shivers rippled down each limb, my fingertips and toes tingling. Hot yellow light consumed me, crashing about inside me and setting me ablaze. I rose and rose, knowing that when I tipped over the edge, Tommy would be there to catch me.
And he was.
I thrashed against his hand, crying out as the orgasm exploded within me, a supernova of sensation. It was some time before my eyes fluttered open and when they did, Tommy was watching me, a slightly-smug-but-completely-justified look on his face.
‘That was…’ I whispered.
