Page 64 of Head First
‘Oh.’ Her face falls. ‘OK. Hugh, talk to you later.’
‘What’s up?’ Hugh asks once Natalie is out of earshot. His voice is tight.
We start walking along the beach, which eventually curves out of sight from our group.
‘I . . . um . . .’ I stutter out, unable to form a sentence. I was so focused on getting him alone that I didn’t think through what I needed to say. ‘I need to tell you something,’ I say, as we round the corner and disappear from everyone’s view.
Hugh’s eyebrows knit together, and for a moment his eyes are unreadable. It feels unimaginable that we haven’t spoken all day, when the past three days all we’ve done is chat. The ache in my heart is so pronounced that my hand flutters to my chest.
‘Seriously, Millie?’
‘What?’
‘You were rude to Natalie and she’s been wanting to talk to you.’
‘No . . . can we not talk ab—’
‘Oh, wait.’ Hugh’s glowering now, and he kicks at the sand. ‘Don’t tell me. You’re jealous.’ He spins to face me and stops walking. ‘Is that it?’
We’ve reached the end of the beach, and Hugh turns to keep walking, climbing over a rock and into the forest. ‘She has a boyfriend for God’s sake,’ he says, ‘we’re friends! And if you actually bothered to talk to her, you would know why!’
‘Wait,’ I say, feeling like everything is spinning out of control too quickly. ‘That’s not it. I’m . . . I’m dealing with a lot right now. I’m not usually this all over the place, I promise.’
Hugh stops. We’re both in the trees now, just steps off the beach. ‘You’re ridiculous, you know that? You tell me you don’t want me, and as soon as you see me with someone else, you do?’
‘This isn’t what this is about!’ I cry.
‘Really?’ Hugh takes a step towards me. My heart is pounding in my chest. He lowers his face closer to mine. ‘What is it then?’ he asks, but his voice is softer, like the anger has drained out of it. His eyes have returned to their light blue. He raises his thumb gently to my bottom lip.
‘Hugh,’ I whisper.
He leans in to kiss me, and I raise my face to meet his. His hand palms the back of my head and the small of my back simultaneously, pulling our bodies together. My thoughts disappear from my head and are replaced bymore, more, more, as I reach my hands into his hair.
Suddenly, he pulls away.
‘What is it?’ I gasp, short of breath. My head is clouded with desire for him. There are so many words I’ve left unsaid, but there’s no way I can say them now.
‘You drive me crazy,’ he says.
My pulse is racing. ‘Mmm,’ I reply, ‘I think you just like a challenge.’
He looks at me, and his gaze is so filled with longing that my swimsuit feels like it will disintegrate off my body. His eyes travel the length of my body, up my legs, lingering on my waist, my breasts, my neck. I can’t stand the anticipation, and just as I’m about to step forward, he moves, closing the space between us and grabbing the backs of my legs, picking me up with a hand under each thigh and pressing me against a nearby tree. The heat from his pelvis radiates towards mine.
All I can think about is undoing the drawstring of his swimsuit.
‘Hugh,’ I pant, as he grazes my neck with his lips, his kisses searing my skin. He’s reached his hands underneath my swimsuit, and his thumb is circling my nipple. I moan when he lifts my breast into his mouth. I feel him harden at the sound of my arousal, and when I reach down to feel him, he catches my hand and sucks gently on my thumb. I squirm with pleasure.
I’m even more turned on than I was the last time. The heady anticipation has been replaced by knowing what Hugh can do to me.
‘Please,’ I whisper. He places his hands under my thighs again and steps out of the clearing this time, laying me down on the white sand in between two large rocks.
His grip is so firm that for a second, I don’t feel the sand at all, I’m waiting for it to touch my skin. Then I realise I’ve wrapped my legs around him so tightly that I haven’t touched the ground. I relax, and he releases me from his hold, slipping a finger underneath my swimsuit.
He gasps at my wetness, and I whimper at the feeling of his finger inside me. His thumb circles my clit.
‘What if they come around the corner?’ I manage to ask. I’m panting with desire.
‘They won’t,’ Hugh says. ‘And they wouldn’t be able to see us.’
