Page 37 of Tangled With the Wrong Guy
The enormous bed was positioned to take full advantage of that view across the rooftops. There was only enough space left for a small chest of drawers and a bedside table, on which Chloe placed the cardboard box.
In the top drawer was a packet of condoms left behind by Madame Lol. Chloe mentally thanked her and wondered at what point she should let Joel know safe sex was now an option. But instead, feeling strangely shy as she stood beside him, considering whether to lose the towel, she said, ‘These garret rooms were for the servants of the people on the posh floors below, or just for the poorest people. This entire room was oneliving space; at some point it was knocked through to make a two-roomed studio. But at least they had that view to look at.’
‘Madame L’Estate Agent,’ he said, turning to look at her. ‘That’s all very interesting, but truth be told, all I care about right now is what you’re intending to do with that cake.’ He nodded at it.
Then he noticed her hesitancy. ‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Sorry – what’s up?’ He sat down on the bed, and she sat beside him. ‘Having second thoughts?’
She stared at the box of cakes, remembering why she’d bought them. ‘No, I’m fine. I think. I was remembering why I bought those cakes. To console myself … the whole one-year anniversary thing.’
Their shackled hands were on the bed between them, and he turned his wrist to hold her hand. ‘Do you miss him?’
‘Not really,’ she said, without thinking. And then she realised it was true. ‘Well, I’ll be …I honestly don’t!’
‘Did you lure me here because you wanted a revenge fuck?’ he said, and in spite of his smile she realised this was a serious question. ‘Even though he won’t know it,’ he went on, ‘you’ll be all,Get a load of me now. And guess what? It’s his stag!’
She frowned, not wanting to think too hard about that. ‘We actually came back here to sawthisoff,’ she said, looking down at their chain. ‘We seem to have forgotten about that part.’
‘I don’t want to break the chain anymore,’ he said. ‘I’m like a kid with separation anxiety.’
She laughed. ‘And no, Joel, Idon’twant a revenge fuck.’ That was true, too. ‘I want a one-night stand with you because I’ve never done anything like that before, and I think it would be beautiful, and it would make me feel like I was living life to the full for one lovely moment in time … seize the day and all that. Maybe the fact that it’s my un-wedding anniversary would give it something of a “new beginning” vibe, but …no revenge.’
‘But will you respect me in the morning?’ he said softly. ‘A guy on his stag having a …’
‘… last fling; a last free fuck?’
‘When that’s exactly what happened–’
‘It’s okay, I understand,’ she said. ‘I know you’re not being a sleazeball, and I know you’re notproperlycheating, because of why you’re getting married.’
He looked taken aback. ‘What?’
‘Doing the right thing. And Oscar’s words, and all of it. I don’t know the ins and outs, so to speak, but I get the general picture.’
She searched his face, lit by moonlight, and it was confused. But as she gazed at him, she didn’t care about any of it – the reasons, the motivations, their histories. She’d stopped caring the moment he’d kissed her in the lift, and now she needed to stop wasting precious time.
She licked her lips, slowly. ‘Hey – pass the cake.’
His face broke into a smile. ‘Eat now, talk later?’ He picked up the box.
‘My thoughts exactly. How do we do this?’ she said, opening the lid. ‘I’ve never done food as foreplay.’
‘Not even the After Eight game?’
‘The what?’ She really had missed out on so much.
‘Let’s just go with the flow – whatever takes your fancy.’ He picked up a cream slice and split it horizontally, exposing the thick, enticing cream. He put one half back in the box, and slid his finger across the cream on the other, collecting a dollop. ‘Open your mouth,’ he said.
She did as he asked, then closed her lips around his finger and sucked as he withdrew it, without taking her eyes from his. A small moan escaped her; possibly because of the divine taste of the slightly sweetened cream, or more possibly because of the heat that was once again spreading through her body.
His finger carried on down to her towel, undoing it, and then his own.
‘More,’ she breathed.
‘Lie down.’
When she was on her back, he placed the halved cake on her stomach, the sticky icing against her skin, and scooped off another dollop of cream. She sucked hard on his finger, then swallowed, closing her eyes, giving herself up to the …lustwas probably the best word for it. Lust, hunger, excitement, desire, all mixed up and now coursing through her body. She squirmed as he scraped off the rest of the cream and dabbed it on her nipples, then bent his head and began licking it off.
‘Yum,’ he whispered.
