No One But You

“I know, but still.” His sigh was long and weary as he directed his drained blue gaze back to me.

“At some point you’re going to have to go home and sleep in an actual bed.” I fixed the collar of his stark white shirt. “When do you have Molly again?”

“Friday.”

“You have two days left to obsess over this and two days to rest and get yourself together so that you can enjoy your time with her.”

He smiled as he stood in front of me with his hands on his hips. His hair a mess and his usual stubble more of a short beard. I liked it. It fuelled my already overactive imagination. I loved the rough feel of it under my fingertips and on my skin when we kissed. And I couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like on other more sensitive parts of my body.

“I’m taking Pippa to the Natural History Museum on Sunday after Mass and then we’re going to see what’s on at the cinema. It’s my last day off that falls on the weekend for a few weeks so I want to make it fun.”

“Sounds good. We’ll be there.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to him.

I squirmed and giggled as he poked the ticklish spot on my waist. “I didn’t invite you.”

“So?” He asked as he kissed behind my ear.

“It’s rude to invite yourself along.”

“You shouldn’t have told me your plans then.” He tilted my head back with his thumbs and kissed his way down my throat.

His touches had grown more and more intimate over the last few days. Since our kiss. Every time he touched me was with a new edge to his need and want. His fingers inching closer to places he’d never touched before, and my body ached and begged for more. But I was scared to ask him for it, I’d done it once and he’d refused. I don’t think I could’ve taken another rejection from him.

“Not unless you wanted me to come.” He finished as his lips trailed back up my neck to my lips.

I could feel the butterflies in my stomach wake and flutter as my knees wobbled.

“You can’t do this in front of the girls.” I stroked his beard. “Whatever this is, it’ll confuse things for them.”

“I know.” He sighed as he wrapped his arms around my waist. “I should probably ask you out or something.”

“Ask me out? What? Like a date?” My heart squeezed with excitement.

“I don’t know,” he touched his forehead to mine. “It feels like we’re beyond that, but at the same time—”

“We can call it dinner and drinks, and whatever happens after that…happens.” I shrugged and teased a soft kiss on his lips.

“Is that a proposition?” His gaze locked on mine.

I bit down on my lip a tinge of bashfulness warming my cheeks, “You bet.”

“Quincy Elizabeth Cavendish, are you trying to seduce me?”

“Who says I’m trying?” I hooked a finger in the opening of his shirt and flattened my other hand on the small of his back. “I’ve waited so long for this.”

I kissed my way up his neck to his ear.

“I don’t care about dating, Jamie. I know you better than I know myself. I’ve known you all my life. I’ve watched you grow from the boy who gave me my first proper kiss to this amazingly talented and caring man.” I walked him backwards to his desk and stood between his legs as he sat on the edge.

His gaze searched my face like he was analysing my thoughts. The truth was that I wasn’t a dating kind of girl. I didn’t need a man to preen and put on a show to convince me to be with him. I would much rather have honesty and loyalty.

Does that even make sense? Aren’t women supposed to want all the pomp and ceremony?

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and twisted my fingers into his hair.

“If you were thinking I want to be wined and dined, you should know that we aren’t just beyond that, it’s nowhere near enough anymore. I’ve shared more food and drink with you than anyone else. I want more than that. A lot more.”

And in case he didn’t understand how much more, I kissed him hard and deep, because I needed him to know exactly where I was at. I didn’t want him to handle me with kid gloves. He’d already been doing that for a very long time.