Page 96 of Heart Match

Underneath him I feel my body come alive. As he pushes into me, I catch my breath. When the softness of his tongue greets my skin, sounds I don’t recognise escape me. The warmth he radiates tells me I’m safe, safe to be myself, with him. When my body reaches its extreme, my heart knows, it simply knows, that he would never have been a one-night stand.

#

‘I guess Margot will have a lot of work to do tomorrow,’ I say.

I’m sitting with my back against the headboard and Luc’s between my legs. I’m rubbing his sore shoulders and occasionally planting kisses on his neck and treating myself with the smell of his hair.

He smirks and says, ‘She will.’

He tips his head back onto my chest and turns to face me, his eyes staring hard at my mouth. I kiss him.

‘So, I’ve heard you’ve become friends with Mrs. Thompson,’ I say.

He laughs.

‘She’s quite a remarkable lady. You should hear her advice, it tends to work,’ he says with a smirk.

‘Oh really? And what kind of advice did she give you?’ I ask, curious.

‘When a man fucks up, he needs to give his lady space. But not enough that she forgets about him. Of course, don’t forget to apologise, and always, always tell her the reason why you’re apologising,’ he says, imitating Mrs. Thompson’s hoarse and tired old lady voice.

My belly hurts from the laughter coming out of me.

‘She told me early today I shouldn’t let “complicated turn into regret”,’ I say, and tell him about our encounter in the lift.

‘And?’

‘I guess we’re still complicated, but at least now I don’t feel regret,’ I say.

‘Is that so?’ he asks, his voice raspy.

‘Yeah,’ I say and kiss the top of his head.

He falls asleep first. Understandably. I still linger and think and wonder and worry, staring at the ceiling, hearing him breathing peacefully next to me. My mind tries to assimilate and absorb all that happened today, hell, in the past few weeks. Eventually I give in and decide I can worry later and at least for today embrace the happiness that has taken over me and that’s much deserved.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

‘Hmm … are you leaving me already?’ mumbles Luc still half sleeping, holding my body tightly against his. I consider staying just a bit longer like this. His skin is warm against mine, providing me with the feeling of belonging.

‘I don’t want to be late,’ I say.

I try to get off the bed one more time. He pulls me back to him and tickles my neck and collarbone with his stubbled face.

‘Just when I finally can stay in bed longer,’ he complains as I fight my way out of his arms, even though all I want right now is to be exactly where I am.

He finally accepts it and lets me go, but not before kissing me sweetly and needy, with a morning erection that was hard to ignore.

Yesterday feels like a dream, but I very much believe it happened. There is enough proof of it: all the messages waiting to be read on my phone, as well as the missed calls. There is also the news articles, which are all over the internet and on the covers of today’s newspapers I see on my way to work. I’m glad when I see one featuring a photo of only Luc and his trophy, all the rest have my face stamped on them beside him. The favourite angle and scene seems to be of Luc giving me a kiss in the player box. I think I’ll need time to wrap my head around all this.