He doesn’t hold back, no teasing, no waiting. His thumb grazes my clit and stays there, working into a rhythm until I’m practically humming with pleasure.
“I’m going to need you to come quick for me, sunshine,” he pants.
He tugs on my hair again, driving into me, working his thumb harder until I’m gasping at us in the mirror. His lips are parted too and seeing him come undone for me, the desperation in his eyes, the vulnerability, it builds so quick, I swear it could blind me. I grip harder onto the sink, collapsing forward, breaking eye contact.
“Gus,” I whimper as the release finds me like a flare spreading to every cell in my body, sparkling.
Almost instantly, I feel his teeth press softly into the skin at my neck as he groans, shivering from the release.
We must be still for a few minutes, breathing heavily, Gus’s thumb making small circles between my shoulder blades, his other hand on my stomach, holding me to him. Finally, he rearranges himself then lifts me like a doll and carries me back to the bed, laying me down, trailing kisses everywhere, brushing his lips over my belly button then blowing on it, making me squirm.
He sighs, then looks up at me through the unruly curlsthat have fallen over his eyes. “Sara, you’re an excellent distraction. The best.”
I run a hand through his hair. “Are you ok?”
“I’ll be fine,” he says. He releases my bun from the scrunchie and plays with my hair, making me shiver.
“What are we, Sara?” he asks. “It’s only…”
I sit up a little when he pauses. “What?”
He sighs. “The band is over. But this lifestyle… It’s not going anywhere. At the start of our adventure, you said you could never be with someone famous. Is that still true?”
“I don’t know.” I flop back down so I don’t have to look at him.
Gus moves to sit up, pulling me with him. I find myself pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Don’t say anymore,” he says. “I want to keep hold of this moment for as long as I can.”
And so I don’t.
Thirty-OneCruise Location – BarcelonaTime of Arrival – 10:00 (GMT+1)
Our final stop is in Barcelona. I pack my bags after breakfast and feel bizarrely bereft at the thought of returning to reality. I hand my suitcase over at the desk. The cruise company arrange for it to be delivered to the airport so that I’m free to explore Barcelona without hauling it around with me.
We chose not to disembark at Palamos, the penultimate destination because we didn’t want to risk ruining our last full day together on the cruise with him being spotted, followed and harassed.
Gus meets me in the lobby, and we stroll the city streets, shopping, taking photos, eating and drinking. It’s a bloody hot day and I’m grateful for my hat and the copious amounts of Fanta Limón I’ve drunk since we arrived. I’ve got a loose pair of denim shorts on, white sneakers and a flowy blouse. Gus, on the other hand, is dressed in his usual disguise of dark colours, cap and sunglasses.
He takes a seat on a nearby bench while I stroll round a couple of trinket stalls again, spying for last-minute gifts for my sisters. They’re little sparrows like me. They like smallshiny things they can put in small, adorable boxes. I pick up a few cute rings and a pretty gemstone.
Once I’ve browsed all the stalls I join him on the bench, sitting beside him and leaning on his shoulder. He smiles down at me but there’s a ghost of something behind his eyes.
“What happens after today?”
I swallow, glancing at my crossed ankles. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about it.”
“It feels insane to me that I’ve seen you every day for the last fortnight. At one point, you were my lifeline. And now, it’s just going to crumble into nothing.”
I look up and find him already staring. I sigh, nudging him with my elbow. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to tell him that I’ve loved this time but my very sensible brain tells me this is a holiday fling and all these feelings, this intense ache in my chest will all melt into nothing in a matter of days. I can’t say it, because my heart doesn’t believe it and I don’t want to hurt him.
I think he senses it anyway, letting out a slow sigh. He places a hand on my thigh and smiles sadly. He glances over my shoulder. “The city is busy,” he says. “Do you remember what I said about the burner phone and my team?”
I nod. “Call the number saved under security.”
“And the codeword?”
“Roko.”
“Good. Yeah. I have a feeling. I’m pretty sure I’ve been spotted already. And with everything going on, they’ll be speculation about where I am.”
