Incite (Sphere of Irony 1)

He tattooed my name over his heart. I have to swallow down the lump in my throat before I can speak. “Adam, I can’t wait any longer.” I drag my hand down his torso, letting it drop to my side. Then I scoot further up on the bed and lay down, closing my eyes in a pathetic attempt to control my speeding pulse.

I’m not alone for very long. The bed dips nearby from Adam’s weight as he climbs up and lowers his body onto mine. I can’t help the moan that escapes from my throat when our groins rub together. He shifts his hips gently, increasing the friction in that perfect spot.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says, dragging his hands through my hair. When our mouths meet, it’s less desperate, less frantic than before, because we know we have all the time in the world in front of us. No more roadblocks, no more missed opportunities, our future starts now, together.

We take our time exploring each other’s bodies, rediscovering what we used to know so well. Hands and mouths touch and taste every inch of flesh, I kiss the faded scar on his abdomen, a reminder of so long ago. Adam trails calloused fingers over every sensitive curve on my body. We continue teasing until we’re both unable to hold out any longer.

When he enters me, it’s like coming home again. Two halves have become who

le once more. Declarations of love mean everything now that we have each other with no barriers, nothing to hold us back, no more complications. And when we both reach that glorious peak, we find a reason to live… each other.

God I’m nervous. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in my life. I fidget, bringing my hand up to my mouth to chew on my thumbnail, only to remember my manicure. Scowling, I drop my hand and search around the room for something to occupy my mind.

“Ellie, for god’s sake, just stop twitching! You’re going to sweat your makeup off!”

“Gemma, don’t tell me I can’t be nervous, it’s not nice!” I whine.

“El,” Kate says calmly, taking my hands and squeezing them, “breathe. It’s fine. Everyone’s here and we’re just about ready to start. The media hasn’t caught wind of it so we’re good.”

I attempt to do as Kate says and close my eyes, breathing in and out deeply, grimacing at the scent of smoke and stale beer as I try to rein in my fluttering pulse. I smooth my hands over the front of my dress, smiling.

“Okay, it’s time, El.”

Holy shit! I’ve never been so scared and so excited at the same time.

chapter 41

Adam

“Ready?” Dax asks as he fidgets with his tie again.

“I’ve been ready for ten years.” Annoyed, I smack his hand away from his collar. “Leave the damn thing alone. Kate will kill you if you’re all fucked up when she sees you. She’s been all over us about these damn suits.”

Dax grunts out an incoherent response but lowers his hands and shoves them in his pockets.

Ross sticks his head into the tiny room and smiles, “Okay guys. It’s time.”

I turn to Dax and grin, “Alright, this is it. Thanks for being here man. For being the best mate a guy could ever have.”

“What are friends for?” He grabs my shoulder and pulls me in for a hug, slapping my back with his huge hand.

“Jesus Dax. You need to learn to rein in your strength.” I make an exaggerated wince and he laughs. Needing to do something with my hands, I take one last chance to straighten up my jacket, then we head out to take our places in the next room. Hawke and Gavin and Dax’s family wave from their seats in the first row, across from Ellie’s mum and her step-dad, Miles.

The string quartet starts playing the song I composed just for today. A surprise for Ellie. It’s an arrangement of Unconscious Devotion that I spun into a sweet, lilting melody. Perfect for her walk down the aisle.

Kate appears in the doorway at the back of the DK, the same shoddy pub where our band started playing all those years ago. It’s not a large room, so it only takes Kate half a minute to reach the front and take her place opposite me and Dax.

The small crowd stands and everyone faces the doorway when Ellie steps into view. She literally takes my breath away. Dax must notice because he nudges me with his elbow, “Breathe mate,” he whispers with a chuckle.

I watch, my heart pounding in my chest, as Ellie makes her way down the aisle. Her eyes shimmer when she hears the music that was inspired by her, no longer bringing up sad memories. It now represents our future. Ellie takes her place by my side and hands her small bouquet of flowers to Kate before turning back to face me.

“How’s the little one?” I whisper, unable to resist putting my hands on her moderately swollen belly.

“Doing great.” She grins, the look on her face one of pure love. “Very active today actually.”

“Brilliant. Let’s get married. I want to start the rest of our life.”

“So do I, Adam. So do I.”