Page 79 of The Forbidden Fling

The soft shape of her lips had to have been sculpted by goddesses. It was the only way to explain the silly somersault her stomach did whenever her mouth pulled up in the corner. Lips smooth and wide, their deep pink the most beautiful colour Faye had ever seen. Those lips could easily replace the Mona Lisa’s in the Louvre, with people crowding around for hours in the hope of seeing them move. Nothing compared to her smile—the real Diana smile—when laughter poured out of her like a shaken-up can of pop. Electric and unstoppable, unfiltered in a way that made Faye feel like she was standing in that museum where no one else was allowed entry and her pockets were lined with gold.

A little nip on her thigh made her gasp, and that tinkle of laughter vibrated against her skin, sending her stomach loop-the-looping.

“Did you hear me?” Diana asked. “Or have your other senses become numb from overstimulation?”

Faye stretched with a laugh, the burn pulling through her muscles. “The second one. You might have to be my guide Labrador for a few minutes while I recover.”

“Is that my new spirit familiar, hmm? Labrador? I had hopes it might be something a little more exotic.”

Faye brushed a stray hair behind Diana’s ear. “Do you think anyone has ever actually gone blind from coming? At least temporarily.”

“I’m not sure.” She pushed herself up, her gaze passing over Faye’s body. “But maybe we could concoct our own study?”

“So now you want to be my Labrador? Interesting.”

Diana shook her head, but Faye caught her smile. “Anyway, I said I was going to hop in the shower.” She stood, and Faye couldn’t help but ogle her round—and milky-white—arse, and how it jiggled gloriously with every step. “You’re more than welcome to join me. In fact, it’s encouraged.”

“Give me a minute to recover, and I’ll be right in.”

“Well, don’t take too long. We have to be at yoga in twenty minutes.”

“Of course, my queen.”

Diana disappeared into the bathroom, Faye glued to every slow sway of her hips until the door closed.

Diana really was a masterpiece.

She stretched her legs, fighting off a yawn with the back of her hand. The early morning would catch up with her later, but with both of them struggling for time in the evenings—Diana spending time with Molly, and Faye with Quin—they had to make some time somewhere. She rolled onto her side, shamelessly inhaling Diana’s scent on the pillow. She wished she could’ve stayed the night.

Faye wasn’t complaining. Though the doubting part of her brain would disagree. She didn’t want to explore the reasons why they hadn’t slept in the same bed. They’d stay up for hours talking until the early morning, but then Diana would make it clear that they needed to go back to their respective cabins. Faye didn’t want to read too much into it. She wanted to be respectful. But the selfish side of her, the one that wanted to know everything about Diana, from the way she took her coffee to her favourite colour Power Ranger, ached for the things she wouldn’t ever know. Did she snore? Did she curl up on her side or sleep on her front? And how soft would she look when sleep overcame her, and she didn’t have to worry about anything at all?

Faye wanted to ask her, wanted to tell her that she didn’t want this to end when the week did, but every time she opened her mouth, the words wouldn’t come. That little doubting voice whispered in her ear, telling her she was going to ruin everything. And now the Fire Ceremony was tomorrow, and they were leaving the day after. Two days.

Her heart squeezed at the thought of saying goodbye. Of going back home at all. She missed her dads and her four cats, but trying to go back to her old life before she knew Diana would be like trying to breathe underwater.

A low hum, mingling with the patter of water on tiles, infiltrated her thoughts. Was Diana…singing?

Faye turned her head to the bathroom. Then her voice came again. “Tell me why…”

Wait. The biggest grin took over Faye’s face. Not only was Diana singing in the shower… She was singing Backstreet Boys in the shower?

She had to press her hands to her chest, afraid her heart was going to burst. The feeling was too much, touching places it had no right to. The most gorgeous, smart, impeccably dressed woman she’d ever met had a guilty pleasure for nineties boy bands?

Are you kidding me?

Then a high-pitched scream cut through that feeling like a knife, and she sprinted into the bathroom, the steam hitting her face.

Diana had pressed herself back against the tiles, the stream of water hitting her feet.

“What’s wrong?” Faye asked. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” Diana swept her hair back, releasing a breathy laugh. “There was just a big spider.”

Afraid of spiders, too?

Faye bit the inside of her cheek, trying to squash the surging feeling in her heart, but it was too powerful, too full. “Would you like my spider-removal service?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”