‘Oh, hey,’ I said, giving him a smile and resisting a sudden self-conscious urge to hide my make-up-free face, my wet hair slicked back from it.
With a quick check down the hall to the rest of the house beyond, he strode across the kitchen and without a word, gently took my face in his hand, kissing me.
Only just remembering to hold onto the bottle, the fridge door hanging open, I felt myself dissolve into him. His mouth was soft against mine, his movements gentle, but the urgency behind his kiss . . . the force I always felt around him, pulled tighter than ever.
‘Hey,’ he replied as we parted, his voice rough as he held my gaze. ‘I’ve been waiting for that all day.’
I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against his for a moment, feeling the now familiar sensation of wanting more – to stay next to him, safe against his body – warring with my recent thoughts of what it would mean to say goodbye.
I swallowed, hard.
‘I’ve got something for you,’ I murmured instead, forcing myself back. ‘You want a drink?’
I gestured to the bottle, not missing the slight puckering of his brow as he made his way to the sink and began washing his hands, the foam from the soap turning black as he scrubbed.
‘Sure,’ he replied. ‘You all good?’
I nodded, beckoning him to follow me as he finished up, taking another bottle and leading him back down the hall to my room. Bailey was out tonight, Lottie and Cole already crashed out in his room.
He followed, crossing the threshold slowly, eyes not leaving me as I closed the door behind us. Grabbing the two items I’d bought for him off the bed, as our eyes met again, I was suddenly aware this was the first time we’d been alone in a bedroom together.
‘I got you something,’ I said, careful to keep an arm’s length between us, just for now. ‘Well, two things.’
‘Okaaay,’ he replied, smiling as I handed over a small paper bag and a gift bag. Then, with a glance to my bathrobe, he added, ‘I’ve got something for you, too.’
He delved into the paper bag, drawing out a small brown bottle and squinting at the label.
‘Arnica oil,’ I said softly, daring to step closer, running a hand over his left shoulder. His eyes shot to my face at the touch, flaring. ‘I’ve seen you wincing a little, am I right? Guessing you hurt it last weekend?’
He said nothing for a moment, studying me.
‘You got this for me?’
I rolled my eyes.
‘I don’t know anyone else stupid enough to get thrown around on a wild, three-thousand-pound animal and do fuck knows what to their body,’ I retorted, unable to hold back from returning his smile in response. ‘You put a few drops in the bath. It’ll help your bruising heal, tone down the aching.’
‘Your bath?’ he asked, stepping into the remaining space between us, forcing me to tilt my head right back to maintain eye contact.
‘If you like,’ I breathed, feeling my body respond, suddenly desperate for him to remove my robe, his clothes.
He made a rumbling sound in his throat as he reached into the gift bag, pulling out a small, tissue-wrapped object.
‘And what’s this?’
I shrugged as he unwrapped it.
‘I’m new to this whole buckle bunny business,’ I murmured as the metal inside glinted in the low lights of the bedroom. ‘But I thought of you when I saw it . . . and me. Well,us.’
The tissue fell to the floor as he freed the skull belt buckle. He turned it over for a moment, running his thumb over the skull as he looked back at me. His eyes had become molten, just as they had been in the truck.
‘You thought of us?’ he asked slowly, softly, as though afraid saying the words again might render them to dust.
I nodded, too afraid to say more, knowing with every cell that he was feeling the same as I was in that moment. He leant down slightly, his lips coming to brush mine.
‘I fucking love it,’ he whispered, his tongue tracing my lower lip as my mouth opened to him. ‘I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but it’s beautiful. Thank you, Jessica.’
We fell into another kiss, fuelled by my insistence this time, pulling him to me and letting the feelings wash over the thoughts and doubts that whirled in my head. As I scraped my nails over his existing belt buckle, threatening to take it off, he smiled.
