Off Limits

He knows. He knows which way salvation lies and he powers through the water, walking easily to the edge and lifting me so that I’m sitting on the coping. He barely breaks our kiss as he climbs out, pressing his body over mine, his weight and wetness making me writhe against the tiles as need explodes in me.

It’s the need to remove this burden from his mind, sure. But it’s my own need, too. My need to feel him. This is what makes sense right now.

‘You are like an angel,’ he mutters, stripping my swimsuit from my body. The fabric is wet and stubborn, but his hands are strong and determined and dispose of it easily, rolling it down my flesh, my legs, until I can kick it off my feet. He brings his mouth back to mine and I kiss him once more, my hands grabbing his cock and guiding him towards me.

He pauses, though, his eyes seeking mine as though he’s asking me something, needing something else.

I smile at him—a slow-spreading smile—and I whisper, ‘Please...’

He moves inside me and something is shifting around us—changing—as tangible as the pleasure that rolls through me.

We want this to be clear-cut, yet it no longer feels that way. It’s not just sex this time... It’s a slow exploration that curls my toes and, I’m afraid, shakes my heart to life.

Chapter Nine

‘I LOVE THIS CITY.’

His eyes meet mine, his smile disarming, and my body responds. I swear my breasts grin at him. Happiness settles around my shoulders.

‘It’s beautiful.’

A pizza box sits between us, the contents half-eaten. He reaches for another piece and I watch his fingers curl over the crust.

Making love by the pool broke something inside me and I’m glad—because it’s rebuilt me in a different way. I’m different. He’s different. Nothing is the same now.

‘It’s clean. New.’ He smiles. ‘Nothing like where I grew up.’

I have to shake myself into the conversation. I’m genuinely interested in where this is going, but the cobwebs of lust are hard to ignore.

‘Dublin?’

‘Yeah. Just outside it, anyway. A grimy little town to the east.’ He wrinkles his nose.

‘Do you ever get back?’

‘Nah.’ He throws the crust back into the box and stands up, holding his hands out to me.

I stand and put my hands in his. When did I stop questioning him and just become a part of him? And why doesn’t it bother me more?

‘My parents moved to Kerry—a little house overlooking the ocean, as far as you can see. It’s beautiful there.’

‘But you like cities?’ I say as he pulls me towards him and holds me close.

He begins to sway, dancing with me on the balcony of his apartment as the moon casts a silver light over the Sydney Opera House.

‘I like the pace,’ he agrees. ‘I’m not one for small towns.’

I tilt my head to the side. ‘I don’t know...’ I say thoughtfully. ‘I think cities can be almost slower than towns. It just depends on how you spend your time. There’s certainly a lot of anonymity in a city. Haven’t you ever just wanted to get lost? You can walk down Oxford Street on Boxing Day and not be seen by anyone.’

He presses his cheek against mine. There it is again. That clicking inside me as I acknowledge how right this feels. I know it’s a very dangerous thought—one that will certainly lead me to pain.

‘I can honestly tell you I have never contemplated walking down Oxford Street—let alone on Boxing Day. Are you fucking mad?’

I smile against his chest. ‘Yes, well, I suppose you’d send someone to get whatever the hell you need, right?’

His smile indicates agreement.

‘Anyway, you live in Hampstead. That’s basically as small town as it’s possible to get inside London.’