Page 73 of Ride the Wave

‘Yeah, good,’ I breathe, butterflies filling my stomach. ‘That makes me happy.’

His throat bobs. ‘Why would me being jealous make you happy, London?’

‘Why do you think, Leo?’

His eyes widen, ablaze with heat and determination.

And the next thing I know, he is abandoning his post at the doors of the lift and striding in towards me. His hand wraps round my neck and he draws my mouth to his.

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Leo kisses me so deeply, so urgently, I almost stumble backwards, but his other hand is already there at the small of my back, taking my weight, catching me before I can even think of falling. He presses my hips into his, while his tongue caresses mine, sending electric jolts crackling through my entire body, covering it in goosebumps and dissipating any sensible thoughts that were lingering in my mind.

Oh my fucking God.

I’d forgotten what it was like, to be kissed like this.

Luckily, my body remembers how to respond. As his other hand drops to my hip, knocking my bag out its way, my arms fly to his neck, my fingers threading through his thick, messy hair like they’ve ached to do for days. I arch my back and melt into him, gasping against his lips as he devours mine. Everything about him is intoxicating: his warm, strong hands holding me in place against him, the woody scent of his cologne, the taste of his soft, full lips and the sensation of his tongue gliding against mine.

I give in. Completely, utterly, absolutely. That’s how good this kiss is, sending me weak at the fucking knees, my body consumed by a fierce, feverish ache of wanting more of him. My greediness for him makes me breathless as I kiss him back, moaning into his mouth, causing him to press me into him even harder, one hand roaming down the curve of my hip, the other in its place at the bottom of my spine.

A familiar ping threatens to interrupt us, but neither of us seem to care. I hear the doors slide shut, but I’m not breaking this kiss, not yet. It’s too good. I’m consumed by the feeling of his lips, the work of his tongue, the smell of his aftershave. I’m at Leo’s mercy and when the lift jolts as it begins to go down, he has me locked in place, secured and safe, enveloped in his strong, muscular arms. I can feel him hard against me and the thought drives me wild. Running my fingers through his hair and down to the nape of his neck, I nip at his lip, that billowing bottom lip I’ve become mildly obsessed with, and he groans, coming up for air to look at me, his eyes ablaze with need and wonder.

‘Fuck,’ he rasps.

The lift comes to a stop and the doors begin to open up to the ground floor. Before I know what’s happening, Leo has stepped round so his back is now against the wall and he spins me to face the lift doors, his hands grabbing my hips and pulling me backwards against him, one hand snaking around my waist and locking me in.

Someone is waiting to get into the lift: a guy in his twenties. He starts when he sees us, his eyes brightening at the sight of Leo. I smile politely.

‘Leo,’ he says, standing aside to give us room to walk out. ‘Tudo bem?’

‘Hi Ernesto, it’s okay, we’re actually going back up,’ Leo replies. ‘We… forgot something.’

‘Okay.’ Ernesto steps in and presses the button for the third floor as well as the fourth, looking at me curiously. ‘Olá.’

‘This is Iris,’ Leo says, holding me in place in front of him.

‘Hi,’ I say.

‘Hello Iris,’ Ernesto grins, standing to one side of the lift and turning his back to us.

He knows what’s going on here. We know he knows. My cheeks flush with heat.

We fall into silence.

The doors begin to close and up we go.

The air in here is charged with tension.

It must only take a few seconds for the lift to rise up to Ernesto’s floor, but it feels like an agonisingly long time. I’m pressed up against Leo’s erection and my need for him grows almost unbearable as I feel him hard against my back, my fingernails digging into the skin of his forearm that’s around my waist. He’s dropped his other hand to the back of my thigh and his fingers are now trailing lightly up my skin, dragging the hem of my dress with them. He brushes his lips against my hair, pressing a kiss to the back of my head.God, I can’t wait to kiss him again. Now that I’ve tasted him, I’m a full-on addict. My breathing shaky, I stare at the lift buttons on the wall lighting up one by one as we make our way up the floors, praying for this thing to go faster.

One.

Two.

Three.

Ping. Ernesto glances over his shoulder to give us a wave before he exits at his floor.

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