Page 106 of Sparking Sara

I look up into his eyes, vulnerable and afraid, wondering if this is how we looked at each other the night we met.

He brushes a tear off my cheek. And then it happens. I’m not even sure if he leans down or I stretch up, but somehow, our lips come together. We stumble back against the wall as our mouths devour each other. He tastes even better than I remember. His hands are strong on my body. He cups my neck with one of them while the other embraces my back.

When we run out of air, his lips move to my neck. A moan escapes me. A sigh escapes him.

“Sara,” he says as he tastes a spot beneath my ear.

I’ve never been more lost in another person than I am right now. The confusion. The guilt. The frustration over the past. The worries about the future. None of that matters when his hands are on me. Nothing matters but us.

His lips find mine again and time stands still. I don’t ever want another minute to pass. I don’t want the hands on the clock to move forward. I just want to be in this moment forever. Because right now, everything is perfect. His lips. His hands. His kiss.Us.

The ringing of his phone startles me.

“Sorry,” he says, quickly reaching into his pocket.

He pulls the phone out and goes to shut it off, but not before I see who’s calling. It’s Nora.

I pull away.

“Sara …” He looks down at his phone and then at me, looking guilty.

Then I hear my name being called from the front door. I wipe my mouth and then any leftover tears, thinking about what a mistake we’ve made. This is wrong on so many levels. And there’s only one thing I can think of to try to fix it.

“Back here!” I yell. Then I turn to Denver. “I’m going away for a while. Ollie’s taking me to London for a few weeks.”

Denver runs his hands through his hair, looking more than a little upset. Over what just happened or my proclamation, I can’t be sure.

“When?” he asks.

“Soon.”

“There you are,” Ollie says, walking through the door to my studio. He comes over and kisses the top of my head as he often does.

He notices Denver, who is crouching in the corner, looking like he’s browsing through some of my paintings. I wonder if he’s trying to hide an erection. I get so mad at myself for allowing that to happen. How could we have been so stupid?

“Hey, mate,” Ollie says.

“Hi, Oliver,” Denver say from his place on the floor.

He doesn’t get up, and I feel my suspicions are correct.

Oliver looks between Denver and me. Then his eyes focus on my face. “You’ve been crying,” he says.

I wonder if he can sense what just happened. Perhaps my face is flushed or my lips are plump from kissing. He doesn’t deserve to find out this way. He doesn’t deserve this at all. He’s never liked my having a relationship with Denver, and now I’m beginning to understand why. Maybe he sees more than I gave him credit for.

“Just having a bad day, I guess. But I have good news,” I say. “I was just telling Denver that we’re going to London. And he’s agreed to watch Kokomo for us while we’re away.”

Oliver’s demeanor changes in an instant. He smiles brightly. “We are?”

“As soon as you can arrange it,” I say.

Ollie picks me up and twirls me around. “Brilliant! I’ll make the plans straight away.” He turns to Denver. “Stay for a drink to celebrate?”

Denver shakes his head. “I’ve got to head out, but thanks.”

“I’ll go pour one for the two of us,” he says, pinching my behind on his way out. “Don’t be too long.”

“You kind of blindsided me, don’t you think?” Denver says once Ollie leaves the room.

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