Page 48 of Wilder at Heart
Mmm.
This is heavenly.
Warm. Soft. Wet. His heart thumping against my palm. His hands sliding over my bum. For some reason, I find it easier toenjoy kissing him in public, because I don’t have the worry about our motives hanging over me.
Lotta’s whistle breaks the moment, and Theo draws away from me. His mouth has taken a coating of sticky red lip gloss, which I attempt to wipe away with my thumb as I smile at him.
Lotta is beaming at us. ‘Bloody hell, people! That was hot as fuck. Forgive me for being skeptical, but I stand corrected. You guys will make beautiful babies together.’
‘Shut up,’ I mutter.
‘Come on,’ she says. ‘Get moving, you two. Shake those gorgeous asses!’
And she throws her hands above her head, her champagne threatening to splash right out of its flute. She really is stunning. I cast a glance at Theo to see if he’s checking her out, but he’s still grinning at me. I stand on my tiptoes and cup my hand to his ear to make myself heard above the music.
‘Have you and Lotta ever had a thing?’
‘Oh yeah,’ he says. He wraps his arm around my waist, and turns me around so my back is to his chest, and puts his mouth to my ear. ‘I shagged her when we were younger. I think it was the summer after my first year at Cambridge. So she was like, seventeen, maybe?’
God. Yet another reminder that while I was living a boring, virginal, suburban existence, girls like Carlotta were living it up and sleeping with hot guys in their impossibly over-privileged circle. I twist my face back to meet his. The kiss has broken the ice, made me more comfortable with him. The arms encircling my waist don’t bother me at all. It feels natural.
Lovely.
‘Nice.’ I tell him. ‘Ever tempted to go back for more?’
He grimaces. ‘Oh, God, no. She’s seriously high-maintenance. She’s going to need a tough fucker to handle her.’
I think that’s unfair, but for some reason, it’s nice to hear Theo deny any ongoing interest in her. I lean my head back against his chest and sway against him, allowing myself to enjoy the heat of his hard body behind me and the possessive grip of his hands, which are sliding up and down over my hips as we shimmy to the beat.
A champagne flute is thrust in my face. It’s Elle. She and Josh are holding tall glasses of water. Elle doesn’t drink around Josh. She doesn’t think it’s fair to rub it in his face, and it’s better for her Crohn’s if she drinks less, anyway. Whatever she can do to limit inflammatory substances is helpful, especially given her punishing shooting schedule.
Lotta screams again and throws herself at Elle, and then proceeds to beam at Josh and embrace him in a way that would definitely have me raising my eyebrows if that was my boyfriend, but which makes Elle laugh. Josh takes it in his stride with all the grace of someone who’s had to endure this kind of attention for years.
Lotta beckons over the professional photographer, and we’re all laughing as she drapes herself over Josh for a pose (I’d saypoor Josh, but she’s clearly ravishing), and then poses between him and Elle, so I’m totally unprepared when Jonathan andLucyshow up right next to us all on the dance floor.
Jonathan looks good. Like, really good. He’s in a white suit with a red shirt and black necktie thing, which is totally inspired by Mick Jagger. He has a light tan that makes his gorgeous blue eyes pop. He gives me a tentative smile, and his eyes flick down to my hips at the same time that Theo’s fingers dig more tightly into my hip bones and pull me back more firmly against him.
The fingers of my free hand curl around Theo’s.Hi Jonathan, I mouth above the music, and I wave my flute at him and wiggle my fingers in greeting to discourage him from comingany closer. For some reason, just seeing him pisses me off. It’s probably Theo’s pep talk the other day that’s set me against him.
He waves back at me and mouths a greeting before jerking his gaze back to Lucy, who’s a ship in full sail tonight in a low-cut black dress. Fair play. Honestly, if I had those boobs, I’d get them out every chance I got. But Lucy’s not looking at me. Or her boyfriend. Or even Theo. Because she’s staring at Josh like he’s the second coming of Christ. Jonathan clocks her intense appreciation for the Hollywood vision in front of her, and his jaw tightens, which, for me, is a priceless gem in this otherwise shitty situation. He’s got his girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend right in front of him, and he can’t get our full attention.
Isn’t karma a bitch?
Theo’s hand moves up over my stomach, leaving a trail of heat. He tucks his head in between my neck and shoulder. His lips graze the skin just above the halter neck tie of my dress while his fingers rub at the fabric draped over my stomach.
He growls in my ear. ‘Sexy. As. Fuck.’
There’s no space between us. None. My bare back is plastered against the front of his body, his belt buckle hard against my skin, but I don’t care, because I can tell what he’s doing. He’s most likely trying to make Jonathan jealous, which is precisely his mandate. But the way he has me wrapped up in his body is having another effect.
It’s making me feel protected.
Untouchable.
Even if the way he’s gyrating against my ass is dangerous.
I know Theo now. I know he’s doing a job, and I know he’s also enjoying how I look tonight. He’s a straightforward guy, like he’s told me, and like Elle’s reminded me. I’m in a revealing dress, and he’s into it.
That part is real.
