Page 95 of Love, Academically
When he got back to her room, she was under the covers, dozing. He slipped in beside her and slid the flannel down her body.
“What are you doing?” she mumbled.
“Cleaning you up,” he whispered, dropping a kiss at the corner of her mouth.
“Are you staying?” she asked, eyes still closed.
“I would like to,” he hesitated. What if she didn’t want him to? God, they’d just had sex and all he wanted to do was hold her, but he was so unsure. Sex was the easy bit. “I can go if you’d prefer?”
“No, stay,” she said, turning and snuggling into his chest.
“Okay,” he said with a smile, slipping his arms around her.
This evening had gone much better than he had expected. Everything he had read, everything heknew, told him that there would be no first date sex. He had been more than prepared to kiss her on the cheek, say good night, wait three restless days and then call her to see if he could take her out again. Well, probably not three days.
Lila hadn’t been wearing knickers. He had told her he wanted to fuck her and she hadn’t worn knickers.
Christ.
He hoped she let him fuck her again, because now he’d had a taste of her, he wasn’t going to be able to let her go easily. It was more than that though, he’d had a taste of her cookie-flavoured life and he wanted to be part of it. Rhys wanted to share his time with haphazard, multicoloured Lila. Protect her. Care for her.
He hoped she’d let him.
Chapter 15
Limerence(noun) lim·er·ance
1.a. state of mind resulting fromromanticattraction, characterized by feelings ofeuphoria, the desire to have one’s feelingsreciprocated, etc.
Lila
Rhys woke her up in the early hours of the morning for slow, sleepy, warm sex, and again at nine for more. He was insatiable and she loved it.
Jason had always been perfunctory and as regular as clockwork. Well, it made sense, because he was getting his kicks elsewhere with Leanne and probably a whole host of other women throughout their relationship. But she didn’t care.
Rhys made her feel desired, beautiful and needed and that’s exactly how she wanted to feel after a night of sex. Because that’s what it was. A night of sex. Otherwise, her heart couldn’t take it. They were friends, yes. Friends who’d had sex one night.
“Lila, would you like to go out for breakfast?” Rhys asked, kissing the groove of her collarbone.
“Sure, where do you want to go?” she asked, absently pulling her fingers through his hair.
“Where do you like?”
“Um,” she said, crinkling her nose. “Don’t know. Where do you like?”
“There is an amazing brunch place called Crwst in Cardigan,West Wales, but a four- and-a-half-hour drive is a little far for bacon.” He looked at her pointedly. “So, where do you like?”
There was a beautiful little French-style cafe on the other side of town. It served the most delicious patisseries, the sweetest hot chocolate she had ever tasted, and she felt like Audrey Hepburn any time she stepped into it. But it was too sappy for Jason, too chintzy and quaint for Jasmeet, and didn’t have enough space for Maddy’s buggy. There was only so many times she could go there by herself before the staff started giving her pity macaroons.
Rhys would hate it. It was full ofstuff, colourful and bright, and the tables were close together and small.
“Let’s go there,” he said, decisively.
“But I didn’t say anywhere.”
“You were thinking it.”
How did he know her so well? Yes, she had been thinking of a pain au chocolat and an almond croissant. And possibly the sweetest raspberry tart to finish.
