“Wow!” The entirety of Green Park stretches out behind the balcony railing. London twinkles in the dusk. The Shard and the Eye are visible in the distance, and the sky is a fantastic purple and pink from the setting sun.
Mark walks around the room and comes up next to me. I lean onto his arm and he wraps it around my shoulder.
“You know, I’d taken this view for granted for years until I met you.”
“How? It’s magnificent.”
“You reminded me of the beauty in the world. More than reminded me, really, you pointed out things I’ve never noticed before.”
I turn to face him. He smiles, looking out at the world.
“Oh?”
“I loved this view when I moved in here in my twenties, but it was because it’s impressive and it’s mine. Now I love it because I appreciate the trees, the way the leaves stir in the wind, creating dancing shadows below.”
He’s repeating the words I told him on the phone weeks ago. I made an impact on him that early?
I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. He wraps both arms around me and stoops down, pressing his lips against mine. The warmth of his mouth makes my blood rush, and I open for him. I want more of everything. His tongue brushes over mine, and I stretch up into the kiss as far as my toes and height will allow.
The feel of him pressed up against me, his hard torso against my soft front, the powerful arms around me, and the soft warm tongue on mine—it all ignites me in a way beyond what I could imagine. It’s as if my brain only functioned on a low level before, and now I’m using all of it.
There’s no coming back from this.
With his solid erection flush against my lower stomach, I’m filled with need. That ache between my legs has been near constant since I met this man. I moan against his lips, wanting him inside me so badly.
“Are you hungry?” he asks, his lips hardly leaving mine.
“For you? Yes.”
He pulls away, but still holding my body close. “My chef, Emine, cooked for us. Do you want to eat?”
“Oh, you meant it? What about this?” I ask, and rub my lower stomach against his hard cock. We’re only separated by my thin dress and his cotton joggers.
He groans and kisses my temple. “We’ll get to that, but I have a surprise for you.”
“What is it?”
With his hand firmly wrapped around mine, he leads me through to the kitchen—it’s massive, made of grey and white marble, and with a kitchen island big enough to seat his whole family—and once we’re past it, in a dark alcove, he stops and turns to me.
“Close your eyes,” he whispers, and there’s a sweet, almost sheepish smile on his lips that I’ve not seen before.
I do as he says, of course, although I’d rather just keep looking at him. Does he look nervous? Surely not.
He leads me a few steps further, then I hear a door sliding open and the hum of London streets greets us; the drone of tyres on rough roads, muffled voices, and—hold on, what are these sounds? Crickets? Water trickling?
“Open your eyes.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
you…
REY
I blink my eyes open to find myself in a garden. Gaping, I take in the sight before me; the canopy of green hanging plants and purple wisteria with festoon lights in between. There’s a bright pink bougainvillea framing the view of Mayfair.
“This is extraordinary,” I finally manage to get out, and Mark grins—a sight that makes everything else fade.
“I’m glad you like it. I thought we could eat out here.” He gestures to the table where an alfresco setting of small plates and bowls cover the low table.
