“After you,”Isaid, stepping aside and pressing back against the staircase as if to let her use the toilet first. “Ican wait.”
She rolled her eyes and stood across from me, her back against the opposite wall.Shestood on her toes so our eyes were more level.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, nodding back toward the dining room. “It’stoo much.”
“It’s really not,”Isaid, my voice soft. “Youdeserve everything you want, you know that?”
Chloe’s faux-stern expression melted. “You, too,” she said.
“Happy birthday,Chloe.”
“Thank you for coming.”Hervoice was low, full of meaning.
“I wouldn’t have missed it.Notfor anything.”
We stood there, facing one another, holding eye contact for a long time.Iwould miss this, standing off againstChloe, both literally and figuratively.Shechallenged me and pushed me and saw me better thanIwould have imagined anyone would.AndIdidn’t want to leave her.
I raised my arm and reached out to her across the hall, cupping her cheek with my palm, running my thumb along the ridge of her cheekbone.Shesighed and leaned into it, nuzzling into my hand.
“Teddy,” she moaned, which sent jolts all through me. “Thisisn’t a good idea.”
“Isn’t it?”Iasked. “Remindme why not.”
She looked up at me, a hint of mischief in her gaze now, as if she knew somethingIdidn’t.Butshe didn’t answer me.Weboth knew what our situation was, after all.AndI’dprepared for this.Ihad known she’d say it wasn’t a good idea.ButIknew now that she wasn’t rejecting me.Shewas trying to protect both of us.SowhileIwouldn’t do anything more unless she said it was okay,Ialso wouldn’t stand down unless she made it clear she didn’t want me.
“God,Iwant to kiss you so badly right now,” she said, biting at her lip.Itmade me clench hard inside, butIkept my cool.
“Then do it,”Iwhispered.
She shook her head into my hand. “Nota good idea,” she said again, as if reminding herself.
I looked into her eyes and tried to communicate to her that it was okay– that letting herself be kissed on her birthday wouldn’t make it any worse, even if it wouldn’t make it better, either– not in the long run, anyway.Itcould make it better right now, and that counted for something, too.
Clearly, she got the message.BecauseasIpushed forward off the wall only a fraction of an inch, she came the rest of the way, crashing into me.
The kiss was messy, frantic, all teeth and tongues and hands desperate for purchase.Itangled my fingers in her hair, pulling her head back to kiss her more deeply, eliciting a moan thatIfelt reverberate through my whole body.Shepressed me back against the banister, fingers digging into my ribcage, andIlost track of everything except the heat of her mouth and the taste of mead on her tongue.
Chloe moved away and grabbed my hand, presumably to take me upstairs, butIpulled her instead and redirected her into the bathroom.Onceinside,Ilocked the door and turned to face her, chest heaving.
“I don’t want to do this if you’re just going to leave,” she said, voice trembling.
I put both hands on her face; held her steady. “We’vebeen through this,Chloe.Idon’t have a choice.ButI’mhere now, andIwant you.AndIthink you want me, too.”
She stared at me for a long second, then nodded– a tiny, jerking motion.
“Okay,” she said. “Yes.Ido.”
And thenIwas kissing her again, softer this time, my hands skimming down her body until they found the lacing of that ridiculous yellow corset.Istarted to unlace her slowly.Herhands were everywhere– tangling in my hair, tugging at the hem of my shirt, dragging me closer until our bodies were flush.
WhenIfinally worked the corset loose,Ipushed it off hershoulders and let it drop to the tiled floor.Underneath, she wore the same thin, black lace bralette she’d worn to the wedding, already damp with sweat and anticipation.Iburied my face in her chest, nuzzling and kissing the swell of her breasts.Shegasped and arched into me asIbrought my mouth to her nipple, sucking it through the fabric, then pulled the lace aside and took her bare into my mouth, flicking my tongue until she moaned.Myhands slipped lower, tugging her jeans down just enough to expose the line of her underwear.Matchingagain, and this timeIsuspected it hadn’t been an accident.
She braced herself against the sink, head tipped back, hair falling free.Iglanced up, saw her all mussed and feverish, and felt a bolt of pure want shoot through me.
I kissed down her stomach, slowly and deliberately, then hooked my fingers under the waistband of her jeans and slid them down her thighs.Shewas wet– soaked, really– and whenIpressed my nose against the crease of her hip, she shuddered.
“Fucking hell,Teddy,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
I bent down slightly to wrap my hands around her thighs and lifted, and soon she was poised on the edge of the counter, her legs wide and waiting, the wet lace over her pussy practically dripping with want.Itugged it down next, and she helped me by lifting her hips slightly, both of us watching as it fell to the floor alongside the rest of her clothes.
