Page 61 of A Cornish Love Story
He nodded and licked his lips, so I moved forward, over him. It felt so good, so right, and I watched as he exhaled, a sound coming from deep in his throat. But he didn’t close his eyes and neither did I, and when we started moving together, the bed perfectly weighted, nothing banging against the wall, no rat-tat-tat or cuddly turtle dive-bombers, I felt as if the house had always known: as if it had been waiting for us, as if this was always meant to happen.
‘God.’ Ethan pressed his head into my chest, adding a muffled, ‘Fuck, George,’ against my skin, his words vibrating through me.
‘Like this?’ I felt breathless and wild, the tide rising inside me again, the reality that this wasEthan, that it had never been like this with anyone but him, that it never would be, making me frantic.
‘Yeah, like this.’
I lifted his chin so I could kiss him, my feet and fingers fizzing, sensation blooming inside me. ‘Ethan.’
He leaned back, looking into my eyes. ‘This is so good, Georgie. You’re – you’re it. You’re everything.’
His words sent me hurtling towards the spark – a spark that had only ever been this bright with Ethan.And I knew he was close too, that his desire had caught hold of his words and run away with them, but they were a mantra, a beat in my head, as we got there together.You’re everything.
I had never felt like I was close to enough, apart from with Ethan, and now he’d confirmed it. With him, I was all I needed to be.
He put his arms around me, and I pressed my lips to his forehead, pushing his damp hair off it. I wanted to run my fingers over every part of him.
‘Georgie.’ It was muffled, spoken against my neck, but I loved the way my name sounded in his low, breathless voice. I loved everything about him. I had never stopped loving him, not for a second, despite the way we’d ended things.
‘Hey, Ethan?’ I slid my arms out from around him, ran my thumb over his bottom lip.
‘Yeah?’ He looked as dazed, as satisfied, as I felt.
‘It turns out we didn’t need rose petals after all. Sex mode activated, without any help whatsoever.’
He tipped his head forward and laughed into my collarbone, and we fell sideways on the luxurious bedspread, just as a white, fragmented light spilled in through the rain-splattered window, and I realized that the summer storm had moved on, and that the sea outside the house, and us and the bed inside, were bathed in moonlight.
Chapter Twenty-Four
July 2012
My dress was pale blue with one dark blue seam running through it, and another that was shimmering silver. It had wide straps, a square neckline and a skirt that floated elegantly but wasn’t too poofy. Kira had helped me turn my shoulder-length blonde hair into a mass of curls, and acted as makeup consultant so I wasn’t too pale or remotely clownish. Her own dress was black and red, layers of lace and chiffon, but her chunky boots and cat-eye liner made her look badass rather than out of place.
‘We’re like the mermaid and the she-devil,’ she said, slinging an arm around my shoulders as we looked at our reflections in the hall mirror.
‘Mermaid and Snow White,’ I suggested with a smile.
‘There is nothing pure about me,’ Kira said. ‘Youand Ethan are coming to the house after the disco, right?’
My dress was delicate and pretty, and I fingered the soft fabric, thinking of the thorns and twigs inside the broken wall. But this was about more than a pretty dress: it was our last chance to be in the house together before the summer started. Our exams were done, our fates set – though we didn’t know what they were yet – and Freddy and Kira both had family plans that would take them out of Cornwall. I would miss them, but Ethan would still be here, and I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could.
‘Of course,’ I said, as my phone chimed.
‘Your boy on his way?’
I opened the message and my stomach fell. ‘Sarah’s gone AWOL.’
‘What?’ Kira frowned. ‘Isn’t she staying with friends in York?’
‘She got back last weekend. Ethan said she seemed happier, ready to settle down and finish the year, but …’
‘It can’t be that unusual for her to disappear. It doesn’t sound like staying at home with a book is really her thing.’
I showed Kira the message.
Sarah had a massive row with Mum and stormed out. I need to find her. I’ll meet you there. I’m so sorry, I love you. Ex.
‘Fuck,’ Kira said. ‘Fuckity fuck. I’m sorry, Georgie.’
