Page 78 of Under Your Spell

‘No, I didn’t!’ I gasp.

‘You did!’ Theo laughs harder now. ‘When we got back from our trip to the pharmacy. I woke you up and you were just babbling the filthiest stream of consciousness I’ve ever heard. There was something that I didn’t understand about parallel parking and then some extremely explicit details about what you’d like to do to me and what you’d like me to do to you, and then you passed out again.’

‘Oh my God.’ I cradle my flaming face in my hands.

‘Don’t be embarrassed, Clemmie. I told you that you’d be great at writing smutty fan fiction.’ He nudges my elbow. ‘It was hot stuff, except for the part where you sneezed into my hand before I could pass you a tissue.’

‘I don’t even think I believe you.’ I peep at him through my fingers and he’s grinning wickedly.

‘I swear it’s true,’ he says. ‘But it made me think that maybe you did like me too, or maybe you could like me.’ He shrugs again. ‘I don’t really know – I was a mess over it – but I couldn’t keep away from you after that. Because being with you is the most fun I’ve ever had, and even if nothing else ever happens, just sitting on the sofa watching TV with you is the best part of my day.’

There’s a pause. I look down at the plate in front of me, where my dinner has gone cold. Deep down I know there are a dozen other things we should talk about, a list of obstacles that stand between us and any sort of real relationship that is a mile long, but right now I don’t want to think about those things. I don’t even want to acknowledge those things exist. So I don’t.

‘That was quite a speech,’ I say a little breathlessly. ‘I guess after all that I’d better go to the wedding with you.’

‘Really?’ He smiles wide and gets to his feet. Coming to stand next to me, he reaches for my hand.

I tip my face up to look at him. He’s so beautiful it hurts. ‘Yes, really. You know how much I love party food.’

Theo tugs on my hand, pulling me up so that we’re standing flush against each other. His arm locks around my waist, my pulse is racing, my breathing ragged, my body feels so hectic I’m afraid I might actually swoon, which would only further Theo’s argument that I’m trying to thwart him.

‘We’re going on a date?’ Theo asks, his lips millimetres from mine. ‘A real date?’

I swallow, nod.

‘Finally,’ he breathes. Then his mouth comes down on mine, soft and sweet. When he pulls away only moments later, I make a sound of protest. Theo’s eyebrow lifts. ‘Any ideas how we should spend our last two days here?’

I brush my lips against his neck, which is met by a low growl of approval. ‘Mmm.’ I tip my head to the side. ‘Maybe one or two. Tell me, how much do you remember about these extremely explicit details?’

‘Everything, Clemmie.’ Theo smiles. ‘I remember everything.’

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The first time, we don’t make it to the bedroom. We don’t even make it to the stairs. The first time it’s up against the wall in the living room and it’s fast and desperate, completely without finesse. By the time Theo buries himself inside me it feels as if we’ve had six weeks of painfully slow foreplay and neither of our bodies care to mess around.

Theo’s jeans are undone, my skirt is up around my waist. I want his shirt off, but I can’t stop kissing him long enough to make it happen and I settle for bunching the fabric in my fist, my other hand roaming over his warm skin.

He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a condom.

‘You just carry condoms around in your jeans?’ I ask, eyebrows raised.

He huffs out a laugh, kisses me again. ‘Lil handed them to me with a knowing look before she left the other day.’

I pull back. ‘My sister snuck you condoms? That’s… that’s…’

‘I know. But instead of dwelling on it, let’s just be grateful.’ He presses against me and I moan.

‘Yes,’ I manage, ‘grateful. Very grateful.’

His first thrust has me gasping into his mouth. He moves his hand to my thigh, holding my leg, higher, tighter around his hip as he grinds into me over and over. I am stretched, full. Every sensation is too strong; my skin feels hypersensitive, each brush against it a flash of light. When his fingers dip between our bodies it only takes the lightest touch before I shatter, laughing and crying out gibberish as the orgasm sweeps through me.

He presses his face into my neck, his own rhythm faltering as he reaches his climax.

‘Fuck, Clemmie!’ he exhales against my overheated skin. ‘Fuck.’

We stand still for a moment, breathing hard. I realize my eyes are closed, and when I peel them open it takes a second for Theo’s face to swim into focus. He has a swathe of deep pink brushed across his cheeks; his eyes are wide. His hands rest on the wall either side of my face, and he leans forward, presses soft kisses across my cheekbone, down the side of my jaw.

‘That was… a little faster than I had intended,’ he mumbles.