‘We’ll be back soon.’
Ash pulled his lips into a tight line, but Fliss was determined not to be dismissed. She dipped her head so that her lips were skimming the soft dip by his ear.
‘Not soon enough,’ she murmured, deliberately letting one hand drop onto his thigh. High enough that her desire was clear, but low enough so that it would pique his interest.
At least, she hoped it would. This was about heightening the sexual intensity, but they both knew she wasn’t about to do anything else in the back seat of a taxi. Fliss suddenly wished she was a little more skilled in the bedroom department. She walked her fingers a torturously slow inch higher, her voice still a whisper.
‘I can hardly wait to touch you properly.’
He caught her wrist in his strong fingers, just as he had on the hilltop, stopping it from moving any higher. But at least he didn’t cast her away. In fact, the wall between them was beginning to crumble again. Fliss felt a punch of triumph. She’d convinced Ash that she was only thinking about the sex. And the funny thing about it was that, in the process, she’d started to convince herself that she felt that way too.
‘I’m not made of stone, Felicity,’ he warned. His voice was a low, strained rumble which seemed to burrow into her lower abdomen. She swallowed.
‘I’m not asking you to be.’
Trusting her to keep her hand where it was, he let go and cupped her jaw, forcing her to look at him. For several long moments they held each other’s eyes wordlessly. Her stomach flip-flopped. Ash’s gaze was so intense it was almost black with desire, allaying any fears that he didn’t want her any more. The realisation b
oosted her confidence more than any words could have.
Closing the gap between them, Fliss pressed her lips to his, so demanding and urgent she barely recognised herself. But she liked it. She liked the boldness Ash brought out in her, and she loved the way his resistance barely lasted a second before he was kissing her back with such heat she could hardly breathe.
She couldn’t stop herself any longer. She cupped him through his trousers and he reacted instantly. Lust shot through her and her body arched towards his as liquid desire pooled at her core. If it hadn’t been for the driver she didn’t think she could have stopped herself from taking it further.
Her. Felicity Delaunay.
‘I need more,’ she moaned softly.
He pulled at her lower lip with his teeth, gently teasing her, his thumb grazing up and down her jawline.
‘Soon,’ Ash muttered, without lifting his head. ‘I promise.’
Every last drop of their mutual desire was expressed in that kiss. Constrained to that kiss. First shallow and fast, then deepening and slowing. His mouth explored hers just as he had before, yet every stroke of his tongue and pass of his lips ignited new flames throughout Fliss’s body as she revelled in the intoxicating feel of his mouth.
It was almost a relief when the taxi finally drew up outside the hotel and they tumbled out, barely able to conceal their hurry. Fliss felt momentarily bereft as Ash paused to pay the driver, but then he snaked his arm around her waist as he swept them inside the hotel lobby and across to the lifts. The wait felt interminably long.
Finally they ducked inside and stood, eyes fixed ahead, just waiting for the doors to close so that they could resume the kiss where they’d left off in the taxi. Her self-control was in tatters and her body throbbed. Finally, mercifully, the doors began to slide closed and Fliss was just imagining Ash hauling her up against the walls of the lift when a walking stick was jammed through the rapidly closing gap.
She felt Ash tug her gently to the side as the doors pinged open and an elderly couple shuffled inside, smiling kindly at them.
‘Lovely evening.’
‘Lovely,’ Ash agreed, his voice admirably clear. ‘Which floor?’
Her own throat tight, Fliss tried to force a smile to her lips instead. For years she’d wondered what it must feel like when other kids had lamented sneaking a boyfriend to their bedroom only for a parent to walk in. She suspected it felt a little like she was feeling now.
‘Fifth floor, please.’
The same as theirs.
Fliss didn’t dare glance at Ash. She felt as though she was trapped in some kind of farce and she’d never felt so overwhelmed by frustrated longing before. Just another tiny detail which set the night apart from any other she’d ever experienced.
The lift sped upwards. The silence almost cloying, though no one else appeared to notice.
‘Have you been enjoying yourselves?’
A gurgle of laughter bubbled up inside Fliss. Only Ash’s arm, offering her silent support, allowed her to control it.
‘Very pleasant, thank you,’ he responded politely. ‘The carnival in the local town was particularly impressive. Have you seen it?’