Page 51 of Siren's Heart

"There, all done,” she announces, and I hide my disappointment when she takes her hands out of my hair. “Now you don't look freshly fucked anymore," she declares and winks at me, releasing my head with a groan.

"You're going to be the death of me," I mutter and tear my gaze away from her cleavage, leaning my forehead against hers and search her eyes. What I find in them is amusement and affection, small lines announcing the smile on her lips.

"Likewise," she mumbles back and brushes my lips with hers in a quick kiss.

The voices on the other side of the door become louder, and I eye the doorknob to my right, hoping, no, sending goddamn prayers that they're not heading for his room.

We both hold our breaths when the voices are right in front of the door, releasing them when they continue walking and finally disappear down the corridor. While we've decided to go public with the relationship, I’m glad we’re on the same page about not having to give anyone a show.

Her arms slide around my back, and she leans her chin against my collarbone, nudging my throat with her nose, causing me to chuckle when her breath tickles my sensitive skin there. If she turns her head, she'll hear my heart thumping at a gallop.

"Good. I need to recharge a bit before we get out there," she whispers and takes a deep breath, burying her face in my shirt.

Instinctively, my arms fasten around her as well, hugging her to me tightly.

"That’s the best idea I've heard all day." I lean my cheek on top of her head and rub soft circles along her back, and she makes a cute little sound come from her throat that reminds me of a cat purring.

How am I ever going to survive seeing her even less than now? And it’s only been a few days since we last met.

Nope. Don't go there, Luca. Don't think about it. Not yet. You still have more than a week until the match, and you're going to enjoy it. Everything will fall into place. We'll find a way to make it work.

"Everything okay?" she asks worriedly, and I realize how tightly I'm hugging her to me. Even though everything inside me protests, even contemplating letting her go, I loosen my grip.

"Yeah. Some depressing thoughts." I give her another squeeze, then press my lips against her temple. "I’m thinking way too far ahead. It’s nothing to worry our pretty heads about right now."

Another pair of voices appear in the hallway, and hesitantly, we let go of each other, and I take a step back. It’s crazy how melancholic the atmosphere has suddenly turned, only because we aren’t touching anymore. I reach for her hand, because I just can’t stand being next to her without holding it.

Once the people have passed the door, I wait for their sound to disappear completely before I open the door for her. But even as I walk her back to her training, I can't help but stay close to her. My hand is almost shaking with the urge to lay on the small of her back, but there are too many people now.

We talked more about the imminent discovery of our relationship when she stayed over. It would be naïve to think that we’d be able to keep this a secret for very long. The taxi driver leaking our location to paparazzi already skirted pretty close; it only takes one person: a waiter, a passer-by, or any person really. We can’t spend the rest of our lives in our apartments, after all. Even then, there’d be doormen and neighbors who could talk.

So, we're pretty much in agreement that if a paparazzi catches us, he catches us. No panic, no drama; we’ll post a picture confirming and that’s it. We've messaged both of our managers as much. When the news breaks, we’re going to turn our phones off and let the people talk. We're just not going to give a fuck. Well, as little fucks as we're able to, I guess.

It hurts my heart to see how nervous Millie is about it, though. I can see it in her eyes. She’s terrified that it’ll be too much for me.

She mentioned a few times already that it tends to take a toll on her. Understandable–I mean, who would be thrilled about half the world speculating about their love–and sex life? And I think she still doesn't quite believe that my family and I will be okay. That I won’t drop her like a hot potato once shit hits the fan.

To be fair, I'm not so sure of that myself. I've never been in that situation. But I trust my family, and I hope that soon enough, she will, too.

"Hi there," I say with the grin that she always manages to bring to my face. She opens her apartment door and leans down to greet her with a kiss on her likewise pursed lips.

"Hi," she replies happily, her whole body brimming with excitement. It's finally Tuesday, which means it’s time to finish our pottery date. And it would be a lie to say that I hadn't been looking forward to this from the moment our first date ended.

She looks beautiful tonight. A simple, strapless beige dress that reminds me of the one she wore when she rode me last week, her hair falling over her shoulders, and pouty lips I can't help but taste again. I'm absolutely underdressed in my jeans and hoodie.

"Please tell me you don't have dinner planned," she demands, scurrying to find her handbag in a dresser right next to the door. "I'm way too excited about getting to paint my baby."

"Considering you mentioned that once or twice in your messages, I took the hint," I tell her with a chuckle. She finds her bag, and I hold up my arm so she can scoot under it as we step out of her apartment. Instinctively, she does just that, promptly hiding her blushing face in my hoodie while she locks her door. "I brought food for the drive, and if we’re hungry later, we can grab a proper dinner. Does that sound alright?"

"Actually, that's the best thing I've heard today," she says, laying her head against my shoulder. Her whole body moves with the heavy sigh she lets out, and I glance down at her with worry. According to her message, she was stuck in interviews and TV show tapings almost the whole day. She and Kayla have a crazy schedule to promote the match, with Kayla being a momentary sensation and such.

"Was it that bad?"

"Well, it wasn't great," she admits with another sigh. Her lips stretch into a tight smile as we step into the elevator, both of her arms snaking around me as the door closes and we’re in here alone. "The same as always, really. Everyone loves Kayla, and I'm the sidekick. Unless I'm seen with a guy, then I'm his sidekick." I see her roll her eyes in the mirror.

"Well, you're the star in my world," I mumble and press my lips against her hair, keeping them there while we ride down. God, she smells so good. I wish I could put her scent in a bottle and keep it.

"I–" she whispers and bites her lip, avoiding my eyes. I grin when I see her try to hide her blush against my shirt and mumble into the fabric, "Thank you."

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