I smiled. “Goodnight, my angel.”
39
BREAKING NEWS: Henry Darlington Kisses Hotel Employee on Balcony!
Online news story by theINsider
Kate
Henry.
He was my first thought when I woke. Had he really joined me in my room last night, or had I just dreamed it? He had been held up at the ball. I waited for him for hours, resisting sleep, but eventually, my exhaustion had got the better of me. The evening had been so tiring, emotionally as well as physically. There had been so many people. So many new faces. So many conversations I hadn’t been able to follow.
Sitting alone in my room waiting for Henry hadn’t helped. I hadn’t been able to shake the words of the two women in the restroom—because they were true. Regardless of how you looked at it, I might belong to Henry, but not in his world—and I never would. He had enough money for both of us and could shower me with luxury—but I would never truly fit. The wealth, the extravagance, and the excess would never feel natural to me. Even if I hadmore money, I would still buy secondhand clothes, because that’s what I had always done. I would always choose a practical rucksack over an expensive designer handbag. If I ever went on holiday, I would choose hiking and camping over sitting around some fancy ski resort. And I would much rather eat burgers at McDonald’s or pizza straight from the box than swanky caviar hors d’oeuvres. These little things would always set my world apart from Henry’s.
I yawned and stretched—and felt something warm and firm beside me.
Another body.
So it hadn’t been a dream.
I opened my eyes. The first light of day streamed in through the window, illuminating Henry asleep beside me. He lay on his front, his face half buried in the pillow, his black hair tousled. I reached out a hand to brush a few strands from his face. He seemed tense even in sleep, as if his dreams were plagued with worries and responsibilities too.
I leaned forward and pressed my mouth gently against his, and his eyes instantly opened. He fixed a drowsy gaze on me, looking up from beneath half-lowered eyelids. The tension vanished from his face immediately, and his lips curled into a sexy smile. The fluttering I’d felt in my chest last night returned.
“Good morning,” he mumbled, his voice rough and raspy with sleep.
I smiled back. “Good morning to you too.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. You?”
He nodded. “Your bed must be magic. I never sleep this well in my own.”
“Then you should sleep here more often.”
“Perhaps I will,” Henry hummed. He reached for my body under the blanket, pulled me close and kissed me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Sighing, I wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips sent my pulse skyrocketing. His hands slid lower, slipping under The Darlington T-shirt I’d taken from the laundry room.
Last night on the balcony, I had wished he hadn’t been wearing gloves so I could feel his skin on mine—and now my wish had come true. I shivered as his fingertips danced over my spine. A liquid heat coursed through my body, and I arched towards Henry. I couldn’t get enough of him. Burying my hands in his hair, I pulled his face closer to mine. He moaned with pleasure as we kissed, and bit gently on my lower lip. No man had ever kissed me like Henry, with so much longing, and so all-consumingly—and I had never kissed back with such urgency. The kiss was intoxicating, robbing me of all sense of time. Nothing else mattered. I forgot last night’s worries, and all my insecurities and reservations vanished.
Henry eventually pulled away from me, his chest rising and falling rapidly. I felt just as breathless. We looked at each other silently for a moment, too dazed to speak. My lips tingled from our kiss.
Henry lifted one hand from my back and gently brushed the hair from my forehead. I loved when he did that. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it earlier last night.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like you stood me up on purpose.”
“I’d never do that. I was thinking about you the entire time.” He began planting tiny kisses along my neck. His warm breath tickled my skin, and the hairs on my forearms stood on end, as if they too wanted to be close to him.
“And I was thinking about you,” I confessed, although it was difficult to focus on speaking. I tilted my head, offering up more ofmy neck to his lips. The buzzing of his phone vibrating filled the room, but we didn’t react.
Henry kissed my throat, running his tongue over my skin, as if savouring my taste, before gently sucking at my neck. My breath hitched, and I couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel if he did the same to other parts of my body. The thought sent a rush of nervous excitement through my veins, like the molten heat of lava.
“How can you possibly taste this good?” Henry mumbled against my skin.
“Water and soap,” I replied, my voice throaty with desire.
He laughed, and I loved how the sound made my entire body thrum. A moment later, though, his phone began to vibrate again on the bedside table. His kisses slowed. I could sense that he was trying to ignore the interruption, but this time, he was unsuccessful.
