Which wasn’t true. The man had absolutely no control over my descent whatsoever.
Still. It made me feel better, in a way I was quickly learning only Patrick could.
Which was something I was absolutely not going to examine here and now, dangling off the side of a building.
Slowly, I began to walk down.This is nuts! Laura and Anna are never going to believe it!
But as I reached Patrick, then matched his pace as we continued to descend, I had to admit that this was kind of … fun.
Exhilarating.
Patrick chuckled, and his laughter warmed me. ‘You’re enjoying this!’
‘I am not,’ I shot back, holding a little tighter to my rope as we made it down another floor.
‘I knew you’d like it,’ he said happily. ‘And I wanted you to actually enjoy yourself. I mean – you deserve to have fun. This wasn’t your fault, after all – you didn’t ask for any of this crap.’
I was hardly going to argue with him. Not fifty or so feet off the ground.
Besides, he was … different, like this. Freer. More open. This was a side of Patrick he clearly kept close to the chest, that few people were privileged enough to see.
I couldn’t help but be grateful. Flattered, even.
And then he said something I was not expecting. ‘Race you to the bottom.’
‘Race to – Patrick!’
He was gone, swiftly yet controlled. Faster than I could ever even think to go.
‘Patrick!’
Despite my better judgement, I did the stupid thing. I looked down.
The ground swam in dizzying circles and, in the centre, all I could see was Patrick.
Patrick. His eyes, shining up at me as he stood on the safe, solid ground.
‘Jessy.’ His voice sounded far away. ‘You can do this, Jessy.’
The deep, shuddering breath I slowly inhaled wasn’t enough – but nothing would be, not until I was back in his arms.
‘I can do this,’ I muttered quietly, gripping the rope tightly. ‘I can do this.’
Slowly, slowly, and then faster, I stepped down, until I was almost leaping down the side of the building, my lungs burning and my mind spinning and my stomach soaring and –
And then I was on the ground, but I wasn’t, because I was in Patrick’s arms and he was holding me.
Holding me safe. Holding me close. Holding me in a way that Derek would have heartily approved of.
One arm gripped tightly around my waist, the other slid downwards. I looked up, heart pounding, a thank you on my lips … and instead found myself kissing him.
A real kiss, this time.
And fuck me, what a kiss. Heat and relief and sweetness and passion, his tongue twisting pleasure in my mouth that I hadn’t felt in – had I ever felt like this? Adrenaline pumping and spirits soaring and Patrick’s hands holding me tight, as though he never wanted to let me go.
I lost myself to the kiss, eyes closed, head tilted, giving more of myself than I had ever thought possible, my whole body reacting to the heat, the vibrancy of this man –
I was kissing Patrick.
