Page 49 of One Night in Glasgow
“I want to see you tomorrow,” I said, my voice low as I brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “And the day after that.”
Beth tilted her head, her blue eyes searching mine. “I thought you were just on the east coast for speaking engagements. How long are you planning on hanging around?”
I took a breath.Time for the truth, no more bullshit.“I already told you I was worried about you, and I found out from Kinna that you were here in New York. I wanted to check up on you, but that’s not all. Besides the Philadelphia conference next week, there are no other speaking engagements, Beth. The truth is, I blew up my schedule to come to New York. For you.” Her eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief in them. “Dannythinks I’m insane, and logically, he’s right. But letting you walk away on that street in Glasgow felt like the single biggest mistake of my life. I had to find you. I couldn’t give up on you just like that, Beth.”
A slow, dazzling smile spread across her face, chasing away the last of the shadows in her eyes. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
That was it. That was the only permission I needed. I closed the small distance between us, and my mouth found hers. The kiss was electric, a confirmation of everything unspoken. It wasn’t just hungry; it was starving. A mix of raw relief and pure, unadulterated want poured from me into her, and she met it with her own fire. My hands found her waist, pulling her flush against me until there was no space left between us, savoring the feel of her soft curves. This woman felt like coming home in a way I hadn’t known I was looking for.
I knew I was in deep, on the verge of falling completely, and I wanted to pull her down with me. My voice came out as a rough, thick whisper against her lips. “Don’t make me leave tonight, Beth.”
Her response was a soft, alluring smile as she leaned in, her lips brushing against mine again, sending another jolt of lightning through my system.
“Screw it,” she breathed against my mouth. “Come inside.”
We stumbled through the door, a tangle of limbs and hungry mouths, our kisses only breaking for the briefest of gasps for air. Beth kicked off her shoes near the entrance while I shrugged out of my jacket, letting it drop to the floor.
The apartment was dimly lit, smelling strongly of patchouli and something else I couldn’t quite place, maybe the lingering ghost of good vibes? My eyes adjusted to the chaos of colorfultapestries and dream catchers. It looked like a 70s head shop had a baby with a fortune teller’s caravan.
I pulled back, my brain, already short-circuiting from her kiss, trying to process the layout. Living room that looked like a Jimi Hendrix album cover… kitchenette… and a distinct and alarming lack of the one piece of furniture that was suddenly very, very relevant.
“Hold on,” I murmured against her neck. “Beth? Am I missing something, or… where’s your bed?”
She burst out laughing, a delightful, uninhibited sound. “It’s a Murphy bed, you absolute dork.” She playfully pushed me back a step and moved to the wall, grabbing a handle I hadn’t even noticed and pulling. A hidden panel lowered, revealing a full-sized bed. “Welcome to New York living.”
I let out a low whistle, genuinely impressed. “Okay, that’s actually pretty cool.” A grin spread across my face. “But I see the danger.”
She paused, looking at me over her shoulder with a curious glint in her eye. “Danger?”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “You come home drunk after a night out, you might forget where you sleep… inside your own flat. You’d end up sleeping on the floor.”
“Well, that can easily happen, even with a regular bed, trust me. But I’m not drunk now,” she said, her voice dropping to a husky murmur as the bed settled into place. She patted the mattress, her eyes locking with mine. “And the floor is definitely not where I plan on spending the rest of the night.”
That was all the invitation I needed.
We came together with a force that was less a gentle tumble and more a magnetic collision, landing on the bed in a heap of tangled limbs and breathless, relieved laughter. All the tension from the past few weeks, the scandal, the separation, the push-and-pull of our reunion, finally snapped, replaced by a sense of rightness. It was ridiculous and exhilarating all at once. All the carefully constructed walls of my public life, the ones I hadn’t even realized were there, came crashing down. And all that was left was this ridiculous, exhilarating lightness of justbeingwith her.
My fingers found the edge of her dress, and I teased the fabric higher with deliberate slowness. The thin material bunched under my touch as Beth’s breath caught audibly. Her blue eyes darkened, fixed on mine with an intensity that made my cock throb painfully against my zipper.
“I’ve thought about this every night since Glasgow,” I murmured, watching her pupils dilate as my hands slid higher along the smooth skin of her thighs. “Dreamed about having you underneath me again.”
Beth’s lips curved into that wicked smile that had haunted me for months. “Then stop teasing and do something about it, McCrae.”
Her Scottish accent thickened with desire, transforming my name into something primal that shot straight to my groin. The tiny Brooklyn apartment suddenly felt even smaller, the air between us electric and charged with weeks of separation and longing.
I pulled her closer on the cramped Murphy bed, my hands gripping her hips. “You have no idea what you do to me,” I growled, pressing my forehead against hers. The scent of her perfume mingled with the natural smell of her skin.
“Show me,” she challenged, her fingers tangling in my hair.
I needed no further invitation. My mouth claimed hers in a bruising kiss, pouring months of frustration and desire into theconnection. Beth responded immediately, opening for me, her tongue sliding against mine with a hunger that matched my own. She tasted like something uniquely her—sweet and addictive.
My hands moved to the zipper of her dress, dragging it down with agonizing slowness. The sound of metal teeth separating filled the quiet room, punctuated only by our heavy breathing. As the fabric loosened, I broke our kiss to pull back slightly.
“Let me see you,” I said, my voice rough with need. “All of you.”
Beth sat up, allowing me to slide the dress from her shoulders. The silky material pooled around her waist, revealing a black lace bra that barely contained her perfect breasts. My mouth went dry at the sight.
“Fuck, Beth,” I breathed, taking in the creamy expanse of her skin. “You’re even more beautiful than I remembered.”
