Her lips crash onto mine, warm and soft. I part them with my tongue sweeping in, claiming her. I should take it slow and soft, but I can’t. I haven’t had her lips on me in so long. I go in hard, gripping her face in my hands. Pulling her body into me. One hand wraps around her back, gripping into her clothes, swearing I’ll never let go. Praying she is holding on to me as much as I am to her.
She breaks away from me. Breathless. I rest my forehead against hers. My heart is beating in my throat as I desperately wait for what she will say next.
“Let’s go back to the house. We need to talk, Elton. I can’t be swayed by the way your kiss makes me feel.”
“Okay. But, Reilly … hold on to that feeling because I’m pouring everything into you.”
The walk is quick and quiet. Neither of us speak. I hold on to her hand and interlock her fingers, swiping my thumb over her knuckles. Her skin is soft beneath the calloused pads of my fingers.
We get to the front door, and I let both of us in. The house is dark: Claire has gone home for the evening, and Jeeves is nowhere to be found. There is a glow coming from the underlighting in the kitchen, and a bottle of red with two wine glasses sits on the counter.
I take Reilly’s bag and cardigan and hang it in the cloakroom. Gripping her hand again, I pull her into the kitchen and set her on a stool. I pass her a freshly poured glass of wine as I drop a kiss onto her forehead. She takes a sip and looks around. Her shoulders relax. She’s happy to be back in my home. Our home. There is a silence between us, both waiting for the other to start talking.
“I’m sorry,” I start.
“For?” A short sharp question.
“Everything. Everything, Reilly. I was cold to you. Rude. It’s unforgivable behaviour.”
“So why should I forgive you?” She fingers the stem of the wine glass.
“Because I’ve learned. I know why I reacted the way I did to Neive being in hospital. I know what caused my downfall, and I will never allow you to be at the end of that again.”
“You can’t promise me that.” It’s barely a whisper.
“No,” I agree, “but I can promise to try.”
She turns her eyes from me down into her glass like it might hold all the answers. “You hurt me, Elton. All I wanted to do was be there for you and help you, but you threw me away. You turned your back on me and gave me zero opportunity to fight for me. To fight for us.”
“I know. I know, I know. I fucked up. Massively.” My hands slam into the counter. I want to throw the glass across the room. I hate that I made her feel like that. She gave me every part of herself and I locked her out of my heart. “God dammit, Reilly. I love you.” My voice is raised, but she doesn’t falter. She knows she has nothing to fear from me. “If you can’t trust that I won’t hurt you again, then I will respect that and leave you alone to go on with your life. But you’re it for me, Reilly. I won’tlove again. I won’t be able to. Because I’ll spend the rest of my days in love with you. Nothing will compare. I beg you, let me prove to you that I’m over my stupid issues. I’ve moved past them, and my main focus will be on you. Let me love you, Reilly. It will be messy and chaotic, but it will be real. That I promise you.”
Her eyes haven’t left mine. The glass clinks on the marble surface as she puts it down and rests her hands on either side of my face.
“Don’t tell me, Elton. Show me.”
I grip her waist and lift her onto the kitchen counter, stepping between her legs, taking her lips in mine passionately. My hands snake round to her arse, grabbing at her and pulling her to the edge, pressing her core against me. I moan as she rocks herself against my abs. She deepens the kiss and presses herself against me. I can’t get close enough to her. I can’t show her everything I’m feeling.
I kiss her neck, nipping at her skin. She gasps at the sensation. I lift her, and she instinctively wraps her legs around me as I carry her up the stairs and into my room.
I don’t turn on the light, letting the glow from the bathroom illuminate her as I drop her onto my bed. I climb over her, my heart pumping. She stares into my eyes and twirls her fingers through my hair. It’s longer than the last time she was with me. In my bed, where she belongs.
“I’ve missed you,” I whisper into her ear as I slide my hands down her body, feeling the peaks and dips of her curves. I want to ravish her, rip her clothes from her body and take every inch of her. Show her she is mine. But tonight is about more than possession. I need to show her how good our love can be.
I pull her up so she’s sitting on her haunches, unbuckling her stupidly sexy dungarees and lifting her top over her head. She returns the favour, stripping me of mine and running herhands down my chest to my belt. I find my hands making their way to her breasts. Featherlight touches dance across her skin as I take her mouth in mine. Her lips are soft and sweet.
The taste of sugar sits on them from her day of baking. I need her. Every inch of her.
She unbuckles my belt, reaches inside my boxers and grabs my dick. I hiss at the contact, her hand heaven against my skin. I slip the cup of her bra down and suck hard on her nipple.
“Elton, god!” she moans through breathless whispers. “I need you, please.”
“I’ve got you, Sunshine, relax. Let me take care of you,” I tell her as I push her onto her back and relieve her of the rest of her clothing. She’s lying in a pair of black lacy panties, resting on her elbows, her tits pushed forward, and her curly mane cascading over her shoulder. I grab my cock in an attempt to calm myself down.
My hand gently trails up her leg, starting at her ankle, sweeping it along her calf and over her knee, delicately tracing it across her thigh.
“I love every inch of you, Reilly, your beautiful legs. The way you bounce from one foot to the other when you’re excited.”
I continue across her belly, swirling my fingertips around, making her gasp at the sensation. “I love how when you laugh, like really laugh, you hunch over and grab your stomach. Like you’re a cartoon character.” She chuckles at this one as I slip her panties down her legs and drop them to the floor. Then run both fingers over her shoulders and down her arms, reaching her hands as I clasp both in mine, interlocking our fingers. “I love your arms as you knead dough, your muscles strong. Putting the full force of Reilly into it. And I love how your delicate fingers create the most intricate designs.” I bring her hands to my mouth and kiss each knuckle.
