Page 34 of King of Hearts

Throughout the previous week, I found receiving her emails quickly became the highlight of my day. I would make excuses to sneak into my locker, desperate to see if there was another new notification and I didn’t even care that half the team thought I had a stomach issue with my excessive amount oftoilet breaks. She was difficult to read and as much as I tried, I could never anticipate how she would respond to my more suggestive banter. Which, given the predictability of every other woman I had spent time with, stirred a fascination in me. So, the team suspecting I was unwell didn’t bother me given the alternative, which was them to see how pathetically gone I already was for this one.

For the first time in a long time, there was something other than football seeping into my thoughts and it brought with it a quiet uncertainty. I was already out of my depth, that much was clear. This was now the second time she would be in my apartment and when I asked her here, the intention was clear. Tonight was the first time we finally acknowledged there was more to this than work.

It was a date and that was a definite shift.

When the lift doors opened, I saw her laughing with Graham and my stomach flipped. I was glad I abandoned my original plan of wearing sweats and a shirt, instead choosing a black button down and chinos. Unabashedly, I raked my eyes down her body while her vision remained trained on Graham. She wore a figure-hugging black dress which cut off mid-thigh, leaving her long legs on display. Happy I was still standing at the lifts, so I had the time to genuinely admire her, I leaned against the open doors and let out a heavy breath.

She was something else.

Graham nodded in my direction as he gestured for Arna to continue without him and turned to his desk. I wasn’t expecting to feel so nervous but suddenly, I was a little lost. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever cared about a date, but I knew I had never taken one to my apartment and I was suddenly wishing I had some practice as it now seemed crucial I didn’t mess things up.

She was smiling as she entered the lift, leaving a trail of butterscotch in her wake. She always smelt bloody edible, like a forbidden dessert, and I dropped my arm allowing the doors to seal us inside.

“Hey, you.” I greeted softly, unable to keep the smile from my face.

“That’s my line.” She said, leaning back against the railing which bordered the lift, and I was relieved to see her fumbling with her purse, clearly nervous.

“Did the photos go okay for you?” I asked, hoping she was able to get what she needed both for her sake and so that I didn’t have to do it all again. I was happy to do it for her and it turned out to be far more enjoyable than I would have expected, but I wasn’t going to be lining up for another shoot.

Her eyes widened and she nodded emphatically. “Oh, Andy, I need you to see them. They are amazing. There are some of you and the team that are exactly what I was hoping we would be able to get. Thank God the camera crew were good.” I felt myself relax as she transformed into her animated self, recounting her favourite images.

“The female photographers were fine. The bloke was a tool.” I retorted, my ridiculous comment irrelevant to the feature.

“Don’t you think he looked a little like an axolotl?” She asked straight faced and when I thought back to the douchebag who was hitting on Arna at every opportunity, I threw my head back and laughed.

“That is both strangely accurate and not at all what I was expecting you to say.”

“What were you expecting me to say?” She asked curiously as I opened the door to my apartment and gestured for her to pass. She paused just inside the doorway, waiting for me to respond but the words were lodged in my throat. Her eyes sparkled as she stared up at me, her expression shifting the second she realised we were now standing only inches apart. Her lips parted on a sharp intake of breath, and she straightened, lowering her hands by her side as she lifted her chin ever so slightly. She was doing her best to appear unmoved by the proximity of our bodies but the fast rise and fall of her chest gave her away. The air stilled as my gaze bounced from her luscious fucking lips to her eyes.

There were so many things I wanted to do to her at that moment – most of them inappropriately sweet. Seeing her body respond the way it was when I hadn’t even touched her made me wonder what would happen if I traced her jaw with my finger or brushed my lips against hers.

I knew when I asked her to have dinner again that I was acknowledging there was something between us. Heck, at least on my end there was, but how could I be sure she was interested too? Her acceptance tonight was comforting but what if she was yet another woman who only wanted me for the ten seconds of fame that came along with being photographed on my arm?

“I hoped you would agree that he was a dickhead.” I answered, my words slicing through the air and breaking the moment. Stepping around her, I walked backwards a little further into the house, my eyes still fixed on hers but needing a second to think. She followed me slowly, almost cautiously, as we moved deeper into the apartment. Pup’s words silently ricocheted in my mind –be selfish for once –and I halted for a split second before making the most of her silence and taking a step in her direction.

The tension in the air was palpable as we stared at each other, a shy smile forming on her face to mirror my own. Usually, I felt impassive in the company of a woman, but not with this one. I was suddenly desperate to do what I’d been thinking about since the first time I saw her. Her eyes closed as I grazed my finger down her cheek, very nearly telling her how fucking soft her skin was under my touch. Lifting her chin, I brushed my nose across her neck and breathed her in. Holy shit. She smelt like butterscotch, but this close, there were also hints of honey. She angled herself to face me completely and her eyelids fluttered open as I brushed my lips across her jaw before moving up towards her mouth. Drinking in the sight of her flushed complexion, I brushed away the few wisps of hair from either side of her face.

Her questioning eyes flickered between my own – and I waited while those gorgeous blues studied me, giving her a chance to stop this before it was too late. But she didn’t pull back, instead, raising her chin a little more invitingly and I softly pressed my lips to hers, framing her face with my hands.

The sound of her purse hitting the floor was the only warning I received before her hands swept up the back of my shirt, setting my skin alight.

Fuck.

Moving a hand down to wrap around her waist, I deepened the kiss. She tasted better than I could have ever imagined, and I groaned when she pressed herself against me tightly, as if she was just as desperate for me as I was for her. Her touch moved to my chest before she brought her hands out and around to the top of my shirt, opening the highest button. Immediately, I missed the feel of her hands on my skin and as if reading my mind, she tenderly touched me, the contact like kindling set alight. I aligned our hips, under no illusions that she wouldn’t be able to feel just how fucking hard she was making me and her responding little moan was my undoing. I was hot. She was hot.Thiswas hot.

But just as I was about to pick her up and march her to my bedroom, my phone buzzed in my pocket. She pulled away, gasping as she looked up at me, her hands still pressed against my chest.

“I’m assuming that’s a phone and not something more interesting.” She said cheekily and I closed my eyes drawing on the small pinch of patience I had left.

“Ignore it.” I snapped before taking her mouth again, but the caller was persistent. Reefing the phone out of my pocket, ready to silence the call, I stopped when I saw it was my mum and like a wet blanket the night cooled. While we were suspended in the limbo of lust, I had just enough clarity to remember it had been over a week since I’d spoken to them so I knew she would keep calling if I didn’t answer.

“It’s my mum. I’m so sorry.” I hit the answer button, thankful she hadn’t decided to video call me for once. Arna smiled knowingly, her cheeks flushing the most adorable shade of pink.

“Hey Mum, how are you?” I answered before clearing my throat. I took Arna’s hand, not wanting to leave her standing alone and led her into my living area.

“Darling, are you home?” I stilled at my mum’s question, instantly knowing where this conversation was going.

“Um, yeah, why?” I kept my tone impassive, masking the edge of irritation.

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