Page 67 of Enemies to Lovers

The kissing resumes, but now I can’t stand it. I want him inside me. I want to be on this beach, my legs wrapped around him, pulling him in, in, in.

I roll over, so that I’m on top, and then pull him up to sitting, so I can take off his T-shirt. In return, he takes off my blouse and then pulls off my bra. He takes my nipple in his mouth, sucking so hard that I yelp.

‘Was that too hard?’

‘Yes,’ I whisper. ‘Except, no … Do it again.’

He runs his tongue around my other nipple before putting it in his mouth, and this time I decide I like it.

I wriggle off him to take off my shorts, watching Jamie as he does the same. I want to be naked. I don’t care that we’re outside – nobody is here, nobody is going to be here. I feel wild and free, unconstrained by what Ishoulddo and emboldened by doing exactly whatI want: which, in this moment, is lowering my naked body onto Jamie’s to feel the length of him curve up inside me.

He shudders as he enters me, and I claw at his back to take him deeper. My legs are knitted behind him, my arms wrapped over his shoulders, my head tipped back so that he can kiss my neck. We move in time, slowly, until it is impossible to bear any more and we give way to haste, to friction. I push my pelvis against him, his hands on my arse encouraging my speed, and I can hear the lap of the waves against the shore, my eyes fluttering open just enough to see Jamie illuminated by the moon, rock-solid and smooth as butter. I can’t stop touching him, luxuriating in him. He says my name, and I writhe in ecstatic release. Jamie bites down onto my shoulder, following my lead, and we lie there, panting, spent, Jamie’s cheek to my bare breast.

Afterwards, as we sit there, entangled in one another, suddenly there’s the sound of voices.

‘Somebody’s coming,’ Jamie whispers, and I push up off him quickly, noticing how close the voices actually are.

‘The bushes!’ I sputter, launching myself, stark naked, into the shrubbery.

Jamie doesn’t follow, I realise too late – he’s out there, and whoever else is out there too has found him.

‘Jamie.’ It’s Alex. Alex has found us. But who is he with? At least this solves the mystery of where hewent – he’s pulled! ‘What are you doing here?’ he presses.

‘Alex,’ Jamie says, and he sounds winded. Out of breath. ‘We wondered where you’d gone.’

‘I bumped into a friend,’ says Alex.

‘Cool,’ Jamie replies. Then I hear him say, ‘All right, mate. I’m Jamie.’

‘We’ll leave you to it,’ Alex says. ‘Sorry to interrupt. Did Flo go to bed?’

Jamie begins to say that Alex and his mystery pal aren’t interrupting, but Alex is having none of it.

‘Jamie, mate. I don’t know what exactly you’re up to, but I know it isn’t kosher. However, I’m a discreet man. So, I won’t tell if you don’t?’

Jamie must nod, or wink, orsomething, because then Alex’s footsteps retreat, seemingly up towards the house.

‘It’s safe,’ Jamie whispers. ‘Flo?’

I crawl out. ‘Did he know it was me?’ I ask.

Jamie shakes his head. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘Who was he with?’

‘No idea. Some guy.’

I nod. ‘Whoa,’ I say. ‘We almost got caught!’

‘Alex seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see him,’ he reasons. ‘He seemed sheepish at being caught taking somebody up to the house. I think he was more bothered about himself than about me and whoever I was with …’

Jamie holds out a hand and I take it, pressing mynaked body against his boxer-shorts-wearing one. He clasps me to him, runs his hands up and down my arms.

‘That was amazing,’ he whispers into my hair, and I tell him he wasn’t so bad himself. I feel him stir in his underwear, standing to attention, despite having nearly been caught.

‘Are you …?’ I ask, and he nods.

‘I am,’ he laughs. It makes me laugh too.

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