Page 66 of Because of Me

“Hey,” I say, trying to give off an impression of ease instead of the bursting with energy feeling that’s currently powering through me.

“I missed you.”

God, I missed her, too. So much that my whole body feels drawn towards her. I’m forcing my hips back onto my desk, away from her pull. Amira seems drawn to me, too. Inching forward until she has to sidestep around the armchairs. She stands before me, pinching her fingers in front of her chest.

The v neck of her top is subtle, nothing extravagant or overly revealing, but on her it’s everything and more. Her clothing has shifted away from the modest styles she used to wear, and with every tiny sliver of skin she feels safe enough to share I fall more and more in love with her confidence. Seeing it grow, knowing maybe I had a role to play in that somehow, is invigorating. Being with Amira has changed my life, and hopefully, I’ve changed hers, too.

Amira lets out a short puff of laughter, looking between her chest, and my eyes—still fixated on the golden skin of her neck. “You like it?”

I close my eyes, opening them again only once I know I’ve shifted them high enough to look her in the eye. I see her tongue dart out to wet her lower lip and imitate the movement. My cock begins to twitch, and I shift my legs to hide the swelling in my groin. She’s jaw-dropping even in her oversized jumpers and long skirts. But like this, she’s remarkable. I will never grow tired of this view, and I will never forget the view underneath her clothes. “Like would be an understatement.”

“How was today?” She gestures with her head back towards the dining room. Even through the large double doors, I can hear the sounds of patrons cheering goodbyes, chairs scraping as the waiting staff begin to tidy up.

The thought of the day makes me yawn, and I do my best to stifle it and hide it behind the back of my hand. “Tiring,” I admit. “Yours?”

In the back of my mind, I’m so aware we’re making small talk. Hyper-focused on how mundane it is to talk about our days when all I want to do is wrap my arms around her and hold her close. But even though we’ve spoken every day since, I haven’t seen her since our date. Kissing her surrounded by the Christmas lights was incredible, but if anything, it only blurred the lines of our new relationship even more. What would she do if I pulled her close and tucked her new long fringe behind her ears? How would she react if I dared to run my thumb along her lip before claiming her mouth with my own?

The room is spinning with anticipation and need, and I’m drowning in the unknown. Before, we didn’t know where the lines were because we blurred them together. Now, I don’t know where it is because I let her draw it in the sand as I left her building for the last time.

“I’m sorry,” she says, stepping forward. Her foot nudges my ankle, and I uncross my legs so she can step between them.

“You don’t have to be sorry for knowing your own boundaries. For doing what you needed to clear your head. I’ll never let you apologise when you’ve done nothing wrong.”

Looking up at me through her lashes, Amira flattens her mouth into a straight line and exhales through her nose. “I was wrong though. I thought being apart was what I needed, but it wasn’t. Or maybe it was, but I don’t think I need it anymore.”

And just like that, my heart ceases to beat. It deflates a little inside my chest, smothered by the hope I’d tried to keep locked away underneath it.

Warmth and fuck it,love, spreads out of me like sunlight.

“What do you need?” I practically choke on the words.

Wrapping her arms around me, Amira closes the gap between us. She pushes up onto her tiptoes, and I bow my head so she can rest her forehead against mine.

“You,” she whispers, and before I can even think to respond, she seals the word with a kiss.

The kind that melts every troublesome thought away. The kind that feels like rainbows and snowflakes and rose petals. There’s a sweetness on her tongue that matches the fruity smell in her hair, and I savour it. I let her dictate everything about this kiss, following her lead as she tilts her head and deepens the kiss, parting my lips when she runs her tongue along them. I’m putty in her fingers, under her mouth. Starved for her, by her, but taking my time as she explores the intensity between us.

“I don’t want to go home alone,” she admits when we break for air. Her mouth still hovers close to mine and I feel the warm breath of her words on my wet lips. “I don’t want to spend another night in that bed, hugging a damn pillow and wishing it were you.”

My hands are wrapped around her middle, and I tighten my grip to hoist her up and spin us around. I place her on the desk and part her legs to wrap them around my waist.

“There’s nothing fake about how I feel Noah,” she says as she pulls me closer than I thought physically possible. “I’m sorry it took me so long to realise that.”

“Cupcake, I thought I told you not to apologise. This was a lot for you, I’m glad you took the time you needed.” I trace the length of her spine with my hands before twisting my fingers into the hair that falls down her back. “I’m fucking glad you’re back though.”

“I was always going to come back.”

“I know.”

We’re kissing again, full of passion and longing, when a quick knock interrupts us. I turn over my shoulder to see a small scrap of receipt paper slide under the door. Leaving Amira on the desk, I stride across the room to pick it up.

All done out here. Locked everything up except the side door and the alarm.

Merry Christmas boss.

Kylie’s scrawled note makes me chuckle, but I scrunch it up as I walk back towards the desk, towards Amira, and throw it in the bin in the corner.

“Everything okay?” she giggles when I step back between her legs.

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