“I’m not nobody, and I’ll make sure you know that every single day that we’re together.”
Their lips met again as Amelia shifted and straddled Jo, pushing her back against the pillows, her body slick with sweat. She wanted to give something back, something honest. When Jo’s hands gripped her hips and guided her movements, Amelia sank down, rolling her hips gently and grinding against Jo until their breaths mingled and their moans matched the rhythm of their bodies. It was slow, and it was real as they moved together with aching precision, two souls finding one another in a way that wasn’t about release, but aboutreclaiming.
And when Jo came, soft and stuttering against Amelia’s shoulder, she whispered her name like it meant everything. “Amelia.”
Not Lia. Not anyone else. Just her…here, the light.
Amelia stayed on top of her, buried in the warmth of Jo’s arms, her face tucked into the curve of her neck as the faint thump of Jo’s heart beat steadily against her cheek.
She’d never felt more seen or more wanted.
Fuck, she’d never felt morereal.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The early morninglight was just beginning to peek through the curtains when Amelia stirred, still nestled into the warmth of Jo’s bed. She smiled as she listened to everything around her. The quiet breathing beside her, the occasional creak of the building as it adjusted to the rising sun. But most of all, she focused on the comforting weight of Jo’s arm slung over her waist.
God, she didn’t want to move.
She tilted her head and glanced up at Jo, her face soft with sleep, and those delicious lips parted slightly. Her chest rose and fell in a rhythm that calmed Amelia more than anything else had in weeks. She was so beautiful like this. Unburdened. Unaware of the time. Relaxed and free from the turmoil they’d faced both together and apart. And for once, Amelia didn’t feel the usual compulsion to slip away without being noticed. She didn’t feel ashamed of being seen or being held.
But reality was beginning to edge back in, and she knew she needed to go home. She had work piling up and emails she hadn’t answered. She had clients waiting, and a version of herself that needed piecing back together, even if it was just for a few hours of professionalism.
She didn’t want to go, but she had to.
She slowly pushed the blanket back and slipped out from under Jo’s arm. She reached for one of Jo’s hoodies and slid it over her naked body, bringing it to her nose as she smiled. It smelled like her. Warm. Safe.Home.
Creeping out into the living room, she grabbed her phone and started to scroll through the notifications she’d ignored since Friday. A reminder about her weekly check-in call with a business partner, a text from a contractor she’d recently hired, and a missed call from Evie. Nothing from Callum, which was both surprising and unsurprising.
She sat quietly on the couch, phone in hand, trying to resist the pull of anxiety that always hit after a moment of calm. Today would be hard, not because she didn’t want to face work or Callum or the world outside Jo’s flat, but because she had to leavethis. Because for the first time in a long time, she’d found somewhere that she didn’t feel like a guest.
“Hey…”
That soft, gravelly voice behind her pulled Amelia out of her thoughts.
She turned to see Jo leaning against the doorframe, her hair a mess and one eye squinting against the light. She rubbed at her face, yawning, and shuffled towards the couch with the energy of someone not ready to begin the day.
God, I love her.
“You weren’t in bed,” Jo muttered as she dropped down beside Amelia and curled into her. “I hated it.”
Amelia laughed as she wrapped an arm around her. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You should have. I had plans.”
“Oh, really? And what were those plans?”
“To trap you under the covers until noon.” Jo smiled against her. “Then coax you into the shower. Maybe lunch in bed after,followed by another nap. Possibly a more convincing shower the second time around. It was going to beveryproductive.”
Amelia sighed and pressed her lips to Jo’s hair. “Sounds like a dream, but unfortunately, I have to go home and face the real world.”
Jo groaned. “No. Stay. Hide with me. You can work from here, right?”
“I can, and I will. But I need to get some things…clothes, laptop, the will to live when I eventually bump into Callum.”
Jo lifted her head, her eyes half-lidded but shining with love. “Fine, but youarecoming back tonight.”
“I am.” Amelia tucked a strand of Jo’s hair behind her ear. “If you still want me.”
