I let out a short laugh and hang my head, gesturing with one hand towards the shower by the sauna. “I’m not getting in it with you.”
She covers her face with both hands, stifling an embarrassed-sounding giggle, and I can’t help but laugh myself.
And that’s when it hits me. I don’t want this moment to end. It might be weird and awkward, but I don’t care. I want to stay right here by her side, just the two of us. I don’t want to go upstairs and start my day. I don’t want to walk into a future where she’s not in the penthouse, waiting for me. Or where we don’t sit at the kitchen island, side-by-side and talk about the future of her business.
These past couple of months, there’s been a pleasant buzz beneath my skin when I come home at the end of the day, knowing the woman I want to see is going to be there. I’ve tried to ignore it, but it’s been there almost from the very beginning.
A slow sense of dread tugs at my limbs, a sinking sensation penetrating my gut. I’m attracted to my daughter’s best friend.But that’s not even the full picture. I long for her company; her nearness. I love her enthusiasm, her smile, the way she chews on her lip when she’s unsure about something. I love seeing the passion she brings to her work.
I want Diana Marchetti in every way it’s possible to want a woman. I can’t pretend it’s not true anymore; I can’t push it away or ignore it. I can’t sustain the effort it takes to compartmentalise it. It was always going to spill over.
I amfucked.
Not even the message on my phone that arrived out of nowhere from the woman at Delirium was enough to sway me from Diana.
I didn’t answer it because all I could think about was the feel of her lips on mine, the scent of her perfume in my nose, and the fact that I’ve been quietly obsessing over her for months.
She sits up, her expression one of concern. “Areyouall right?”
Damn. I force my features into neutral. “Yeah. Fine.”
We fall silent, neither of us saying anything, but there’s an energy humming between us, a current that skims my skin and makes it prickle. Every part of me wants to reach out and touch her.
It’s insane.
I cannot—will not—do this.
But when I glance up, her honeyed eyes are there to catch mine, and she sucks in a sharp breath at the contact.
My chest constricts as if I’m standing on a precipice, not knowing if I’d rather fall into oblivion or step back to safety.
Neither of us moves, and I sink into her gaze for a moment that stretches far too long.
In my head, I hear her words from the night at the opera.That’s the next beat. The kiss. That’s what’s supposed to happen.
My attention slips down her face, coming to rest on her mouth, her pretty pink lips, and my own mouth parts a fraction.
In another universe, Iwouldkiss her right now. But instead, I push a sweat-slicked strand of hair from her forehead and trail the back of my knuckles down her cheek, over her cheekbone. Her breath hitches as my hand reaches the corner of her mouth.
I can’t move away. There’s a force bigger than my will that keeps my fingers resting on her face.
But it’s wrong. So, so wrong.
Her breath caresses my skin, and then, still holding eye contact, she slides her tongue out and teases the knuckle of my ring finger with it.
Everything in me turns to water; resistance is an impossibility. Whatever she wants to do, I’ll let her.
Her licking is slow and languorous at first, like she’s investigating the territory with the tip of her tongue, but soon she sucks more of me into her mouth, her tongue curling about the knuckle, and her teeth nipping it with a gentle bite. A ferocious heat melts my insides as she sucks harder, and all of me wants to slide inside her mouth and push against her probing tongue.
The groan that rumbles loose in my chest is obscene, leaving no room for doubt about what she’s doing to me or how I feel about it.
The noise seems to shock her, and her mouth pops off my knuckle. In the silence, she pants quietly, and my breathing comes just as quickly as hers.
What the fuck was that?
She taps my knee and whispers, “I feel it too.”
Before I can say anything, she stands and walks away, grabbing her robe from where it’s hanging on the wall, and leaves me alone.
