Page 52 of Since We're Here
She’s standing a meter in front of me in the nearly pitch-dark, a beam of moonlight from the street side window gently illuminating her. She’s in her fecking underwear and the tank top she was wearing earlier, but—Christ save me—without a bra, looking hot as hell, and aggressively holding what appears to be a butter knife.
“Patrick? What the actual fuck are you doing?” There’s a slight shake to her hand, but her face relaxes.
“Shite, I’m so sorry, Maddie.” I run a hand from the back of my head through my hair to my face, rubbing my eyes and then opening them to make sure she’s still really there. Aye. I really did feck up this bad.
“Damn.” She lowers the knife to her side and relaxes her shoulders, easing her fighting stance. “You scared me.” Maddie puts her hand on her chest as if to feel her racing heart.
“I got confused. I forgot this isn’t my flat to stumble home to... there were too many shots tonight. But I’ll leave now.” I go to turn but drop my mobile on the ground. “I just need to get my torch on again. It’s dark as hell in that stairway.”
“Wait.” She steps forward. We’re an arm’s length apart now, the knife still in her hand at her side. “Where are you going? Because you’re trashed.”
“Back to the pub? Home?” I concentrate on making my words clear and understandable. I concentrate on not looking down again—shite!—at her breasts, covered by the thin fabric of her tank top, the lack of bra and low moonlight showcasing her nipples through the thin black fabric.
“How are you getting home?”
I shrug, truly unsure of the answer. “Can you put the knife away? It’s distracting.”
As ifthat’swhat’s screwing with me right now.
She glances down and huffs a laugh. “Yeah. I was protecting myself from whoever was breaking into the flat.”
“You heard me coming in, jumped up from your bed, stopped by the kitchen for the bluntest knife you could find, and then had time to pose menacingly?”
“I fell asleep on the couch. And it took you a long time to get the door unlocked.” Maddie cocks her head, then seems to remember she’s wearing hardly anything at all. Her eyes widen as she quickly darts a look down at herself.
I lose the battle to keep my eyes on her face, and instead let them roam over her long legs, the curve of her thighs, and her high-waisted black underwear slightly askew and revealing a delicious curve of her arse. Her tank is bunched up on one side and exposes a line of skin between the top of her underwear and the bottom hem of the top. All the blood in my body rushes to my cock.
“Patrick.” Her voice is a warning, although I’m not sure of what. “Just stay for a few minutes. You can hardly stand up straight.” Even in the dark, Maddie’s cheeks are tinted pink.
Jaysus. Does she know what I’m thinking? About cupping her arse with my hands, feeling her curves in my palms...
I should really get out of here.
“Not sure that’s the best idea.” It’s a fecking awful idea. Stay here? In this flat, with her looking like that? With the memory of her kiss on my lips... again?
Yes. A dreadful idea.
She places a hand on her chest again. “My heart’s still racing.”
Wait. Maddiewantsme to stay.
“I’ll stay to make sure you don’t have a heart attack.” I shove the door shut behind me with a kick of my foot and step closer to her. Within touching distance.
“Did you call me Maddie earlier?” A slightly breathless question. “Just now and back at the pub, when I...” She trails off.
“Did I?” I lift my hand. “Are you okay? Maybe I should feel your heartbeat.” I move my hand toward her chest, waiting for a protest, but she pulls it beneath hers and presses our linked hands just above her breasts. Her heart is pounding about as fast as mine is. There’s something soothing about feeling that steady beat.
The softest sound squeaks from her throat.
I take another step until we’re mere centimeters apart, and I slowly reach down for the knife, my fingers sliding down her hand, brushing hers. But instead of taking it, I leave my hand over hers and move my other one from her chest to the bare dip of her waist. She breathes heavily, her chest rising up and down, and I gently tug her closer until she’s flush against me. Maddie gasps, and I get why. The feeling of our bodies pressed together is intoxicating.
“You kissed me tonight.” I suddenly feel much more sober. Our bodies touching illuminates in my mind what I want.
Her. Christ, do I want her.
“Yeah, I did.”
The knife slips from our fingers and clatters to the ground next to my mobile. Neither of us glance down. She entwines her now empty fingers with mine and fists a handful of my t-shirt with the other hand, as if making sure I don’t flee.
