Page 78 of Five Things I Love About You

‘She tells me you go to a lot of gigs together?’

‘We do. Have done for years.’

‘Well, I’m just glad to be doing something that Miranda likes. She’s promised to come skydiving with me again so at least this gives me some leverage to make sure she goes through with it.’ He takes a sip of his beer and grins at me as Kirstie raises her eyebrows.

‘Skydiving again, hey?’ she says.

‘Yeah well…’ I trail off.

‘I knew you’d love it,’ Kirstie says, clapping her hands with glee.

‘I’m not sure love is the right word.’

‘You will,’ Jay says, squeezing my hand. ‘I’ll look after you.’

I smile at him and take my hand away.

‘We’ll see.’

I’m so worried that Kirstie is going to let something slip about my search for Jay, or about Matt, I’m on edge, so I’m relieved when we’ve finished our drinks and it’s time to set off. The one positive is that Jay seems to have relaxed at last, and is chatting to Kirstie easily, the way I’d hoped he would.

The gig is fun, and as we stagger home afterwards we’re in good spirits. Kirstie has booked herself a hotel rather than stay at mine (what’s the point of working my arse off to earn enough for a fancy hotel and then giving myself crippling back pain sleeping on your lumpy spare bed?were her exact words) and after we’ve said goodnight, Jay and I linger on my doorstep.

‘So, did you enjoy it in the end?’ I ask him. He’s standing so close his body heat is warming the front of my body.

‘It was amazing.’ His breath grazes my face as I look up at him. ‘You’re amazing.’

I shiver as he snakes his arm round my waist and pulls me closer. His body is firm and I’m trying not to imagine what he looks like without his clothes on. He nuzzles into my neck and I draw away sharply, my heart hammering.

‘Not here,’ I whisper.

He looks round. ‘There’s no one to see us.’ He grins and steps towards me again but I hold my hand out to stop him.

‘Do you want to stay?’

We haven’t taken things to the next level yet, but the combination of alcohol and post-gig euphoria – as well as the fact I already feel so hot – makes me bold enough to ask tonight, without any preamble or messing around. There’s a beat of silence before he answers and a dart of doubt shoots through me. Have I read this wrong?

‘Fuck yes,’ he says, and kisses me deeply.

I pull away and fumble to unlock the door, and his hands are all over me. I giggle as I dart this way and that trying to get the key in the lock and away from his wandering hands, then finally we burst through the door and race up to my flat. His coat and T-shirt are already discarded by the time the front door has closed behind us, and I feel a sense of urgency as we kiss. It feels so good to be touched, and as he unhooks my bra and his hands move to my breasts I gasp, desperate for more.

We don’t even make it to the bedroom, our clothes strewn all over the living room as we move together on the sofa, a tangle of limbs. And as he pushes inside me, I dig my nails into his back, my body thrumming with desire.

I feel like I’ve come home.

* * *

We make it into the bedroom in the end, and when I wake up the next morning my heart soars to find Jay asleep beside me.

It’s him. It’s Jay.

He’s really here. Solid, in the flesh.

After all the times I’ve been with him during the night, only to wake up to find he’s not really here after all, I’m so happy I think I might burst.

I watch him sleeping, his head tipped to one side, arm flung across the duvet, and take the rare opportunity to really study him. The swelling on his face has completely faded now, and only the shadow of a bruise remains by his left eye. Stubble sprinkles his chin and jaw and his dark hair is swept back off his face, sticking up in all directions. I can’t help smiling at the memory of me tugging my hands through it last night when?—

‘Morning,’ he says, a smile spreading across his face as he cracks one eye fully open.

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