“Tell me what you need,” he says.
I arch up into him, and he groans. “Sadie.”
I can’t tell him with words. I wrap my arms around him as he moves and we’re slowly spinning, a cocoon of thread winding its way from my body, binding us tighter and tighter, traveling through my limbs and weaving ustogether. Everywhere he touches me, the threads weave, and a part of him becomes part of me.
And suddenly the words are there. God knows if they’re the right ones. “I just thought you were the handsomest man I’d ever seen. You were so smart, and so committed to your girlfriend. I just worshipped you, and then you didn’t want me to stay here, and I realized you were struggling, and …”
He groans as he stops moving. “Oh, God. No, Sadie. That’s awful. I’m so sorry that I …”
“No, we’ve already been over that. Don’t stop!” I clutch at his shoulders, and he rubs against me, bumping my nose with his again.
I let out broken laugh. “I thought you might not want this, after everything.”
He stills again, staring at me again. “What?Want what?”
“A relationship.”
“Are youkiddingme? What do you think we’ve been doing over the last month?” He lets out a groan. “God, I’m an idiot. I should have said something before now. God, I can’t bear it, I can’t bear that you thought …”
He shifts his hips, threading his fingers through my hair. “You’re everything to me, Sadie. Every day you do something new, and I realize just how amazing you are all over again.”
“Stop, James. I can’t take …”
He stills his hips, and I dig my nails into his shoulder.
“Not that,” I whisper. “Don’t keep saying how amazing I am.”
He growls. “I’m going to keep saying it until you believe me. I think youareway too good for me. I’m not better than you, Sadie. No way. Don’t think like that about us.”
Most of the time, when it’s just James and me chatting over pasta or a cookery show, I can do it. “When we’re at work, or I’m watching you speak in front of a group of people, I feel like a fan girl with a crush.” Honestly, I’m getting far too good at this speaking-and-sharing thing now.
He laughs. “If you knew how much I was panicking, you wouldn’t think that. And you’re going to be doing that soon.”
I’m presenting the system for bringing in more engineers without a degree to the management team of him, Cath, and Roy next week.
“Can I be a fanboy with a crush?” He kisses me again as his hips flexforward, and somehow, I think he’s done talking. His hand slides between us as his blue eyes fix on mine, and then those long fingers are where I need them. He presses, and I gasp, and his eyes crinkle, growing somewhat smug. He loves doing this to me, making tiny circles with perfect pressure, and my toes curl where I’ve got my legs wrapped around his calves.
He’s moving, too, a slight back-and-forth, but leaving room for his hand.
“James. I’m …”
“Are you close?”
“Yes, I …”
“Oh God, oh God.”
“Please.”
“Oh, please.”
“Right there.”
He lets out a long groan, but he still hasn’t moved his eyes from mine. Watching me, taking it all in.
His fingers press a little harder on my clit, and how well he knows my body, now.
“Come for me, Sadie. Can’t hold back, I …”
