Page 77 of Match Point

The corners of his lips twitch, before he leans forward to kiss me on the cheek, the musky and masculine scent of his cologne sending my head into an uncontrollable spin. His face lingers against mine, his stubble tickling my cheek. I feel the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric of the dress sliding onto my hip and round to my lower back.

‘Maybe we skip the party tonight,’ he suggests in a low, deep voice, his breath in my ear sending a shiver down my spine.

‘We can’t,’ I whisper, biting my lip as he pulls me closer to him. ‘Neil would kill you.’

‘Happy to take the risk,’ he murmurs, his lips lightly kissing down the slope of my neck and along my shoulder, before he takes the strap of my dress in his teeth and tugs lightly at it.

‘Kieran,’ I warn, giggling and pushing him away. ‘We’re going to be late.’

He sighs as he reluctantly steps back, the intensity of his eyes making my skin tingle.

‘Fine, but let’s make a quick appearance,’ he says, as I turn round to lead the way out the front door. ‘Five minutes there is all we need.’

I laugh, shaking my head as I wait for him to step out so I can lock up after us. ‘Five minutes! After all this effort, I’m staying there longer than five minutes, Kieran. Do you know how much this dress cost?’

‘Actually, I do happen to know.’

‘Oh yeah. Thanks by the way.’

‘The pleasure really is all mine.’

Standing close behind me as I lock up the door, he places his hands on my waist and nuzzles into my hair.

‘We don’t need to go out for me to make you feel that this dress was worth every penny,’ he says in a low suggestive voice, sweeping my hair to the side so he can run kisses along my shoulder. ‘Let’s stay. Please?’

Smiling to myself, I turn round and give him a look.

‘All right, we’ll go,’ he concedes, holding out his arm to help guide me to the car in these towering heels.

Kieran’s driver Matthew is waiting by the door to the back seat, opening it with a warm smile as I carefully slide in with Kieran following in behind. As Matthew shuts our door, Kieran glances over at me and lets out a small groan.

‘What is it?’ I ask, frowning at him.

‘This dress,’ he mumbles as he sits close to me and looks pointedly at my legs. I realise that when I’m sat down, the split of the skirt opens widely to expose the majority of my thigh.

‘Ready to go?’ Matthew checks, getting into the front.

His eyes fixed on me, Kieran exhales through his nose. ‘If we must.’

We pull away and after a couple of minutes, Kieran’s hand slides onto my thigh, my skin prickling with heat beneath his fingers. My breath catches as he moves his hand up at an antagonisingly slow pace, slipping beneath the fabric of the dress, the warm pressure of his palm sending shuddering jolts through my body. As his hand slips between my legs, I witness his eyes widen with surprise.

He swallows, asking in a hushed voice, ‘Are you… are you not wearing any underwear?’

Shooting him an impish grin, I shake my head.

‘Christ,’ he says hoarsely under his breath. ‘Tonight is going to be torture. We’re staying five minutes tops and then we’re coming back.’

‘I want to enjoy this fancy event, so we may stay there all night,’ I tease. ‘You’ll just have to be patient.’

He quirks his brow. ‘Oh really? You’re happy to wait all night.’

‘Really.’

‘Hm.’

He’s looking at me dangerously. I’ve set a very competitive man an interesting challenge. His hand hasn’t budged from between my legs and, digging his teeth into his bottom lip, he runs his fingers along the top of my thigh before his thumb begins to lightly trace circles around my clit. I inhale sharply and he leans in to whisper in my ear, his warm breath tickling my skin and making me shudder.

‘Soon, you’re going to be begging me to turn the car around,’ he murmurs.

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