Page 21 of Misbooked for Love

“Tom,” she whimpers, her hips bucking against mine.

“You feel so good, sweetheart,” I say, and I start to move, slowly at first and then a little bit faster. Her moans spur me on, and soon, we’re moving together in a rhythm that feels natural, like we’ve done this before.

“Right there,” she whispers in my ear, and she moans as I thrust into her, arching her back every time I’m fully inside her. “Yes, yes,” she pants, her head thrown back. She’s so beautiful with her hair splayed around her and her cheeks flushed. There’s a light sheen of sweat on her forehead that I’m tempted to lick.

“God, you feel so good, so tight,” I groan, my body tense with the effort it takes not to lose control, and the way she’s moving beneath me, I don’t know how much longer I can last.

“Don’t stop, don’t stop,” she chants, tightening around me. “I’m so close.”

That’s all I need to hear. I start to move faster, harder, and she’s right there with me, her hips matching me. She wraps her long legs around my hips and pushes my body against her with her feet, holding on tight so that I can barely move.

“Oh, fuck, Clara, I’m going to?—”

That’s all I manage to say before I lose myself, my orgasm tearing through me, my entire body on fire. I collapse on top of her, my heart pounding in my ears, and she’s panting beneath me, her face buried in my shoulder, muffling the soft gasp that escapes her lips.

I shift, rolling onto my side, and pull her into my chest. She nestles against me, as I feel the steady rise and fall of her breathing, and I close my eyes, letting the warmth of her body lull me into a contented daze.

The room is dark, save for the soft moonlight filtering through the curtains. The heat of the moment still lingers in the air, wrapping around us like a heavy blanket. I run my fingers gently through Clara’s hair, trying to steady my own breathing, still riding the high of everything that just happened.

I don’t know how long we’ve been lying here, tangled in sheets and each other, but it feels like no time at all and forever at the same time. I glance down at Clara; her eyes are closed, her face serene, and for a moment, I wonder if she’s fallen asleep. But then she shifts, her hand moving to trace lazy patterns on my chest, and I feel her smile against my skin.

“That was…” she begins, her voice trailing off as she searches for the right words.

I chuckle, my chest rumbling beneath her. “Yeah. It was.”

She lifts her head, popping herself up on oneelbow to look at me. Her hair is a wild mess, her cheeks flushed, and she looks impossibly beautiful. I reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You look so smug right now,” she says, narrowing her eyes at me, but there’s no real bite behind it.

“Can you blame me?” I tease, grinning like a damn fool. “I think I’ve earned it.”

She laughs, a soft sound that makes my chest tighten. It’s light, airy, like a burst of bubbles that fills the room. “Okay, maybe just a little,” she admits, biting her lip in that way that drives me absolutely crazy. She shifts, pulling the sheet up over her chest, suddenly shy despite everything.

I roll onto my side, propping my head up with my hand, so I can look at her properly. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

She rolls her eyes, but there’s a blush creeping up her neck. “I’m pretty sure that’s just the post-sex glow talking.”

“Maybe,” I concede, but my smile softens. “But I mean it. You’re…”

She doesn’t say anything at first, just watches me with those blue eyes that seem to see right through me. It’s unnerving and comforting all at once, the way she looks at me like I’m more than just this mess of a man who’s been trying to hold his life together with duct tape and good intentions.

“What are we doing, Tom?” she finallyasks, her voice small but laced with curiosity. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

I let out a breath, reaching for her hand and lacing our fingers together. “I don’t know,” I admit honestly. “But whatever this is, it feels…right. Doesn’t it?”

She nods, but there’s a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “Yeah, it does. But it’s also…complicated. And temporary.”

Her words hang between us, heavy with the truth I’ve been trying to ignore since the moment I met her. This isn’t forever, not even close. We’re here in this bubble. But at some point, it’s going to burst, and we’ll have to go back to our separate lives, in opposite corners of the world. The thought sends a pang of something I don’t want to acknowledge through my chest.

“I’ve never been good at this stuff,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “Relationships, I mean. Erin, my ex-wife, used to say I was married to my job first and her second, and she wasn’t wrong. When I was playing polo, I really didn’t understand what she was talking about. But since I’ve transitioned to this behind-the-scenes role… I’ve been trying to figure out how to do it differently, but it’s hard when your life is on the road, and you’re always chasing something just out of reach.”

Clara watches me, her gaze softening, and I see a flicker of understanding there. “I get that,”she says, her voice gentle. “I’ve realized you can’t outrun yourself forever.”

I nod, squeezing her hand. “Yeah. That’s exactly it.”

We fall into a comfortable silence, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m not alone in this. Like maybe there’s someone who understands the mess of it all, the struggle of trying to figure out who you are when you’re constantly on the move, no time or headspace to stop and think.

“You ever think about just…stopping? I mean, not slowly thinking of tapering off but rather just…” Clara asks, her voice barely above a whisper. “Like, giving it all up and starting over somewhere new? Completely new, where no one knows you.”

I turn my head to look at her, and she’s staring up at the ceiling like she’s lost in some far-off thought. “Every day,” I confess, and it feels like a weight lifting off my chest to say it out loud. “And I’ve got Ellie to think about. I don’t want her to grow up thinking her dad’s always chasing something more important than her. I want to be there for her, even if I don’t always know how to do that. And I think, in part, this horse stables idea is in response to that feeling. Obviously, it’s not perfect yet, but it could be a good start.”

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